After submitting his report, Haseo left the Hokage's office building. As he stepped from the solemn administrative building onto the street, the lively buzz of daily life enveloped him.
The Hokage's daily routine was strict and monotonous. From this perspective, it wasn't hard to see why the Third had taken an interest in quietly watching... well, observing people. It was one of the few ways to add some variety to his otherwise dull life.
The arrangements made by the Third Hokage for Haseo were unsurprising. If they hadn't been necessary, he wouldn't have been recalled to Konoha at this time… Thinking about this, Haseo lightly laughed. Most likely, the Third never imagined that the war on the Eastern Front could end so quickly.
A straightforward approach naturally produced quick results, but it also carried its own set of potential risks.
Despite the great ninja villages inherently being natural enemies, after this ruthless attack, Kirigakure's hatred toward Konoha would certainly increase by… ten percentage points, hmm, probably not much more than that.
Haseo had no doubt that the people of Mist weren't foolish enough to let resentment cloud their judgment.
It was nearly impossible to completely destroy a major ninja village, so actions like Haseo's were naturally bound to create hidden dangers... Once Mist recovered from its wounds, would it seek vengeance against Konoha to restore its pride? This was practically a question whose answer required no thought whatsoever.
In short, Konoha's short-term security had improved—but at the expense of its long-term stability.
But Haseo wasn't particularly worried about what came next—future problems could wait until they arrived—after all, someone else might have to deal with them by then anyway. Who knew whose shoulders the burden would eventually fall on?
Perhaps precisely because of such thoughts, Haseo could remain indifferent to creating some "future issues" right now.
Recently, the most important matter for Haseo concerned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki changeover.
He hadn't been privy to the recent conversation between Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki, but he understood that Kushina must now always be prepared.
Looking up into the sky, Haseo noticed it had already grown dark. In rushing back urgently from the front line, and then running back and forth within the village, before he realized it, the day had already slipped away.
Instead of heading toward the Kagenami Underground Base, he turned and made his way to his house in the Hot Spring Town.
Konoha itself had unknowingly undergone certain changes, some of which even involved Haseo personally—for instance, on his way home, he occasionally sensed others watching him.
Forget ordinary citizens; among the forehead-protector-wearing ninja, quite a few were paying attention to him.
Their gazes carried a mix of respect, curiosity, and uncertainty—as if they wanted to ask something but hesitated for fear of overstepping.
Haseo kept his face impassive, sticking strictly to his personal rule: If you don't approach me, I won't approach you either.
Whether it was for better or worse, ever since the war broke out, Haseo, as the commanding officer of the Eastern Front, had already become one of the most well-known ninjas in Konoha. This time, it wasn't just his name that sounded familiar—his face had also become widely recognized.
What did the Konoha ninja who single-handedly chased eighty Kumo ninjas and slashed them to death look like? Everyone could finally match a face to the legend... Well, there wasn't much special about his appearance. The slight disappointment was that he looked quite slim and didn't seem particularly muscular or strong as people had imagined.
No beard, no bronze-colored skin, no bulging muscles—nothing remotely wild or fierce-looking.
Haseo definitely didn't know that in many people's minds, he resembled more of a berserker than a ninja. But then again, what could he say? The whole story about chasing eighty enemies was just a rumor. In reality, he had been the one getting beaten up by a group back then.
Ignoring the surrounding glances, Haseo continued walking forward. Just then, a young woman dressed in white clothes with long black hair approached him from the opposite direction. She carried a basket woven from bamboo strips.
Haseo noticed her just as she noticed him. She stopped and politely gave him a small bow, then obediently stood aside by the roadside, waiting for Haseo to pass first.
She performed this action naturally—not exaggerated at all… Clearly, she recognized Haseo.
As Haseo walked past her, the woman turned around and bowed slightly toward his back before continuing on her way.
After she walked away, Haseo paused and glanced in the direction she had gone. He felt like he'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't place where.
But if he couldn't remember, he decided not to dwell on it. If she hadn't left a deep impression, she probably wasn't worth worrying about. Shaking his head lightly, Haseo put the thought aside.
