"Lord Haseo..."
Haseo's return to Konoha was under the watchful eyes of many.
Standing atop the rubble of the collapsed outer wall, numerous Konoha ninja who were using Water Release techniques to douse the flames greeted him enthusiastically.
From the battlefield outside, it was clear that Lord Haseo had just fought against an exceptionally powerful enemy and foiled someone's plot to overthrow Konoha.
Though they were just using Water Release to douse flames, a monumental moment was unfolding right before their eyes, filling them with pride as if witnessing history itself... even though it was more spectacle than substance.
Haseo paused briefly, sensing that everyone was being unusually enthusiastic, which made him feel obliged to stop and respond. "Everyone, the situation outside has already been resolved. I've taken care of the enemies... Just hold on and don't let the fire spread. Sorry, I wasn't able to control the strength of my attacks properly because I needed to focus completely on dealing with the enemies."
"Lord Haseo, that's only natural. Leave the aftermath to us. We'll definitely make sure the fire doesn't reach here."
One exhausted ninja, nearly drained from overusing his Water Release techniques, responded like this — and indeed, he voiced exactly what every ninja present was feeling… Just look at them, how endearing these Konoha folk were, and how heartwarming their words sounded.
Haseo nodded slightly, then turned to leave.
Seeing the faint signs of fatigue and a hint of ease in this Lord's departing figure, all the present ninjas couldn't help but feel deep respect in their hearts — his weariness came from the recent "great battle," while his calmness precisely showed his full trust in them.
So after absorbing Lord Haseo's quiet encouragement, everyone's work enthusiasm was reignited once again.
When he returned to the village, Haseo found many places had caught fire, but overall, Konoha seemed to have suffered minimal damage — not surprising, since this place had basically been baited like a snare, practically luring them straight into it.
A large number of ninjas were coming and going busily, handling the aftermath of this internal disturbance.
While watching, Haseo noticed some slightly different ninjas among the crowd; if his guess was correct, those should be members of Root… It was quite rare indeed that Danzo Shimura had actually dispatched his personal elite forces without hesitation over potential losses.
Just as Haseo was pondering these things while passing through an alleyway, he happened to run into Danzo Shimura.
The four ninjas surrounding Danzo instantly became extremely vigilant upon noticing Haseo.
Haseo stopped again, thinking to himself that all he wanted was to return to base, yet why did he keep getting interrupted?
Danzo also halted accordingly.
"Lord Danzo..."
Danzo waved his hand, signaling the ninja beside him not to be tense, then ordered the four to disperse.
Now only the two remained.
"Nawaki?"
Danzo asked Haseo first.
"He got away. It was a Wood Release user — there's no way I could've stopped him."
"Such is how Haseo spoke. Whether others believed it or not, he himself certainly did.
"Is that so?" Danzo felt slightly disappointed. He had originally hoped Haseo would become angry at Nobuki, which would have meant the end of Nobuki.
Unexpectedly, Nobuki "escaped"... though this minor detail didn't matter much.
And if Nobuki were brought back to Konoha later, death would already be the best possible outcome for him.
"In any case, the Senju have finally reached their end."
"I wonder how The Second will feel about this."
It was hard to say whether Haseo's words were genuinely out of curiosity or aimed as an ironic jab at Danzo. Surprisingly, he seemed calmer than expected when facing Danzo.
"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?
You naturally harbored deep disgust toward those who received Sansho's kindness yet foolishly believed she was the one who destroyed the Senju. You instinctively felt these people weren't even worthy of life itself.
Peaceful living is precious, yet some fail to cherish it at all, constantly longing for glory and honor. Simply your birthplace determines how you view such people.
After the first time came the second—you've long since lost any patience for hopeless individuals.
As for Nobuki, since he never grew close to you, naturally you wouldn't care about him either... furthermore, as her nephew, he doesn't even respect Sansho-sama, making him even less significant in your eyes.
Anyway, things happened in Konoha exactly as we all wished to see. Therefore...
This is cooperation."
Throughout everything, Danzo's plans had never encountered the slightest obstruction from Haseo.
There were many matters where Haseo never directly expressed his emotions.
Unfazed by Danzo's vague accusations, Haseo just lowered his gaze and said, "I indeed believe they weren't worthy of life. However, thoughts unspoken carry no responsibility... I'm merely Sansho's disciple, not a student of the Senju.
Right now, it's simply that I believed the Senju deserved death, and coincidentally, the Senju died—that's all.
What kind of cooperation are we talking about here?"
Haseo shook his head slightly while speaking.
"You're right. I'm merely The Second's disciple too."
Danzo really was strange, spewing out wild accusations with no logic at all... Haseo offered no reply to this, then slowly walked away from Danzo step by step.
However, just as he reached the alley exit, Haseo stopped again and said, "The Senju might vanish, but sullying their legacy will do no good for anyone. I've completely burned away all traces of [Wood Release] techniques. Although some might still harbor suspicions... I think this internal conflict should officially be labeled as a terrorist attack launched by an enemy nation. What do you think, Danzo-sama?"
"A 'terrorist attack by an enemy nation'? That's utterly absurd. Whichever country this accusation fell on, Konoha would immediately have to retaliate militarily.
What Haseo meant was for Danzo to pick a plausible enemy—but definitely not the Senju."
As for the reputation of the Senju clan, Haseo didn't really care whether it was destroyed or not. What he did care about was making sure such matters wouldn't drag the only Senju left in Konoha into the mess. Otherwise, it would do no good for anyone.
"I know what needs to be done. I have no wish to disgrace our predecessors," Shimura Danzo said after a pause.
There was no need to go after Tsunade directly—removing her from the list of Hokage candidates alone would already be greatly beneficial to Danzo. Yet… even from where Danzo stood now, he could still see the massive Earth Release statue standing far away at the edge of Konoha.
A limb for a limb—if it came to that, Danzo wasn't sure he could afford the cost.
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