Kumo was preparing to formally send an envoy to contact Konoha, intending to discuss diplomatic strategies and wartime cooperation as "allied nations"... This was the message passed by Katsuyu from Konoha to Haseo.
In truth, it should have been a relatively minor piece of news—or rather, much less significant than Haseo had imagined.
When he first heard about Kumo's movement, his immediate thought was that it must be something major like "Kumo suddenly dispatches three thousand ninja without warning, brazenly invading a nation," something capable of shifting the entire war's balance.
Sending envoys to Konoha? That action seemed too trivial for Kumo.
Judging solely from the report, Haseo felt that Kumo showed little sincerity. First, if they were truly allies, especially during wartime, they should have shared objectives, acted in coordination, and defended or attacked as one—notably absent in Kumo's current behavior. Second, the timing of Kumo entering the war itself raised questions.
Since the Three Great Ninja Villages were now locked in a stalemate within the Land of Rain, and Mist had withdrawn after being severely weakened, licking its wounds behind closed doors, Kumo naturally became the single most decisive factor in balancing the world of ninjutsu. Their most rational move would have been to sit back and let the others burn themselves out—then seize the opportunity when the other villages weakened, no matter what course Kumo ultimately chose.
Wouldn't they become an unstoppable force then, having stayed fresh while their enemies were exhausted from constant battle?
Even raw recruits could surpass war-weary veterans.
So considering everything together, it just didn't make sense for Kumo—who had stayed silent until now—to suddenly try to get involved. This subtle sense of discomfort caused fragments of memory to surface in Haseo's mind.
Around this period in the "story" he remembered, Kumo's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had apparently finally changed to someone Haseo recognized—a shinobi whose name he knew. Yet controlling the Eight-Tails wasn't so easy.
In the stories stored within Haseo's memories, it was precisely around this time that Kumo sent emissaries into Konoha... possibly slightly later, but roughly within this timeframe. No matter what official justification was given, the true goal was to capture Kushina Uzumaki—to finally resolve the issue of controlling the Eight-Tails.
The unique nature of Kushina Uzumaki's chakra—crucial for taming the Nine-Tails—was plainly evident.
However, the conditions under which such events unfolded originally included the disappearance of the Uzumaki clan, the passing of Mito Uzumaki, and Kushina becoming the sole known heir of their lineage—Konoha's Kushina Uzumaki was the successor to Mito Uzumaki, thus making her especially conspicuous. Her origins could be easily identified, her identity not difficult to guess, and investigations targeting her were relatively simple, giving Kumo a basis for gathering intel on her.
But the current situation was vastly different. Mito Uzumaki's fate was a top-secret matter, and Konoha was now teeming with Uzumakis... How could anyone pinpoint the Nine-Tails' new host? How could Kushina Uzumaki stand out among so many other Uzumakis?
Even in Konoha, only a handful of people knew that Kushina Uzumaki had been selected as the next Jinchuriki candidate. How could Kumo possibly obtain such top-secret intelligence?
Haseo didn't buy it for a second. Even if Kumo had a spy in Konoha, there was no way the spy could hold such a high rank.
But this didn't mean Kumo wasn't considering something like this. If controlling the Eight-Tails really was that difficult, then naturally Kumo would try just about anything. The Uzumaki clan represented an ideal option—one too valuable to easily abandon.
So from another angle, Kushina Uzumaki hiding within a forest made her relatively safe. Yet the entire forest itself remained dangerous.
It was also possible Kumo might randomly abduct one or two members of the Uzumaki clan. Although they couldn't expect every Uzumaki to possess the same natural talent as Mito Uzumaki or Kushina Uzumaki, they probably could serve some purpose.
As long as they served some function, Kumo would keep trying.
Thinking this way, Haseo suddenly realized Kumo didn't necessarily have to attack Konoha directly, because there were quite a few Uzumaki shinobi present on both fronts of the eastern and western battlefields...
Things were starting to look a bit troublesome.
Protecting one Kushina Uzumaki was manageable—but how could they protect the entire Uzumaki clan?
They'd just have to stay alert, beef up their defenses, and focus on protecting the most important targets—minimizing the damage as best they could. Just like with the powerful Uchiha clan: ordinary Sharingan might occasionally fall into outsider hands, but the Mangekyō Sharingan never would. So the risk of lost Sharingan wasn't really that big of a deal.
Of course, this might also be related to the fact that those possessing the Mangekyō tended to be especially ruthless.
"Lord Haseo?"
"Mm, I understand. I'll head back to the village now."
After analyzing and speculating various possibilities regarding Kumo's intentions and sorting out his own thoughts, Haseo finally left Shikkotsu Forest through summoning, returning to Konoha.
Then he made a beeline for the Third Hokage's office—he was late for a meeting.
