The Suna assault struck like a typhoon—fierce and sudden, but gone before anyone could react.
After leaving behind countless corpses, causing heavy casualties, and poisoning many Konoha ninja who were now groaning nonstop, Suna once again retreated into hiding.
Like the rising and falling tide, the entire offensive lasted no more than five days.
Only a few elite ninja like Chiyo remained hidden in the dense forest within the contested zone between Konoha and Suna territories. Occasionally, she would reveal her claws, seizing opportunities to launch silent attacks, leaving behind several rotting corpses covered in pus.
One week later, Haseo had barely regained his ability to move. Although his left arm was still stiff, his body had recovered enough to fight—he just couldn't afford overly intense activity.
Soon after regaining mobility, news poured in one after another.
At this time, Dan Kato also happened to have just returned from the Front Line after completing his combat mission… and—against all odds—he was still alive. Therefore, he showed up beside Haseo once again… which, obviously, was absolutely a coincidence.
He brought Haseo fairly reliable intel—but honestly, it wasn't great news.
"Third Kazekage should still be alive," Dan Kato said.
Haseo deserved to know—the guy was right there during the fight, after all. Even though Danzo Shimura wanted to keep Haseo isolated, there was no reason to hide such information, nor was that his intent… he just didn't want Haseo messing with the command chain at the front.
"He survived under those circumstances? True, he is the Third Kazekage. But what about Third Tsuchikage and the Iwa ninja? What were they doing?
Where exactly did you get this intel? Did we infiltrate Suna's camp?"
Haseo started off grumbling slightly but quickly focused on the source of the information.
Unless the source was solid, you couldn't trust the intel.
But his complaints were baseless. At the time, the battle ended as a triple stalemate. If the Third Tsuchikage hadn't been injured, things might've been different. However, when the Earth Shadow himself barely survived—turning into something like a human fountain—it suddenly made the Wind Shadow escaping seem far less surprising.
Truth was, even before taking out the Third Kazekage himself, Haseo already had a feeling the guy might pull through. After all, the 'strongest' title of the Third Kazekage wasn't just empty talk.
Obtaining key intelligence regarding the current whereabouts of the Third Kazekage deep inside Suna's camp was no easy task—it was essentially Suna's most closely guarded secret… which naturally made Haseo question the reliability of this information.
"This intel didn't come from Suna's camp itself," Dan explained. "Actually, it came directly from the village of Sunagakure in the Land of Wind. Our spies confirmed that the Third Kazekage had already returned to Suna. It seems he sustained serious injuries, so returning to Suna was necessary for better medical treatment and a safer recovery environment."
"The Kazekage returned to Suna? He had no choice but to retreat? Just how bad must he be right now?"
This question was kind of redundant. Wasn't it obvious enough how badly he'd crippled the Kazekage already?
"So what you're saying is," Haseo continued, realizing something else, "that while the Sand Village's sudden attack was clearly an act of revenge, there was also a hidden agenda behind it—the secret withdrawal of the seriously wounded Kazekage?"
"That seems to be the case, Lord Haseo. Lord Danzo has reached the same conclusion."
Dan Kato remained outwardly calm, but deep down, he was deeply impressed by this man's strength... Putting aside the supposed intelligence and bravery—assuming we can even call it that—it was clear someone had brought the Third Kazekage into Iwagakure's camp. The result of the multi-sided conflict had been brutal—the Third Kazekage retreated severely wounded, the Third Tsuchikage supposedly ended up as fertilizer, while Haseo? He was bouncing around like nothing had even happened.
The only obvious mark left on him from that fierce battle was probably just the severed left arm now hanging around his neck.
...
On the very same day, another piece of news—far more impactful than the Kazekage's retreat—arrived at Konoha Base:
Hanzo of the Rain Village, the great leader of Amegakure, had seized the moment when Iwagakure's camp was heavily damaged and in chaos. Leading a large squad of Rain ninja, he launched a decisive strike like thunder and lightning, forcefully expelling the entire Iwa presence from the Land of Rain.
Even the infamously powerful Third Tsuchikage was powerless before Hanzo of the Rain Village.
Motivated by a mix of patriotism and revenge—Hanzo truly deserves to be hailed as the greatest leader of Amegakure. After this single battle, he practically ascended from mortal to god.
