"Who are you? Are you really planning to follow me forever?"
No sooner had he left the alley than Haseo sensed another follower.
Though this person's tailing technique was quite skilled and the distance well-maintained, if the target was Haseo himself, then inevitably he would still be discovered... Compared to that earlier clumsy assassin, at least this one ranked as "master-tier."
When Haseo stopped and called out, the follower immediately stepped into view, raising both hands high to show harmless intent while removing his face mask. Without a doubt, even among ninjas, this was a highly difficult move.
It must've taken some serious jaw control—not sure how else someone could pull that off.
"Even though you revealed your face like we're old friends or something, sorry—I still can't place you."
Whether Haseo truly didn't recognize him or was just pretending remained unclear. Most people wouldn't joke around in such situations, but with Haseo, things couldn't necessarily be said so certainly.
"Lord Haseo, I... It's me, Kakashi."
"Oh right, Kakashi. Took me a moment to recognize you."
"So many years have passed. Why are you still so scrawny, like before? Weren't you supposed to become a muscular guy?"
"...This..."
Kakashi now had a fairly balanced and solid build—he definitely wasn't weak or fragile, nor someone who ended up bedridden for a week over nothing. But since Haseo had aimed to cultivate him into a Cloud-style berserker, judging by results, this "cultivation plan" had ultimately failed.
Kakashi also no longer carried an exaggerated weapon like Samehada as he used to; now he carried four short swords on his back instead... Hmm... these look kind of familiar.
"Lord Haseo, I think I'm not that bad. By any standard, I'm not weak."
"Well then, ultimately slightly better than before... By the way, why were you wearing a face mask randomly? For a moment there, I thought I faced another assassination attempt.
Wait—maybe that's exactly what you were doing. After all, you're no stranger to this sort of mission."
Upon hearing Haseo speak like that, Kakashi without hesitation turned to flee... but was instantly pinned down by Haseo.
"Suspicious? Running away? Isn't that exactly the behavior of someone hiding something?"
"Lord Haseo, hearing you say stuff like that scares me... Shouldn't I run?"
Assassinate Haseo? Kakashi hadn't lived long enough for that yet.
Kakashi's feelings toward Haseo hadn't changed much, likely because of being "desireless," making his emotions relatively pure.
If he truly intended to assassinate Haseo, things would've gotten quite intriguing.
Actually, the idea isn't far-fetched at all. Whether Kakashi succeeded or failed mattered little, but the act itself would cause Sakumo Hatake and Haseo to split apart, possibly triggering the kind of conflict ("mutual destruction") certain conspirators secretly desired... Surely there were those hoping for a situation where both Hatake and Haseo ended up severely weakened.
However, based on the current balance of power between them... The outcome seemed obvious enough.
"Me? Scared? What am I, a retired old man? What threat could I possibly pose?"
Lord Haseo gave Kakashi a light knuckle tap on the head, then released him.
"You can imagine, Lord Haseo must've been in a pretty bad mood these past few days... so before meeting with you, I had to check things out first.
Lord Haseo has already returned to Konoha for several days. I should've come to visit earlier. As for my father..."
"Yeah, got it.
Before I interacted with the Hokage, it wouldn't be advisable to contact high-ranking individuals like Hatake first. That kind of behavior might trigger all sorts of unnecessary speculations.
Let's face it— with me and Hatake around, we'd have enough muscle to turn this whole village upside down!"
Kakashi sucked in a breath of cold air. Why are you dragging my dad into this? If you're going to do something like this, can't you just do it by yourself?
"Is Lord Haseo really in the mood to play 'the king's triumphant return' game?"
"Pfft, don't sugarcoat it like that... At most, it's just 'Village Headman's comeback.' There's a huge gap in administrative levels."
This was clearly said as a joke. At this moment, both of them had rather casual and relaxed attitudes—actually looking quite like father and son.
Walking side by side, after some casual small talk, Haseo spoke with apparent sentiment, "Never thought someone like you with your constitution would start keeping pets. Pretty creative, I must say.
But are you really holding up okay with it?"
"That's something Lord Haseo could see through immediately. Truly worthy of being... Lord Haseo.
I'm definitely fine now, since I borrowed power from the Uzumaki clan."
[Coercion?]
