As Haseo approached the location of Kagenami Base, he noticed from afar a large number of shinobi gathered there, their red hair forming a sea of crimson.
Many were injured, but fortunately, the Uzumaki shinobi had successfully kept the enemy outside—the base hadn't been captured.
Here, Haseo also saw Tsunade.
Haseo quickly walked up to her.
"Didn't I tell you to stay at home, Tsunade?"—the words formed in his mind, tinged with mild reproach, but he couldn't bring himself to say them aloud.
Staying at home would naturally be safer, but how could Tsunade possibly remain indifferent at a time like this? She must have been restless beyond measure, hence rushing to the "battlefield." Fortunately, she hadn't been dragged into the center of events.
"I'm sorry," said Tsunade with a slight bow of her head. Her golden hair was slightly disheveled.
Good thing Shikou (Zikou) and Katsuyu remained by Tsunade's side all along. Should anything go wrong, Haseo standing nearby would be informed right away. Thinking about that, his tense nerves finally eased slightly.
"No… I should be the one apologizing."
"Nawaki…"
This instantly made Tsunade raise her head anxiously again, her eyes quickly reddening slightly.
Tsunade trusted Haseo, so throughout everything, she had stayed away from that battlefield. Even if she'd gone, it wouldn't have helped matters, but Haseo's words momentarily shook her trust… Though unspoken between them, Tsunade understood Haseo could never harbor murderous intent toward Nawaki.
"Nawaki's fine. He's only lightly injured, and he got away.
But I believe I've taken his name—he probably won't be able to continue using the name granted by Sansho-sensei anymore… And today's battle, I believe this at least made Nawaki a more grounded person.
Now, as long as he can escape pursuit by Anbu, he'll surely find peace somewhere in the world. With his current strength, he stands a good chance of it."
Haseo explained immediately.
"Then what about me…"
"Yes, go to the Third. Keep an eye on Anbu's movements. If they capture Nawaki and bring him back to the village, you'll need to intervene promptly."
"I understand, Haseo."
Nodding, Tsunade prepared to rush toward the Third's location immediately. Her heart was in turmoil just now, so without much thought, she followed Haseo's suggestion.
Watching Tsunade disappear from sight, Haseo waited until she vanished completely before turning to the surrounding Uzumaki shinobi. "Shikou… and the twelve of you, come with me. The rest maintain vigilance."
"Yes, sir!"
Thirteen Uzumaki shinobi followed behind Lord Haseo, returning underground through secret tunnels into the base.
The other Uzumaki shinobi tightened their ranks, keeping a sharp watch on the perimeter.
"Shikou, your injury..."
Only now did Haseo notice that Shikou Uzumaki's abdomen was wrapped in bandages, with a faint trace of blood on the right side.
"It's nothing serious. Tsunade-sama has already treated me," Shikou said.
Since her color and movement seemed fine, Haseo simply nodded.
Without delay, Haseo led those thirteen Uzumaki shinobi—who had followed him since the earliest days—all the way to the spacious third underground level of Kagenami Base... Originally, this place had been used to seal the Nine-Tails.
Haseo lit an oil lamp at the entrance, so only a small part of the dark, cavernous space was visible.
Haseo walked toward a wall and slowly slid down to sit against it.
"You may all sit down, right beside me."
The Uzumaki shinobi exchanged glances. None of them could understand why Haseo had suddenly summoned them to the most secret location in the base at this moment.
They sat around him as instructed.
After everyone fell silent, Haseo leaned against the wall, seemingly lost in thought, saying nothing for a long moment.
Eventually, someone couldn't hold back any longer: "Lately, Lord Haseo seems to have given little attention to what's currently happening in the village..."
This was likely the sentiment shared by some among Kagenami.
Haseo finally refocused and spoke, "Let's put that aside for now. The reason I've gathered you here is to tell you something else... This place is secluded enough, secure enough—no secrets will escape from here.
The world is far bigger than just Konoha alone.
To put it briefly, before her death, Lady Mito once told me something of utmost importance—specifically, that Madara Uchiha might still be alive.
This isn't mere nonsense or unfounded speculation. In fact, during my recent activities in the Land of Rain, I clearly discovered traces of Madara Uchiha himself."
Crediting intelligence to the deceased was always one of Haseo's favored tactics, after all, because such sources were unverifiable and left no trail.
It took a moment for everyone to fully grasp what those few sentences meant.
"Lord Haseo... you mean *that* Madara Uchiha?" Shikou asked cautiously, finally realizing what Haseo was implying.
"There's no need to doubt—it *is* exactly that Madara Uchiha," Haseo confirmed with a nod. "The man who stood equal with the First Hokage, co-founded Konoha with him, then betrayed it, tried to destroy it, and ultimately died in battle at the First's hands."
"But as you yourself said, Lord Haseo, wasn't Madara already killed by the First? Could he truly have faked his death in front of him?"
Pulling off such a deception before the First Hokage—an individual like him—was nearly impossible.
