There's no need to overcomplicate things. It's just about invading a major ninja village like Kiri—it's not really that big of a deal. Isn't this the kind of "minor incident" that happens five or six times within three months?
Some dramatic organization invades various great ninja villages with only two members instead of six. They sent as few as six people when attacking Konoha, but strictly speaking, those six weren't even human... One should call them two individuals and their six life-sized figurines.
So was Haseo's plan to invade both Konoha and Kiri with six people truly exaggerated? Not really—it merely stretched beyond what most people could imagine.
Such an invasion would surely achieve results because the internal structure of these great ninja villages is far more fragile than most people assume... Even Might Guy, who trains twenty-four hours a day, may have a body as hard as iron and stone, but his internal organs remain as soft and vulnerable as ever.
Moreover, the operatives chosen by Haseo were practically among the highest tiers in terms of combat strength. Causing chaos in an unguarded ninja village would be no problem at all.
Take the Sannin, for example. Thanks to various "external stimulations," their current power level surpassed their historical counterparts by a large margin.
Bear in mind—they were already the best-resourced ninja in Konoha. Yet from an early age, they had been trained by Haseo, and later couldn't defeat Sakumo Hatake. Naturally, they would strive harder to redeem themselves—determined to prove themselves after being humiliated, a natural reaction born out of pride.
So while the plan might sound extreme, it was actually quite feasible—logically so.
If this plan were solely Haseo's idea, there would still be room for discussion and modification. But now it had already gained the full approval of the Third Hokage, fundamentally changing its nature—it had become something unquestionable.
It wasn't that the plan couldn't be questioned anymore. Rather, Haseo, who already acted according to his own will, became unstoppable once he had the support of the Village Headman.
Sakumo then asked, "After we infiltrate Kirigakure, what exactly do we do next? Although Kirigakure is unknown territory to us, one can easily imagine its scale won't be much smaller than Konoha's. Within such a vast village, how are we supposed to proceed? Surely we aren't going to wander around aimlessly like headless chickens?"
Since the plan had been confirmed, it was now necessary to understand its specific details... The team was definitely heading to Kirigakure, but once arriving there, what exactly was the course of action?
Haseo needed to explain this clearly. However...
"I certainly have detailed arrangements for after entering Kirigakure, but I'll explain them once we arrive at our destination. It makes little sense discussing specifics now—much depends on real-time conditions.
In any case, our first priority once we arrive will be finding the Uchiha spy, who'll guide us from there."
Haseo appeared to have explained something, but in truth, he hadn't said a word.
"..."
Everyone else stayed quiet, now suspecting that this guy was just intentionally stirring things up. This was a classic form of torment—before anyone could even start torturing the Mist captive, Haseo had already taken the lead by tormenting his own teammates.
Well, it definitely wasn't some kind of evil quirk; it was simply helping everyone mentally prepare themselves.
Hating Haseo was a no-win situation. He was not only a teammate but also their commanding officer, so certain emotions would inevitably end up redirected toward the Mist ninja instead.
"One last thing—the timing for the plan's commencement. Considering the situations on other fronts, we need to complete our mission as soon as possible. Since it's already getting late today, plus several other factors, we've decided to begin the operation tomorrow night," Haseo concluded.
Tsunade and the other three shouldn't remain away from the Western Front for too long, meaning the faster this mission wrapped up, the better. Still, having traveled such a long distance, they deserved some rest before the mission to ensure they were at peak condition... After all, in harsh environments, 99% capacity simply wasn't the same as 100%.
The logic made sense—at least assuming they'd manage to get some rest afterward.
The psychological pressure from sneaking into enemy headquarters could easily keep an average ninja awake all night.
...
After everyone else left with lingering dissatisfaction, Haseo finally found a moment of solitude with Tsunade.
The rifts of time and space caused by war could not truly distance them. Moreover, there were certain things Haseo wouldn't willingly explain to others—only Tsunade could extract those answers from him.
"Say something. Do you only talk about official matters?"
Seeing that Haseo had remained silent after the others left, lost seemingly in thoughts regarding the upcoming plan, Tsunade finally broke the quiet.
Haseo blinked once, snapping back to awareness, then fixed his gaze on her. "Everything ahead is rather serious—I must take responsibility for your safety. As for everything else…some things are like the sun rising in the east or rivers flowing toward the sea—they don't need explaining, they just are."
Haseo's communication skills posed no problem whatsoever. But particularly in moments like these, he loved speaking in roundabout ways. That was a typical...well, better not say the exact two words.
Thankfully, over time, Tsunade had developed a built-in translation plugin.
