Haseo and Tsunade's reconnaissance mission didn't really cover all the countries surrounding the Land of Fire. It was limited to the triangular area between the Land of Fire, Earth, and Wind.
You can still see a lot from just a small part. Once they finished surveying this area, there was no need to waste time on others—it was already possible to reach some troubling conclusions by observing just this one corner.
From the Land of Rain to the Land of Fire, while the difference wasn't quite like stepping into another life, they were definitely two different worlds... The Land of Rain remained as troubled and suffering as ever, while the Land of Fire continued basking in peace and prosperity.
"Haseo..."
As Haseo and Tsunade returned to Konoha and passed through its gates, Tsunade suddenly seemed hesitant... Although she could act playful with the Third Hokage at times, deep down she knew right from wrong. Leaving Konoha without permission had been a mistake, so she might face reprimand now.
Actually, criticism or even punishment wasn't particularly scary—the truly frightening thing was how the Third Hokage could lecture endlessly and tirelessly. Indeed, when it came to educating his disciples, the Third Hokage possessed extraordinary patience.
So, her tone sounding slightly pleading wasn't especially strange.
"Alright, I understand," Haseo said. "I'll submit the mission report to the Third Hokage myself. You just go straight home. Anyway, the information I'm reporting is important intelligence—village affairs will keep them busy for quite some time.
Once the Third's distracted with all that stuff, he won't even remember you snuck off in the first place."
This made Tsunade visibly relax. Avoiding facing the Third Hokage immediately was definitely preferable.
So the two went their separate ways.
"Tsunade."
Just as Tsunade was turning to leave, Haseo suddenly called out to her again.
"Thinking about cutting your hair? A single ponytail isn't bad per se, but it makes you look kind of childish."
"Eh?"
Wait, isn't the single ponytail *my* charm point?
People like different looks—you've got short-hair fans, long-hair lovers, whatever. Totally normal, totally fine.
But there are people who just can't be understood or forgiven… those who betray their original preferences—from long-haired supporters defecting to the short-haired side.
Tsk, [Flip-Hair], Haseo—
...
Later, Haseo arrived at the Third Hokage's office and reported the results of this extended reconnaissance mission to the village's highest-ranking leader.
Smaller nations like the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers remained impoverished and weak, trapped in miserable situations still unable to recover from the shadows of The Great Ninja World War. Meanwhile, powerful nations like the Land of Wind had begun once again displaying ambitions toward neighboring countries, already considering strategies for instigating new conflicts.
However, a blitzkrieg-style annihilation of smaller nations by major powers only exists theoretically, because the entire world is inherently "interconnected." These small states exist in the cracks between great nations—so long as no one moves, no one else does either. Thus they all coexist peacefully. But what if someone wants to take action?
Did I ever agree to that?
This world is already limited in size; even the smallest spark could ignite another global conflict.
The intelligence Haseo gained during this mission wasn't the kind of specific, highly classified information one might expect. After all, he hadn't infiltrated any major ninja villages. What he had gathered were broad strategic-level insights.
These were things everyone had suspected before, but which he had now confirmed.
After Haseo reported his observations to the Third Hokage and especially recounted the conversation between Tsunade and Sunagakure's Chiyo and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, the Third remained silent for quite some time.
He pulled open a drawer beneath his desk, took out a black pipe, skillfully packed it with tobacco, lit it, then put it in his mouth… come to think of it, according to Haseo's impression, the Third really was an old smoker, though perhaps back then he was still on the path toward becoming one.
Still, smoking wasn't exactly a great habit for a ninja—it messed with lung function and seriously cut down on blood oxygen levels. Ninja fight with their bodies, whether engaging in intense anaerobic bursts or enduring prolonged aerobic efforts. They should avoid nicotine exposure.
But this was just a personal habit. Haseo could only silently complain inwardly but wouldn't try to stop him.
"The Land of Wind's push for expansion originates in its geopolitical factors. War seemed almost inevitable eventually, but I didn't expect it would arrive so soon. We've barely recovered from the wounds of the last great war," the Third finally said after a while.
Sunagakure and the Land of Wind naturally possess internal motivations driving territorial expansion, yet such growth will never be accepted by other major nations—the contradiction itself is irreconcilable.
Unless the Land of Wind developed advanced production technologies that allowed them to raise sandfish and grow sand-rice right in the desert.
"Hokage-sama, not that fast," Haseo corrected the Third's statement. It sounded as though he believed another Great Ninja World War would erupt tomorrow.
"But it won't be slow either. If Sunagakure's Chiyo specially approached the Land of Wind's Daimyo regarding this matter, how long do you think they can hold back?