"Well, I'd say it was at least voluntary," Kakashi added after thinking for a moment. "Certainly no coercion occurred."
"So you made a fairly bold experiment. Was it to obtain sufficient strength during wartime? Ultimately, you lack your father's 'one-slice instant victory' talent?"
Then you're just like me — always pushing past your limits even when you start at a disadvantage.
So tell me, when you fight others now, is it still an even match?"
"..."
"I get it."
From Kakashi's expression, Haseo sensed a certain pain.
Regardless, through their conversation, Kakashi felt that Lord Haseo's mood was actually pretty good. Though naturally somber and gloomy, he certainly wasn't about to go nuts suddenly—that's actually kind of a good sign.
However, what Kakashi failed to understand was that Haseo's mood improved only after seeing him. How to put it... In any case, Kakashi was someone who brought joy to Haseo.
All the words Haseo had spoken since meeting Kakashi could ultimately be summarized succinctly in just one short line:
Look at the state you're in.
...
After parting with Kakashi, Haseo returned home.
The matters on that side had already concluded, so naturally Niyu was at home by now. During this period, she had been staying close to Yayoi.
Having witnessed various things, the child was sure to be deeply moved.
Yet only until now did she finally get a chance to speak in detail with Haseo.
"Father, will you also die?"
Niyu's question was straightforward, and she hoped for an equally straightforward answer—one that was purely negative.
However, Haseo simply smiled slightly and nodded without much hesitation.
"Niyu, you already know the answer to this question for sure. It's just that you don't want to admit it. Yet reality rarely changes according to one person's wishes.
Even though I may already be considered a powerful individual, compared to the challenges life presents, such power remains ultimately limited. For example, I cannot stop time from passing, and therefore cannot prevent death from coming either."
This explanation was perhaps too cruel for a child to hear, so Niyu silently leaned against Haseo and hugged his waist without saying anything further.
Haseo gently patted Niyu's head before continuing, "That said, loneliness is probably the most enduring feeling one experiences throughout life. So..."
At some point, Tsunade had already arrived by Haseo's side. She gave him a firm slap on the back, interrupting mid-sentence, then physically pulled their daughter off of him.
"Don't listen to your father talking nonsense, Niyu. These aren't things you should be thinking about at your age. You'll understand all of this when you grow up."
"Tsunade-nee, can I sleep with you tonight?"
"...Of course."
Tsunade hesitated slightly but readily agreed.
It wasn't often her daughter showed such a vulnerable side, so Tsunade's response came almost too quickly.
As for Haseo? Let him enjoy some loneliness for once.
Tsunade took the girl into the bedroom. She clearly cherished this rare opportunity.
Watching them walk away, Haseo gave a small shake of his head, smiling faintly to himself. He remained quietly by the window in the living room, gazing at the tranquil night of Konoha.
In truth, he was simply spacing out.
He didn't know how long had passed when the bedroom door opened softly again, and Tsunade came over beside him.
"Please don't say those kinds of things to Niyu anymore—she's already been affected enough.
Don't even mention her; now I've also become sentimental because of you… Thinking about how our child will eventually leave us one day, it just doesn't sit right."
Sitting down next to Haseo, Tsunade lowered her voice as she spoke.
"Don't worry. She's only being influenced by the mood right now. Kids bounce back quickly—they'll be energetic again in a few days."
"Huh? You're not reacting strongly to what I just said. I thought you'd freak out considering your personality."
"What are you thinking? Do you think I'm some kind of overly attached dad? That would be totally ridiculous. I'm well aware that one day I'll have to let her go into someone else's hands.
All I care about is her happiness. Who she ends up with really doesn't matter to me.
Besides, I trust her judgment. Whether rich or poor, strong or weak, as long as the person has good character, I wouldn't even mind if the one Niyu chooses isn't even a ninja.
Honest, dependable, good-hearted, around the right age, able to beat me in a fight, virtuous, and preferably reasonably good-looking—if they meet these criteria, that should be fine."
Tsunade thought she'd misheard. Out of a list of mostly sensible requirements, Haseo had quietly slipped in a backhanded remark—that could very well doom her daughter to spinsterhood.
...Of course, he was just another daughter-loving dad at heart, wasn't he?
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