The scale of the war between Kumo and Konoha didn't surprise anyone. Although the conflict was ongoing, it wasn't particularly intense.
Despite the Kumo Envoy's complete annihilation being an extremely serious political incident that forced Konoha and Kumo into war, in reality, even after prolonged fighting, there remained a certain level of unspoken understanding between them.
Primarily, Konoha had never touched Kumo's land passage to the Land of Earth, nor had they attempted to attack its supply line... Well, this kind of "understanding" was more like mutual ill intentions.
But while Kumo was happy to rekindle old battles with Iwagakure, Konoha was just as happy to sit back and watch these two sides fight each other into oblivion, thus having no reason to interfere with their war progress.
Sakumo Hatake performed admirably at the Front Line, which greatly pleased Haseo. Only when ninja like Hatake could hold up the battlefield would Haseo feel at ease staying in the village.
On one hand, Haseo mused that Sakumo really lived up to his reputation as Legend of the White Fang. On the other hand, he also felt he might have made a mistake before; someone like him should simply be set loose to do what he does best, keeping him around as a sidekick clearly limited his capabilities.
Putting Haseo and Sakumo together on the same team was essentially a waste of elite battle power... These two were always stealing each other's kills, and more often than not, Sakumo couldn't even keep up with Haseo in terms of enemy takedowns.
Putting a top-tier offensive fighter on support duty? That's just a waste of talent. Now things are better—Sakumo can go cut down whoever he finds.
While Sakumo thrived gloriously in the battlefield like a fish in water, Haseo's life in Konoha remained peaceful during this time. Most ninja hadn't heard news about him for quite a while now. Someone of his caliber going completely silent like this was anything but normal.
Initially, many ninjas anticipated this big figure would soon make another huge move, yet as his silence dragged on, people gradually forgot all about him.
Compared to Konoha ninja, enemies probably cared more about what Haseo had been up to—his disappearance made others feel uneasy, as if he were plotting something scary again.
So what exactly was Haseo doing? During this period, he continued training the Preparatory Jinchuriki while preparing for a certain ritual... Mito Uzumaki's body was rapidly deteriorating.
One evening, Haseo returned home to the Hot Spring Town carrying a stack of documents. As he stepped into the room, he immediately sensed that someone else was inside.
Only then did he notice another pair of shoes by the entrance.
Haseo gently shut the door behind him and walked into the room. He glanced at the Black Cat walking toward him with its tail wagging, chose to ignore it, and kept moving forward until reaching the desk beside the bed. After pulling out a chair and sitting down, he began reading through the documents as casually as ever.
This was a document regarding routine matters such as the updated lists of Kagenami's ninja, payroll expenses, and new construction projects. Although he had delegated all these tasks to a certain subordinate he particularly trusted and who was especially capable, that didn't mean he wouldn't even bother flipping through them. That would be too disrespectful toward his subordinates' efforts and an irresponsible attitude toward the organization's development.
A moment later, the bathroom door swung open and Tsunade stepped out.
"Baby, you're back."
Tsunade was wearing a very casual black silk long dress. Haseo's first reaction was—why didn't he know there were women's clothes in his own house?
Well, that wasn't the point.
"Yeah. When did you come back from the Front Line? Why didn't you mention it earlier?"
"It was a temporary leave. For medical ninjas like me, the pressure on the Front Line isn't as intense as it used to be," Tsunade explained.
On the Front Line, though her role in direct combat was significant, Tsunade's greater contribution lay in countering enemy poison attacks… Even though she excelled in battle, her value in the field of medicine was irreplaceable.
But now that they'd eliminated one ugly lizard-like foe, enemies employing poisons had been reduced from two to one… Amegakure could no longer launch large-scale poison mist attacks.
Therefore, Tsunade's workload had lessened somewhat.
Of course, she definitely hadn't become so free that she could just casually take time off. Returning to Konoha now was most likely related to Mito Uzumaki.
"All three of you came back?"
"No, Jiraiya is still at the front line, doing something or other."
Tsunade walked behind Haseo and gently hugged him, her damp golden hair draping over his shoulders.
"Did you see Lady Mito yet?"
"Yeah. Grandmother seems to have good spirits."
Haseo leaned back gently against Tsunade, and neither brought up Mito Uzumaki again… "Good spirits" meant exactly that—nothing more than good spirits.
Tsunade glanced downward and saw that her pendant was still hanging around Haseo's neck. She nodded satisfactorily and said, "The pendant you gave me worked, and the one I gave you worked too. We're even now, so I'll skip the thanks."
Haseo hesitated for a moment before instinctively asking, "What use was my pendant supposed to be?"
"For safety, of course."
She spoke as if it were perfectly obvious, making Haseo involuntarily twitch his lips.
"The thing I gave you wasn't a pendant. It was a ninja tool." He emphasized pointlessly, trying to hide his reaction.
Actually, Haseo had never really understood the practical meaning of giving things like this. For example, if Tsunade asked him to give her a ring, he could immediately pull out a kunai [a ninja throwing blade] and twist off the metal ring at its end… After all, they're both just metal rings. Practical effect should be the same either way.
"Do you really need to stress that?"
"Not necessarily."
Haseo stretched his hand back slightly, gently bracing himself against Tsunade's waist…
He was using her body as a makeshift chair-back.
The distinction between these two types of people was obvious: someone like Haseo, no matter how gentle his back appeared, remained as stiff and unyielding as a brick; whereas someone like Tsunade, no matter how straight she stood, could arch her back into a graceful curve at the lightest touch.
The life of a ninja was filled with uncertainty. Both of them cherished this brief moment of tenderness. Soon enough, Haseo might find himself surrounded by enemies, or Tsunade might become the target of an assassination attempt, so this moment of peace was all the more precious.
After leaning together for a while, Haseo sat up straight again, preparing to finish going through what he held in his hands.
Tsunade chuckled lightly, then turned over and lay on the bed beside him. She casually grabbed a medical book from the cabinet at the front of the boat and began flipping through it as well.
"Haseo," she asked, "are you the type who works overtime often?"
Haseo turned his head, about to argue, when his eyes first caught sight of Tsunade's delicate foot and part of her calf peeking out. Then his gaze moved upward to her skirt resting just above her knees, before finally meeting her eyes.
Well, the kind of gaze that could weaken even the strongest resolve.
"Cough… Occasionally. I occasionally work late too."
He subtly averted his gaze and got back to work with renewed focus.
However, after finishing the thick pile of papers in his hands, stretching his back, and turning around again, he found Tsunade already asleep.
The accumulated exhaustion from the front line battles had not yet faded—an experience that Haseo, who had been staying in Konoha for some time now, didn't share.
Seeing her peacefully asleep with her face pressed against the pillow, Haseo's heart stilled once more. He smiled slightly, gently took the book from her hands, and covered her with a blanket.
Normally, even the slightest movement from Haseo would awaken Tsunade—such was the alertness of a ninja. Yet this time, she remained sound asleep. It wasn't that she was too exhausted to wake up, but simply because she knew there was no need for vigilance when she was with Haseo.
And so... Haseo would be sleeping on the floor tonight.
His bed was only a single-person mattress.
Just then, something climbed onto his windowsill, slowly raised its neck, and silently flicked its tongue—a snake.
Black Cat realized this was its moment to shine and was about to drive the snake away, but Haseo stopped it.
The snake nodded toward Haseo, then turned and left on its own.
Haseo placed the book back on the shelf, paused for a moment, then silently slipped out to follow the silent 'messenger.'
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