After meeting with Biwako, Haseo returned to the courtyard. As he turned a corner along a corridor, he happened to run into a middle-aged man directly.
The man was dressed very traditionally, had streaks of white hair, and wore a stern expression typical of a family "head patriarch"... He looked like he'd been waiting just for Haseo.
"Lord Haseo, from now until before the wedding, we entrust the security here to you."
The man bowed respectfully, thanked him formally, and made his request seriously. The first impression he gave wasn't politeness—it was more like stiffness and formality.
"And you are..."
Haseo stopped several paces away from the man. His hands hung loosely at his sides, ready to either continue speaking or draw his blade depending on circumstances—it was quite an appropriate ninja reaction, maintaining vigilance even when encountering strangers in unfamiliar situations.
"My name is Tsugei. I am Biwako's father." The man slightly bowed again toward Haseo, then briefly introduced himself.
This identity could explain how he knew Haseo's name.
"So you're Lord Tsugei... This is naturally our duty. Since it's a mission entrusted by the Third Hokage, we'll strive to do our best moving forward," Haseo replied.
Would helping a son-in-law kill off his future father-in-law earn praise from said son-in-law? At least openly, definitely not. So regardless of perspective, upon discovering the man's identity, Haseo obviously no longer saw any necessity to draw his weapon.
"The order from the Hokage, huh?" Tsugei tugged slightly at the corner of his mouth, forcing out a smile. "Indeed, reward the winners and punish the losers—that's precisely what the Hokage should do... I hope you all will do your best."
Saying this, he bowed once more, then walked past Haseo, step by step disappearing around the corridor's bend.
That person... spoke strangely. Haseo turned around, eyes fixed on where the other had vanished, his own expression turning pensive.
A black cat appeared atop the wall, then silently leapt down, landing noiselessly halfway across the scroll behind Haseo. Quietly walking forward, it popped its head out curiously staring in the direction Haseo had been watching.
It felt puzzled—there clearly wasn't anything over there.
Haseo gently scratched the black cat under the chin, then pulled his hand back. He shouldn't forget—he had a mission to focus on. He didn't have time for people-watching.
At this point, everyone had already paired up and dispersed throughout the mansion, having prepared some simple barriers and arrangements... Not all barriers were created equal. Those at the Kagenami base were built like permanent structures—meant to withstand blasts and impacts. These, being temporary, could be set up quickly and easily.
Considering the timeframe, the Third Hokage's wedding would take place ten days later, meaning the deadline for Haseo and his team was these upcoming ten days.
As long as the area could be kept safe during this time and those moths and butterflies kept away from the bride, then their job would basically be done.
Frankly speaking, neither of those things were even all that likely to happen. So although Haseo had just said something about working hard to complete the mission, their actual job was really just basic guard duty. At most, "working hard" here just meant standing a little straighter.
However, later that day, the first unexpected incident occurred — three "unexpected visitors" showed up.
These three weren't particularly important anywhere else, but the Third Hokage basically sent them here just to get them out of his hair — out of sight, out of mind.
At this unusually busy time for the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had become people nobody really wanted around. But since they were the disciples he valued most, they couldn't just disappear without a trace until the wedding either — they still needed to make their presence known.
So the Third found a perfectly sized spot — not too big, not too small — for them, and also someone just capable enough to keep an eye on them.
Great news indeed… three new "assets" had now joined the security team.
When they arrived, the nonchalant Jiraiya walked right at the front of the trio. As he was about to step straight through the doorway, Sakumo Hatake suddenly rushed out from his post and grabbed him by the arm with quick reflexes.
"Wha—what's going on? Is there a problem?"
Sakumo's movement had been somewhat forceful, so Jiraiya stood there stunned — stopped outside the door. If it weren't for the fact that everyone more or less knew each other, and Sakumo hadn't drawn his blade, they probably would've already started fighting.
Hatake gave a slight nod and explained, "We've already set up a protective barrier here, and for safety reasons, we've also placed some traps. For example, this doorway — if anyone tries to walk in without carrying a recognition token the barrier can sense, it'll activate instantly and attack."
He pointed toward a hidden, nearly invisible scroll inside the doorway. "[Claymore Anti-Ninja Trap] will trigger immediately, launching a concentrated barrage of kunai and shuriken within a 60-degree arc, between 0 to 3 meters high, covering a 30-meter range ahead."
