War always brings unexpected drama. A war as planned and a war actually fought are entirely different matters.
Konoha suffered a devastating defeat first, but quickly restored balance to the battlefield. Moreover, judging by the trend, this is clearly a comeback from rock bottom. The next phase may well see both momentum and victories continuing to rise.
This sudden reversal brought unexpected joy to Konoha—a good thing indeed. For the Third Hokage, who had no choice but to send Haseo to the front lines, this improvement in the battlefield situation was somewhat expected, since he was among those who best understood Haseo's strength within Konoha.
The Third Hokage wrestled with mixed feelings. Exactly because someone like Haseo existed as insurance, he originally arranged Konoha's military strategy accordingly; similarly, precisely because Haseo possessed the capability to turn the tide, the Third hoped he could quietly remain behind in Konoha to "retire." Yet now, Haseo had no choice but to be sent to the front lines.
Therefore, when news arrived that Konoha's Eastern Front successfully cut off a Mist squad and even managed to swallow half its forces, ordinary ninjas naturally rejoiced and morale soared. However, for the Third Hokage, his feelings were mixed—joy accompanied by sadness, sadness mingled with joy.
Though stubborn about certain things, the Third found it not entirely impossible to accept how events unfolded, as long as... he could keep an eye on him.
Yet immediately after entertaining such a thought, the Third shook his head again. What was he thinking? How could he possibly keep watch over him?
If the Third focused mainly upon the Eastern Front, then Tsunade, who knew Haseo far better than most, had already picked up on something off about his actions.
Meanwhile, fresh reports also arrived at the Western Front.
Fighting along the Western Front against Sunagakure remained at the probing stage so far. Frankly speaking, the enemy's movements seemed hesitant and dragging.
Had all four villages launched a full-scale attack on Konoha simultaneously, Konoha would certainly have fallen into chaos and peril. Yet the issue lay here—even if their ideological framework aligned, they still acted independently.
Take Sunagakure, for example—they hoped Konoha would concentrate its main efforts on either the Northern or Eastern Front. This way, Konoha would fight other villages into mutual exhaustion, allowing Sand to reap benefits without effort. Therefore, they were merely watching and waiting.
This self-serving mindset posed no problem itself, but apart from the eager Mist village, other villages appeared to share similar intentions as Sand did.
Although eventually they'd personally engage and ignite a great battle, their current delay didn't conflict with future plans—patience was key. Wait and see if anyone else besides Mist would take the bait first. If nobody else did, then they'd act later.
Each village was playing its own game—no surprise there.
Every village hesitated to act for now, yet sooner or later they all would. This intermediate period of silence seemed completely unnecessary—but it would definitely exist.
So it wasn't yet the time when the Sannin would be too swamped to keep their feet on the ground.
"Leading Konoha's main force in circling back to the Land of Fire and smashing the rear half of Mist's forces—turning defeat into victory... This is certainly good news, but why would Haseo do something like this? It simply isn't his style."
Tsunade set the battlefield report down on the nearby table and furrowed her brow.
Somehow, this single inconsistency in his behavior stirred an uneasy feeling deep inside her. Normally speaking, Haseo should have left the Konoha ninja within the Land of Fire while heading toward Mist alone himself. The issue lay precisely in this "leading Konoha ninja" aspect—Haseo had never done anything like that before.
The victory itself wasn't the issue—it was how Haseo achieved it that mattered.
"Haseo usually does things rather subjectively and impulsively—could this be one of his sudden whims?" Jiraiya also sensed some dissonance here, so he offered a not-so-reliable explanation.
At this point, Jiraiya had completed his teaching duties in the Land of Rain and officially returned to fulfill his responsibilities as a Konoha ninja.
"Do you really think that's possible? His current actions clash completely with what he used to do... And several years ago, why did he dump all that credit on us three anyway?" Tsunade shot back at Jiraiya.
Within their trio, criticizing Jiraiya was practically an unspoken norm.
Haseo had never cared much about reputation or prestige. Yet previously, he still cooperated with the Third Hokage's grand plans by restraining himself. But now… he seemed completely unrestrained.
