"Hey, Haseo, why did the Third and you summon us three all the way from the Western Front to the Eastern Front? Some special mission? You should know full well that with the current stalemate on the Western Front, we—especially Tsunade—shouldn't be leaving our posts.
You of all people should understand how urgent this war is and how critical Tsunade's presence is on the Western Front."
Jiraiya was the first to speak up like that.
If right now Haseo were panicking under pressure or burning with anxiety, it would make sense. But instead, he was clearly "sipping tea like nothing's wrong," completely at ease, showing no sign of urgency or understanding about why he'd called them over.
So in other words, Jiraiya was also subtly asking what the hell was going on.
"Calm down. Naturally, I had you temporarily reassigned here because there's a critically important task that needs your hands. Besides, this mission won't last long. As long as news of your absence doesn't spread before it gets out, there shouldn't be any major fallout.
On the flip side, though, if this mission succeeds… it might just bring this whole war to a crashing halt." Haseo explained, cool and collected.
But his explanation came off as overly grandiose, so no one replied.
The "Sannin" themselves definitely wouldn't leak word of their whereabouts, so only Danzo Shimura at the Western Front camp knew they'd left.
Therefore, if news of Tsunade's departure ever leaked and caused problems… that wouldn't be Haseo's fault—it'd be Danzo's responsibility.
Haseo was more than willing to trust Danzo right now. After all, Danzo's talent for taking the blame… No, scratch that—Danzo's secrecy skills were solid. Regardless of what he was thinking inside, Danzo certainly had no interest in letting his carefully controlled front line suffer damage and having incompetence pinned on him.
"Just sit back, relax, and wait until everyone arrives. Then I'll explain everything. Be patient… Didn't I already tell you that being bold but careful is what makes a great ninja?"
No kidding—boldness paired with meticulousness is the foundation of doing anything well.
After hearing Haseo say that, the three held back their doubts and casually found seats inside Haseo's tent. They had rushed nonstop across the Land of Fire after receiving the Hokage's orders, so now they looked winded and tired.
Hmm, Haseo especially noticed how exhausted Tsunade looked, while the other two… Was running several thousand kilometers really that hard?
Before the others arrived, Haseo originally wanted to ask about the current situation on the Western Front, but upon reflection, he decided against it. Right now, he should focus entirely on his own mission.
Soon, four more people entered Haseo's tent—Uzumaki Shikou, Sakumo Hatake, Nagisa Nara, and Might Duy… Though at least the first three—Uzumaki Shikou, Sakumo Hatake, and Nagisa Nara—came around here often enough.
When they saw the Sannin, who was supposed to be at the Western Front, had also appeared here, they felt slightly surprised, and those quick-witted immediately figured it out—since the Sannin had secretly appeared here, Haseo must be preparing for a major operation.
"Good. Now that everyone is here, I will explain the special operation we're about to carry out."
After the four entered, Haseo got straight to the point without wasting words.
"This is a classified mission that has been planned for quite some time. To be exact, it was decided before our last large-scale battle against Mist. Perhaps some of you have already noticed—the Jonin from the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Kushan, has long disappeared from the Front Line since that battle.
Due to his involvement in a secret mission, you probably couldn't inquire about his whereabouts. Now I can tell you… That's right—he had already been on a covert assignment.
Earlier, I ordered that Uchiha to infiltrate among Mist's retreating troops. He retreated to the Land of Water with them and became a deep-cover spy, carrying out intelligence operations behind enemy lines."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, each silently exclaiming inwardly, "Poor Uchiha."
Uchiha Kushan truly was pitiful. Conducting espionage in an entirely unfamiliar environment full of enemies, without allowing even the smallest mistake—all while enduring such high pressure over a prolonged period. One could only imagine how difficult this was... This mission seriously tested a ninja's psychological endurance.
And as soon as the words "Kiri Village" came from Haseo's mouth, people instantly realized something ominous—soon, they might no longer have the luxury of pitying the Uchiha.
"The reason why we sent Uchiha Kushan into Mist was to gather enough intelligence for our upcoming operation. And now, that intelligence has arrived.
Therefore, our next mission is this… Infiltrate Mist Village and cause massive internal damage to this hostile ninja village, thus halting their war intentions toward Konoha, shattering their confidence in the future, and disrupting their current operations."
"..."
Sure enough, their ominous feeling came true immediately.
Haseo had always given off the impression of being silent until action was needed, quiet until he struck hard—yet here he was again, proposing something dangerously bold after months of cautious behavior. Just when everyone began to change their opinion about him because he'd been following stable strategies for so long, his new scheme dropped like a bombshell… Those favorable opinions of him were about to be crushed all over again.
Haseo hadn't explained this mission to anyone beforehand, so it took them a moment to wrap their heads around it.
After the silence, Orochimaru was the first to speak, asking hesitantly, "Um… When you say 'we,' exactly who do you mean?"
"Naturally, the six of us."
Haseo immediately answered. Clearly, he had already meticulously planned everything in his mind—including who would participate in this operation.
Uzumaki Shikou and Nagisa Nara would not participate in such a high-risk mission. They were here simply as Eastern Front supervisors, appointed after Haseo departed for special operations, to hear out Haseo's arrangements.
There were exactly six people present at the scene, besides these two, right?
Orochimaru silently curled his lips. His eyes appeared elongated, slanting even more sharply than usual, giving him an overall dangerous aura... At this moment, he was thinking: Haseo's side never lacks thrilling activities.
Haseo shot a glance at this guy, thinking to himself, You're still officially one of the good guys; so why do you look more villainous than most villains? Has cute little Orochi disappeared forever?
"You should all understand clearly," Haseo then said, "it's only during special operations that a ninja operative could unleash their greatest potential. Compared to regular ninjas, these six individuals indeed qualify as elite commandos among ninja."
Shikou wanted to say something, but Haseo preemptively explained, "This is a mission already approved by the Third Hokage. Otherwise, his disciples wouldn't have come here."
Uzumaki Shikou had always been the one keeping Haseo in check, yet now she couldn't object anymore, since the Third Hokage had already floored the gas pedal first.
However...
Hmm, even though she meant to disagree, how could it feel so smoothly coordinated—why did he know exactly what she would say without her even opening her mouth? Well, that annoying "we-know-each-other-too-well" thing was kicking in again.
"There's a critical issue here. Setting aside the operation's riskiness, how can we guarantee that a small-team operation will influence the entire battlefield? Even if such a precision strike takes down the Third Mizukage, eliminating one Kage won't change the big picture.
The war hasn't even completed its first year. The death of the Mizukage won't hasten the war's end; it might trigger temporary chaos in Mist, followed almost certainly by fierce retaliation."
Jiraiya brought up a very key point. Undeniably, after spending some time actually serving on the battlefield as a ninja, his thinking had matured rapidly.
"Huh? Haven't I explained yet? Who said our operation was a precision strike?"
"…?"
"What I mean is, our mission…
…it's clearly a bombing operation."
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