It was kind of awkward timing for Sakumo Hatake to bring this up out of nowhere, but when Haseo thought about it, he already knew who that so-called "marriage partner" might be... Wasn't it obviously Tsumiki Nono? The signs had been obvious long ago.
If Tsumiki Nono could grow into someone comparable to her older sister, then someone as reserved as Hatake would definitely fall for her.
Still... Though Sakumo Hatake looked like a brute on the outside, could he actually be a schemer at heart? Watching over someone since childhood and snatching them away just as they matured—was this even something a decent person would do?
There's a saying about the Hatake clan of Konoha: Once they had a boy named Sakumo, humble and diligent in his youth... but as he grew older, beastly in nature.
That's why they say professionals can't stand each other. Haseo clearly saw things from a biased perspective—why not just see them as childhood friends who naturally fell for each other?
Konoha simply doesn't welcome sudden love-at-first-sight scenarios. Isn't that something worth celebrating?
Well, even if Haseo thought Sakumo Hatake's thinking resembled that of an animal, since Hatake had already expressed such intentions, Haseo felt he should offer his blessings accordingly. Thus, he spoke up, saying, "This truly is a major matter. How about I grant you one hour off leave? That way, whether you get married or head off to battle, you can manage both without delay. What do you think? Isn't this incredibly considerate of me?"
He might even manage to shake off the ominous reputation of "Hatake being a death flag"—a true three-birds-with-one-stone scenario. Why wouldn't he support this?
Sakumo Hatake: "..."
Haseo had always been this way—whether facing enemies or allies, he never held back when dishing out sarcasm... Just what exactly did he imagine someone doing with that "one-hour leave"?
Then over a hundred people would wait around under this official pretense—that'd be no different from over a hundred pairs of eyes peering through the bedroom window, watching every detail. Could you even live with that?
Sakumo Hatake was, after all, someone who still cared about his reputation. Based on his personality, were such circumstances to truly occur, his thoughts wouldn't remain focused on humanity's noble reproductive endeavors anymore—but instead, he'd grab a blade and give everyone a front-row seat to his spectacular suicide act.
Actually, this time Sakumo Hatake misunderstood Haseo somewhat. Haseo absolutely wasn't mocking just for the sake of mockery. Out of interest in human observation, he genuinely cared about Sakumo Hatake's reproductive matters... Well, certainly nothing dirty or underhanded going on here; he just happened to care deeply about affairs concerning The Sixth.
Haseo currently possessed no documentation proving who Kakashi Hatake's biological mother was, nor even absolute certainty that his father was indeed Sakumo Hatake. After all, Sakumo spent his whole life cutting down enemies without challenge; no one could even claim to have faced him in a fair fight.
So why does his son always end up in evenly matched fights? From the perspective of genetics, that simply couldn't be explained.
If Sakumo Hatake was indeed Kakashi's biological father, and his mother wasn't Tsumiki Nono, then there was no way Sakumo could have naturally fathered Kakashi. At most, he might have barely achieved a 2.5 out of 7.5 compatibility... After all, under normal circumstances, Sakumo would've barely ever crossed paths with someone named Tsumiki Nono.
Even if Kakashi's birth mother was Tsumiki, that still didn't guarantee the child born from both parents would be Kakashi Hatake. This sort of thing had an off-the-charts failure rate. Only through perfect timing, location, and harmonious conditions could the correct Kakashi be born.
Hmm, after imagining Sakumo's reproductive activities, Haseo felt that even though Kakashi wasn't born yet, it might already be the right time to dig his grave and light up some incense for him.
"It seems you're not quite satisfied with this solution," Seeing that Sakumo Hatake remained silent, Haseo continued offering another suggestion, "Actually there's another method to resolve your problem—one even more precise, surgical-level precision, called… 'Sever it, and forever be at peace.'"
This approach could solve a man's lifetime troubles.
"...I'll go work right away, even if it's just transporting supplies."
Sakumo Hatake felt that if he continued standing around idly here, sooner or later he'd lose certain body parts—and possibly even suffer a brain explosion. What exactly was this surgical precision he talked about? Clearly, Haseo's suggestion meant getting out an actual scalpel.
Alternatively, one could use a machete or guillotine for a messier option. After all, Sakumo Hatake was a man of iron bones—what kind of ninja fears pain?
"Lord Haseo, even as a joke, I think you've gone a bit too far," Watching Sakumo Hatake leave somewhat dejectedly, Uzumaki Shikou found it amusing, but she still criticized what Haseo had said.
"No, no, this is actually quite a serious matter. Everyone's about to head straight to the Front Line, and suddenly Hatake brings up marriage? Although I know from his personality, maybe he just wanted to take this opportunity to tell us about it anyway—but still… speaking strictly, this sort of behavior could shake the morale of troops.