"That's essentially how things stand, even if it sounds incredible. According to Lady Mito, he must have used an extremely rare form of Genjutsu—an illusion technique unlike any other—back then... As for Madara Uchiha's Sharingan, even if you cannot fully comprehend its power, you should at least have a general understanding of it by now."
While Konoha was preoccupied with internal conflicts, Haseo suddenly revealed the news that Madara Uchiha was still alive. The shocking information left everyone momentarily dazed.
"So what exactly is your point, Lord Haseo?"
"Well, there's no doubt Madara Uchiha is a man with great ambitions. As to what his specific intentions are, we can't judge. The only certainty is whatever he plans won't be good... He definitely will be our enemy.
The Senju Rebellion was merely a farce. However, Madara Uchiha possesses the power to overturn the entire world. Therefore, before he initiates his plan, I've decided to eliminate him myself.
Considering Madara's current age, he might already be an old decrepit man barely able to stand. But it's also possible he still maintains considerable combat capabilities..."
"If such a person is truly alive, I don't believe his fighting strength would be problematic at all... Why do you insist on confronting him alone, Lord Haseo? Wouldn't it be better to mobilize Konoha's forces together?"
For some reason, Shikou already seemed quietly opposed to Lord Haseo's plan.
"First, against someone like that, numbers won't matter much. Second, I don't have solid proof to convince the village. Regarding matters like this, the village elders certainly won't trust my words as readily as all of you do.
Besides, I won't be acting completely alone either—I need everyone's assistance...
I've already discovered one crucial piece that Madara Uchiha left behind—something he absolutely wouldn't abandon. Once that key piece is threatened, it'll most likely return to Madara's side at top speed. What I need from all of you is help locating that high-speed moving target, and eventually determining Madara's exact whereabouts.
If you have clear chakra markers to follow, you should be capable of doing this kind of task, right?"
"..."
"I still think Lord Haseo's decision places too much responsibility on personal judgment—it seems overly hasty."
"You don't understand my mindset. Only by doing something like this can I... truly find myself again. Therefore I cannot argue against you. Indeed, this arrangement does seem quite selfish."
Although Haseo had no actual necessity to fight Madara directly to the death, a certain 'sense of duty' compelled him to take this path.
"If I succeed in the end, then everything will turn out well. If I fail, at least I'll leave the most vital information for you all.
Besides, I won't be starting my attack right away. I'll need at least two or three more years to prepare. Informing everyone about this in advance is simply so you can prepare yourselves for executing the location-tracking mission."
Haseo had already made up his mind long ago. His resolve wouldn't change because of Shikou's attempts at persuasion. More often than not, he was an extremely stubborn individual.
"If Lord Haseo has already decided upon this course, then why reveal your power openly now? Someone like Madara Uchiha might possess corresponding intelligence networks... revealing your capabilities before battle would be unwise."
"I understand, but just now I had no choice but to act. Although, it wasn't really a full exposure of my abilities... what little was shown remained very limited."
Haseo chuckled and continued, "Alright, that's all I have to say for now. Everyone, remember to maintain your Consciousness Seals until my death—I don't want my actions being exposed to Madara Uchiha prematurely, only for him to act even earlier than I intended."
Such an important matter was concluded in just a few sentences. Then Haseo stood up and prepared to leave through the passage.
However, he hadn't walked a few steps up the staircase when Shikou chased after him from behind.
"Lord Haseo..."
"Shikou, do you have anything else to ask?"
"No, it's just... Lord Haseo wouldn't actually be considering using that Sealing Technique, right?"
"A Sealing Technique? Oh, you mean the Dead Demon Consuming Seal? No... Even if I wanted to use it, I couldn't. As everyone knows, I'm not particularly talented in Sealing Techniques.
But if I really did use it, Shikou, remember to destroy that Shinigami Mask. Only then could this sealing technique truly become an ultimate seal that no one can break.
And if I actually die, I don't want anyone dragging me back just to use me as their pawn—Death should be final. I've already cheated death once before; there's no need to do it again."
As he spoke, Haseo took off his coat and draped it over Shikou, covering her waist and lower abdomen which were wrapped in bandages.
"For the record, this isn't me saying my last words—it's just a clever way to avoid tempting fate." Then he cracked a weak joke that fell flat.
"Lord Haseo, did you tell Lady Tsunade about this?"
"No, Tsunade... There's no need. You are the comrades worthy of my trust in my mission."
"You're definitely the same as always, Lord Haseo—able to make favoritism sound so eloquently reasonable."
"..."
Some people had to carry certain burdens, while others could still put them off for now.
Haseo stepped out alone from the Kagenami base and couldn't help but stretch lazily.
The decision had been made long ago; today was merely the day to voice it aloud. Once he completely mastered "Sage Mode," it would be time to confront Madara Uchiha head-on.
He could only hope that this overly dramatic old man had finally mellowed out enough with age.
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