After the peace agreement was signed, a commander of Haseo's caliber was no longer necessary on the front lines. Keeping him here to monitor Mist—which had gone quiet—felt a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, especially with Sakumo Hatake already on hand.
Of course, Haseo himself had no objection to remaining as commander—it was perfect for his "strategic idleness." Earning frontline allowances while loafing around, eating hotpot, and singing songs—who wouldn't love that?
Unfortunately, Third Hokage naturally couldn't allow Haseo such ease. Someone who eats people's food but refuses to do proper work would never be tolerated, so it was likely he would be transferred soon… However, now that Sakumo had returned, this "soon" probably meant not before Sakumo headed back to the frontline.
This was originally how things should've been.
While ninja are mostly cunning, and trust often means little more than nonsense, anyone with sense would never fully trust an enemy. At this point though, Mist showed no intention of breaking its commitments. After all, credibility was a tool used by the strong to restrain themselves—and a shield for the weak to hide behind.
Between Konoha and Mist, if either side were to attempt breaking the current "balance of trust," it definitely wouldn't be the latter.
Following the reorganization of frontline forces—reduced by half—more accurately stated, after overseeing this task, Haseo finally completed his "tinkering" with the Eastern Front, and everything gradually settled into routine.
The detachment of ninja would briefly return to Konoha to recuperate before likely being redeployed to the western battlefield.
On the Eastern Front, even after the peace agreement, although Konoha's reconnaissance units remained active and occasionally encountered Mist squads, both sides showed impressive self-control during these encounters. Mist in particular actively avoided confrontation, keeping their distance.
Now that Haseo had finally seen the light and returned to his command role, he found himself "trapped" within the camp, buried under paperwork—his main duty now boiled down to rubber-stamping pile after pile of documents.
Even this much work felt like too much for Haseo.
At this point, he could even write a book titled *Chronicles of the Ninja World War: How to Be An Excellent Frontline Commander*, easily drafting the outline: first, find a great secretary; second, hand over all tasks to her.
During this time, Haseo actually did one decent thing—he voluntarily extended Sakumo Hatake's three-month leave to six months. He really was a good friend; if Sakumo wanted to start a family back home, why not give him all the time he needed?
Yeah, if you're going to start a family, go all out. No regrets once the kids are here.
However, ultimately Sakumo Hatake's vacation ended prematurely… Seems Haseo was just never cut out for playing the warm, close buddy.
But this was unavoidable.
A top-secret intelligence report delivered directly from Konoha reached Haseo's hands—and it forced him to abandon the frontlines immediately.
In a situation like this, to stabilize the front lines, another reliable high-tier combatant would be needed to take over his duties. Who else could it be besides Konoha's legendary swordsman?
Being acknowledged by Sakumo Hatake, the Legend of the White Fang, was the luckiest thing in Haseo's life—and also the most unbelievable stroke of fate.
At this moment, Haseo's expression was heavy with contemplation. Absently stroking the letter in his hands, he seemed to awaken from his thoughts after a while and handed it to Uzumaki Shikou, who had been quietly waiting nearby.
"Pass your current assignments over to Nagisa Nara. Immediately recall Sakumo Hatake. Once Sakumo Hatake takes over, you and I will return to Konoha..."
Perhaps at this moment, Haseo should feel fortunate that routine operations and daily affairs on the front had always been delegated to his subordinates; otherwise, if they suddenly lost him, this entire operation would definitely collapse into chaos.
"Lord Haseo, the vacation period you approved for Sakumo hasn't even been completed halfway through. Isn't this a bit inconsistent, going back on your word..."
Uzumaki Shikou had not yet noticed the tone hidden within Haseo's words and habitually assumed he was joking. However, when she accepted the letter and saw its content, her voice immediately faded into silence.
Separated only by a thin sheet of paper, Haseo could no longer clearly see Shikou's facial expression, but he could still sense her sudden emotional shift.
"I'll make the arrangements right away," she said without further delay, quickly walking out from there.
...
Changes in stories always come one after another because every story is a blend of reality and imagination—and reality has always outpaced fiction in its unpredictability.
The Land of Rain is merely a tiny country, yet now it has already been crisscrossed and divided among ninja forces representing various factions. The phrase "interlocking like jagged teeth" no longer suffices to describe the current state. In fact, the situation within the Land of Rain has become so chaotic that it's best described as "a tangled mess of us in each other."
Except for those forward-line camps firmly held by each faction and small areas under concentrated military control nearby, the remaining battlefield has completely fallen apart, turning severely fragmented.
You attack me, I go after him, he turns on you—it all ends up as a total mess of 'who's actually fighting who.'
This was a situation never seen before during the previous great war.
Yet even though the battlefield resembles boiling water, there are always fleeting moments where a sliver of "space" can display an unusual level of "calmness."
It's a particularly dangerous kind of isolation—a uniquely perilous tranquility.
For example, right beneath their feet.
After rising to fame on this battlefield and returning triumphantly from the Eastern Front, the Sannin (Three Legendary Shinobi) finally faced their most perilous moment since entering the war... [A Hunt in Silence] had begun, like silent flames burning fiercely beneath the surface—or perhaps it was nearly over.
"What do we do? Should we escape?"
Dialogue emerged amid rapid breathing, marking how exhausted the speaker had become.
"Hah… Three against eight? Normally we'd stand a shot… but not if Hanzo's one of them."
The world is a painting, and time is the line that runs through it. Where lines cross, fate finds a way.
The Sannin had become Konoha's top warriors on the Western Front, while Hanzo was Amegakure's strongest fighter. That they met wasn't all that surprising.
"My chakra is nearly drained. Make a decision—fast."
"Why are we meeting the enemy leader here? This was never his usual territory... We were only here for routine cleanup," Jiraiya muttered first, his tone clearly annoyed. He still couldn't figure out why they'd run into such a powerful enemy in the wrong place.
"And our intel was off too. Didn't they say Hanzo was someone even Sakumo Hatake could handle easily?"
Well, he sure sounded like he was whining.
Hanzo of Sanshouo didn't match Konoha's description of him. Still, this wasn't exactly inaccurate intelligence—it was just outdated. Years ago, Sakumo Hatake had tried to take on Hanzo and failed.
Jiraiya's claim was clearly off. The truth was, Sakumo Hatake had never "easily" dealt with Hanzo. Back then, Konoha's "Kamikaze Swordsman" was the one constantly fleeing from Hanzo's attacks.
"Don't you realize that strength isn't something we alone can grow..."
Everyone understood the principle well enough, but Orochimaru's words carried a clear note of sarcasm toward Jiraiya's complaint.
"Besides, on this battlefield, running into any kind of enemy anywhere isn't particularly strange."
That last sentence sounded like it meant something—while saying absolutely nothing at once.
"Our opponent seems somewhat prepared, though maybe not. Even during normal patrols, the Rain Village leader should always be guarded like this. We've already taken out most of them, so falling back would still leave things fairly even. But..." Tsunade bit her lip and stopped short.
But this outcome contradicted rumors about their supposed destruction of the Mist. Retreating like this would dent the image they'd just started building.
Normally, ninja are supposed to run when necessary—that's just how the job works. Even the Ninja God himself had to make a break for it during his bowl-cut days, didn't he?
However...
A sinister purple mist surged toward the three figures standing back-to-back in a triangle formation. Shadows flickered within the fog. Among them, the figure perched atop a crouching giant beast radiated an ominous presence impossible to ignore.
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