My position requires me always to prepare for worst-case scenarios; otherwise, unexpected situations could cause panic and self-destruction. Hokage is a position where one walks on thin ice—I must remain calm even when facing crises," the Third replied. For him, events happening within three to five years needed planning right now.
But Haseo didn't quite know what to say. "Walking on thin ice"? Wasn't that expression started precisely under your leadership as the Third? Setting aside the Second, would the First ever have written—or even known—the term 'tread carefully' given his mindset and manner?
"So even a hokage can't find a way to avoid war?"
"...If you have such a method, then starting now, you'll be the Fourth Hokage." The Third Hokage shot Haseo a glance, then unusually retorted him directly.
Haseo: "..."
Well, he didn't have any damn methods at all, so as for the position of the Fourth, he'd pass on that with all due respect.
"But whatever the case, even if war is unavoidable, compared with the previous era where conflicts never ceased, the world has definitely made progress. At least people now have chances to catch their breath between wars. As long as this interval can be extended further and further, one day, permanent peace will eventually arrive."
The Third Hokage spoke again like this, but was his statement meant to comfort himself—or Haseo?
There wasn't much wrong with his view—peace was just a brief ceasefire between wars—but the real question remained: just how could that ceasefire be extended?
Nobody could provide an absolutely correct answer.
This age had indeed improved compared to the previous one. During the Warring Era, skirmishes dragged on continuously; in the Ninja Village Era, everyone could concentrate their forces and engage in large-scale confrontations every few years... Viewed now, this improvement was similar to changing from a situation where one person dies every day into a scenario where 360 die all at once at year's end.
Hmm, right, wasn't this considered progress? At least they could perform mass cremations now, which greatly improved energy efficiency at crematoriums.
Without the constant chaos, civilian life in major countries may have advanced more, yet for ninja, blood and battle still accompanied them constantly.
This topic was getting too heavy, and really, the Third Hokage didn't need to discuss Konoha's future plans with Haseo. Therefore, after a moment of silence, he shifted the conversation toward something more personal.
"Come to think of it… What exactly is going on between you and Tsunade? Why did she suddenly leave the village with you without saying a word?
I won't say much about what young people do, but the rules for ninja always must be followed—you should know how to keep appropriate boundaries."
Wait a minute, this sounded a bit off. How come, in the Hokage's words, Haseo now appeared to be the one initiating everything?
Kidnapping a girl—this was a very serious accusation, and one wrong move could socially ruin Haseo completely.
"Cough, Lord Hokage, several years ago, when Sansho-sensei was still alive and the Senju clan remained standing, I suppose although Sansho-sensei also invested feelings into Tsunade and taught her many things, regarding ninja training system—I believe Sansho-sensei had no authority over Tsunade's ninja training."
Sansho wasn't a ninja herself, while Tsunade was the direct heir of the Senju clan at that time—the "new hope" of the Senju following "the useless person," Sansho. So Haseo believed that Sansho had little say regarding Tsunade's ninja training, despite being her mother.
This was a completely different situation than Haseo becoming Sansho's disciple. After all, Haseo was merely an outsider, and there was absolutely no comparison between his background and Tsunade's.
"What are you trying to say?"
"My point is, since The Third Hokage is Tsunade's teacher, he must've poured countless efforts into raising her. So saying 'a teacher is like a father' should be spot-on."
These words actually earned a vigorous nod from The Third Hokage. Raising those three troublesome kids into full-grown adults—nobody could possibly imagine just how tough that must've been... who'd have thought Haseo would turn out to be such a kindred spirit.
But this so-called "kindred spirit" continued, "So if The Third's like your dad… doesn't that mean you're super excited about being a granddad already?"
"...Wait, what does that even mean?"
The Third Hokage's hands trembled slightly, lips twitching. His pipe slipped from his fingers, clattering face-first onto the stack of papers on his desk—flames instantly licking up at the pages.
Instinctively reaching out to put out the fire, in his panic he jabbed a finger straight into the pipe bowl. A sizzling sound instantly filled the room... It had literally been decades since Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost his cool like this.
No choice—he couldn't let the Hokage office burn down—so Haseo stepped forward to help smother the flames while sighing helplessly, "Lord Hokage, it was just a joke. Why're you flipping out like this?"
What's with the shaky hands? He's not even old enough for early-onset tremors!
"A joke? Which part exactly?"
Oh right, and now he's forgetting jokes before they land too?
And what happened to that famous 'cool in a crisis' reputation?
Maybe it really is time for someone else to take over as Hokage?
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