Haseo wandered around the Kagenami base.
"There sure are an excessive number of ninjas here."
"This couldn't be helped, Haseo. From a certain period onward, the Uzumaki began to desire the ninja identity more. Therefore, the scale of Kagenami inevitably expanded as well... At least this way we can bring all Uzumaki ninjas under our original management structure."
Ka-jin explained.
Without Haseo's deliberate control measures, the expansion of the Kagenami organization was naturally inevitable. After all, ninjas could certainly be considered "elites." Leaving aside the influence of various role models for now, the Uzumaki had emerged from their hardest times and their thinking itself had been changing with time.
They seemed incapable of remaining excessively cautious forever.
"You're being somewhat narrow-minded here. Even if there are more Uzumaki ninjas, it doesn't mean they all have to join Kagenami..."
That may sound reasonable in theory, but would any Uzumaki ninja who refuses to join Kagenami even deserve to be called one?
Within widespread Uzumaki thought, their ninjas were simply supposed to enter Kagenami. Otherwise, it would be like the clan refusing to acknowledge them as ninjas at all.
"Haseo, that's true. Actually, after Shikou passed away, we already streamlined the organization once before. The organization's scale and personnel numbers were both reduced accordingly."
"I see."
Ka-jin meant something by his words, but Haseo appeared completely unconcerned.
Nowadays, while the shadow cast by Shikou's death hadn't entirely dissipated, everything within Kagenami had gradually begun returning to normal... This situation reminded him involuntarily of the scene when Mito Uzumaki died.
"Where's Yayoi?"
"Yayoi went to Konoha Hospital today, and she'll likely stay there for several days."
Haseo nodded. Yayoi's physical condition hadn't been particularly good to begin with, and after recent events, it must've only worsened.
"Now that I think about it, Kagenami has become unfamiliar territory for me. This place is essentially the Uzumaki's old hideout—both the stronghold for your branch and the other faction of Uzumaki.
With the density of barriers and other arrangements here, it'd definitely be the perfect place to pull off some sneaky moves."
Haseo had absolutely no clue about what was really going on inside the Uzumaki now. But if anyone still harbored resentment over his pushing Yayoi to become clan leader, wouldn't attacking within the Kagenami base be the best choice?
After all, this place was practically rigged with traps every few steps.
Over time, Haseo had learned one thing—you should never overestimate some people's insight or intelligence.
Moreover, for reasons unknown, Haseo now vaguely anticipated such incidents happening. Not for any specific reason, but simply because it would be quite entertaining.
When those people unleash every trick they've got, only to find out none of it works on Haseo at all, he wondered what they would think?
Thinking like that, Haseo couldn't help but feel good.
"That sort of thing absolutely won't happen, Haseo."
"Lord Haseo," Kagura suddenly spoke up, her voice firm and resolute. Normally she should not have interrupted, yet her words carried undeniable certainty.
Haseo halted and glanced back at her, wondering where this young girl had come from.
"This is Kagura, child of Sannai. She's the youngest daughter of the Uzumaki clan and also the most capable Uzumaki Shinobi among the younger generation."
"Oh? The youngest daughter?
And the only combat-oriented Uzumaki Shinobi?"
"..."
Combat-oriented for sure—but where'd the "only" come from? Probably just how Haseo liked to put it.
"So does that mean Sannai has multiple children? I always knew Sannai stood out—she really raised the average birth rate for the Uzumaki."
Ka-jin bristled inwardly. Could someone actually judge a woman purely by how many children she bore? Aren't those kinds of people begging to be strung up?
Well... for a clan's survival, birth rate was indeed an important indicator—one the current Uchiha clan desperately wanted to improve.
"Even though Lord Haseo has never publicly spoken about who he saw as most gifted before now, you're not wrong. Sannai indeed has five children, far exceeding our average."
Ka-jin secretly admired Kagura's timing—Haseo's attention immediately shifted elsewhere. It felt slightly guilty gossiping about Sannai behind her back, though nothing truly serious was being discussed.
Clearly, Haseo had previously considered manipulating members of the Uzumaki clan—despite targeting potentially unstable elements. That itself wasn't good. Perhaps the Uzumaki clan had genuinely changed; before leaving Konoha, Haseo had never harbored such thoughts.
Smaller clans meant greater unity and focus.
Nowadays, though, Haseo was even entertaining the idea of pulling strings among the Uzumaki.
At this point, Kagura wisely kept quiet—this was adult conversation among elders. How could she, labeled as just a "child," possibly chime in? Surely not by adding something like, "Yeah, my mom really can pop out babies easily."
Walking along, Haseo reached his original office location.
After hesitating briefly, he pushed the door open and walked inside—the office remained operational, which made sense since the Secret Vaults lay directly behind it.
Unexpectedly, everything remained exactly as he had left it.
He stepped forward a few paces and settled into his chair, his gaze growing distant. No one could guess his thoughts anymore, and silence slowly settled over the room.
The flickering candlelight played across the shadowy corners, making Haseo half-expect someone to step out of the darkness—offering a stack of papers or an intel report like always.
Almost instinctively, he extended his hand… and grasped only empty air.
"As expected, I'm getting old... I tend to get sentimental over memories..."
In the end, things and people worth remembering can only remain as memories.
Haseo shook his head, pulled back his hand, and pushed the tangled thoughts from his mind. Then he casually flipped through the items on the table.
To his surprise, some of the intelligence reports were surprisingly recent.
"Has this Iwa ninja really been lingering around the Land of Grass lately?"
Haseo picked up one of the reports and asked Ka-jin.
Ka-jin took it and gave it a quick glance. "Yes, Lord Haseo. However, given what's recently happened in the village, we didn't pay much attention to this matter... And honestly, it didn't seem important enough to warrant attention."
"You're all too naive. This man is in a position where he already poses a serious threat to Konoha's safety.
His lingering in the Land of Grass means either he's carrying out an important mission or preparing to defect. Either way, such a powerful threat cannot be ignored.
Considering that Konoha is currently in a vulnerable state, what if they're planning something against us?
Therefore, we must strike first."
"..."
That was... quite a stretch... How could a ninja stationed so far away in the Land of Grass pose any real threat to Konoha?
Ka-jin couldn't quite grasp the logic but dared not ask further questions.
"Gather your things. I'll handle this situation personally... I might as well get off my ass and do something, seeing how bored I am anyway."
Yes, the key part was "seeing how bored I am anyway."
After saying those words, Haseo stood up, pushed open the door, and left the office... At any rate, this place no longer belonged to him.
Leaving the two behind, stunned and exchanging puzzled glances.
After a brief pause, Ka-jin muttered to himself, "Lord Haseo truly enjoys..."
"What?" Kagura, still slightly dazed, instinctively asked.
"Nothing in particular...
Just Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts."
Much like how Haseo had always been fond of cute little creatures, he remained the eternal friend of the Tailed Beasts.
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