The way this Anbu ninja reported the situation briefly startled Haseo.
"That's not how you reverse speech—doesn't that sound awkward? Are you saying Konoha's Eastern Front has already collapsed? That fast?"
Though it was the same event—Mist's victory and Konoha's defeat—this person had chosen to flip the phrasing. Either he resented Konoha's defeat so much that he couldn't bring himself to mention it directly, or… he was a ninja from "Root," instinctively protecting someone's dignity.
As for the severity of the loss, one could easily infer it just from the man's attitude—it definitely wasn't just a minor setback.
In the course of war, small-scale victories and defeats naturally alternate between both sides; one side wins today, the other tomorrow. There's no need to report every development in a panic.
Even after hearing news of Konoha's defeat, Haseo remained completely calm. His composure seemed to affect the Anbu beside him, who relaxed slightly before offering further explanation. "That's correct, Lord Haseo. Current intelligence shows that Konoha's Eastern Front has experienced a major defeat.
Recently, Mist launched a large-scale attack on our eastern camp, deploying at least twice our number.
The battle began on the sea surface. Since Mist struck suddenly and concentrated their forces, our outer defenses were destroyed in a short amount of time.
Afterwards, Mist's main force attacked our coastal camps. After several hours of intense fighting, we ultimately became outnumbered… The base was lost, and the entire front line scattered."
Based on this account, this must have been the first large-scale engagement since the war began. Indeed, after years of suppression, Mist had clearly grown impatient.
"Previously, Konoha's Eastern Front probably had about three thousand shinobi?" Haseo mused thoughtfully after picturing the battlefield based on the information provided.
Since he didn't need to go to the battlefield himself, Haseo hadn't paid much attention beforehand and only knew the general details.
"That's right, Lord Haseo," the Anbu confirmed.
Haseo thought to himself—indeed, things were different now. Never before had he been in command of such a large force. If those three thousand shinobi were placed under his command, he would immediately march out and destroy Mist's base without hesitation.
"So the higher-ups' strategy for this war… boils down to always adopting a passive counterattack stance, regardless of actual strength?"
When criticizing these decisions, Haseo had never held back.
Three thousand Konoha shinobi undoubtedly represented tremendous power. Yet placing them all in one location, waiting for an entire great hidden village to strike… was practically asking for death.
This wasn't caution anymore—it was sheer stubbornness. War ultimately needed to be approached more proactively, especially when dealing with shinobi, who are unique combatants. Offensive advantages have always outweighed defensive ones, because ninjas—thin-skinned and powerful on the offensive—are inherently meant for attack, not defense.
"…" The Anbu simply had no response to that.
If the entire Eastern Front had completely collapsed, then though the exact casualties of Konoha couldn't yet be calculated, an estimate would suggest they were devastating.
"Where's Lord Danzo?"
"They say Lord Danzo sustained serious injuries."
"Serious injuries? How bad exactly? The Mist isn't led by their Mizukage again this time, right?"
"Lord Haseo, the one who led the attack on the Mist this time was indeed the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage."
[That truly was an old trick.]
Haseo continued thinking. First, he needed to determine whether there was any trickery involved in Danzo's defeat—was this loss intentional or not... The question itself seemed obvious; even for Danzo, deliberately sacrificing an entire front line of Konoha was unimaginable.
Not just because he always claimed to act purely from the village's perspective, but more importantly, someone who suffers such a defeat can hardly ever regain full trust among the ninja ranks afterward. After losing the entire front, causing massive damage and leading to the failure of Konoha's war strategy, why would people continue supporting him?
As for dreams of becoming Hokage—that would remain nothing more than a dream.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, Danzo could not possibly have plotted such a large-scale defeat. To put it plainly, Danzo Shimura had always been small-minded—preoccupied only with his own schemes within his inner circle. Though he appeared smart and cunning, with layers of plots, in truth he lacked the courage to orchestrate moves on such a grand scale.
"So does that mean Danzo simply couldn't beat the Mizukage? Hadn't the Mizukage always been someone you could beat fairly easily? He actually came back injured? If I couldn't beat the Mizukage myself, I'd rather die in battle than return alive."
The power difference between Danzo Shimura and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, seemed to speak for itself. The outcome of the Mizukage winning didn't seem hard to accept either. Danzo wasn't originally part of the Ninja Sect, and his strength was unquestionably below that of the Third Hokage. Also at this point, his "cheat abilities" might not even have become available yet, meaning his actual capabilities were quite limited.
At this time, Danzo absolutely wouldn't have possessed numerous Sharingan eyes, nor could Haseo confirm whether he'd already transplanted cells from the First. Even if Danzo had obtained partial power from the First Hokage, it seemed impossible for him to openly utilize such power before so many Konoha ninja.
In later years, Danzo used the delicate balance between Uchiha and Senju clans to control the Sharingan while suppressing Senju cells. However, with Yayoi's presence now, he could use a different balancing mechanism—Uzumaki chakra and Wood Release.
Still, it remained difficult to imagine anyone outside the direct bloodline of the First Hokage being able to deeply harness his powers.
As for why Danzo couldn't openly display the Senju powers…
First, he couldn't explain where he got the techniques of the First Hokage's Secret Arts, second, such usage easily linked directly back to the recent Senju Rebellion—an outright confession without needing evidence.
What about Yagura? Haseo couldn't precisely judge his qualities as a ninja since he didn't understand him well personally. However, at the very least, Yagura had proven himself capable of becoming a Perfect Jinchuriki. Someone who could fully control a Tailed Beast through sheer personal ability couldn't possibly be too weak. Of course, given the current state of the ninja world, unless Yagura was a complete idiot, there was no way he'd ever again serve as the Three-Tails' vessel.
Think carefully. So long as one man remains alive, no village's Kage will ever be a Jinchuriki… except for Konoha.
"Alright, I've received your intelligence... Do you have anything else?"
After delivering the report, the Anbu ninja seemed unwilling to leave immediately.
Of course it was impossible to expect this Anbu member to join Haseo in cursing Danzo. The masked ninja wore a conflicted expression before finally blurting out, "Lord Haseo, after the collapse of the Eastern Front, our resistance against Mist has become very weak.
Mist could march directly on Konoha at any moment, and once that happens, the situation would become irreversible... Right now, Konoha is strategically weak."
This was a serious concern. However, Haseo interrupted him:
"No, that won't happen."
"Why not?"
Haseo's certainty surprised the Anbu, making him hesitate mid-sentence.
"Because I'm still in the village. You understand that, and so does Mist."
As long as Haseo remained in Konoha, Mist would certainly think twice before taking aggressive action.
The Anbu ninja had no reply and silently departed.
After he left, Haseo sniffed slightly and let out a cold snort.
Whoever had sent this Anbu agent—they actually thought Haseo would jump in to clean up their mess willingly?
That was pure wishful thinking.
Do they really believe someone is the true heir to the Will of Fire (the core philosophy guiding Konoha)? That's almost laughable.
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