"Don't move around. Wounds caused by this kind of corrosion and burning are the worst type of external injuries to handle."
In Konoha's Eastern Front camp, Tsunade began carefully treating Haseo's left hand injury caused by Six-Tails' acidic fluid.
Although Haseo had already received emergency treatment for his wounds back in the Land of Water, as Tsunade mentioned, completely healing such an injury required extremely meticulous handling.
Konoha's Special Action Team infiltrated Mist late that night. After only an hour of sabotage operations, Haseo triggered Six-Tails' release, causing complete chaos throughout Mist.
This marked the successful completion of Haseo's mission. The team then withdrew, observing events from offshore waters of the Land of Water for some time before returning to the Land of Fire the following afternoon.
Undoubtedly, their operation had achieved tremendous success.
The intense explosion light from Mist could be seen even on the coastal areas of the Land of Fire across the sea. However, due to Earth's curvature, all they saw was a sunrise-like white glow along the horizon—not the distant glowing orb with its almost comical appearance.
Even the scale of chakra reaction was clearly detectable through Konoha's front line detection jutsu patterns. The overwhelming intensity completely masked other subtle readings on the detection systems… despite Mist being far beyond its normal sensing range.
Upon immediately returning to Konoha base, Haseo concisely explained the mission situation to Uzumaki Shikou, then quickly issued orders for the front lines to enter maximum combat readiness. Normally, Mist should have been overwhelmed at this point, but one still needed to consider the possibility of them acting recklessly when cornered.
After last night's actions, Konoha's Eastern Front would completely shift into defensive mode for the foreseeable future, no longer taking any initiative.
This was still meant to keep Mist from overreacting.
After about ten days or two weeks passed and Mist fully calmed down, they'd likely begin acting based on rationality and reality rather than emotion and vengefulness... Ultimately, the side who started this war ended up in disastrous circumstances—those who attempt harm end up trapped in an irreversible dead-end situation.
Haseo watched as dead flesh was gradually peeled away from his hand, replaced by new cells and tissue stimulated by healing chakra. It didn't feel like medical treatment at all—it was more like precision construction based on detailed plans.
Like a construction-obsessed engineering crew.
However, during treatment there came a peculiar itching sensation. Despite Haseo's considerable self-discipline, he still found himself somewhat restless sitting through it, hence Tsunade emphasized her warning not to move—this was simply one of those downsides when doctors entered full work mode.
"You definitely strained yourself fighting something like Six-Tails. A regular ninja's flesh-and-blood body can easily be dissolved by its special attacks... Alright, you're all set. Give your arm a test run."
After some time, Tsunade completed Haseo's treatment.
Haseo pulled his arm back and examined the wound on his hand first. It had completely healed, except the new skin was still a bit sensitive. Otherwise, its color now matched his natural skin tone; there were no traces left of what had recently been a "burnt drumstick."
Then he tried moving his arm around and found there was no discomfort at all.
"Hmm, it's naturally difficult for a single ninja to deal with a Tailed Beast alone," Haseo said while pulling down his sleeve. "But I think I won't get another chance to confront a Tailed Beast in the future... I suspect after last night's explosion incident involving Mist Village, they might start calling me something like 'Master Explosives Artist.'"
First came the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Then Haseo successfully captured the Two-Tails. Now this mysterious explosion involving the Six-Tails during the night. With all these events piling up on him, no ninja village would dare allow any Tailed Beasts or their Jinchuriki to face him again.
Not to mention that the Nine-Tails Splitting Plan still remained top secret. If he'd shown no hesitation in attacking Konoha's own Nine-Tails, then how much less mercy could others expect?
At this point, he'd firmly cemented his reputation as a "Tailed Beast Killer." Not many shinobi stayed so committed to battling Tailed Beasts for decades.
"Well, our task here is done. We three aren't needed anymore on the Eastern Front, and we should return to the Western Front as soon as possible," Tsunade stated.
After treating Haseo's injuries, Tsunade and her team—temporarily reassigned—needed to head back to the Western Front. Tsunade herself also felt anxious about Konoha's situation there.
However, Haseo shook his head and said, "You won't be able to leave before tomorrow at the earliest. Also, you can't go straight back to the Western Front battlefield; instead, you need to return to Konoha first, and then proceed from Konoha to the Land of Rain."
"...Why?"
Given the urgency on the Western Front, Tsunade couldn't understand why they'd need to go back to Konoha at all.
"Because it's an order, Tsunade. War isn't just about killing—it also needs to serve various other purposes."
Haseo needed to leave enough time for the Third Hokage to react. Naturally, news of the complete success of this special operation had already reached Konoha. Because of this, the Third Hokage would need to make proper arrangements.
Afterward, Haseo left his tent and headed toward the camp's command center.
As of now, every available fighter at the Konoha base was on full alert, ready for immediate deployment into battle at any moment. So even if Haseo was just there for show, he still had to be present at the command center.
A detection jutsu pattern had already been set up here so that he could immediately detect any movements by Mist Ninja and adjust his tactics accordingly. If he thought he could win, he'd fight. If not, he'd cut and run without hesitation.
In the end, though, this vigilance felt like a performance put on for the blind—completely pointless. The front lines remained eerily calm throughout the following night and ensuing days.
No news was good news. Sure, Konoha's ninjas were on edge and worn out from all the constant alertness—but hey… could've been worse.
The day after the surprise attack, the Sannin left the Western Front and returned to Konoha in the Central Land of Fire.
They had secretly withdrawn from the Western Front battlefield. Everything—including their involvement in the Mist Village operation—was top secret. Naturally, they had intended to return to Konoha discreetly and avoid drawing attention.
But once they entered Konoha, things took an exact opposite turn than expected… Forget hiding themselves; they found themselves immediately swallowed by dense crowds.
All around them, people stared with a mix of hope, excitement, and nervousness. Surrounded by numerous civilians and shinobi, the trio naturally wore expressions of total confusion.
What the heck? Did a zombie outbreak hit Konoha?
"Tsunade-sama, is it true that you invaded the Hidden Mist Village and destroyed half of it?"
Someone in the crowd suddenly asked.
"Eh? Yes… I guess so?"
Tsunade instinctively responded, but quickly realized her answer sounded a bit off.
"You mean the Hidden Mist Village—the one from the Land of Water and among the Five Great Ninja Villages?"
Someone else seemed eager to confirm the question again.
"Yes, yes, that Hidden Mist Village."
After hesitating for a moment, Tsunade finally said so, since she'd already been instructed on what to do.
For a moment, the crowd fell silent. After a short pause, murmurs began to rise and fall around them.
Finally, these whispers transformed into a thunderous cheer capable of shaking the entire village.
War may be brutal, but a new generation of shinobi has risen. That means the future still shines bright.
The Sannin defeating the Mist Village was proof enough of that.
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