Haseo had arrived in the Land of Rain, and now it almost felt like a place he was meant to return to regularly. In this battleground crowded with mixed factions, he strolled around as if taking a walk in the park, completely relaxed.
Although the major war in the Land of Rain had ended several years ago, ninja from Konoha still frequently came here to carry out missions. Haseo was no exception.
After the 3+1 war in the Land of Rain concluded, Kumogakure, which had been preparing to launch an invasion into the Land of Earth, also quietly withdrew its forces. The Great Ninja War had essentially come to an end. However, none of the nations had signed any binding peace agreement yet—it was simple logic: why should someone who hadn't been decisively defeated on the battlefield accept a position of inferiority in international relations?
Just look at Kirigakure; a great ninja village only learns to behave properly and submit meekly once it's been pushed to that level.
The global situation remained delicately balanced—war could flare up again at any moment. Scattered skirmishes still flared up constantly across the Rain battlefields… Unlike ten years after the end of the First Great Ninja War when conflict resumed, if another large-scale war were to break out now, there definitely wouldn't be any need for the ninja of each village to undergo a "recovery period" again.
Throughout this time, ninja from all major villages continued maintaining their peak combat readiness.
"Alright, the next issue is how I can find Jiraiya's secret little cabin. If I remember correctly, he must've hidden those three children somewhere secluded—a house built in an uninhabited place. In the environment of the Land of Rain, it would definitely be quite difficult to locate... assuming those three kids are still around and Jiraiya has really already crossed paths with them by now."
As he slowly walked through the dense forests of the Land of Rain, Haseo began contemplating how he might "track down" Jiraiya's disciples.
During the previous Second Great Ninja War, there had been no chance for Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade's trio to meet Akatsuki's trinity of leaders as his memories had recorded.
If Jiraiya really had begun teaching that three-person team ninja techniques, then he must have encountered them during some mission he carried out alone in the Land of Rain after the war ended… Although Mount Myoboku's Great Toad Sage had made such a prophecy, Haseo deeply suspected that Jiraiya becoming the mentor of Nagato, the "Uzumaki," had been orchestrated by a hidden hand.
There was only one set of Rinnegan eyes in the world, and their worth needed no explanation—they formed the cornerstone of every scheme the mastermind had planned. Without these eyes, all grand future plans would collapse. So how could they possibly allow them to remain with an ordinary individual?
Ensuring Nagato survived and giving him a capable teacher—someone who could train him in ninjutsu—had definitely been part of the plan. From a personality standpoint, Jiraiya was clearly a perfect fit for this role.
This man was lecherous, but aside from that, he could probably be described as "benevolently concerned for humanity"—a term reflecting his moral depth. On the other hand, he had received a "life mission" from Mount Myoboku to search for the "Child of Prophecy"—the one destined to bring changes to the Ninjutsu World, end its chaos, and achieve world peace. The prophecy claimed this person would walk down a great path under Jiraiya's guidance... That's what the prophecy stated.
Such descriptions sounded like mystic babble to Haseo, no different from the vague predictions of a street-side soothsayer. After all, among ninja of Jiraiya's caliber, it was only natural that one of his students might change the world.
Yet if we take the Toad Sage's prophecy as truth, then Jiraiya never actually found such a "Child of Prophecy" in his lifetime... Could Naruto Uzumaki truly bring lasting peace to the Ninjutsu World?
Humanity is the root of chaos in this world; they can neither control themselves nor uphold peace—it is a task fit only for a true god. Unfortunately, there was no god in this world.
In any case, if Jiraiya were now training someone in the Rinnegan, his teaching activities would certainly be monitored by third parties.
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu's hiding abilities were the most advanced within the ninja world; they could completely evade detection by Jiraiya.
If Haseo intended to make contact with Nagato, they would unavoidably come into view of Zetsu, so he needed to be extra cautious... Although such contact likely wouldn't raise much suspicion.
As "Master of the Whirlpools," Haseo naturally had reasons to get in touch with any remaining members of the Uzumaki clan scattered throughout the land.
