"Lord Haseo, for safety reasons and considering your current status, I believe it would be inappropriate for you to act independently… It would only be right and responsible to have Anbu guards accompany you."
After leaving Konoha, Haseo and Kohei Sarutobi made their way steadily westward along a remote, deserted path.
Because the surroundings were growing increasingly quiet, Kohei couldn't help but become nervous. Eventually, he gave in to his anxiety and spoke up with this reminder.
"What status? I'm not even the Hokage. Why would I need high-intensity protection?" Without even thinking, Haseo immediately countered.
"But…"
That wasn't wrong—Haseo wasn't the Hokage. However, the issue was that he had already reached the point of deserving the same treatment as one.
"Just a habit of mine. I've always worked alone—I'm not used to having many people around me… Especially not those gloomy Anbu types who rarely speak and follow you like ghosts.
Bringing them along would definitely put me on edge. I'd probably end up more nervous than protected.
Besides, I don't really think I need protection. Bring too many people, and you'll never know who ends up guarding who.
And let's not forget—I'm not exactly flying solo either. There's still you by my side. So the duty of watching over me falls to you, Kohei."
Haseo spoke with an expression full of trust in Kohei's abilities, then turned around and patted the other man's shoulder.
Poor Kohei was already wound tight, darting his eyes around like he expected an ambush behind every tree. And now Haseo was piling on the pressure too.
What a cruel man.
"Don't worry, you don't have to be so tense. The chances of enemies penetrating deep into the heart of the Land of Fire are slim to begin with, making our odds of encountering invaders even lower. Plus… Not to boast, but no one in the entire Land of Fire has more experience in [Countering Surprise Attacks] than I do."
That was indeed true. Haseo possessed abundant experience in countering surprise attacks.
"…"
Alright, Kohei seemed "convinced"... In truth, there was little point in discussing this further—Anbu guards couldn't just magically appear anyway.
"Then Lord Haseo, what exactly is our purpose for heading toward the Western Front this time?"
To visit Tsunade? Absolutely impossible. Haseo always maintained clear boundaries between public duty and private matters, embodying selflessness at all times.
"To put it grandly, when a ninja like me makes occasional appearances, it's called 'strategic deterrence'; more plainly speaking—we're just going to remind Sunagakure who they're dealing with.
The situation on the Northern Front has recently become quite precarious. The more difficult things get, the more we must prioritize stability on the Western Front battlefield to prevent additional complications. Should any unexpected incidents occur, the burden facing Konoha afterward would instantly double.
Therefore, despite the graver war situation on the Northern Front, strategically speaking, priority has shifted to the Western Front instead… After all, if the Northern Front has already deteriorated so badly, how much worse can it really get from here?
Haseo going to the Western Front first was indeed meant to be intimidating, but whether his presence can actually intimidate Sunagakure remains uncertain. He doesn't seem to have the same kind of reputation in Sunagakure as he does in Mist, and considering everything he's done before, his arrival might even trigger Sunagakure into escalating their attacks.
But regardless, a show of force—'deterrence'—would still happen, one way or another. Either it would happen the moment Haseo reached the front line, or only after he arrived and did something impactful on the battlefield.
When Haseo and Kohei Sarutobi headed toward the Western Front, they didn't move at top speed, yet they still made efficient progress. By late afternoon, they had approached the border of the Land of Fire.
Sometimes you just have to admit certain truths—for instance, how some people always bring misfortune around them. He himself may not be cursed per se, but anyone connected to him seems to end up cursed anyway—he's practically a walking jinx.
"Stop. Do you hear anything?"
Haseo suddenly halted mid-step and turned to Kohei Sarutobi with this question.
Kohei Sarutobi immediately paused and leaned forward, straining his ears—but aside from the sound of the winter wind, he could hear nothing else.
"Lord Haseo, what's wrong?"
Haseo simply shook his head without further explanation, merely commanding, "Stay alert—we're speeding up now."