In any case, he should rest well first. There's always something different about being at home compared to being on the front line.
Although it had been quite some time since he last returned home, his room remained spotless. He didn't need to tidy anything up; he could immediately enjoy the warm and comfortable environment… Although his cat at home couldn't transform into a catgirl or a maid, it was undeniable that, as a summoned creature with unusually high intelligence, it could handle cleaning and cooking.
So keeping this cat was definitely worthwhile.
It was just a shame it didn't have hands. No hands meant no hand seals, and without hand seals, no Transformation Jutsu.
...
The next day, after waking up, Haseo felt a strange laziness in his body—a feeling that clearly reminded him he was in Konoha, not on the front line.
After casually getting ready and grabbing something to eat outside, he headed toward Kagenami.
During this time, the Kagenami Organization had continued running smoothly on its own. Though Haseo felt completely at ease, he still wanted to understand the changes that had occurred while he was away.
Arriving at the base and greeting his subordinates whom he hadn't seen in a while, Haseo entered his office and began reading through the logs from recent days.
But before he could flip through a few pages, new intelligence reached his hands... it was the same piece of information, but more precisely speaking, it came from two separate "sources."
One was an official report released by Konoha. The other was a private letter written to Haseo by Tsunade. What it conveyed was self-evident—describing how the Sannin encountered Hanzo and successfully drove him off.
Sanshouo, Hanzo's summoned beast, was beaten alive at the scene; apparently, its death had been quite gruesome. As for Hanzo himself, he simply retreated smoothly, said to have left in a very calm manner... The official version was brief and concise. After reading it, Haseo opened Tsunade's letter.
This account contained much more detail.
"[Kinjutsu]...?" Haseo muttered with a headache. Rather than feeling comforted or pleased that his jutsu had proven useful, he was...
"Judging from these two reports, the three of you clearly could have chosen retreat during that battlefield situation. Yet instead, you chose to attack… That doesn't align with the limited conditions I set for using this Kinjutsu, especially since you employed that particular [Lightning Release]."
It was obviously an incredibly risky move — why did she insist on using it?
Haseo grumbled about Tsunade's recklessness, never realizing he might be the least qualified to criticize... It seemed one often lacked clarity on what kind of person they truly were.
Tsunade needed several days of rest at the front line, but given how quickly she'd managed to write him a letter already, Haseo judged that she likely wasn't seriously injured. For one thing, he'd imposed limits upon the power of that Kinjutsu, and secondly, Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu deserved trust.
If she had really been badly injured, Haseo would've doubted whether locking up his [Kinjutsu] and giving it to her was the right call.
"The only upside is that the recent explosion in Mist, followed by driving off Hanzo, mutually verifies the capabilities of the three of them... Even Hanzo turned out to be capable of doing something nice for once."
Still, Haseo felt some concern for Tsunade. He understood better than anyone the physical toll his own Kinjutsu exacted. But since Tsunade herself claimed nothing serious had happened, there was no way he'd interrupt his current tasks just to rush to the front lines for personal reassurance... Besides, he barely had time to deal with the matters already at hand.
He pushed his worries aside, set down Tsunade's letter, and returned to his work.
"Lord Haseo, Kushina has arrived."
Unconsciously, time passed past noon. Soon after, the Uzumaki shinobi Ka-jin stationed at the base made this report to Haseo… Uzumaki Shikou wouldn't be assigned to work here at the base for now—she would devote her attention entirely to taking care of Mito Uzumaki for the coming period.
"I see."
Haseo acknowledged briefly before rising to his feet.
Starting today, Kushina Uzumaki would spend only half a day at school each morning, devoting the afternoons to specialized training under Kagenami.
Everything was done to better prepare her for the role of a Jinchuriki.
As a ninja born into the Uzumaki clan, Kushina Uzumaki had been blessed with an incredible natural talent from birth. Even at her young age, her chakra reserves were astonishing.
Before becoming the jinchuriki, she first had to master controlling her massive chakra reserves.
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