"Lord Haseo, please have something to eat."
"Oh, thanks."
Haseo accepted a steaming meal from a Konoha ninja. It was a simple dish, but it beat the hell out of chewing on Military Rations Pills.
Even if Haseo didn't mind the taste of the Military Rations Pills, being the top-ranking officer meant he naturally got special treatment.
After taking the plate and chopsticks, Haseo found a spot and sat down casually to start eating.
Since arriving here in a rush last night and up until noon today, he hadn't eaten a thing, so his stomach was definitely growling by now.
As he ate, Haseo noticed more and more Konoha ninja arriving at the Temporary Camp.
Interestingly, since Haseo had arrived on the battlefield, even though Konoha had just suffered a major defeat, everyone's mood after regrouping was surprisingly better than expected—not that they were exactly cheerful after losing, which would be impossible, but their spirits were definitely higher than Haseo had imagined.
You could say it was Haseo's arrival that lifted their morale. After replacing the supreme commander, even following a defeat, most people no longer felt weighed down by despair.
It reflected an unspoken trust in him.
From the later stages of the First Great Ninja War, right through the previous war at Iwagakure's Camp in the Land of Rain, battling against both the Third Kazekage and Third Tsuchikage… Well, that description sounds ridiculous—who could possibly be a Konoha ninja fighting both the Wind Shadow and Earth Shadow in Ame territory where Iwa holds its ground? It was all as chaotic as a storm-tossed sea… But everyone had witnessed Haseo's achievements firsthand.
Although Konoha's frontline had been shattered, the battle did take place within the Fire Country, giving them some geographical advantage. Scattered ninja wouldn't get completely lost. By the time Haseo began eating, at least eight hundred ninja had already gathered at this Temporary Camp.
Of course, there must be a peak speed for ninja assembly—the gathering rate would start slow, accelerate, then gradually decrease after today… Judging from the current trend, Haseo estimated they should eventually regroup around fifteen hundred people.
In other words, after just one battle, Konoha had lost half its forces… Undoubtedly a crushing defeat. And with losses on this scale, it could be counted among the greatest battles since Konoha's founding.
Looking back on it now, the enemy clearly had the numbers while Konoha lacked those ultra-level ninja who could "decide the outcome in one blow," so such a defeat was actually somewhat understandable.
"Lord Haseo, Mist has detected our presence."
While Haseo was eating, a Hyuga ninja made this report.
Mist wasn't stupid; if they still hadn't discovered Konoha's regrouping by this point, they'd truly be failing at their job.
Haseo nodded and asked, "Is it Hizashi or Hiashi?"
The young Hyuga clan member appeared to be about nineteen or twenty years old. He possessed a high-quality Byakugan, and Haseo could roughly determine his identity. However, because the two brothers looked somewhat similar, Haseo couldn't tell whether this person was the older or younger brother.
The Hyuga ninja hadn't expected that Haseo's first question would be about this. After discovering their camp had been spied on, shouldn't they focus on the enemy's numbers and scale first? Why start chatting now?
"Lord Haseo, I am Hiashi Hyuga." He still obeyed and answered the question.
So this is the future clan leader who used to sneak around saying "the Hyuga are the strongest clan in Konoha"?
Seeing the young ninja still looked worried, Haseo patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'll go find them for some exercise after I finish eating. It'll be like asking Mist ninja to help me with a course of 'training session.'"
"..."
While Haseo chatted casually with the young ninja, the Mist ninja gathering in the distance also noticed his presence.
Although Konoha's temporary camp was filled with ninjas, only Haseo sat outside alone. Other ninjas would occasionally approach him to report various things, making it hard for the Mist ninja to overlook him.
"It's Haseo from Konoha..."
The Mist scout ninja exchanged words with his surrounding comrades.
"Are you certain?"
"One hundred percent sure."
The scout ninja stated firmly. Actually, one didn't need to observe Haseo down to the finest detail; simply considering who among Konoha's Eastern Front currently could tidy up this mess, stabilize morale, and reassemble the troops on the Eastern Front would lead one to conclude Haseo's identity.
After confirming Haseo's identity, the scouts around began getting excited upon seeing him.
"Never did we expect that the very person who caused Mist such serious damage ten years ago would appear directly before us like this. This is truly too good an opportunity to pass up—since he's here, let him stay here permanently.
It's time we let such a person witness firsthand how much Mist has improved."
