Haseo wasn't particularly concerned about how Kumo would handle the Two-Tails. Still, if they happened to have a decent jinchuriki candidate available, they could seize this opportunity while the beast was extremely weakened and seal it inside that person.
If there wasn't a suitable ninja on hand, grabbing a few backups for testing wouldn't be a bad idea either. For all they knew, they might even hit the jackpot on the first try.
After all, conducting experiments for selecting new jinchuriki was entirely within Kumo's territory. Many unqualified candidates had already been killed in such brutal trials, so Cloud shinobi leaders had no psychological barriers toward these cruel experiments… In fact, not even the village leaders—including the Third Hokage—would stand against cruel yet necessary research or experiments.
To a ninja village, losing a few shinobi could be a tragedy one day—or just another routine loss the next.
If Orochimaru's later human experiments hadn't been illegal private affairs but officially sanctioned "national projects" by Konoha, he probably wouldn't have defected. So why not properly submit a proposal?
Perhaps this was simply a mistake made in youth.
Or maybe Orochimaru's experiments were just too extreme—reporting them would've been equivalent to confessing crimes and walking directly into prison.
Haseo sealed those money chests into scrolls. Although he wasn't particularly skilled in Sealing Techniques, the Sealing Scrolls made by the Uzumaki clan were practically "finished products." All he needed to do was channel chakra into the scroll and activate the technique, and then a huge amount of items would be sealed neatly into a portable scroll.
These techniques would become increasingly common in the future; they're essentially an application of spatial ninjutsu.
"So, should we head back to Konoha? Or maybe we split this loot, go somewhere quiet, lay low, and start fresh," Haseo joked as he carefully stored the scroll before speaking to everyone present.
The two Hyuga clearly struggled to follow Haseo's way of thinking, so much so that his words shocked them completely… The Hyuga usually give off a very formal, serious, and strict impression. Indeed, most Hyuga truly are like that due to the traditional family values they inherit.
Therefore, their sense of humor may not always align with others', especially not Haseo's style of jokes.
Sakumo Hatake shared a similar personality with them, but because he had spent so much time with Haseo, he'd long adapted to this kind of speech pattern. In fact, he'd even developed a certain ability to deliver sarcastic comments himself. He replied dryly, "Well said, but if we're talking like that, why bother splitting it evenly? Why don't we just fight? Whoever survives gets all the money! That would be better, right?"
"...That makes sense." His reasoning was sound indeed, and Haseo found himself speechless.
However, that only got the Hyuga thinking deeper—should they strike first and take out these two rogue ninjas? Or run back to the village and report everything?
Chatting casually, Haseo and Sakumo walked side by side for quite a distance before they realized that the two Hyuga were still standing where they had been, their expressions dark and uncertain.
"Guys, we should head back to the village now. Mission's done. You actually wanna stick around in the Land of Lightning?"
Haseo couldn't figure out why these two elite Hyūga ninja had suddenly frozen up.
"Eh? Oh."
One of the Hyūga shinobi shook off his daze and fell in behind Haseo without thinking.
Five minutes later, after trailing behind Haseo, they finally came to their senses again. One of them hesitated before speaking up. "Lord Haseo... were you joking just now?"
"Just now?"
It took a moment for Haseo to realize what he was referring to—the money-splitting comment. Now he was the one caught off guard.
"Of course I was joking. Otherwise what? You really think someone would defect over some cash? How much money does a ninja even need? It's not like it's useful anyway—it's all village property."
At first glance, this sounded noble and principled, but on closer thought... Was he implying betrayal could be justified if money actually mattered to ninja?
"..."
The Hyūga ninja exchanged glances. They'd held it in as long as they could, but finally had to speak up. "Lord Haseo, we don't think jokes like that are funny at all. If possible, please make fewer of them—ideally none."
Seriously, they weren't even close enough for that kind of joke. One crack like that could spark real trouble—the kind that doesn't end peacefully.
Scratching his head, Haseo looked innocently toward Sakumo Hatake and asked, "Didn't you think it was funny?"
"I thought it was okay."
With Sakumo's nod of support, Haseo immediately gave the two Hyūga ninja a look that clearly said, "See? You just didn't get the joke."
"..."
Now the two Hyūga ninja were starting to wonder whether maybe the problem lay with them—or with Haseo and his partner instead.
