The smooth, bowl-shaped craters carved into the ground and buildings didn't look like anything an ordinary ninja technique could've made—it was more like something left behind by aliens.
Haseo stood staring at the crater until he finally snapped back to reality. This was what ninja were capable of—without warning, they could unleash deadly attacks that would erase anyone caught in them without a trace, and even Haseo himself wasn't immune to such danger.
He placed Tsunade down carefully and told her, "Tsunade, stay right behind me."
"Enemy… they're already dead. What are you going to do now?"
Tsunade instinctively questioned him after learning the identity of tonight's attackers.
Haseo paused mid-step, then turned his head to look at her seriously before replying, "Tsunade, they are them, and you are you. You have no reason to blame yourself or mourn their deaths. Everyone has made their own choices, and each choice comes with its own price.
You receive the honor that would normally belong to 'Senju Tsunade,' though you are not truly her descendant. Meanwhile, Sansho-sensei has freed you from burdens you should have borne. So understand this—you, as a ninja, are free."
Technically, Tsunade wasn't "Senju Tsunade," yet she received all the honors and respect due to that title—without having to bear any of its burdens. Though no one deliberately caused this state of affairs, it was simply how things ended up.
"If dangerous ideas aren't rooted out, they'll keep growing quietly in the shadows, spreading unseen. You may not fully grasp this now, so… I must chase down the two remaining ninjas right away, and you must follow closely behind me—that's to prevent such events from happening again."
Tsunade's deep-rooted hesitation wouldn't vanish after just a few words from Haseo, but hearing his firm instructions telling her what to do next made her obediently follow behind him.
Together, they rushed toward the direction where the two enemies had fled.
Although Elder Tsugei had bought his subordinates considerable time while sacrificing himself, under current circumstances where the entire village had turned against them, escaping and hiding wouldn't be easy at all.
Sure enough, it hadn't taken long before Haseo heard sounds of battle reaching his ears once more.
After turning a street corner, he finally spotted those two enemies. Engaged in combat with them were three young ninjas—Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
Sakumo Hatake was fighting one enemy alone, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru worked together against the other. Although they didn't seem to hold the advantage yet, considering the identity and origins of these foes, the situation was understandable… Two Genin and one Chunin fighting alone, with no Konoha Jonin providing support—an observation that confirmed Haseo's belief: in times of crisis, it was always the younger ninja who stepped up. The Jonin could rarely be counted on when it mattered most.
Decades later, when Pain invaded Konoha, even the Jonin had fallen, and even the seemingly invincible Five Kages were defeated. At that moment, who stood up against the mighty enemy? None other than Konohamaru Sarutobi, a mere Genin of Konoha.
That's the kind of legacy passed down through generations.
The battle situation—three against two—wasn't quite stable, but everything changed once Haseo arrived later on.
When the fight transformed into a one-on-one match for Haseo while the remaining three confronted a single enemy together, the outcome was already decided… As for Tsunade, who came along behind Haseo, she ultimately didn't join the battle. Although there was no need for her to fight, it was more a question of how she felt inside.
"The embers in the wilds... will never be fully extinguished," the fallen enemy finally said.
Haseo remained silent for a long time. Even though those two enemies had been eliminated, nobody could guarantee all participants of tonight's operation had been wiped out. And as Haseo had told Tsunade earlier, would their ideology truly vanish with this single defeat? Would restless hearts truly calm down?
That would be difficult.
So... they just had to do what needed to be done.
"I don't care about any of that. Wherever flames rise, I'll put them out—that's all there is to it." He finally spoke after a pause.
In many ways, ideological issues are unsolvable problems. Therefore, action was the only way to respond.
The enemies had all been Jonin, so Jiraiya had originally felt somewhat excited after defeating such strong opponents. However, when he saw Tsunade standing silently behind Haseo, and noticed both of them shared some similar emotional resonance—he wasn't sure if they felt happiness or excitement, nor were they simply grieving… A peculiar kind of emotion surfaced again beneath his own enthusiasm.
How could it be described... Like summoning mage units but missing the cavalry?
Haseo took off his coat and covered the faces of the two dead ninja before addressing everyone again. "Everyone, gather together. Let's continue our mission."
"Search the village thoroughly for any remaining enemies and maintain order… The half-street behind us is still burning."
Tonight's events happened rather suddenly, yet truthfully speaking, such things had always held the potential to occur. As the most honored sect within the Ninjutsu World, naturally there were those content to remain hidden—but there were definitely others who thought differently. Although the latter formed only a minority, after Sansho's death, it seemed no one remained capable of suppressing their voices anymore.
And only someone from the Senju clan could unify the opinions of the Senju clan. Yet currently, those qualified lacked the ability to perform such a task—Tsunade was too young. Though her status alone might have sufficed, ultimately, she would just become a puppet ruler.
During that night, several scattered battles broke out in Konoha, yet Haseo didn't get involved again. Before dawn, everything gradually quieted down.
In the end, what was the real meaning behind this battle?
The answer was the same as with most battles in the Ninjutsu World... Nobody really knew.
Someone had tried to do something but failed, so after tonight, Konoha would still remain the same as before.
Perhaps the most significant impact of this battle was that it ruined The Third Hokage's wedding, leaving him with a lifelong psychological shadow regarding marriage.
At dawn, a light drizzle began to fall.
Yet the morning light remained bright, casting light on Terumi and the others who had been up all night.
North of Konoha, raining, 19°C, 60% humidity
So what now?
Just smile. That's all it takes.
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