Having power was one thing—whether that power could give others hope, earn their trust, and make them believe he could actually turn things around? That was something else entirely.
All the Konoha shinobi believed that only someone truly capable of turning the tide could possibly be trusted to do it.
After leaving Konoha, Haseo led a group of ninja eastward. Though called a group of ninja, in reality—including himself—they numbered only ten.
But how many ninja Haseo had brought from Konoha wasn't really important; after all, there was no way he could have gathered a thousand men on such short notice.
The most crucial element was Haseo himself. When he arrived at the battlefield, his first task was to gather the scattered Konoha forces, those driven into disarray by the Mist Village's assault.
There was no doubt Konoha had already suffered heavy damage, otherwise the village wouldn't have urged him to move out so quickly. However, Haseo firmly refused to believe that all the Konoha ninja in this area had been wiped out—that was simply impossible.
Now that Haseo had arrived on the battlefield, any retreating Konoha ninja could rally around him, eliminating the problem of disarray. Haseo's reputation had been rising rapidly—in the eyes of Konoha ninja, he had become a symbol, a banner.
And precisely for this reason, his presence needed to be "suppressed."
When he returned to the battlefield, Haseo's plan was already crystal clear.
While still some distance away from the coast, Haseo ordered his team to halt.
"Lord Haseo, aren't we going straight into the battlefield?" one of the Uzumaki ninja behind him asked. No one understood why Haseo suddenly stopped here—they should've been rushing forward, right?
Uzumaki Shikou wasn't among the accompanying ninja—she had stayed behind in Konoha to oversee Kagenami operations and protect the Organization's secrets.
"Hmm, right here is good," Haseo replied. "If we go further ahead, we'll run straight into thousands of Mist ninja. If we charge ahead with just our small group like this, are we really showing them enough respect? Are we treating them as serious opponents?"
"So, I've decided to stay right here and gather the scattered Konoha shinobi."
As he spoke, Haseo pulled out a long blade from his back and casually hurled it forward. The sharp tip lightly pierced the soft earth and stood upright, perfectly vertical.
Actually, part of the reason Haseo didn't want to advance too far forward was because he feared his sudden arrival might provoke a stronger response from Mist Village forces. His appearance might even trigger an even more aggressive attack against Konoha's retreating troops. In such a chaotic battlefield environment, even Haseo couldn't guarantee the safety of most people.
So instead of diving headfirst into the chaos of battle, it made more sense to establish a new base of operations just outside the fray.
The Uzumaki ninja behind him hadn't yet grasped Haseo's full intent, but naturally none of them thought he was a coward afraid of battle. So even though they didn't understand why he suddenly stopped before reaching the battlefield, they obediently followed his orders.
After the Konoha front line was scattered, a large number of ninja spread across this area. In terms of distribution range, they were even more widespread than Mist, whose numerical advantage and organized forces allowed them to act collectively under commands.
Therefore, before long, the Uzumaki sensor ninja sensed a squad approaching their direction.
The sensor ninja quickly reported this to Lord Haseo.
"Send two people ahead to identify them. If they're our allies, guide them over. If they're enemies… naturally, lead them here too."
Of course, the methods used to lure them would definitely differ depending on whether they were friend or foe, and the results after meeting them would also vary accordingly.
Following Lord Haseo's orders, two Uzumaki ninja broke away from the group and moved toward the approaching squad. Shortly afterward, they disappeared into the night.
After some time passed, when they reappeared, they were already moving alongside that sizable force—confirming they were indeed allies.
The night limited visibility. Scanning the distance, Lord Haseo could barely make out vague silhouettes, estimating around sixty to seventy in total.
Considering the current battlefield conditions, maintaining such numbers while breaking through enemy lines must have been extremely difficult. After all, the larger the unit, the more attention it would draw from opponents.
Relatively speaking, scattering and sneaking through individually would have been safer. Getting a group this large out alive must have come at a heavy cost.
Only as they neared did Lord Haseo finally understand why they had stayed together—the majority of these ninja were Medical Ninjas, guarded by just a few escorts.
Regardless of what sacrifices had been made, rescuing so many Medical Ninja was undeniably good news.
At close range, once Lord Haseo identified their identities based on external features, those in the incoming squad naturally recognized him too.
"Lord Haseo…"
Approaching his location, their faces became clearly visible, each displaying excitement. In recent years, Konoha's Medical Support system had been under Tsunade's command, meaning every Medical Ninja here was under her authority—and therefore aligned with Lord Haseo.
Among them was even a female Medical Ninja he vaguely recognized—not someone he knew well, but at least familiar. They had briefly met a few years ago in the Land of Rain, and that encounter had even left Lord Haseo with broken arms for quite some time—making her hard to forget.
Still, this wasn't the time for nostalgia. He gave her a brief nod and ordered, "Fall back behind me and rest in place."
"Yes, Lord Haseo."
His composed attitude quickly calmed everyone present. With him standing at the front line, it provided immense reassurance—finally, there was someone on the battlefield capable of issuing orders.
"Those who can still move and are in relatively good condition should search the surroundings for our people and guide them here... but don't go too far away.
If you encounter enemies, don't engage them—just run straight back.
Don't worry about the risk of enemies following you here. They won't pose any real danger.
You guys go too..."
The last sentence was directed at the Uzumaki Ninja he had brought along.
Everyone understood this wasn't the time to be sentimental. The ninja who were still in decent physical condition stepped out of formation one by one. After briefly dividing up their search zones, they dashed outward once more.
With these ninja gone, scattered squads soon began gathering toward their location nonstop.
Haseo had left Konoha in the evening, arrived at this location just before midnight, and by dawn, nearly three hundred people—including Medical Ninja—had gathered behind him.
As daylight broke, Mist Ninja finally noticed something unusual.
A total of twelve Mist Ninja appeared in the distance. They faltered when they noticed the Konoha Ninja weren't fleeing toward the village, but had gathered at the battlefield's edge. But soon afterward, they continued advancing closer.
Twelve against three hundred? That was a bit bold, wasn't it? What kind of strategy was that?
After just one victory, did they truly start viewing Konoha's retreating forces as helpless as frightened quail and stray curs?
Haseo shook his head and single-handedly lifted his Long Blade.
Then, as the twelve Mist Ninja walked forward, suddenly a strange voice not belonging to any of them rang out from within their ranks.
"Do you all hate Konoha so much that you've lost your senses? How could such a small group dare operate under the very noses of so many Konoha Ninja? Well, I suppose that might actually be my mistake. Fortunately, this tiny error isn't irreparable."
Haseo wasn't apologizing for the Mist Ninja's hatred of Konoha; rather, he was referring to an earlier failure—a mistake on his part for not completely wiping out the Mist back then.
By now, a sharp blade had somehow already pressed against the neck of the central ninja...
Hmm, there was suddenly an extra person among them.
Haseo had shown proper courtesy—he didn't directly storm onto the battlefield. But now, the Mist Ninja appeared before him as if nothing was wrong, behaving completely at ease. Wasn't that going against proper conduct and showing him no respect?
Although Haseo could sometimes act questionable himself, treating him like he didn't even exist—wasn't that taking things a bit too far?
This was fated to be a sleepless night. Though the weather turned foul and winter skies paled beside summer's glow, heaven's lights still traced silver paths across the crimson stains below.
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