Those who steal others' talents often fear having their own taken in return... Of course, while this saying is quite accurate, it doesn't quite apply to Lord Haseo's current situation.
Everyone has the right to pursue excellence and beauty. Yet much of what's considered "beautiful" isn't like the morning sun at dawn, the crimson hues of dusk, or the stars shining through the night sky—these are things everyone can enjoy. Some treasures are truly unique, and those fortunate enough to obtain them naturally guard them fiercely.
There was nothing unusual about this—Haseo was simply a bit surprised to see a certain person appear.
After taking two deep breaths of cold air, his surprise quickly faded away. Lord Haseo once again wore the calm composure befitting a "big shot." Indeed, Haseo was a big shot; within a village-level administrative unit, he definitely qualified as a high-ranking official.
"I've heard of you, Kato. You're a very capable Jonin, and the village pays special attention to 'special talents' like yourself," Haseo said with a warm smile, expressing his admiration and expectations for outstanding ninja within the village.
His earlier overreaction seemed to vanish into thin air.
"Heard you're extremely skilled with the 'Soul Projection' technique?"
Once Haseo had regained his natural demeanor, Dan Kato could only suppress his curiosity deep inside. Truthfully, he might never figure out why Lord Haseo had reacted so oddly upon first seeing him.
"Oh, I don't deserve such praise from Lord Haseo. I still have a long way to go."
Dan Kato appeared modest. He paused briefly before realizing that what Haseo must have been referring to was the Spirit Transformation Technique—a highly extreme Ninjutsu, incredibly powerful on one hand, yet dangerously vulnerable on the other.
In short, if caught off guard during its use, death was inevitable.
Dan Kato didn't doubt that Haseo knew about him; it was even reasonable for Haseo to be aware of information regarding his Secret Arts. After all, Haseo was part of the Konoha upper echelon, so naturally he would know plenty about the ninja under him.
In a way, this was actually good news for Dan—it meant he had finally caught the eye of the upper echelons... though he had no idea that Haseo normally paid no attention to such information, nor did it fall under anything Haseo usually made a point to notice.
The way Haseo obtained intel on certain ninja was simply too unusual.
"No, don't underestimate yourself. You're exactly the kind of rising talent that represents Konoha's future. I believe in you," Haseo continued.
Indeed, Dan fully deserved the title of rising star. Yet, in some matters, a late bloomer couldn't possibly overtake those ahead. In fact... eventually, he met his end.
"So then, what did you want to see me about?"
"Ah, right..." Haseo's next words snapped Dan Kato out of his daze of flattery, reminding him he had a duty to fulfill. "Lord Haseo, there's a rest area prepared for you at the camp. Also, to help you quickly become familiar with the battlefield situation in the Land of Rain, I'll be working alongside you temporarily—to answer your questions and provide assistance."
Hmm, that was just a polite way of putting it. In other words, Dan's job from now on was to "keep an eye on" Haseo, so he could notify the camp immediately—preferably ahead of time—if Haseo ever tried to stir up a big incident.
As for Haseo... After a moment of thought, he simply nodded, accepting the arrangement.
Not for any particular reason—just because he empathized with others' urgency and shared their concerns. That's just who Haseo was: a genuinely considerate person.
While giving Haseo a brief introduction about the camp, Dan led him toward a certain direction. Soon enough, they arrived at the designated rest tent set aside for Haseo. It wasn't much—just a single tent stocked with only the essentials, reflecting its no-frills purpose.
But on the Front Line, elaborate arrangements weren't necessary. Everything revolved around warfare, and anything else was kept as simple as possible.
Haseo didn't need to unpack anything; he simply tossed his backpack inside the tent, and that was it.
War is serious business. Plus, unlike Haseo, Tsunade was a medical ninja deeply embedded within the command structure—one with a fixed squad and bound by strategic wartime assignments.
Moreover, the nights at the frontline camp were especially quiet.
That's why Haseo stayed in a single-person tent.
Due to his current mission duties, Dan was staying in a tent next to Haseo's for now.
After completing these basic arrangements, the two men stood before the tent, gazing into the distance at the lush forests of the Land of Rain.
Somewhere above, without either of them noticing when, drizzle had begun to fall silently—it was typical weather for the Land of Rain, nothing particularly remarkable.
Deep within the dense forest, hidden somewhere unseen, shinobi from opposing sides might already be engaged in silent combat. Yet from where Haseo stood watching, everything appeared peaceful.
Such contrasting scenes were inevitable—the rain and deep woods created enough distance to erase all traces. Most shinobi were ultimately insignificant in scale.
"Kato, do you have any ideals?" After admiring the distant scenery for a while, Haseo suddenly asked.
Talking to the young about ideals was a practice many great leaders were fond of adopting. Although such conversations held little real value, occasionally offering motivational words did no harm—and even gave them the illusion of helping shape the future. At this moment, Haseo was mimicking the Third Hokage's manner—but his impression came across as awkward.
Empty talk about grand ideals is mostly meaningless posturing—but some young people still lap it up.
Dan Kato hesitated, clearly caught off guard. After a brief pause, he spoke up. "Right now, what I want most is to end this war as soon as possible. The village has already paid a heavy enough price in this bloody conflict. Yet all I can do to bring about peace is offer my strength to this battle.
But...
Please don't laugh, Lord Haseo. I hope that one day I can become an even stronger ninja. However... only by becoming Hokage of Konoha and holding a higher position will I be able to contribute more strength for the sake of the village and peace.
Even though the path toward my ideal still seems very far away to me right now."
These words sounded somewhat conceited at the moment, so after speaking them, Dan appeared somewhat shy. Yet, being able to speak such words openly wasn't without its own kind of courage.
"This isn't something worth laughing at. A ninja with ideals and goals is a good ninja. Young man, I believe in you, and I support you completely," Haseo said.
True enough, many people had their eyes set on the Village Headman's seat. However, they probably saw the Hokage position too idealistically. Once the reality was revealed, Konoha wasn't really such a wonderful place after all.
But having someone who wants to make it better was ultimately a positive thought.
See? Dan Kato really wasn't such a bad guy after all. At the very least, he still had a lofty ideal.
What about Haseo then? He was the one who truly had nothing at all.
Both of them looked into the distance, where the forest exuded surging vitality, almost like... hmm, a land of verdant wonder.
......
In the following half month, Konoha's Samehada Large Squad launched frequent attacks, and their primary target was Sunagakure. Because of this, Sunagakure suffered repeated heavy blows in recent days.
No matter what, Sunagakure had to start taking this newly emerged battlefield force seriously. They even had to begin formulating strategies, preparing to eliminate this enemy that had been acting so lively recently.
At the same time, after staying at the Front Line for such a long time, Haseo finally tore off his mask of hypocritical diligence and began to take action...
Hmm, no need to get nervous.
He simply left the Front Line and began moving across the battlefield.
[Read at Shuketu:]
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