After parting ways with Nagato's group, Haseo wandered through the Land of Rain before locating Nawaki's Anbu squad.
Wanting to protect the teenager's fragile pride, Haseo decided to observe discreetly from the shadows, offering protection only when absolutely necessary... If he was hated anyway, why bother getting close or trying to mend things?
To Haseo, this was just another "task" assigned by his family—though the person being protected might not appreciate it at all.
Honestly, if someone like Haseo were to take on a mission to escort an important figure, the price would be astronomical. Yet now, he had to do it completely free of charge.
Three days after silently trailing behind the squad, they encountered a team of enemy ninja from Amegakure. The two sides briefly clashed, and after one Rain ninja was left dead, the rest fled the battlefield.
If the battle had been three against four instead of four-on-four, Konoha's elite Anbu could have wiped out the enemy in an instant. Unfortunately, due to having to protect Nawaki, the Anbu couldn't fully commit themselves to offense.
Nawaki was simply a novice; any performance on the battlefield could be reasonably understood as such. Yet whether he performed well or merely average, to Haseo, he'd still only be seen as mediocre... Comparing Nawaki to his own early experiences wasn't very objective—it was far too subjective. But then again, the "novices" Haseo had once interacted with included people like Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
By current standards, Nawaki's performance was nowhere near comparable.
Since comparing him to a senior wasn't working, how about the next generation?
Kushina hadn't even reached middle school yet but dared to use Haseo's Lightning Release forbidden technique during her first real encounter with enemies—and she almost severed an elite Kumo Jonin's head in a beautifully brutal manner!
Well, maybe that wasn't entirely fair either; Kushina had been closely mentored since childhood by both Haseo and Mito Uzumaki. What about Minato Namikaze then? He was a standard "ordinary child" who never received anything remotely similar in resources compared to Nawaki. And yet, a young Minato still managed to fight off Cloud ninja while looking disheveled and maintaining complete composure.
Watching a toddler take their first steps brings both joy and pride. But watching someone almost grown struggle to find their footing feels somewhat dull. Especially when said person sometimes inexplicably believes himself to be the most legitimate and powerful direct descendant of the Senju bloodline in Konoha—and therefore some performances were particularly "excellent." Frankly, seeing him act like this made Haseo feel somewhat embarrassed.
Among ninja, personal excellence has always proven the value of a clan's bloodline. It never worked the other way around—meaning that possessing an outstanding bloodline doesn't guarantee excellence in a ninja. This logic was simple, yet some shinobi from prestigious clans consistently failed to understand it.
Haseo tagged along with the squad as they moved out. When they launched into combat missions, Haseo kept a sharp eye out, ready to step in at a moment's notice. And when they rested, Haseo would leave Katsuyu behind to keep watch while he headed into Shikkotsu Forest to train.
In addition, he had to frequently report on the situation to Tsunade. On one hand, this was to update her on Nawaki's status and confirm that he was perfectly safe; on the other hand, it also served as proof that he hadn't been slacking off and was actively "working."
Haseo's time was extremely valuable, and he hated wasting it on things of little significance... but what else could he do except go along with it? After all, aside from the current assignment, Tsunade had never once asked him to do anything else.
A week later, when Haseo returned yet again from Shikkotsu Forest to the Land of Rain, he noticed that the squad had changed course.
After spending some time operating within relatively secure friendly territory—whether due to new orders from headquarters or simply the squad's own decision—they were now advancing further forward. A team with such combat strength couldn't possibly stay stuck in low-intensity zones forever, just going through the motions.
It was natural for rookies, after slightly adjusting to battlefield life, to be sent into harsher combat environments. Haseo thought there was nothing inherently wrong with this change in mission... at least until he noticed that the direction the squad was moving was getting dangerously close to Jiraiya's "secret cabin."
To put it more clearly, if they continued along this path, they might well discover Jiraiya's "secret cabin."
Looks like things were about to get messy.
At times like these, Jiraiya definitely wouldn't still be hanging around—the previous appearance by Haseo had already delayed his mission. If nothing unusual had happened, Jiraiya should now be out carrying out his own tasks.
Last time when Haseo had come to scare people away, Jiraiya had only just left the "secret cabin" and wasn't far from it, which is why he could show up quickly. This time though, there was no way he'd return so soon.
If three elite Jonin-level Anbu operatives from Konoha went all-out, then the chances of Nagato and his two companions surviving would be practically zero.
Yes, Nagato possessed the Rinnegan. But putting aside the fact that he had recently suffered an overload and it was unknown how much he had recovered since, the main issue lay elsewhere. They had only just begun learning from Jiraiya not long ago... if this were three years later—after Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko had completed their training under Jiraiya—then maybe everything could have turned out differently. But right now...