Jiraiya blinked. When he finally understood what Sakumo had just described, a chill ran down his spine — that word "barrage" alone painted a vivid image of blood and pain.
"This... What kind of trap is this? Did the village ever have anything like it before?"
Apparently not. Sakumo continued, "It was Haseo who suggested the concept. Uzumaki provided the technical foundation — others contributed further details."
Sakumo almost blurted out the name "Uzumaki," but fortunately, he managed to catch himself in time.
Tsunade, who was following behind, slightly frowned. This unique naming method, the bizarre mechanism of action, the excessive lethality, and the tremendous waste of resources during attacks—all these were undoubtedly signature traits of Haseo.
But then again... wasn't this exactly to be expected? A Spike Mine should always be buried at the doorstep—no exceptions, even if it belonged to the fiancée of the Hokage himself.
There isn't an enemy in the world that can't be dealt with by a single Spike Mine. That's precisely what "anti-ninja" defenses mean.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed instantly. "Can I study it up close?"
"Hold on. I'll give you all the identification friend-or-foe technique first, so nobody gets hurt accidentally."
Sakumo Hatake handed each of them a scroll, explaining how to unroll and use it. Once they'd completed these preparations, Orochimaru hurriedly rushed off to research the scroll.
Tsunade also stepped into the courtyard.
As for Jiraiya… he was ready to throw a fit. After all, just now he nearly got turned into a meat target! Come on, there was only a bride inside the yard, not a nuclear bomb. Was such a high level of defense really necessary?
"Is it safe? No chance of accidental triggering?"
Unfortunately, there was no way to voice such complaints; after all, could one blame a ninja for doing their job properly? Thus, Jiraiya could only ask Sakumo Hatake—who was still standing nearby—this question once more.
"It's safe."
Sakumo confirmed firmly.
"And if it *does* get triggered accidentally?"
Jiraiya still wasn't convinced.
Sakumo raised one thumb confidently. "Then at the very least, you won't feel any pain."
Jiraiya: "..."
Exactly—absolutely no pain, not even time for your nerves to react before you're simply dead.
Sounds... reassuring indeed. Even more comforting, however, was the fact that as Jiraiya approached the doorway, right at that moment, the "total amateur," Orochimaru, was still messing around with the device inside.
With two dangerous elements combined together like this, the risk factor had skyrocketed a hundredfold.
Gritting his teeth and stomping his foot once, Jiraiya finally made up his mind. He shot forward like a spring-loaded missile, quickly darting through the gate and dashing into the courtyard.
Sakumo Hatake stood there, speechless. Uzumaki's technology was naturally trustworthy—why overreact so much?
After Jiraiya entered the courtyard, exhaling a sigh of relief—finally safe.
He glanced around and soon spotted Tsunade and Haseo sitting inside a small pavilion in the garden. At present, Tsunade was playing with a black cat.
"Haseo, what's this cat's name?" Tsunade asked.
The black cat was currently undergoing Summoned Beast training experiments. Therefore, although essentially it remained an ordinary black cat, its appearance had already changed greatly compared to before—it wasn't only grown larger in size, but its fur had become jet-black, as smooth and glossy as silk.
This little fellow was extremely healthy—great for eating.
"A name? It's just a cat. Who names a cat like this anyway?"
Haseo thought to himself—did stored food supplies really need special names? Would anyone seriously name a grain of rice "Rice No.9"?
However, noticing Tsunade's somewhat unfriendly gaze, Haseo quickly changed his tone. "Just kidding! I've actually already thought of a name for the black cat... Hmm, let's call him Chiho."
"Chiho?"
It didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment name at all. Tsunade's stern look softened.
Yeah, you can really tell the difference between someone who genuinely loves animals and someone who's just faking it.
At this moment, Jiraiya leaned close to Haseo's side and whispered, "Haseo, that's a bit underhanded—using cute animals to draw girls' attention."
"...?"
Haseo thought to himself, I'm just keeping a cat—how is that underhanded? You're the one with the dirty mind.
No matter how softly Jiraiya whispered, Tsunade caught every word. But just as her brows started to furrow in irritation, a sudden burst of tapping—'tap-tap-tap'—came from the door.
That sound was familiar? Like the noise made when a short, small blade was fired with great force into wooden objects.
Haseo shot upright from his seat...
Moron! Which nutjob stepped on my Spike Mine?
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