When a person rises far beyond the realm of the ordinary, the principles he upholds, the methods he wields, and the future he envisions can never be petty or small-minded.
At the very least, he must be someone with unwavering conviction—whether that belief is good or evil.
Haseo didn't know about the Third Mizukage's decision or what was currently happening in Mist. But imagining how he might feel upon learning about it, he would likely develop even greater respect for the Mizukage than before. After all, someone who dares to sacrifice themselves rationally—who ensures that the sacrifice holds meaning—is certainly deserving of admiration.
Of course, if such respect were to manifest through action, it would mean that when Haseo next encountered his opponent, he would waste less time on meaningless words, avoid mockery entirely, and instead use his full strength to end the battle as quickly as possible. In the Ninjutsu World, truly respected opponents are always dealt with first and foremost.
Haseo was a ninja. When facing enemy shinobi, he'd never do something ridiculous like chop off a chicken's head or burn paper money while shouting, "Tob-sama above…"
The enemies wouldn't say anything like "I feel the same way" either—they'd only share one mutual understanding: killing each other.
...
Right now, Haseo was busy adjusting battlefield deployments.
After signing the Peace Agreement with Mist, Konoha halved the number of ninja stationed on the Eastern Front—to around five hundred. On one hand, this clearly showed Mist that Konoha had no intention of attacking again; that they honored the agreement and truly wished for peace. On the other hand, maintaining the original troop levels was simply unnecessary anymore.
However, once the unspoken understanding was broken, even continuous efforts afterward couldn't restore trust to its former level. One hundred and fifty Leaf ninjas had suffered a devastating attack from Mist forces. From then on, no matter how trusting Konoha might have been, there was no way they could reduce their Eastern Front numbers back to that level ever again.
Five hundred was just right—not too many, not too few. It perfectly balanced readiness against nearly any potential threat.
In other words, until the war fully ended, these five hundred would remain firmly stationed here.
But how did Mist interpret Konoha's withdrawal as goodwill? Not at all. In Mist's eyes, Konoha showing kindness made absolutely no sense.
Had their village really been captured by a thousand Konoha ninjas? Did half the village getting destroyed have anything to do with a thousand Konoha ninjas?
As long as Haseo remained on the Eastern Front, he might occasionally get the urge to go out to sea and fish—and while fishing, he might intermittently get other sudden impulses too… He was the real destabilizing factor.
Truthfully, Haseo wouldn't really mind saying something like, "Hey, I either want to kill your Mist ninjas or be killed by them."
One day, while Haseo was going through personnel transfer records, he suddenly noticed an issue: Sakumo Hatake, who was supposed to be on active duty, had abruptly taken leave and returned to Konoha—an absence lasting a full month.
Even though the Eastern Front was no longer at the highest level of combat readiness and the overall alert level had been reduced by two grades, someone of Hatake Sakumo's caliber shouldn't have left the frontlines.
Leaving without Haseo's knowledge—wasn't that considered abandoning his post?
It was strange. Too strange.
So Haseo summoned Uzumaki Shikou and asked her directly, "Hatake left the frontline and returned to Konoha two days ago, but why wasn't I informed about this?"
"It was because I approved his leave myself, Lord Haseo. I thought he didn't necessarily need to stay glued to the frontline permanently," said Uzumaki Shikou.
"Just because he didn't 'necessarily' need to be there?"
Haseo's expression turned serious. That kind of reasoning just doesn't cut it—it's way too flimsy. Yet leaving his post was a very serious matter indeed… Even the funniest ninja know better than to crack jokes in serious moments.
Realizing the shift in Haseo's mood, Shikou felt slightly uneasy. Finally, she had no choice but to reveal the truth. "Lord Haseo, do you still remember what Hatake said before the war began?"
"What exactly?" His memory was fine, but there was no way he could recall every single thing everyone had ever said… He only remembered Sakumo being particularly worried about provisions before the war had even begun.
"Well… actually, Hatake went back to Konoha to get married…"
Though ninjas were generally cold and rational, there were moments when even the hardest-hearted women became sentimental and easier to persuade—like when it came to marriage.
Haseo just fell silent for a moment.
"Marry?!"
You've gotta be kidding me—the so-called Flag God is real. Someone actually gets to walk away from a war straight into a wedding.
"That's correct."
Haseo ran a hand down his face, still struggling to believe what he was hearing. "Then why didn't he come to me about it himself?"
"Because… Hatake thought you would definitely say something like, 'Everyone else is out here eating dirt on the frontline—why should you get to go home and get married?' and then reject his request." Very, very unusually, Shikou even mimicked Haseo's tone while saying this.
"Exactly! Why should he get special treatment?"
Haseo replied with god-like timing, proving perfectly how well those around him understood him.
Wait a second, Haseo suddenly snapped into alertness. There were only two likely possibilities if Sakumo Hatake was in such a rush to return to Konoha. First: Sakumo might actually be an impatient womanizer—but since Haseo didn't know enough about that side of him, he couldn't confirm or rule it out. Fifty-fifty chance.
Second possibility: Could it be that Kakashi's production plan had already moved forward, and Sakumo Hatake needed to hurry back to welcome his child? But that wouldn't make sense either—he'd already been stuck at the front for nearly eight or nine months now. Hmm… Well maybe not impossible. Think about it, wasn't Kakashi still practically a kid back then?
Haseo's train of thought began heading into inappropriate territory. Perhaps that showed clearly on his face as well, because Shikou's gaze toward him gradually took on a hint of resentment.
"Ahem, I'm just thinking things through—purely hypothetical. I haven't said anything for sure."
"Haseo, I've met Tsumiki a few times. You're probably wrong... As for why Sakumo is coming back now, I have a rough idea."
"Enlighten me."
Eh, most likely it's an unexpected pregnancy. Either that or Sakumo ain't exactly human… Hmm, hard to say. I'll keep my thoughts to myself.
"She doesn't want much to do with ninjas. There's something unusual about her past. She's very gentle by nature and rarely goes out..." Shikou tried to explain.
But there was one thing she didn't say aloud—it wasn't hard to imagine that Sakumo's wedding would be low-key. With the bride's personality, many of the people who'd show up were probably the last ones she wanted around at her happiest moment.
Not because she hated them or was afraid—but simply because she didn't want to be disturbed.
Shikou's words left Haseo momentarily stunned, then suddenly brought back memories he thought long buried.
Back then, he had been on top of the Daimyo's castle tower with three little ones in tow, enduring the cold wind when a servant girl rushed out and handed him crucial intelligence. After that, something strangely joyful seemed to happen… It felt like something from a distant past, but once his memory returned, her face became vivid again.
Some pasts just make people lean toward a quiet, solitary life. Thinking along those lines made everything seem somewhat reasonable.
After recalling his older sister's image, Haseo thought he should offer her younger sister some well-wishes… Not for any specific reason, simply because she was his older sister.
As for Sakumo… Well, he's still barely human.
At this moment, under such circumstances—may he curse the man to father sons with no balls at all.
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