When he arrived at his destination, he found the small-scale meeting had already begun. Only the Third Hokage and the two elders were present, making the meeting rather informal and relaxed in atmosphere.
Upon seeing Haseo arrive, their conversation didn't stop. The Third simply tapped his pipe gently, indicating for Haseo to sit aside.
As Haseo silently sat down, listening attentively to their discussion, he couldn't help secretly thinking—if Danzo hadn't returned yet, wouldn't he himself practically be considered one of Konoha's "Four Pillars"?
Well, maybe Haseo was giving himself too much credit. There were still other clan leaders in Konoha. The reason Haseo frequently participated in these high-level meetings mostly lay in two aspects: one was that his combat strength was highly valued; the other was that his ideas often broke new ground, offering fresh perspectives and helping everyone spot gaps in their plans and fill them.
Hiruzen and the Eldors wished to uncover the true intentions of Kumo's envoys before their official arrival, but this was not something that could be determined through mere speculation. Only Haseo, an outsider, had any real chance of uncovering clues. Everyone else involved in the situation could only guess blindly, so what began as a strategy meeting gradually transformed into a session for ideological alignment.
"In short," Homura Mitokado stated, "I don't believe Kumo has truly sent these envoys merely to discuss alliance or mutual support during wartime. They cannot be trusted. We must remain serious and heighten our vigilance. While we can't outright treat Kumo as enemies, thinking in terms of potential hostility won't steer us wrong."
Though his words offered no concrete methods nor practical effect, overall, what he said was reasonable... indeed correct.
Kumo's style appeared rough and reckless on the surface, yet in reality it was extremely cunning—a faction definitely requiring heightened caution.
Hiruzen remained silent, offering only a slight nod of approval before shifting his gaze toward Haseo. "Haseo, what are your thoughts?"
Haseo pondered briefly, then decided to voice his 'speculation.' After all, if his sole concern was protecting Kushina Uzumaki, either Kagenami or himself alone could easily accomplish that. However, if the goal was protecting Kagenami itself—or even the Uzumaki clan—it would require cooperation from Konoha.
"Could it possibly relate to Kumo's tailed beasts and jinchūriki?" he ventured cautiously.
"Hmm? Why do you say that?"
Hiruzen questioned with some confusion. Previously, they had been focused entirely on the topic of war—worried that Kumo might be preparing another sneak attack (to put it bluntly, concerned about a surprise strike on the Land of Fire), using the envoys simply as a distraction meant to throw them off. So why had Haseo abruptly diverted the conversation toward tailed beasts?
"For someone with Haseo's truthful nature, spinning excuses and half-truths was surprisingly effortless. It's just a matter of projecting my own experiences onto others. Surely everyone here knows Lady Mito's current condition. Kagenami is responsible for her care, while I've been training a potential successor jinchūriki. Thus, I naturally reflected upon issues regarding control and transition of tailed beasts."
Haseo cast a meaningful glance toward the Hokage before continuing, "We've made such extensive preparations—selecting a nearly perfect jinchūriki candidate from the Uzumaki clan with the finest sealing techniques available—yet we still worry about controlling the Nine-Tails. What about Kumo's Two-Tails and Eight-Tails? Are those really so simple to manage?"
Konoha had already significantly weakened the Nine-Tails' power and possessed the best sealing formula along with an almost ideal jinchūriki. But what about Kumo?
As someone with deep experience—having faced tailed beasts and their jinchūriki directly on multiple occasions—Haseo remained deeply invested in intelligence regarding them.
The jinchūriki he encountered during the Frostfield Battle had been brutally slain by the Third Raikage. Following that incident, Kumo replaced the host. That change occurred even before the Two-Tails' revival.
However, due to compatibility issues, that new jinchūriki failed to last more than several years before collapsing under the burden.
So Kumo now has this new Jinchuriki. If nothing unexpected happened, Haseo should be able to recognize her name—the Jinchuriki in question should be named B.
Third Raikage might just naturally bring bad luck to his partners. So far, he had already gone through at least three different partners named B.
"Hokage-sama, has the village recently received any news regarding Kumo's Tailed Beasts or their Jinchuriki?"
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and blew out a puff of smoke, filling the air around them before finally speaking,
"Are you suspecting that Kumo has come to Konoha for something like this? To gain better control over the Eight-Tails?
Then... their target is the Uzumaki clan?"
"I'm not absolutely certain, of course. It's just a feeling I've had lately—some things I've experienced make me suspect this might be the case. But I believe it's a possibility. That's why I think Konoha should at least be prepared, just in case... Everyone would surely agree we don't want Kumo's Eight-Tails or Two-Tails Jinchuriki to become someone capable of perfectly controlling the Tailed Beast's power, right?"
Haseo's final question, naturally, didn't require an answer.
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