In a corner of the "Kagenami" underground space, a fully equipped training field had been built. Compared to setting up complex barriers, this kind of physical construction was actually much easier.
Speaking of which, the Third Hokage had been quite supportive—he provided Haseo with a sufficient budget. As for Haseo, he wasn't stingy either; instead, he spent all the money exactly where it should go.
So, all the infrastructure in "Kagenami" was top-notch. However... now Haseo had to start thinking about when would be the right timing to ask Hokage for more funding next time?
As everyone knows, Haseo was never someone who tried to save public funds—would someone who tries to save government money even count as human anymore?
At this moment, Sakumo Hatake was conducting daily training with Uzumaki ninjas inside the training field. The main focus of their practice was close-range combat. After all, aside from Haseo and Hatake, other ninja within "Kagenami" currently lacked physical capabilities, so such training was necessary.
Engaging enemies up close wasn't the Uzumaki clan's specialty or their inherent strength. Fortunately, these ninjas were still young and highly adaptable, so certain deficiencies could definitely be improved upon... everyone has strengths and weaknesses; the purpose of this training was simply to increase their chances of survival, rather than trying to cultivate Uzumaki clan members into close combat masters like Hatake or Haseo.
Haseo hadn't reached the base yet. Specifically, while everyone else was working hard at training, he had just woken up at home.
Being just a regular ninja and leading an organization as its commander were two entirely different experiences—the latter involved caring about and handling far too many things, something Haseo now deeply understood as he gradually adapted to this transition... thinking this way made him finally understand why being the Hokage was such an exhausting position.
After waking up, the first thing Haseo saw was that black cat crouching on his windowsill. As one ordinary subject among experiments for cultivating summoned beasts, nobody knew why this particular cat remained obedient around Haseo. Even though the window stayed open and freedom always seemed accessible, it had never attempted to escape.
Perhaps some wild instinct was telling it that attempting to escape equated entirely to voluntarily jumping into a pot and having the lid sealed shut.
"I'm hungry."
Haseo scratched his head before standing up.
Recruiting a girl who could cook was no easy task, and temporarily there was little chance of that happening, so now he was hoping that maybe this cat could be smart enough to max out its cooking skills... anyone who'd fought giant creatures on islands knew cats were truly miraculous animals—they could both heal wounds and prepare meals, making them genuine treasures like A himself.
Quickly tidying himself up, grabbing a bite to eat, then feeding the cat something equally casual, Haseo left home heading toward the base.
Once everyone finished their daily training, Haseo called them all together.
Starting today, they would head toward predetermined locations to carry out protection missions.
Even though this kind of bodyguard mission was more symbolic than practical, probably no one in their right mind would dare to target the Third Hokage's fiancée. With that much effort, wouldn't it be better just to attack the Hokage directly? Even coercion wouldn't make much sense—after all, the Third Hokage seemed precisely like the type who'd order, "Open fire!"
But this didn't mean Haseo and his team could afford to be careless about their task.
In fact, as the very first official mission of "Kagenami," even if it were just a token mission, they had to give it one hundred percent commitment.
As the wedding date approached, outsiders and foreign forces gradually increased within the village. Although the Great Ninja World War had ended not long ago, everyone still enthusiastically participated in such international activities.
Of course, those actively visiting Konoha at this time were only the smaller nations and minor ninja villages that relied heavily on Konoha's favor. As for the other four great ninja villages, only Kumo—the great ally so intimately allied with Konoha—sent envoys. The remaining three didn't seem to care at all.
Additionally, there was another guest receiving the highest level of reception: the envoy dispatched by the Fire Daimyo himself. Even though there had been past conflicts between them, the daimyo's side still needed to participate; who knows, both sides might even seize the opportunity to bury the hatchet.
Overall, precisely because the situation inside the village was growing complicated, even protective missions like Haseo's were necessary.
Haseo adjusted the position of the long blade strapped to his back, casually grabbed a nearby robe, and then fastened a scroll onto his backpack, making him blend perfectly with everyone else.
However, not every scroll was created equal. Scrolls from the Uzumaki clan usually sealed complex Techniques, either for battle or protection. In contrast, the scrolls belonging to Haseo and Hatake were completely blank—not even good enough to wipe your ass with.
"Come on now, we're ninjas. What's wrong with carrying a scroll?"
Haseo asked Sakumo Hatake beside him after finishing his preparations.
"Nothing wrong with that," Hatake replied.
Haseo glanced at him, thinking how Hatake still lacked chemistry. He answered in circles—this was the moment where he should've said something like, "Frankly speaking, pure passerby here. Though I didn't read its contents, judging from the title alone, it looks terrible."
Seeing everyone already fully ready and noticing the time was nearly right, Haseo announced to the group, "Mission begins! Konoha Gumsquad, move out!"
Because the barrier at Kagenami base had now become effective, and currently only a single item within required special protection, Haseo left merely two people behind while bringing the remaining eleven members outside.
The group silently slipped above ground, regrouped, and marched in full force toward their mission destination.
In a ninja village, seeing groups of uniformed ninja was common. The issue was, people had never seen ninja dressed quite like Haseo and his squad before, causing passersby to stare curiously… At the very least, Sakumo Hatake felt the same shame as being dragged through town like a criminal on display.
However, Haseo remained expressionless. Kakashi still hadn't mastered it completely—after all, they had come out precisely for this purpose. How could they fear being discovered?
Following the earlier mission instructions, Haseo led his team to a mansion. After completing the handover with two ninja guarding the entrance, they officially took over security duties here.
The two guards eyed the newcomers with confused expressions, but since the mission scroll transferred without issues, they could only suppress their doubts deep inside.
"Everyone, spread out and set up positions first—the mission starts now... As for me, I'll go meet Lady Biwako first."
Haseo entered the courtyard and finally saw a figure of legend—Biwako herself. How to describe it... Well, she definitely looked better than the Third Hokage, but more importantly, she seemed even taller than the Hokage himself.
"Lady Biwako, following orders from the Third Hokage, our team will now take responsibility for your security."
Since they didn't know each other well, Haseo kept his tone formal and maintained steady eye contact while speaking.
"Master Haseo, Sarutobi mentioned you before—I already know about the mission he assigned you, so from now on, I'll leave things in your hands," said Biwako, who appeared to have a calm, composed personality.
Haseo nodded slightly, then exited the room and returned to his post.
This time, everything should proceed smoothly. Finally, he could carry out a mission normally and peacefully.
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