On Haseo's side, whether it was the Byakugan's reconnaissance or the Uzumaki's sensing ability, they had already detected another team of ninja within the town beforehand. Theoretically, those ninja could potentially belong to the Village Hidden in Hot Water, or they might be a ninja squad similar to Haseo's group.
At this distance, since the Konoha side hadn't deliberately concealed their presence, unless something unexpected happened, the other party would likely detect them too—as long as that group of ninja hadn't completely let down their guard.
Each village has its own sensor ninja. Even if their sensing capabilities aren't as advanced as those of the Hyuga or Uzumaki clans, they still possess basic sensing functions.
The difference is simply this—while the enemy had already tried to hide their movements, Konoha still managed to detect them. Conversely, since Konoha was moving so openly, it was entirely possible they'd been noticed as well.
Yet at this moment, Haseo still decided to continue advancing along the planned route rather than choosing to avoid… Regardless of which village the opposing ninja belonged to, there was no doubt they were "potential enemies." However, potential enemies weren't necessarily real threats.
In the current era, as long as both parties are officially recognized ninja from established hidden villages, nobody would immediately draw weapons upon meeting face-to-face.
Combat actions lead to diplomatic and political issues, which could escalate into actual warfare. War is something nobody wants. For the current Kage leaders across the ninja world, whoever starts a war is essentially a mentally impaired ninja… Although right now, Haseo himself was preparing to recklessly flirt with madness, even he wasn't truly insane.
Therefore, even if two teams from different villages encountered each other, everyone would remain tense and alert, ready for confrontation at any time—but unlike during the previous Great Ninja World War, nobody would launch an immediate attack without exchanging a single word.
Unless one side could guarantee complete annihilation of the other in an instant—ensuring no information escaped and leaving no evidence behind… but such a scenario is impossible. Everyone here are ninja; why would one side assume the other could make people vanish without a trace?
Everyone's supposed to be civilized. Civilized people follow logic and reason. Without that, what are you? Scum?
"Lord Haseo… They must be ninja from the Mist."
Hyuga Soji addressed Haseo. At this point, his Byakugan's penetrating vision came into full play.
The Hyuga could identify enemies from afar—even through obstacles—based on their distinct features. This capability couldn't possibly be matched by the sensing abilities of the Uzumaki clan alone.
After all, an enemy's chakra signature simply isn't as clear and identifiable as the forehead protector symbol proudly displayed on their own foreheads.
"If that's true," continued Hyuga Soji, "then it only proves I was right from the start—and my advice to the Third Hokage showed far more foresight than the Elders ever did..."
The appearance of Hidden Mist ninja here was no accident. Comparatively speaking, if the Hidden Mist had already taken action, should Konoha really remain passive observers?
" said Haseo.
Konoha possesses strength yet remains inactive, which can only invite contempt... If we're considered the strongest ninja village, then even if merely here to observe, our presence near Two-Tails would still be justified.
"Shall we go and greet our fellow shinobi? I hope they're the kind that follow the rules."
Haseo didn't mind directly contacting the Mist ninjas. After all, everyone's mission here either centered around Two-Tails or involved it somehow. Regardless of their villages' positions, nobody wanted to waste strength in unnecessary confrontations before achieving their goals.
"Master Haseo, there's no need for that. Approaching them directly would only heighten tensions between us," Shikou said with visible exasperation. Everyone present except Haseo saw no necessity for Konoha's squad to make contact with Mist's team.
"I understand; I was just saying that. After all, I'm a very traditional ninja and would never go out of my way to look for trouble."
Well, what Haseo said just now was... extremely persuasive. Then silently, he adjusted their direction of movement.
Opting not to deal with Mist, Konoha's group found an inn in town and checked in first, gathering afterward into one room for a final operational meeting.
Haseo began explaining his upcoming plans for the squad, particularly addressing the two Hyuga shinobi, while others already at least partially understood the purpose behind this mission.