It's said that between ten and fifteen, you're at your most impressionable age. So what good is asking someone heavily influenced by yourself for an opinion? Even if affirmed, what does it really mean?
His sense of humor was something normal people in this world just wouldn't get.
... ...
Recently, Kumo's intrusion into the Land of Iron had made the entire world particularly sensitive about such issues. Therefore, on their way back to the Land of Fire from the Land of Lightning, Haseo Squad stuck to their original path—making sure not to pass through the Land of Iron.
No need to jump headfirst into trouble, let alone risk provoking the samurai of the Land of Iron again.
Returning along the same route posed no problems. After all, during this mission, the handover of the client had been the most dangerous part. Now that it was completed, there shouldn't have been any issues on the return trip.
However, when Haseo's group reached the central region of the Land of Rice Fields, trouble struck. Suddenly, they noticed a thick fog enveloping the forest ahead.
The mist clung low beneath the towering forest canopy, its dense layers pressing down onto the trees. In the distance, the leaves had taken on a sickly yellowish hue, as if scorched by corrosive acid rain. When they passed through earlier, the forest had still been a healthy green—could it really be that these plants had aged and withered within just a few short hours?
Haseo raised a hand, signaling the squad to stop.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "It's an enemy ambush. This feels familiar. Can your Byakugan see through the fog?"
"Yes, Lord Haseo," the Hyuga ninja replied. "Although the chakra in the mist causes some interference, it's manageable. There are three enemy squads lying in wait ahead. It seems our movements have been exposed."
"That much is obvious," Haseo said grimly. "But the real question is how exactly we were discovered."
To Haseo, this mist wasn't just familiar—it immediately triggered a gut suspicion. Instinctively, he suspected Danzo Shimura was responsible for leaking their position. After all, in the future, Danzo would have ties to their attackers. However, it was unclear yet whether those connections already existed now or to what extent they'd developed.
Yet he quickly dismissed this habitual line of thought. Even if Danzo had momentarily lost his mind, he wouldn't have any reason to alert outsiders to intercept Konoha's funds unless he wanted to take out Haseo personally… But so far, Danzo hadn't shown any intention of killing him.
Besides, losing 550 million ryo while taking out Haseo would be a terrible deal. Danzo wasn't some kind of rich man either.
So the most likely one behind this scheme was none other than Kumo—Konoha's so-called trusted ally. Now, Haseo felt foolish for complimenting Kumo's sense of timing back in the previous chapter. Obviously, although Kumo had obediently paid up for Two-Tails, they clearly didn't want Konoha walking away with that money.
Needless to say, from Kumo's point of view, this was a clever move—letting others do the dirty work while they stayed clean. Simply spreading word that "a Konoha squad will be returning to the Land of Fire with a large sum along a certain route" was enough bait to provoke others into action. If the attack succeeded, Kumo would be happy; if it failed, they suffered no consequences.
Selfish? Sure—but not without benefit. In fact, it was more like harming others for their own gain. Once this money reached Konoha, it would only strengthen Konoha's power, which was certainly bad news for Kumo. Since they themselves couldn't recover the money, it would be better if some third party took it instead of Konoha.
Judging by how well the ambush was set up, the enemy must've been prepared. The mist would strip them of the element of surprise. But still, if the enemy knew someone in the squad had the Byakugan…
Thinking this, Haseo turned again to the Hyuga ninja and asked, "Didn't you detect anything strange here before?"
"Lord Haseo, we didn't. We've remained vigilant the entire time, but there were no signs of hidden enemies until now."
"The enemy must've used some method to hide before, or maybe the attackers just arrived here themselves, and we all happened to run into each other... This rushed timing and sudden clash actually made their appearance seem a lot more plausible.
'Lord Haseo, do you know who the attacker is?' a Hyuga ninja asked, picking up on something in Haseo's tone.
Haseo nodded. 'You didn't take part in the final offensive against Amegakure, otherwise you'd definitely remember this kind of poison mist... You ever notice how the poorer folks get, the quicker they snap? When you're barely surviving on nothing, even a country's leader won't think twice about raiding someone now and then.'
So the question is, among the countries bordering the Land of Fire, which one is currently the poorest?
Naturally, it's the Land of Rain, which Konoha had previously ransacked and stripped bare.
Every debt has its debtor, every crime its culprit. That's why they're blocking Haseo's path right now.
Someone's actually trying to mug the Master of Kagenami—that's not just robbery, that's robbery squared."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>