The Third Hokage fell silent briefly. After seemingly weighing the pros and cons of Haseo's plan thoroughly, he finally spoke, "Your approach sounds reasonable and well-considered, but don't hold back halfway through—spit the rest out clearly... Why did you place the Nine-Tails in Shikkotsu Forest? What else are you planning?"
Old fox that he was, the Third Hokage saw right through Haseo's ploy.
After all, two foxes from the same den—neither had the edge on cunning.
"Alright then, I can't hide anything from you, Lord Hokage. I admit I do have my own little personal intention—it seems wasteful just leaving the Nine-Tails' chakra unused, so I thought I'd collect a bit of rent..."
Haseo smiled as he explained his intentions, detailing the problems he faced and why he had set his sights on the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Actually, he never intended to hide these things from the Third Hokage in the first place; when it came to Tailed Beasts, everything needed to be clarified properly. Otherwise, his small schemes wouldn't have been that easy to detect.
After listening carefully, the Third Hokage showed slight surprise, "You're sure this method will resolve your issue? It sounds far too temporary and superficial."
"It's just a temporary patch. The fundamental solution is increasing my physical durability, but such strength demands incredibly high standards, beyond what ordinary training or Secret Pills can achieve.
Put simply, I need a certain kind of jutsu—but mastering this technique might require years of cultivation... And before that, I don't want my body to keep deteriorating." Haseo replied.
Turns out he wasn't some headstrong idiot charging ahead blindly—he knew the damage the Kinjutsu would do to his body all along.
"[Sage Art]…"
The Third Hokage murmured thoughtfully, voicing exactly what Haseo meant. His gaze swept over the vast expanse of Shikkotsu Forest and the towering trees surrounding them, quickly discerning the "technique" Haseo referred to.
Indeed, Sage Art was extremely complex, an advanced art requiring enormous difficulty to master. It didn't even fall entirely within the realm of Ninjutsu, meaning even a "professor of ninjutsu" might be at a loss regarding it.
Perfecting Sage Art required not just years of effort, countless aspirants failed their entire lives without ever achieving success.
Haseo held his breath, waiting for the Third Hokage's reply.
"Fine, you've convinced me. I approve of your arrangement... Consider it a reward for the one who proposed the whole plan." Finally, the Third Hokage agreed to Haseo's suggestion.
Undoubtedly, it was the unique factor known as Haseo that tipped the Third Hokage's decision.
Haseo's suggestion was indeed very reasonable. Although there was a slight potential risk, the benefits far outweighed it. Moreover, Haseo's combat strength already had a significant impact on Konoha. Given his relatively close relationship with the Third Hokage and the fact that his request posed no harm to the village, the Third naturally had no objections.
However, before Haseo could even finish forming a smile on his face, the Third Hokage continued, "The Nine-Tails Splitting Plan is, without a doubt, a pivotal project that will shape the village's future. Considering you are its proposer and acknowledging your considerable contributions so far…
Originally, I intended to increase Kagenami's budget and improve your personal benefits as a reward. But now that you've made this particular request, all those planned investments can be saved."
At this point, Haseo could no longer keep smiling. Wasn't this basically an indirect pay cut?
According to Haseo's plan, the seven [Impure World Reincarnation] beings were temporarily buried within Katsuyu's body, after which he and the Third Hokage returned to Konoha. This was only a temporary measure, though—Haseo would need to return here the next day anyway.
Once the decision was made, the Third Hokage had no doubts about Haseo. After all, the final control still rested in his hands. While Haseo occasionally seemed unreliable, in practice, he had never actually messed anything up. When it came to handling critical events, his judgment was always solid.
So the Third Hokage calmly headed back to Konoha to deal with the chaos caused by his sudden disappearance.
Haseo remained at Kagenami's base.
Uzumaki Shikou wasn't here—she was probably helping Mito Uzumaki handle the Uzumaki clan's internal affairs at the moment.
Thus, Haseo first went toward the Samehada growth tanks—to check on the development and harvesting of the Samehada embryos—and secondly…
"Starting today, increase the chakra supply here. No need to hold back anymore. The top priority now is the growth of these embryos," Haseo instructed one of the Kagenami ninjas who had been overseeing the facility.
"But…Lord Haseo, if we do this, our hard-earned Two-Tails chakra will soon run out completely. Then where will we get the energy needed for their continued growth?" the ninja questioned. Their previous strategy had always been strict conservation. Suddenly ramping up consumption was naturally unsettling.
"It's fine. Just do as I said. As for the remaining energy concerns, I've already found a solution," Haseo explained.
Hearing that from Haseo, the ninja nodded accordingly—if there was a continuous chakra supply afterward, things would be manageable.
Haseo cast another glance at the Katsuyu clone crouching nearby before turning and leaving the "growth chamber."
What was Two-Tails' chakra even good for? Not even decent enough to be dog food. Like hell Haseo would give a damn about this crap.
So this is how men are... Just like the saying goes—out with the old, in with the new. Now wasn't the time for Haseo to go through all that trouble experimenting with Two-Tails chakra anymore.
Later on, Shikou also made her way back to Kagenami.
"How's everything going with the Uzumaki clan?" Haseo asked. He had been quite concerned about the situation there lately.
"Nothing too serious, Lord Haseo. With Lady Mito around, people feel reassured. But after what happened so suddenly, most people were left really heartbroken," Shikou replied. Looking at her, it was clear she was exhausted and grieving.
Haseo understood how she felt, but he couldn't let her stay stuck in grief for long.
"If the Uzumaki clan stays stable, I'll send someone else to stay with Lady Mito tomorrow. You're coming with me—I need you more."
Shikou lifted her gaze and blinked, finally catching on to what Haseo meant.
"I understand, Lord Haseo."
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