What if during battle Hatake becomes preoccupied thinking about marriage and gets caught off guard and killed? Will a fiancée who constantly occupies his mind make any difference? In the end, it'd just hand the prize to someone else anyway, wouldn't it?"
That was Haseo's counterargument. He was trying to establish scientific principles underlying those mysterious foreshadowings known as 'death flags.'
Then Shikou could only stare blankly.
Across the entire Konoha village, no one could explain logic better than Haseo.
Including twisted reasoning.
...
Weapons, daily necessities, Medical Support Supplies—all these items were finally prepared. The Third Hokage also gathered together the forces he had mobilized.
Just one hundred and fifty people in total. Compared to the scale of battles on the Western Front, Haseo's side only needed a slight squeeze to gather enough manpower.
Later that evening, Haseo's team would depart toward the eastern frontier of the Land of Fire.
By now, news of the war had thoroughly spread throughout the village. People's memories of the previous great war were gradually resurfacing. Konoha had existed for ten years as a vibrant town, but now it needed to shed its complex layers and return once again to being the deadliest of "hidden ninja villages."
Even the Hot Spring Town could no longer maintain its nightly revelry.
Aside from the ninja already deployed to the Front Line, other village institutions were still functioning properly. Although the war had changed the overall atmosphere of the village, Konoha remained organized and efficient overall.
For example, students at the Ninja Academy were still attending classes in a regular, systematic manner. The only change was that the school curriculum had shifted from emphasizing theoretical knowledge to focusing more on practical combat techniques.
Moreover, under the influence of the war, teachers at the ninja academy had become stricter, and the students no longer engaged in their usual nonsense — gossiping or getting into fights.
For instance, although Kushina Uzumaki was still being ostracized, no one seemed to have the intention to bother her at this point anymore... It seemed that these "Genin-in-training" were quite sensitive to the situation regarding the war.
Of course, this might also have something to do with the fact that recently Kushina had broken several classmates' noses pretty severely.
"Haseo-sama... Are you and your team heading to the Front Line already?"
Before leaving the village, when Haseo and his squad were preparing, Kushina Uzumaki — who had just finished her daily lessons — happened to arrive at Kagenami.
"Mm, we're heading to the east of the Land of Fire next, even stepping once again onto the homeland of your Uzumaki clan," Haseo said while rolling up a scroll and placing it into his ninja tool pouch behind him.
Then, reaching out his hand casually around the area, he grabbed hold of a black cat.
"Converted into human years, you must be at least sixty or seventy by now, so starting today, you'll look after the kids," he said as he placed the black cat into Kushina's arms.
Since the black cat was a summoned beast, it wouldn't have such a short lifespan like an ordinary housecat — who knows how long it could live... Having it keep an eye on Kushina would definitely be more than enough.
"You've secretly absorbed plenty of chakra too — you can't possibly be worse than those do-nothings. Surely you're good for something. Work well... Don't think I don't know you've been able to speak all along. Otherwise, how would some people know about certain things happening around me?"
"Meow? Meeooowww..."
The black cat tried to defend itself using feline language, but right now Haseo simply couldn't be bothered to argue further... Anyway, he knew full well this black cat must be a spy who'd been bribed by someone.
Exactly like Katsuyu.
"Haseo-sama, it's time to depart."
At this moment, Uzumaki Shikou approached Haseo and reminded him gently.
"I understand."
Haseo gave a slight nod, then used his curled index finger to lift the black cat's chin before casually ruffling Kushina's hair. "Remember to stay alert. Don't get tricked so easily, and definitely don't throw yourself at them just because someone compliments your hair. Seriously, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
After those confusing words, Haseo and Uzumaki Shikou left the underground base and arrived at a training field where a full squad of ninja had gathered.
The sky had already darkened, and the evening glow on the horizon carried a sense of desolation.
Haseo stepped in front of the formation. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand slightly before striding ahead.
Since the squad had already been stationed there for some time, many villagers had gathered around. Naturally, they understood this was a ninja unit about to head off to war.
As they marched out of the training field, a sea of silent people lined both sides of the street, watching the procession pass. Some wore determined and passionate expressions, while others had tears in their eyes.
Surely among them were the families of those leaving. The ninja gave their blood for Konoha, and their families mourned for those who paid the price.
At the very front of the formation, Haseo strode ahead. With each step, lights flickered to life in the houses along the roadside—one after another, blooming like a wave of fire blossoms. In no time, the illumination stretched all the way to Konoha's main gate—a long, winding fire dragon blazing through the night.
The ninja unit marched in perfect unison, leaving behind the warm lights of Konoha and stepping into the dim night, where the last rays of sunlight had vanished, and neither moonlight nor starlight had yet appeared.
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