"We're already in the Land of Hot Springs. According to previously gathered intelligence, our target should be hiding somewhere within this country.
Next, we must further divide the team roles—I myself and Hatake will form the special attack unit. The two Hyugas will handle scouting, surveillance, and search operations, while Mokkō and the remaining shinobi will serve as the sealing team.
When the time comes for decisive action, everything will depend on you... Mokkō, do you have any issues?"
As he spoke, Haseo turned his gaze toward Mokkō.
Only Mokkō had the practical, battle-ready sealing technique needed to subdue a Tailed Beast directly. Her unique chakra, characteristic of her clan, the Uzumaki, seemed specifically born to counteract the beasts.
Still, even among Uzumaki, sealing a Tailed Beast into a host was an extremely cumbersome task... It remained a rather difficult endeavor since numerous disruptions were expected during the actual procedure.
"No problem, Master Haseo," she replied confidently, although clearly showing some nervousness due to the unusual nature of their coming task.
"It's okay; we're all beside you. Moreover, this operation is only a trial run. Even if it fails, there won't be serious consequences." Haseo reassured gently.
Words had limited effect, yet it still mattered whether or not they were spoken.
"Besides our target, another crucial point is that we absolutely must locate Cloud ninja before they act. We shouldn't take any action unless we've confirmed there's no trace of them. Now that both our and Mist's teams have appeared, there's definitely no way the Kumo shinobi wouldn't be here too."
The order of entry is crucial when we begin the operation. If we can't guarantee that no other teams are lurking around when we take action, Haseo would just have the Konoha squad hold their ground instead of charging in blindly.
After all, even if all five great ninja villages have sent representatives, the only ones who'd be eager to start are Kumo. To Konoha, coming out with something would be a bonus, but walking away empty-handed wouldn't be a big deal either.
"Once we identify the target and begin operations, regardless of the final outcome, we will leave from this current direction out of the Land of Hot Springs and retreat toward the Land of Whirlpools... In case of extreme emergencies, we might even request assistance from the Land of Whirlpools."
Before taking any action, arranging the retreat route first—this was typical of Haseo—always planning every detail thoroughly.
"Any questions?"
After explaining everything, Haseo habitually asked... just out of habit, as he felt his explanation had been clear enough already.
However, once he finished speaking, a Hyuga ninja immediately spoke up.
"Yes, Lord Haseo... But exactly what is this 'target' we're talking about?"
Haseo paused for a moment and asked, "Didn't I mention it to you already?"
The two Hyuga ninjas exchanged glances in silence—it was evident that Haseo had left out something especially important in his explanation.
"Alright then. Our mission objective this time... is the Two-Tails. According to intelligence previously obtained by the village, the Two-Tails has now taken refuge within the Land of Hot Springs after escaping control by Kumo, so we are attempting to capture it. To summarize, that's quite a straightforward task."
"..."
The literal meaning was understood by the two Hyuga ninjas, but the issue was that this sudden bombshell about the mission objective was just too shocking... giving the Hyuga ninjas little time to mentally prepare.
...
After finishing the mission briefing, the team started taking some time to rest.
However, Konoha's arrival was perhaps too well-timed. Just on the night the squad arrived, a powerful chakra reaction suddenly erupted from somewhere within the Land of Hot Springs.
Sensor ninja Sannai instantly noticed this change, and soon the entire squad sprang into action... Something capable of creating such a disturbance needed no explanation.
The operation had begun.
Led by Haseo, Team Konoha hurried out hastily, though they hadn't expected their "encounter" to come so abruptly.
Eventually, Team Konoha inevitably ran into Team Mist—in full knowledge that another ninja team was present in this town, the Mist side hadn't evacuated in advance either... Perhaps this could be called their final show of defiance.
In an instant, Sakumo Hatake gripped the hilt of his sword while the Uzumaki ninja placed one hand on the scroll behind his back.
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