Before nightfall, Haseo and his companions returned from the border. They first traveled deeper into the Land of Fire for a while before stopping to rest... Since the Kumo Envoy squad had acted extremely quickly, they managed to buy quite a bit of time for Haseo's group. Therefore, Haseo and his companions could get a good rest before heading to the Daimyo's Castle for their next mission.
What's an international friend? Exactly what you're looking at right here.
According to plan, Haseo Squad would head for the Daimyo's Castle at dawn the following morning.
Nobody knew exactly when this tradition had formed, but during field missions, Haseo's leadership had one notable characteristic different from other ninja squads—he always paid special attention to the quality of their meals.
Thankfully, by this period the world had already become much more stable. Plus, since they were deep within the Land of Fire's territory now, nobody really had any issues with them openly building a fire.
The only ones likely to have a problem were probably the flowers, plants, and small animals near their campsite.
A pile of firewood was lit up, above which stood a simple frame. A fresh branch pierced through a string of fresh meat with alternating layers of fat and lean flesh. As the flames slowly roasted it, the meat gradually turned golden. Every time a drop of oil fell sizzling into the fire from the roasting meat, everyone instinctively swallowed hard with anticipation.
With meat prices soaring across the country, even ninjas weren't immune to craving delicious food.
Haseo's hands were steady, his movements skillful. After finishing a skewer of grilled meat, he handed it over to Tsunade, then immediately started on the next one.
"Sometimes I wonder why I was born into a world like this," Haseo mused. "If given a choice, I'd prefer being born in a world with more abundant ingredients—Garlic Pikachu, Sour-and-Sweet Shana, Filet Mignon Tauros... wouldn't that be amazing? And more importantly, such a world probably has higher average subscriptions. It's seriously enviable… Even something like a Luigi-style tossed salad from the Mushroom Kingdom would work too. At least it's full of innocent childhood charm—way better than all the endless fighting and bloodshed we're stuck with now."
As he kept talking, Haseo's expression became wistful and dreamy. But no one paid him any mind—everyone was too busy devouring their meat. Not even his deep thoughts about life and the universe could survive the loud slurp of someone guzzling meat juice... Oh come on, seriously, who the hell did that? You again, Hatake?
But what did Sakumo Hatake have to do with any of this anyway? Despite the mystery surrounding it, Sakumo always carried a massive pack filled with food whenever he went on medium- or long-term field missions. He also had the occasional habit of constantly stuffing snacks into his mouth. Regardless of how frequently he ate, though, he always managed to maintain elegant table manners.
Looking at all these greasy, fire-lit faces... Nah, thinking too much was pointless. Might as well keep grilling—it takes a real chef to turn ordinary critters into feasts.
After finishing their meal, the sky had completely darkened. Everyone tidied up the area as well as themselves, then spread out blankets and laid down to sleep with backpacks as pillows.
The season had already entered summer, though the nights still carried a slight chill—but that was nothing compared to what a ninja's body could endure.
The three young ninjas then went to rest, while Haseo took over the night watch.
On a tall tree quite far away from the trio, offering an open and clear view, Haseo sat on a branch, his back leaning against the trunk as he feigned sleep with closed eyes. Chakra flowed steadily through him, as always. Except for the chirping of birds, insects, and other nocturnal creatures, there were no other sounds reaching his ears.
A peaceful summer night without enemy attacks truly brought a sense of ease and joy.
Haseo was covered with a thin waterproof tarp. One reason was to prevent insect bites; the other was to keep himself dry from the night dew.
However, deep into the night, Haseo picked up faint rustling sounds. His eyes flicked open as he caught sight of Tsunade approaching from below. She then settled down beneath the tree, just as he had done.
"Haseo, what are you planning to do tomorrow?"
She whispered softly, knowing full well that Haseo wasn't asleep.
Only Haseo and Tsunade knew why the team was heading toward the Daimyo's Castle. Yet even now, Tsunade still didn't know exactly what Haseo planned to do next… Since this was something they'd never done before, she at least wanted to understand how to proceed at this point.
"Don't worry. The plan is set. Just follow my lead when the time comes."
Haseo responded thusly.
Tsunade... stayed silent. That kind of response was practically no answer at all. But since the others were resting nearby, she couldn't press further anyway.
In Haseo's mind, though he had agreed to let Tsunade join this mission, he had only allowed her to accompany him, not to take part in the actual operation... Killing on the battlefield and killing inside the Daimyo's castle were both acts of taking lives, seemingly not much different. But in essence, they were worlds apart.
Killing on the battlefield was a ninja's duty, but taking lives within the Daimyo's castle was plain dirty business. Considering Tsunade's age, her status, and their relationship, there was absolutely no need for her to get involved. Therefore... Haseo would handle things while she simply observed.
They spent the night in quiet, with no words exchanged. At dawn the next day, everyone began moving toward the Daimyo's Castle, soon arriving at the most important "capital" of the Land of Fire.
"Next, we'll split into two teams. Hatake and Sannai will form one group. The location has already been given to you. Begin your operation after dark. It's just a rescue mission for regular people, nothing complicated—just extract the target without causing unnecessary commotion.
But remember to hide your identities. Even if you're accidentally exposed, make sure no one finds out we're Konoha ninjas.
Tsunade and I will be waiting nearby to back you up.
Any questions?"
Seeing no objections, Haseo first folded up the detailed map of the Daimyo's Castle before continuing, "Then let's begin the operation."
A group of people split into two outside the Daimyo's Castle, sneaking silently over the walls instead of even passing through the gates, entering this city that seems "heavily guarded" to ordinary folks.
"So we're not moving until it gets dark? Hey Haseo, what's the plan till then?" Tsunade asked Haseo.
Once inside the Daimyo's Castle, naturally Haseo and Tsunade no longer posed as ninja from Konoha. They had used Transformation Jutsu, so in other people's eyes, they had already become an average-looking couple in their twenties.
Tsunade had been exceptionally skilled at Transformation Jutsu since childhood; her disguise was essentially master-level camouflage. As for Haseo… well, he could at least transform into a human shape.
"Just hang out at the rendezvous point we agreed on earlier. Tsunade… you wouldn't mind splurging a bit on some fun stuff out of the mission budget, would you?"
In order to keep Tsunade obedient and ensure she played the role of a passive observer later on, Haseo decided to splurge a little. As long as he approached her through her interests, someone her age was still fairly easy to coax along.
The meeting spot Haseo arranged with Hatake just happened to be a casino—one he had deliberately chosen.
Tsumiki's younger sister was being held somewhere not far from the casino Haseo had selected as the meeting spot. This way everything could be handled conveniently at once.
The only one likely to suffer would be Haseo's wallet. Tsunade's hobbies were much more expensive than those of Jiraiya… and it remained to be seen whether the Third Hokage could reimburse Haseo for this expense.
He should at least try to get it reimbursed—it was a village mission after all, right?
There are even people in this world who get reimbursed for spending public funds to court women. Compared to that, Haseo was merely using money to entertain a child—and not just any child, but the direct disciple of the Third Hokage. So… yes, there was no way the Hokage would be so stingy as to deny reimbursement for such a public mission. After all, shouldn't these costs come out of the village's budget rather than Haseo's own pocket?
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