After returning to the Front Line camp with the victorious Konoha forces, Haseo went directly to meet Danzo Shimura, the Konoha commander overseeing this battlefield.
After a brief and indifferent greeting, Haseo got straight to the point.
"Lord Danzo, I suppose Third Hokage has already informed you about my assignment here on the Land of Rain battlefield?"
What Haseo implied was a reminder for Danzo not to cause any trouble. Despite being in the same place, the two could completely go their separate ways, and it would be best if neither interfered with the other.
"Hmph, I am aware. Although I don't understand why Sarutobi would send someone who operates outside the Front Line war system into the battlefield—I believe your involvement will do more harm than good to the situation… However, these are the Hokage's orders. Let's just hope you won't disappoint Sarutobi or disrupt the normal progress of the frontline operations."
Personally, Shimura Danzo definitely didn't want Haseo appearing on this battlefield. Nobody wanted an especially stubborn thorn among their subordinates, let alone someone who was right under his nose but wasn't even under his command.
Uncontrollability meant trouble—especially in someone like Haseo, who couldn't be controlled or predicted, and who could trigger unpredictable incidents at any time.
There was always something off about his way of thinking.
Therefore, Danzo felt resentment toward the Third Hokage's decision this time, yet... as he'd said, his displeasure had to remain internal because it was a direct order from the Hokage.
The Hokage…
"Although I disagree with your opinion, Lord Danzo, I can assure you I won't do anything that will interfere with Konoha's military deployment on the Front Line. After all, I'm here to help, not to cause problems," Haseo replied.
His tone remained quite polite, giving the impression that he wasn't going to hold a grudge against Danzo. Or perhaps, some changes in Danzo had caught Haseo's attention, making him no longer care about verbal squabbles.
"Let's hope you stick to those words."
That basically marked the end of their conversation. Danzo waved his hand, signaling Haseo to leave.
Haseo gave a casual shrug and turned to leave. Although this interaction hadn't ended in open hostility, it wasn't far from it… Not that the two of them had ever really gotten along anyway.
However, just as Haseo was lifting the tent flap to exit, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and half-turned back toward Shimura Danzo, asking, "By the way… Lord Danzo, what happened to your right eye? Was it injured?"
Though his words sounded like concern, they clearly weren't sincere.
"Yes, just a minor accident."
Danzo replied, raising a hand to cover his bandaged eye.
His tone remained as icy as ever. Yet whether it was just Haseo's imagination or not, at the moment he asked the question, he sensed the tension behind him instantly intensify.
"Isn't Lord Danzo's usual style one of commanding from the rear and maintaining stable ground? How come you've encountered situations where you lead charges and suffered serious injuries yourself?" Haseo continued.
"War between ninja villages always brings unexpected situations. Although I've never suffered serious injuries myself, getting hurt is still common. Even if it's the eye... what's the big deal?"
Danzo spoke firmly, as if losing an eye—or two—was nothing at all.
Losing an eye wasn't a big deal during war—so long as he kept his face, all was well.
"Exactly. I was just curious about Danzo-sama's new look, so I asked. It wasn't meant to imply anything else."
Haseo shrugged offhandedly, then turned and left without another word.
Inside the tent alone, Hanzo watched the swaying tent flap. His lone visible eye grew dark and unreadable in an instant.
"So the time has finally come..." After leaving Danzo's tent, Haseo couldn't help but silently sigh inwardly.
Although Danzo with only one eye shouldn't immediately be separated from his previous self, this physical change would inevitably become a sign. Just like Kakashi's birth, Danzo was becoming more and more the figure Haseo had imagined. Therefore, no sane person would buy that Danzo had truly injured his eye in combat.
Even though there was absolutely no evidence, Haseo had reasons to believe that under Danzo's bandages lay a crimson Sharingan… In Konoha, there were indeed several people who weren't Uchiha themselves yet fanatically obsessed with the Uchiha eyes.
However, Haseo didn't think Danzo could eventually become as unrestrained as he remembered… because Haseo was here now.
Haseo, along with Kagenami's influence, had already become a mighty force within Konoha—never mind other considerations, simply because Kagenami controlled the Nine-Tails, they had sufficient standing to make their voice heard.
Previously, Haseo had considered himself a person of "feeble" strength, someone practically powerless and unsupported… Or rather, the support he received should only be described as "protection." Therefore, he understood he lacked the ability to change Konoha, let alone shake the entire Ninjutsu World's course forward—well, while this statement might seem somewhat unfair to certain specific individuals, generally speaking, that kind of summary wasn't far from the truth.
But now, three decades since Konoha's founding, although Haseo always wore a face that looked unusually young due to a past "regression," calculating his actual age, he was already thirty-one or thirty-two.
By the development cycle of a ninja, he had already entered the prime of his power. And during this time, he originally planned to accomplish one or two great deeds—deeds powerful enough to reshape the course of the Ninjutsu World itself. Only thus could he live up to the "destiny" passed down through generations—it was only fair to call it "something worthy of a true ninja village."
In comparison, Shimura Danzo's petty schemes counted for little.
...
As for what exactly he should do upon arriving at this battlefield, Haseo currently didn't have much idea. Without Sanshouo's Hanzo? Kamakura, the Wind Shadow acclaimed as the strongest? Or even Onoki of Iwagakure, known as 'Two Scales', who hadn't even set foot in the Land of Rain, just like the Third Hokage?
Ah, no, no—Haseo honestly hadn't decided yet what to do.
As he schemed quietly in his mind, Haseo began wandering around the front-line camp.
For Haseo, even though he had been granted permission to move freely at the frontlines, he couldn't push it too far—he needed a plan.
As for Danzo Shimura, although he was powerless to oppose the Third Hokage's orders, he still quietly accepted Haseo's privileges, intending to adopt an "out of sight, out of mind" approach. But in reality, he couldn't ignore Haseo at all—in fact, quite the opposite. Danzo felt it was absolutely necessary to keep a close watch on him.
Yes, extremely necessary—precisely to prevent Haseo from suddenly causing some major trouble without warning.
To accomplish this, Danzo resolved to spare no effort and dispatched a capable ninja to "serve" Haseo.
In short, since arriving at the frontlines, Haseo hadn't alarmed the enemy yet but had already rattled Konoha's top commander stationed there.
Even just watching him wander around the camp gave people serious anxiety.
So after Haseo took only a few steps, a ninja quickly approached him.
"Lord Haseo…"
Hearing someone call his name from behind, Haseo instinctively turned around. He narrowed his eyes slightly, getting a clearer look at the person before sharply sucking in a breath through his teeth.
"Lord Haseo, it's nice to meet you… Lord Haseo?"
His obvious shock didn't go unnoticed by the other ninja. The young ninja found it strange—he himself wasn't that shocked upon meeting a legendary hero of Konoha, so why was Haseo reacting with such exaggerated surprise? Did he recognize him? That couldn't be right?
It was a young man with long hair that shimmered faintly blue.
"It's nothing—I just randomly inhale like that sometimes. Please continue," Haseo quickly regained his composure and said with feigned calm.
"Yes, nice to meet you. My name is Dan Kato…"
"Hssk…"
Just as I thought—it really is you.
Lord Haseo sucked in another sharp breath without hesitation.
Guess he's really into dramatic gasps now.
Thirty seconds in, and it was already a thing.
(The End of This Chapter)
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