After shouting like this, Haseo immediately threw himself to the ground, faking a dramatic "death."
Earlier during his fight with the Third Kazekage, Haseo had already gotten himself covered in mud. In normal circumstances, who would ever think such a disheveled person could actually be a master? After all, when have masters ever joyfully thrown themselves into the dirt?
Plus, he was wearing a raincoat soaked in muddy water, hiding every visible feature. Combined with his earlier passionate shouting that seemed like self-sacrificing bravery for Iwagakure's sake, the people here naturally assumed he was one of their own.
Another critical factor was that the perimeter surveillance system had failed to issue any warning.
Under normal circumstances, everyone would regard Haseo as a "resilient ninja" who barely escaped the Third Kazekage's attack and made it back to camp. If he really died, someone would've muttered, "Rest in peace, buddy."
But that would come later. Right now, nobody cared about the fallen Haseo. All the Iwagakure ninjas' attention was focused on the Third Kazekage.
The Third Kazekage—this was indeed the real Third Kazekage.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! It's the Third Kazekage!"
Great deeds echo before great men, just as shadows trail behind trees. The entire Iwagakure camp instantly stirred upon hearing the name of the Strongest Wind Kage. Sunagakure and Iwagakure were ancient rivals; their enmity ran no less deep than that between Sunagakure and Konoha.
Therefore, when the Iwa ninja soon confirmed that only the Third Kazekage had infiltrated, their initial fear quickly transformed into excitement... Wasn't this practically handing himself over? Had the Kazekage simply tired of living and wanted to die faster?
Wanted to take on the entire Iwagakure army alone? Did he really think so little of ten thousand trained ninja? How arrogant! Why not try fighting ten thousand Iwa ninja all at once if you're so confident?
Hmph, even a single kick from each of us would reduce you to paste.
In any case, since the Third Kazekage had come alone, there was absolutely no reason for the Iwagakure ninja to feel afraid—their morale surged in an instant.
With overwhelming numbers against a single opponent, what exactly was there to fear?
Opportunity seldom knocks twice!
Immediately afterward, a large group of Iwagakure ninja rushed out of the camp. They stepped over the "corpse" of this brave Haseo and directly charged toward the nearby Third Kazekage.
Then, a massacre began.
Yes, there was no doubt—the Iwagakure ninja were the ones being massacred. You see, in this world, some people possess abilities particularly suited for "clearing minions."
Although the Third Kazekage had just felt frustrated—Haseo's scheming and dishonor made him feel betrayed—he quickly shook it off. But he quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, they were enemies to begin with—the only difference now was that Haseo had become a "despicable enemy."
At this moment, the Third Kazekage should have loudly exposed Haseo's identity. However, pride—an inherent dignity as the leader of Suna and one of the Five Kage—prevented him from doing so.
Sometimes, having too prominent an identity can also become a burden.
He didn't expose Haseo's identity at first, but soon it became even less possible, as in the blink of an eye, Iwagakure ninja launched a coordinated attack against him.
Yet the Third Kazekage did not retreat. If they wanted to fight, then let them fight.
Three of *his* subordinates had died today, one being particularly important. But since the dead were already gone, these Iwa ninja would have to serve as offerings for their departed souls.
In truth, Haseo's head was the most suitable sacrificial offering. However, now numerous Iwa ninja stood between the Third Kazekage and Haseo.
Indeed, humanity still exists—this year's Ten Most Heartwarming Stories of the Shinobi World might even include: Iwagakure ninja fighting tooth and nail to defend Konoha's Haseo.
While the fierce battle raged on over there, finally someone came forward to show humanitarian concern for Haseo.
"Brother, brother, are you still alive?"
Someone flipped Haseo's body over… and then he saw a pair of wide-open eyes staring directly back at him. That certainly wasn't the gaze of a corpse—it blinked!
"Why'd you wake me up? Why don't you guys go join that 1 vs 1000 showdown instead?"
At this moment, the kind-hearted Iwa ninja noticed something—he looked down at Haseo's dirt-covered forehead protector and realized the symbol on it looked strange. It was a mix of circles and triangles.
"You're..."
Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed silently without a sound.
Haseo wiped the mud off his face and stood up, soaked and dripping. What the hell?! Why was he found out so quickly?
But actually, this wasn't quick at all. If it hadn't been for the Third Kazekage being such a glaring distraction, he should've been caught the moment he arrived.
With one Iwa ninja already dead beside him, staying hidden any longer would just be fooling himself. Just because Iwa fell for it once doesn't mean they're all idiots.
"You're not one of our ninja. Who exactly are you?"
Several squads passing by Haseo, originally heading toward attacking the Third Kazekage, stopped in place. This unexpected development led them to surround Haseo immediately.
"So... what if I told you I'm actually on your side and want to take down the Third Kazekage together?"
As Haseo said this, the lifeless body at his feet suddenly twitched, followed by blood beginning to spread across the muddy ground.
The Iwa ninja around him all cast their eyes downward at once... Yeah, no one bought that story for a second.
Conflict became inevitable.
Haseo placed one hand at his waist. In the next instant, the Iwa ninja prepared to rush forward and initiate another skirmish—but just then, a short figure burst from the heart of Iwagakure's camp, darting straight into the center of the chaos. This time, it wasn't gliding—it was actual flight.
"Watch yourself! Everyone, fall back—he's that Konoha ninja Haseo!"
Coming along with those words was a straight punch.
In an emergency, Haseo switched instantly from offense to defense, pulling his long sword forward just in time to meet what appeared to be an ordinary-looking fist.
At the moment their attacks connected, Haseo's longsword bent at an exaggerated curve. If the weapon hadn't possessed sufficient metallic toughness, this single strike alone would have shattered it completely.
Even so, the blade he raised to block now bent like a fully drawn bow.
Then, tremendous force surged through Haseo's body, sending him flying backward like a cannonball.
A thunderous blast sent up a cloud of dust so fierce it scattered the falling rain. Haseo crashed into a forest area seventy or eighty meters away.
The sheer force of the impact made every ninja pause mid-battle.
When Haseo reemerged from the smoke and dust, his already battered condition had worsened beyond description.
"Cough... cough..."
He coughed twice, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, and spoke slowly, "heavy rock?"
"Onoki, the 'Two Scales'?"
"Why is the Tsuchikage here?"
No one answered his question.
Shouldn't the Tsuchikage be defending the Land of Earth from Kumo? That's what you'd expect, at least.
Right—Haseo could sneak secretly to the Front Line, but why did the Tsuchikage suddenly appear here?
There were these two who thought the enemy camp had no experts, so they dared to launch a raid—like breaking into the base. But who'd have guessed the boss was already guarding the base?
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