After this victory, Amegakure, long in decline, had now completely turned its fortunes around, morale surging dramatically. Their fighting spirit returned fiercer than ever before.
This small ninja village began acting exactly like during the last great war—it had gone absolutely insane. The attitude displayed by Amegakure ninja was simple: Step foot into the Land of Rain, and I'll kill you. If I can't, then you kill me instead.
Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who do.
Morale is a strange, almost mystical thing; under such fearless conditions, even strong nations like Konoha couldn't help but cautiously avoid direct confrontation, though certainly not out of cowardice.
When Haseo heard about Hanzo's "great feat," he almost choked—he might've been able to stand against the Third Tsuchikage, but surely couldn't fly right now, possibly still bedridden.
I… you… damn…
Hanzo of Amegakure, true to his reputation for cunningness, really pulled off an impressive move.
Then again, Haseo reflected, part of why Iwa was expelled from the Land of Rain must have come down to timing. Of course, Hanzo's surprise attack played its role—but let's face it, his timing was impeccable. After all, Iwagakure's camp had just been utterly destroyed by someone earlier. Amidst this chaotic four-way clash, Amegakure—always on home ground, always weaker, forced into hiding—had likely prepared everything long ago, simply waiting for their opportunity to arrive.
Secondly, Iwagakure took this opportunity to withdraw from the Land of Rain. The battle here had already become a losing proposition for them. Although such a retreat might damage their reputation, it was still much better than being stuck in a prolonged war. After all, they were now fighting a two-front war.
Therefore, even though Iwagakure and Amegakure didn't exactly reach an agreement smoothly, they eventually did come to terms.
Yet while they openly fought but secretly colluded, skillfully executing strategic withdrawals, where could some people's frustration be relieved?
Haseo, be a good sport and head over to the Konoha Frontline Hospital for your next treatment.
Tsunade and her team should have gone on a mission to capture Sunagakure's Chiyo, so this time someone else would handle his injuries. After Tsunade treated his wounds several times, ordinary medical ninja could now "follow the recipe."
And by "ordinary medical ninja," they meant young, attractive kunoichi.
At the frontline hospital—or across the entire Konoha medical system—Haseo was a well-known figure. Rumors about his strength were one thing, but more importantly, he was Tsunade-sama's boyfriend.
It wasn't like this was something they needed to hide.
However, since the war began, most medical ninja had only heard stories about him—legends, really—but never actually seen him in person. So naturally, when he showed up at the hospital, many curious gazes welcomed him.
"Lord Haseo, I've heard you seriously injured the Kazekage and Tsuchikage before. Many people say that's the reason why the battlefield situation has suddenly shifted…" said the young female medic assigned to treat Haseo.
Still, no matter how curious they were, Haseo remained essentially a stranger to them, so they couldn't directly ask the question they were most interested in. Instead, they started chatting with topics like this.
And this happened to be the topic Haseo felt most uncomfortable discussing.
"Oh, that's exaggerated. My actions aren't particularly commendable because the reverse is also true—I myself was seriously injured by the Kazekage and Tsuchikage… In fact, many people are especially disappointed because I couldn't even kill a single Kage. This is something many kids could do by age ten, so basically, I'm just useless," Haseo modestly replied.
He was always incredibly patient with medics—especially the kunoichi ones.
Well, what else could you say? Haseo was well past thirty and barely managed to fight against the Kazekage and Tsuchikage thanks to desperate effort. Basically, he could be classified as a failure.
Yet this statement caused the doctors' hidden admiration—clearly visible in their eyes—to surface slightly: "Lord Haseo must be kidding. Your enemies were none other than two of the only five village leaders in the world! If such battles don't deserve recognition, then what are lowly medical ninjas like us, who can't even step onto the battlefield, worth?"
"No, no, your job is far more important than mine. It's precisely due to your efforts that Konoha's combat capabilities can be sustained…"
Well, it was all just polite talk—no real meaning behind it. Haseo would never speak ill of medical ninja.
"Lord Haseo, the treatment is complete…"
"I see. Thank you."
Compared to building a powerful yet gentle image, gaining fan girls, or deepening connections within the medical system, expressing gratitude to the doctor was merely common courtesy for Haseo. A handshake before departure was also just basic etiquette. Still…
"Huh? Tsunade-sama's back already?"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>