Roughly paraphrased into plain English, the second half meant: "Longing is a strange thing—it clings to me like a shadow, always slipping into my thoughts."
It wasn't exactly satisfying, but it would do for now. It somewhat balanced out Haseo's previous poor impression.
"There's something I need to ask. Why would the Third approve a plan like this?"
"This is way out of character for him..." Tsunade then steered the conversation back toward the upcoming battle plan, a decision she couldn't make sense of no matter how hard she tried.
Could it be that Third Hokage had mistakenly consumed fake alcohol when he approved this plan?
Haseo exhaled in relief. *Thank goodness I'm not the lead in some drama-filled romance novel,* he thought to himself, *or else we'd be stuck in a thousand-word emotional monologue by now.*
"Because supporting this plan equals supporting Third Hokage himself; for him, it's about securing Konoha's future… On certain issues, I'm the only one who shares Hokage's stance and will continue to support his decisions."
"...What issues? Explain more clearly." As soon as the instinctive question left her lips, Tsunade quickly glared at Haseo again, feeling like this guy always intentionally avoided being straightforward. Earlier it was just his nature, but now it seemed like he was outright teasing her.
"You don't understand? Conquering Mist brings enormous prestige. Both myself and Third Hokage hope this reputation lands on you, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru... The Third has already begun laying plans for the future, and his greatest wish is for Fourth Hokage to be one among you three."
"Huh? But Sarutobi-sensei never discussed such things with us. He made this decision on his own? What if none of us even wants to become Hokage?"
Haseo thought to himself, *This was always going to be Hokage's decision—what say do you people really have? It's like an arranged marriage; even if you're unwilling at first, once you've sat in the Hokage seat for a while, you'll eventually adapt to it.*
*And weren't you the one who claimed to understand when the Hokage called you all back to Konoha back then? Now it seems like your little brain didn't really get it after all.*
But right after that, Tsunade suddenly realized something. "Wait a second… This operation plan was crafted by you, and you're leading its execution, yet according to what you said…it almost sounds like you intend to hide yourself away."
She finally hit the nail on the head this time.
Once realization dawned, Tsunade felt like she had unknowingly been manipulated and arranged by both Third Hokage and Haseo. At her age, being stripped of autonomous choice and forced into passivity irritated her greatly.
Her emotions manifested right then and there, so Haseo could sense them clearly.
He stepped forward, took her hand gently, and said, "Whether or not you want to pursue Hokage position is still unclear—for you, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru—but for Third Hokage, it's something he must prepare in advance.
This isn't just about personal ambition. Imagine this: the three of you are Hokage's chosen successors. If another ninja, like myself, were to gain too much fame or prestige that blocks your path…you three probably think it doesn't matter much.
Isn't it only natural that the strongest takes Hokage title—the best rise to the top, and the unfit step aside? Isn't that most beneficial for the village?
But whoever stands in the way of Third Hokage's vision for Konoha's future…will certainly come to no good end."
Haseo didn't finish his sentence. Whether there would be a good outcome remained to be seen. The main point was that he didn't want to cause trouble over a position like Hokage, which held no personal value for him.
"...I don't think Sarutobi-sensei is that kind of complicated person."
This actually made Haseo laugh—not mockingly, but because in that moment, her naïve view of things struck him as kind of cute.
However, the Third Hokage was a man carrying immense responsibility. It was this sense of duty that ultimately guided his decisions, rather than personal character or preference.
He had inherited Konoha from both the First and Second Hokages, and he had to hand it down to the person he truly believed was most fit for it. Otherwise, even in death, he would suffer torment.
"If this upcoming mission succeeds, and you feel I deserve the greatest credit, then things become simpler... What's mine is naturally yours. There's absolutely no need for any deliberate handover.
Whether achievements or reputation manifest in you or in me makes little difference in the first place.
More importantly, those are ultimately superficial things. What really matters is how I feel inside and who I truly am."
There was a difference too—one that was anything but small. But this was just Haseo placating her with sweet words.
Strictly speaking, political relationships usually superseded personal ones, though it wasn't quite so serious here... A royal throne might drive spouses apart or turn brothers into enemies, but the Village Headman position apparently wouldn't go that far.
Certainly not on Haseo's side anyway. Not because the Hokage title meant nothing to him—he simply lived above worldly desires, valuing integrity and principle far more than power or recognition.
Even among Daimyos in this world, such positions weren't considered that exalted.
Then Tsunade felt that what she had been preoccupied with just now wasn't really important after all. Everything will work out when the time comes.
And indeed, when Haseo wanted to comfort someone, he succeeded.
Her hand tightened around his.
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