Their pace abruptly increased. As the two moved closer to the western border, the sounds in the night transitioned from barely audible to strikingly clear—the unmistakable chaos of large-scale combat.
Judging from the position and distance, it was obvious: Sunagakure was likely launching a proactive assault against Konoha's western camp.
Due to the previously decided conservative and defensive strategy, Konoha's Western Camp still lay within the Land of Rivers, though practically right up against the eastern edge of the Land of Fire. If Konoha were the aggressor, a battle wouldn't possibly be happening in such a location.
Moreover, at this time, Konoha simply wouldn't take offensive action.
Standing atop a tall tree, Haseo silently observed the fighting ahead. Under the pale moonlight, the Battleground looked bitterly intense—fires occasionally flared and then just as quickly extinguished. But ultimately, more and more flames flickered restlessly across the field.
"Lord Haseo, it seems the enemy has greater numbers and overwhelming momentum. What should we do next?" Standing behind Haseo, Kohei couldn't hold back from asking, anxious over the damage being inflicted upon Konoha's side.
He was losing patience.
"You know," Haseo finally said, "every time I show up on the battlefield, my timing's just spot-on—unluckily spot-on, like fate has it out for me. Don't rush. Am I not already identifying high-value targets among the enemy? With so many Sunagakure ninjas attacking together, who knows—it might even be the Kazekage himself leading them."
Before Haseo could pick out the best target, something strange suddenly happened on the battlefield.
A surge of chakra so immense it was almost indescribable swept across the area. Moments later, a pale golden light erupted from Konoha's frontline, and just like that, a massive figure abruptly appeared on the battlefield.
Honestly, although such an emergence was extremely rare, experienced ninja should understand that this likely meant Konoha had deployed a Tailed Beast onto the battlefield. However... when the true form of this Tailed Beast was finally revealed, the Sunagakure ninja facing it were instantly stunned.
High in the air loomed eight enormous pale serpentine bodies, covered in a golden chakra cloak. Each serpent head bore unusually sharp beast ears that looked completely out of place.
Tracing downward along the snakes' bodies, the massive creature was supported by four claws. And from the rear view, aside from one thick snake tail, there freely sprouted no fewer than nine fox tails... In terms of numbers alone, this really could be called the "Ten-Tails."
Such a scene — honestly speaking, not only did it shock the enemy, even Haseo was momentarily taken aback.
Yamata no Orochi plus Kurama?
Is the Ninjutsu World seriously jumping on the Lovecraftian bandwagon these days?
The eight snake heads immediately began to shriek, their piercing cries filling every corner of the battlefield. And as most enemies lost focus from the overwhelming sound, the snake heads rose and fell, parted left and right, then opened their mouths simultaneously.
Black orbs gathered before the long, dangerously-gleaming snake eyes. Based on Haseo's vast experience, each orb was somewhat smaller than usual — but there were so many of them — more than made up for size!
In the next moment, numerous gigantic light explosions successively erupted within Sunagakure's battle formation.
The enemy's fierce assault seemed to be utterly destroyed...
At this point, the battlefield apparently no longer needed Haseo to slowly make his move.
What was the point of standing on a tree top catching cold wind? Useless.
Obediently, Haseo climbed down from the tree.
Orochimaru going all-out like this seemed uncharacteristic — yet... despite being Orochimaru himself, his personality had become increasingly cold, but deep down, he remained human.
Even if indifferent, he still had emotions.
A Sunagakure ninja who'd been blasted to the edge of the battlefield and somehow survived was crawling along the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind.
But as he crawled forward, he noticed a pair of feet suddenly blocking his path.
He struggled to lift his head with great effort, seeing Orochimaru's face. Immediately afterward, the enemy seemed to recognize who Orochimaru was — and thus... he quickly turned around and started crawling back.
For some reason, Haseo found the move deeply offensive. He was clearly insulted.
Haseo drew the long blade at his waist and slowly advanced.
"Sorry about this. He probably won't let himself say it out loud.
After all, who truly understands another's life burdens?"
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