"There couldn't be a better way to erase our past humiliation than eliminating such a ninja... Of course, we must also acknowledge that individual's strength, so we still need more manpower before initiating any action.
Though everyone feels excited and knows this opportunity is rare indeed, rash actions cannot be taken right now."
Looking at his teammates who had started enthusiastically discussing their plans, the scout ninja opened his mouth, seemingly intending to persuade them otherwise. However, in the end, not a single word came out... In Mist's current overall atmosphere, what effect could his personal persuasion possibly have?
Anyone saying something negative would immediately be seen as a coward afraid of the enemy, then face isolation and scorn—to revive Mist and erase the shame of being defeated by Konoha—who cares if it costs them their lives? Who deserves to be called a ninja if he fears dying?
However, there was one thing they hadn't quite figured out... being fearless and actually seeking death were completely different things.
Besides, the Mist had concentrated a more advantageous force under Lord Haseo. To most people, this was already considered a very cautious move.
Human memory is ultimately subjective, biased, and even contrary to facts. Right now, the Mist ninja only remembered clearly what Lord Haseo had previously done to the Mist Village. But they had forgotten the very reason why he was able to do those things in the first place.
Wasn't it precisely because of his overwhelming strength, something almost unimaginable?
Oh, maybe he simply got lucky once, and his actual power wasn't that impressive after all.
But that wouldn't be a big problem. Anyway, their misperceptions would soon be corrected. After all, reality would eventually reflect back into their minds. Such speculation was nothing more than speculation all along.
All of this began merely because Lord Haseo finished his meal and put down his chopsticks.
"Lord Haseo, shall we launch a counterattack against the Mist forces?"
Seeing him rise from his seat, several Konoha ninja nearby immediately gathered around him.
Yet Lord Haseo waved his hand to stop them, saying, "There's no need. Although everyone has regrouped under my command and our voices are united once again, this doesn't mean our command system has fully recovered yet.
Our orders still cannot directly reach the squad level, so we lack the conditions for a large-scale counterattack.
Therefore, you capable ninjas who are ready for action will continue protecting this temporary camp.
As for me... I plan to go forward slightly to probe the true strength of the Mist forces."
"Lord Haseo, by yourself? That's too dangerous..."
"I know my limits. If I really can't win, I'll retreat immediately."
After saying that, Lord Haseo stopped paying attention to their reactions and left the camp alone, heading toward where the Mist forces had gathered.
Thus, under the gaze of both the Konoha and Mist forces, Lord Haseo took step after unhurried step forward.
Gradually realizing what Lord Haseo intended to do, the Konoha ninja became extremely surprised. Murmurs spread quickly among the Konoha ninjas.
On the Mist side, however, tension rose steadily. They held their breath, facing what was undeniably a major threat.
As Lord Haseo drew closer, his focus sharpened. The previous laziness instantly vanished, leaving nothing but sharp determination on his entire being.
And this kind of sharpness brought forth immense pressure. One man could be an entire army—and that's exactly what was happening.
As Lord Haseo approached, some Mist ninja could no longer endure the pressure and charged forward. Inspired by their actions, more followed and rushed toward the direction Lord Haseo had come from.
Lord Haseo hesitated for a moment before understanding—he said with sudden realization, "The team fight has started."
[Azure Thunder Surge] crackled across his body. Then, he took a step forward, and in the next second, his leisurely stride transformed into thunderous momentum. In an instant, his figure pierced straight into the formation of the Mist ninja.
The excited, cruel faces of the Mist Ninja quickly shifted to shock, then swiftly turned into terror.
Haseo wasn't lying, in fact. After a long period without real combat, he did need some level of physical recovery. Of course, this attack had another purpose too—to help restore confidence and morale for the Konoha Ninja who had already suffered one defeat.
Haseo was the banner of an entire army. If you just shoved that banner straight through the skull of the Mist, it'd be hard for Konoha not to feel a surge of morale.
The Mist Ninja's energy and unstoppable drive were nothing more than the rebound from long-term suppression. So how could they be forced to face reality again?
Simple—just hammer these people floating in the sky back down to earth and shove them into the dirt.
The Mist Ninja were filled with anger and hatred toward Haseo, so they prepared to challenge his sharp edge and devour his flesh.
However… Haseo stands right here now.
But there's a problem…
How could the Mist Ninja ever stand against his overwhelming presence?
P.S.
Ahem… I made up for the update I missed on the day I took off. Can I still get those guaranteed monthly votes?
I'd appreciate your support.
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