Konoha definitely had spies inside Kumo and other ninja villages. At the very least, it should have had spies in every major ninja village—just as all those major ninja villages also had spies within Konoha.
The moment Haseo arrived in Konoha—even before he fully recovered from his injuries—he was used as bait to expose enemy spies. That mission proved the inevitability of spies' existence.
Konoha had used that opportunity to eliminate a large number of spies, but that was already ancient history. Now, a new generation of spies had already been cultivated once again… and even back then, nobody could guarantee that all spies had been completely rooted out.
Spies were like "dark pieces"—nobody knew where on the board they would appear next. Therefore, only some of them could ever truly be eliminated.
As for the methods used to train these spies, even someone as experienced as Haseo preferred not to delve too deeply. They represented the darkest part of a ninja village, so knowing simply that major villages could always plant and insert spies into their strategic rivals was enough.
"Kumo is indeed struggling to control the Eight-Tails. We received reports about this issue before, and so far, it still remains unresolved..."
Homura Mitokado's words confirmed Haseo's guess.
Sometimes, information regarding jinchuriki replacements and related matters was highly classified; other times, it wasn't particularly difficult to obtain—because tailed beasts always caused massive disruptions that shook entire villages.
"This shows Haseo's speculation isn't baseless—it actually follows a discernible trail," said the Third Hokage.
Controlling the tailed beasts was truly a huge problem, one that had always plagued Kumo. The Eight-Tails' strength and ferocity ranked second only to the Nine-Tails'. Kumo had never found an effective way to control it.
So here comes the question: if the current jinchuriki cannot control the Eight-Tails, why not replace him with a new one?
The answer lay in how extraordinarily difficult it would be. Even if you dehumanized the jinchuriki and treated him as mere tools, how could you ensure the next one would fare any better? The current jinchuriki was already the best available shinobi… Kumo's problem was essentially the same as if Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, couldn't control the Nine-Tails—then who could possibly expect anyone else to succeed where she failed?
A new jinchuriki would only be less reliable. Therefore, seeking ways to suppress the Eight-Tails had become a higher priority than replacing its host.
"What Konoha can solve might be an unsolvable catastrophe for other villages. After all, a Tailed Beast running amok can be just as destructive as full-scale war, so Kumo must treat this issue with extreme seriousness," Haseo remarked.
If Kumo wanted to address the security threat posed by the Eight-Tails, at the very least, they'd need to replace the jinchuriki again. Not until the future jinchuriki—who fans jokingly call the 'rapper'—showed up would the Eight-Tails finally settle down… Haseo kept this last thought buried deep inside, saying nothing aloud.
"Whether it's sealing techniques or chakra, the Uzumaki are indeed a stabilizing factor for the tailed beasts. What Haseo said should be treated as a key preventive measure... We must prepare defenses both within the village and along the Front Line." After thinking it over, the Third Hokage clearly stated this point.
His thinking was fast and thorough—he immediately grasped the risks facing Uzumaki shinobi on the Front Line.
"If Kumogakure's target is the Uzumaki, wouldn't it be better for them to act directly on the Front Line? It seems easier than attempting something against the village itself... Doesn't sending envoys essentially warn us and raise our vigilance?" Next, Homura Mitokado appeared to notice a contradiction.
Haseo glanced at him briefly, looking rather unwilling to explain. He thought to himself, "Is that supposed to be Kumo warning us? If it weren't for my reminder, would you have even considered that possibility?"
"For the sake of 'respect' towards the Elders, Haseo still offered this explanation."
"The nature of the Uzumaki shinobi's work determines that they mostly operate within Command Centers. Capturing them alive isn't an easy task either."
Even Uzumaki shinobi deployed on the Front Line rarely took on front-line duties. Most often, they were concentrated in the command headquarters at the base camp. So if Kumo intended to capture them alive, they'd at least need to prepare for breaching Konoha's front-line camp—a difficult feat indeed.
The defensive level of the front-line camp was actually higher than most areas of Konoha.
Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement. "Then aside from that, do you have any other guesses about Kumo's movements?"
Because the previous explanation had proven reasonable and valuable after discussion, he began expecting Haseo's further insights.
However...
"That's all I've got."
"...Right."
That's exactly why the Elders sometimes disliked Haseo—it seemed like he was making valid points, but always came across as biased, clique-ish, and too self-centered.
Everyone present understood Haseo's close relationship with the Uzumaki clan, so when Kumo moved, your only consideration was about the Uzumaki? Are you even being objective?
In this case, Haseo was somewhat unfairly criticized—the truth was that Kumo probably did target the Uzumaki clan specifically. Hadn't Haseo kindly given a warning already?
"Who would ever understand the pain of being misunderstood?" he thought bitterly.
Well, he really showed what happens when someone runs out of principle and credibility.
After this meeting, the Third Hokage immediately conveyed its content and new orders to Danzo Shimura at the Western Front. He instructed Uzumaki shinobi to remain concentrated in the camps and no longer participate in external missions.
Later, Haseo suggested recalling the few remaining Uzumaki shinobi stationed at the Eastern Front back to Konoha since the Eastern Front had become relatively quiet and their presence there served little purpose... In fact, most Uzumaki shinobi previously stationed at the Eastern Front had already returned to the village before Haseo arrived.
Next, he planned to return to Kagenami to inform the Uzumaki shinobi that for the coming period, they must guard themselves carefully—not just against fire and theft, but also against Kumogakure.
...Inside the Upper Training Field of the Kagenami Base.
Kushina Uzumaki was in the middle of an intense and thrilling battle training, and her opponent…was none other than her own Shadow Clone.
Earlier, Haseo had given her a "common ninjutsu" called the [Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu] and explained a method to rapidly gain experience through clone-based training. Although Kushina didn't understand what Lord Haseo meant by calling it "wisdom from descendants," she indeed felt herself improving quickly through this training.
What the heck? It's just a basic Clone Jutsu, so why does it have such an effect?
When Haseo arrived, he just happened to catch Kushina training diligently.
He nodded with satisfaction but didn't interrupt her. Instead, he simply waved toward Black Cat, who was hiding in the shadowy corner of a crossbeam, quietly watching Kushina.
Lately, Haseo had this weird feeling—he could never find his cat when he needed it, yet it always seemed to be everywhere at once.
"From now on, you'll be following Kushina constantly and be responsible for her safety. Understood?" Haseo instructed Black Cat.
Of course, he couldn't act as Kushina's bodyguard twenty-four seven—but Black Cat could.
This feline had already absorbed the power of Two-Tails and then Nine-Tails—long having ceased to be an ordinary housecat.
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