Imagine a child returning home to suddenly find a strange uncle in his house while his mother isn't around. Without worrying whether this stranger could be Uncle Wang, what should the child do?
1. Scream
2. Run away
3. Kneel and kowtow
Haseo sat comfortably on the inner steps of the entrance, his shoes neatly placed aside while he himself stood barefoot on the wooden floor...
This was clearly where he belonged.
The kicker was the mask he wore—pale as death, with a single black eye painted in the middle. It just made everything even creepier.
So imagine their shock when the three kids, still sweating after a tough training session and chattering happily, opened the door and saw him right there—pale mask, lone black eye, and all. Frankly speaking, it was seriously nerve-wracking.
This was the Land of Rain, where every place was a battlefield, and strangers weren't just suspicious—they were killers.
Fact was, this house had already been invaded once before. Back then Nagato had displayed a sudden surge of power to defeat the intruder—but what about now?
Jiraiya had already left, and the man before them was clearly no ordinary foe. He… actually knew the etiquette of removing shoes at the door.
Actually, it was precisely because of Haseo's calm, almost arrogant demeanor that he seemed especially dangerous. You've got to be confident to act that smug without real skills, right? Who wants to die that quickly?
"Hello there. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm just a passing ninja. Happened to notice there was a house here, so I dropped in for a quick rest... Pardon my intrusion."
Oh, you can call me 'Seiten.'"
Haseo introduced himself politely, but his butt never left the floor. His body language gave zero sincerity.
"Please, don't let me stop you. This is your home after all. I wouldn't dream of squatting in someone else's place."
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato stood frozen at the doorway—neither daring to enter nor willing to retreat.
At a moment like this, naturally, they wished more than anything to instantly vanish from this danger zone. Yet instinct told them that moving recklessly meant suicide.
Yahiko gently slipped his hand behind his back—a small motion that naturally didn't escape Haseo's eyes—but he chose not to stop him.
Next, the boy rapidly gestured several signs, silently warning his companions not to move rashly or attempt an attack. The aura radiating from Haseo sharpened Yahiko's senses, helping him make the correct judgment—he and his two companions were definitely no match for this "masked man."
When Haseo put on his Anbu mask, he never imagined he'd one day be secretly called "the masked man" in someone's mind. Maybe he really was born suited to be the villain?
Then again, a villain who sneaks into houses to steal a kid's breakfast probably isn't winning any charm points.
"You… what business do you have with us?" Yahiko finally demanded.
Without a doubt, this kid was the smart one and backbone of the trio.
"It's fine. Didn't I just say we're only here to rest for a moment... Please, come in. Unless you'd prefer something interesting to happen right now?" Haseo truly lived up to his name, instantly grasping the key to playing an antagonist—delivering threatening words with casual indifference.
Cold sweat slowly dripped down Yahiko's face. After a brief pause, he cautiously stepped forward, leading the other two behind him as they carefully passed by Haseo and entered the house.
They had no choice but to comply with Haseo's demands.
Haseo then stood up as well, following them inside.
"No matter what you plan to do here—whether hiding or simply resting temporarily—please don't hurt us. I swear we'll do exactly what you say."
Yahiko spoke first after entering the room... It was pretty impressive for such a young kid to already know how to play the "hostage" role.
From a strength perspective, Yahiko definitely wasn't the strongest among the three, yet he consistently shielded the other two behind him—the girl named Konan, and Nagato, who appeared naturally more fragile at that time.
Haseo smiled slightly before saying, "You wouldn't be waiting for a toad to send for help, would you?"
As his words echoed, a relatively small toad about the length of an adult's arm dropped from above, landing flat on the floor with a thud.
The three children looked upward, just catching sight of the Black Cat lingering on the ceiling beam... So even Haseo had summoned this cat before, and most likely would summon it again more than once in the future.
Of course, Haseo hadn't actually killed Mount Myōboku's summoned beast—he merely knocked the toad unconscious. Truthfully, knocking it out was much harder than killing it outright.
Yahiko and the others fixed their eyes on the unfortunate, "floor-kissed" toad. Now not only was calling for backup from Jiraiya impossible, the bigger question was—if this man knew about the toad, did that mean he also knew about Jiraiya?
Or perhaps this "masked man" was directly connected to Jiraiya as a rival, coming here specifically to lure Jiraiya into a trap?
Yahiko began thinking fast. Once realizing that Haseo wasn't some random person but someone with purpose, he knew their situation had turned far more dangerous.
And indeed, events were developing toward the worst possible scenario just as he feared.
Suddenly, Haseo—who had been standing right in front of them—vanished. Immediately afterward, his voice came from directly behind the three.
"If you were just ordinary kids, I suppose I could let you go. The problem, though, is that I've just discovered you're actually ninjas... If you're ninjas, I have every reason not to spare you.
Enemy ninja certainly aren't entitled to my mercy."
Accompanying Haseo's words was the slow, unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath.
"Run!"
Yahiko abruptly turned around. He reached out and pulled Konan beside him, flinging her backward with all his might.
However, before Konan's body even touched the ground, a kunai already shot toward her.
The kunai pierced through the back of her collar, pinning her to the wall behind.
Yahiko charged at Haseo, but the sudden sight of Konan being struck immediately distracted him—he instinctively thought she might have been fatally stabbed.
So Haseo easily caught him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Then, Haseo finally drew the blade in his other hand.
The bright blade shone on Nagato's face. In almost an instant, both his companions had fallen into deadly peril. Haseo's towering figure loomed over him.
At this moment, Nagato's heartbeat uncontrollably quickened, his breathing turning unusually rapid.
It was like a drowning man desperately trying to grab onto something.
And just as Haseo's long blade was about to slash down upon him, Nagato finally turned around, facing Haseo directly.
At that very moment, the bangs covering his forehead swept aside, revealing to Haseo the unique eyes within his sockets—eyes with concentric circular rings.
Indeed, Rinnegan.
Then, in the next instant, accompanied by a tremendous explosion, this small house along with its foundation and a patch of lake water was blasted straight into the sky.
Such an attack would seem incredible to ordinary ninja, but it couldn't truly harm someone like Haseo—a veteran warrior.
"It is indeed Rinnegan. But… what a shame."
Madara Uchiha's most pathetic way to die—being disconnected from the life-support IV line.
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