Of course, all of this depended on whether the Sharingan still remained in Nagato's eye sockets. If that weren't the case, then everything Haseo considered here was just wild speculation.
Even though so many changes have happened in the world, would certain things still evolve exactly as before... That remains questionable.
From another perspective, the number of ninja suitable to bear the Rinnegan must be extremely limited. Only through careful selection could one find the correct candidate... Don't even mention an eye technique like the Rinnegan—just obtaining a single Sharingan was already too heavy a burden for many people to bear.
Judging from Jiraiya's actions over the past six months, Haseo figured there was at least an 80% chance he was running a covert training program in the Land of Rain.
Even for Jiraiya, however, openly training children from an enemy country was impossible. He definitely needed to keep his work secret... Strictly speaking, what he was doing would be regarded as betrayal towards Konoha.
Training enemy civilians into capable fighters? Any other Konoha ninja caught doing this would've had grass growing three meters high over their graves by now.
"In short, I'll find Jiraiya first, follow him discreetly, and eventually discover his little secret."
Even Amegakure ninja tread cautiously now in the Land of Rain, yet Haseo marched boldly through the Dense Forest as if it belonged to him alone. He even walked while lost in thought... Distraction on the Battleground practically amounted to self-inflicted death.
However, Haseo remained vigilant. On the contrary, after completing several missions in the Land of Rain, he found that acting "openly" actually improved his operational efficiency.
The more obvious his moves were, the harder it was for anyone to mess with him.
Haseo's actions would be detected by various factions—but so what?
If they came after him, there were only two possibilities—either they killed him, or he crushed them. And let's just say the second one was way more likely.
Eliminating Haseo required both top-tier and overwhelming numbers of shinobi, something no faction could spare right now. All villages were now operating in small-scale units within the Land of Rain... No faction could afford to send a Kage after Haseo anymore.
Under normal circumstances, using a Jinchuriki against an enemy like Haseo would be ideal, but that path was now a dead end—since the end of the First Great Ninja World War, every faction had already realized that Jinchuriki were creatures never meant to face Haseo directly.
Eventually, all sides reached a shared strategy for dealing with Haseo: ignore him. Pretend not to see anything. Let this man do whatever he wants—it's not like he can stay in the Land of Rain forever.
Can't beat him? Then why not just steer clear?
Amidst enemies, Haseo finally achieved an effect akin to being avoided from afar like the stench carried by wind for ten miles. Truly commendable.
Wandering through forests most of the day, Haseo eventually discovered the hidden mark left by Jiraiya. What followed was a plan of extremely high difficulty...
Commonly known as striking where least expected.
---
Meanwhile, Nawaki's squad.
Almost the moment Haseo arrived in the Land of Rain, this battlefield—usually quiet, dangerous, and always teetering on the edge of slaughter—erupted into chaos like a bustling marketplace.
"Captain, are we really just going to let those people leave? What exactly happened? In just a short while, three squads have hurried past us."
"Stay silent. Let them retreat—don't attempt to attack... Once they withdraw, we'll have the perfect opportunity to eliminate their scouts.
As for your question... Nothing special really. It's just that a ninja no one dares to confront has appeared on this battlefield.
The logic is simple—
Retreat or die. That's why we retreat."
The Anbu squad leader spoke calmly, clearly having been through similar situations many times before.
Nawaki gave a vague nod, deep in thought.
And whether it was real or just his imagination, he noticed something unusual—the usually aloof Anbu members seemed to radiate a sense of pride today, as though sharing in honor together.
Instilling fear in enemies naturally earned respect from allies. The greater the enemy's terror, the deeper the trust from one's comrades... Frankly speaking, the plan orchestrated by the Third Hokage and Haseo—to solidify the Sannin's reputation—was slowly going up in smoke.
Ironically, the very person unknowingly undermining this "positive situation" was Haseo himself.
Among the younger generation of ninjas after the Hokage era, he still stood out just a bit too much.
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