Sakumo Hatake didn't feel any resentment or jealousy toward Haseo—he'd be a narrow-minded ninja if he did, and all narrow-minded ninjas were failures.
Sakumo was simply curious—just when exactly had Haseo overtaken him completely?
Well, this wasn't an easy question to answer clearly either.
During the war, battling enemies consumed every ninja's mind entirely. Who had time to compare themselves with teammates?
Everyone who survived each battle was moving forward. It's just that Haseo had advanced far more rapidly than Sakumo. In short, there was no point dwelling on past events—Sakumo could only sum up his attitude in four words: catch up as hard as possible.
Moreover, although Haseo might now be considered a well-known ninja, he'd paid an enormous price for that status—and the evidence lay right before their eyes. His shrunken figure looked like some kind of ghostly mess, making it hard to imagine what exactly he'd done to himself.
Yet this perfectly aligned with how Sakumo had always viewed Haseo. A long time ago, Sakumo had already realized that though Haseo appeared calm, harmless, and unambitious, he secretly harbored an extremely extreme side.
Back then at the makeshift hospital near the Front-line Camp in the Land of Rivers, Sakumo personally witnessed Haseo injecting excessive amounts of fluid into his own body.
To be honest, such behavior was already quite obsessive and pathological—it left quite a psychological shadow on Sakumo... At that time, Sakumo's view toward Haseo was actually the same as how Haseo later saw Orochimaru.
Some people just go around doing stuff that normal folks wouldn't dream of.
But were those bizarre behaviors effective? Yes, they were—for not long afterward, Haseo developed his own Lightning Release High-speed Ninjutsu.
No pain, no gain. This outcome made Sakumo deeply understand one truth—what's so wrong with a guy being a little twisted anyway?
"Back to business, Sakumo. The war has ended. For the foreseeable future, the ninjas in the village will have relatively less to do. So… do you have any plans for what to do next?"
They exchanged a few words to catch up, and then Haseo quickly got straight to the point.
"Plans?"
The question felt pretty vague at first, so Sakumo had trouble figuring out what Haseo was really getting at... Even though the war had ended, what plans did a ninja really need to make for the future? Most likely just settling into some quiet life—eating, sleeping, and training to stay sharp.
"You might not know this yet... There's something rather confidential at the moment—that with the Third Hokage's support, I've already established a new ninja organization within the village.
What I'm saying is—if you don't have particularly detailed future plans, working together with me would probably be a pretty good option."
When luring talent, one should be straightforward. As for compensation… well, discussing them was out of the question.
It wasn't a problem for Haseo to reveal such information to Sakumo Hatake. The true purpose of the organization "Kagenami" would remain secret, but its mere existence would eventually become known over time. Haseo was simply letting Sakumo Hatake learn about it a little earlier than others.
"Forming a new ninja organization? For what purpose?"
Sakumo Hatake naturally asked. He didn't question why Haseo had the authority to form such an organization; instead, he focused directly on the reason behind its formation.
"There are considerations regarding balancing power within Konoha and improving the overall ninja system, and also plans to eliminate a major threat to the village in the future. Anyway, we're an open, legal organization officially licensed by the Village Headman, and we don't engage in conspiracies or underhanded tactics. That, you can rest assured about.
I came up with the idea myself, so aside from the practical reasons I just mentioned, my most fundamental personal motivation could be described as... for world peace."
"W-world peace?"
Sakumo was momentarily stunned. The first reason Haseo mentioned he could vaguely understand, but after that, things got more and more confusing—how did world peace even come into play?
"How many people are in this organization you're talking about?"
"Including you, two for now."
"...What?"
Are you serious? Only two people?! World peace? Are you talking about peace for just the two of us or what?
"Hatake, every ninja's career and mindset begins with fighting and killing, but as one keeps fighting and growing stronger, their thoughts inevitably begin to expand beyond mere slaughter.
Once someone reaches Hokage-level strength, whether they hold the title or not, they won't still be thinking only about how to kill efficiently. They'll naturally start considering matters concerning the ninja village—and even the entire Ninjutsu World.
Of course, if I were to limit this argument to myself alone, it wouldn't really hold up. After all, my current abilities are limited, and discussing grand ideals might seem presumptuous. But… well, I am somewhat special, so I'm making plans for certain special things ahead of schedule."
Although there was already much discussion and praise about Haseo circulating in the village, judging purely by his current strength, he technically hadn't yet earned the right to speak of the future. Not because of anything else, but because the future was going to be an era dominated by powerhouses.
It made sense for strong individuals to think about global issues, but Haseo somehow didn't quite fit into that logic—his ideas didn't stem from his own strength, but from something deeper—a reincarnated soul with a broader view of the entire world, a perspective he could never forget, nor had any way of forgetting.
From beginning to end, Haseo's thoughts and vision had always gone beyond what you'd expect from someone of his current strength.
However, Sakumo Hatake still couldn't grasp what Haseo was saying, because he himself was exactly the kind of "person involved in the matter" Haseo had just described. Sakumo was incredibly talented—perhaps even already quite powerful—but his thinking still revolved around brute force and combat.
It was said that even among native-born individuals, there were prodigies as young as five or six who could contemplate the same grand ideas Haseo had just brought up. But those children were considered extreme anomalies—outcasts destined to eventually do something extraordinary.
Clearly, Sakumo wasn't one of those kinds of people.
He was a perfectly ordinary ninja, with thoughts running strictly along the most conventional lines. Even going rogue for a teammate had turned out to be the most rebellious thing he'd ever done in his life.
Though he didn't understand, Sakumo still sensed the logic behind Haseo's words—or more accurately, he felt the atmosphere of "what he said sounds reasonable."
"I..." Sakumo started to say he understood, but stopped himself mid-sentence, since he really hadn't. "Haseo, I want to ask why you came looking for me. You know, aside from fighting, I'm not good at anything else."
This question... completely missed the point—because the very reason Haseo came looking for him was that he could fight like no one else. Besides, Sakumo wasn't just someone who could fight—he was exceptionally, particularly skilled at it.
"Because among all the ninjas of your generation, none are stronger than you. Hatake, you're the strongest ninja there is. Your talent is beyond doubt." Haseo gave without hesitation the most accurate and convincing reasoning possible.
A sincere and straightforward compliment like that made Sakumo's face warm up a little—he hadn't expected praise to feel this sweet.
How strange—it was precisely because Haseo was the one constantly undermining Sakumo's confidence that, when Haseo finally praised him, it felt especially comforting.
Man, this was a full-blown case of something. Definitely needed fixing.
"If you believe I can be of help, Haseo, then I'm willing to lend you my hand."
In the end, that was how Sakumo answered Haseo's offer.
Hear that? That's how a real man makes a declaration. No fluff, straight to the point.
"Now you're speaking my language," Haseo said with a smile. "Just like that, our organization's doubled—it's got real potential now."
"...Haseo, I still don't really understand what kind of person you truly are..."
"Me? I'm just myself. Not particularly special, yet not entirely ordinary either."
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