"Haseo might seem erratic or reckless at times, but he never acts against himself. In fact, I believe that even though his methods seem chaotic on the surface, they always follow certain underlying patterns—only these patterns are extremely well hidden. The deeper the concealment, the clearer and more significant his actual purpose must be."
As Orochimaru spoke, his eyes locked intensely on Tsunade's face, clearly revealing both anticipation and implication.
"So then, what exactly is this underlying pattern? What's Haseo's ultimate goal?"
Tsunade immediately countered with a question directed at Orochimaru.
"...I don't know."
"Then why are you analyzing it so thoroughly?"
"..."
Orochimaru quietly let his gaze drop.
What the hell? If you don't know either, who the hell do you expect me to be?
Directly asking Haseo about such matters probably wouldn't help either. When answers couldn't be obtained externally, one had to rack their brain trying to figure it out independently. Therefore, Tsunade's expression unavoidably revealed growing anxiety.
Orochimaru, receiving no response, felt somewhat dejected.
Jiraiya… well, felt a bit sour inside.
...
Fighting, ceasefire, digging traps, burying enemies, brief rest—and then reorganizing the team.
The losses Konoha suffered a few days ago had already been recovered, but it still wasn't enough.
If this battered Konoha unit chose defensive stand right here now, soon they'd certainly face another large-scale attack from Mist.
The Fourth Mizukage had indeed been tricked back to Mist—but this didn't mean he'd never come out again.
The war had only just begun.
Under the circumstances of Konoha's forces being stretched thin, if Haseo continued to rely solely on his current numbers of ninja to defend against Mist, passive defense would lead nowhere and could even be suicidal. Wasn't Shimura Danzo already an example of that?
So movement was necessary after all—it made sense—but…Haseo's version seemed a bit absurd.
"Lord Haseo, the units have been reorganized as you requested," reported Hiashi Hyuga, the ever-reliable tool-user, standing before Haseo. "As instructed, all non-combat ninja—including support, medical, and auxiliary types—as well as injured personnel with limited mobility have been gathered together, while the remaining combat-capable ninja make up another group."
"How many are left in the fighting force?" Haseo asked.
"Subtracting our losses from the previous major battle and adding back those who had previously scattered and returned, we currently have about seven hundred."
"Not bad. Order the non-combat personnel to retreat further back and establish a new camp at a safe distance from the coastline. As for the rest of the combat-ready ninja…get ready. We're launching another offensive shortly."
"A-another offensive? Where to, Lord Haseo?"
Hiashi didn't get it—hadn't Mist's forces already been wiped out from the Land of Fire?
"Why, to the Land of Water, obviously," Haseo said flatly. "Didn't we have to abort our previous operation midway? Now we can finally carry it through…And weren't you worried about supply issues earlier? Well now, the problem has solved itself, hasn't it?"
It was true—the supplies were no longer a concern. They'd reclaimed parts of Konoha's lost resources from Mist, plus taken additional supplies as "interest." The Eastern Front camp was indeed well-supplied at the moment. But…was *that* really the point?
"Lord Haseo, seven hundred men…to launch an attack on Mist?"
No matter how you looked at it, seven hundred Konoha ninja couldn't possibly match the entire force of Mist.
"Yeah, don't you think seven is a very lucky number?"
First, Mist had broken through Konoha's defensive lines, then three days later Konoha split Mist's army and crushed its rear half. After two more days of rest, it seemed like Konoha's Eastern Front was truly preparing to counterattack directly into Mist territory.
Sure, shifts in the rhythm of war often came unexpectedly, but this quickly?
The Fourth Mizukage had just been thrown off by Haseo's sudden mental twist and was still holed up in Mist preparing for the next strike. War never stopped simply because of one defeat, so…how perfect! While they wanted to keep attacking Konoha, Haseo also wanted to "press our advantage" and strike Mist head-on. Their intentions aligned perfectly.
So then...
Were wins and losses coming this fast now? Like a damn tornado spinning so hard no one could get out before it hit? Leaving nobody time to run before getting sucked into the chaos?
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>