Well then, it looked like Haseo was going to have to intervene personally this time.
Still, Haseo thought perhaps the Konoha team wouldn't actually find the "secret cabin." After all, it had only just been destroyed previously. Maybe Jiraiya hadn't even had time to rebuild it yet—it might just be a makeshift shack by now. In that case, the likelihood of its discovery would decrease significantly.
But within half a day, that hope was crushed entirely.
Jiraiya sure knew his way around construction work. Probably just trying to cheer the kids up, he'd gone and rebuilt a house nearly identical to the original — he only shifted the foundation slightly.
Team Konoha naturally found this place.
And as luck would have it, those three children were practicing ninjutsu techniques outside at that exact moment.
The seasoned Anbu agents immediately went into hiding. After confirming these three kids were the only ones nearby, what happened next went without saying… The Konoha ninja had discovered promising young talents from Amegakure. What came next needed no explanation.
The Anbu operatives showed little mercy.
But they didn't just attack and kill them outright. Considering their current mission involved "mentoring newcomers" and the enemies were merely three novice ninja, one clever guy had an idea — why not let Nawaki handle this fight?
With such suitable opponents, there was no reason not to do this. Isn't that exactly the hands-on combat experience they wanted? Wasn't this already a perfect opportunity? The Anbu labeled Nagato's group as inexperienced opponents with no real defenses.
To be honest, this judgment wasn't entirely accurate.
Three young genin stood no chance against Konoha's elite Anbu, but Nawaki? That was a different story.
Leaving other considerations aside, when Nagato used his [Shinra Tensei v0.00005] against Haseo before, could Nawaki have survived it?
Anyway, after receiving the orders, Nawaki rushed out without hesitation… One could only hope he'd show the same courage and decisiveness when facing real threats too.
The three children quickly noticed the approaching enemy. In the next moment, a battle naturally erupted.
Haseo appeared with a frown beside the still-concealed Anbu trio.
"Enemy… wait, isn't that Haseo?"
Before he could finish shouting "enemy attack," the Anbu squad leader recognized Haseo's identity.
"Whose brilliant idea was this, sending Nawaki to fight alone?"
"…"
A bit displeased? Is Haseo really this lenient with his brother-in-law?
"In any case, don't reveal yourselves anymore. Leave it to me."
The Anbu ninja didn't get a chance to say anything else before they all turned their eyes toward the low-level battlefield.
There, Nawaki charged forward.
Nawaki's taijutsu was quite good.
He was extremely skilled in the Three Body Techniques.
His hand seals for ninjutsu were also flawlessly executed.
The fact that he could use Water Release techniques was genuinely impressive.
Then…
He lost — and nearly paid with his life.
Although Yahiko and the others were just children, they were kids who had endured war, losing all their relatives during conflicts. They knew exactly how to handle enemies when they showed up… When it came to finishing moves, they didn't pull any punches.
At that moment, however, a shadow suddenly appeared behind Nawaki. With the threat ahead keeping him preoccupied, Nawaki failed to notice what happened behind him. A karate chop struck his neck spot-on, knocking him out cold.
"Ha…se-o, sir?"
Hadn't it been just a few days? There was no reason for the trio not to recognize Haseo.
But this time, Haseo showed no interest in further conversation. He simply pointed toward the lakeside where the three kids' training ground lay.
"You keep training. Act like nothing happened today."
With that, Haseo grabbed Nawaki—who had passed out—and vanished on the spot.
He tossed Nawaki back to the Anbu squad and said, "Don't mention my presence to Nawaki. Withdraw from here, and leave those three kids from the Land of Rain alone."
"Ha…"
"No questions. This involves a classified village operation. I can't explain, but you must stay silent. Instead of wasting time here, figure out a plausible story to tell Nawaki once he wakes up."
Haseo spun a story effortlessly. As for the Anbu, their sense of secrecy went without saying—they knew how to handle things and never pried into what they weren't supposed to know.
Frankly speaking, getting beaten by those three wasn't all that surprising. After all, they were disciplined, hardworking, skillfully coordinated, and wielded unique techniques. Losing to the Rinnegan was nothing shameful.
But for Nawaki, it would probably be hard to swallow.
He got utterly crushed by a bunch of little brats.
Because of Haseo's firm stance, the Anbu could only take Nawaki away. As they left, they were already thinking about how to explain things later—while completely revising their earlier impression. Haseo didn't seem to favor his own brother-in-law, which actually made him seem more human.
As for Nagato and the others, Yahiko decided he'd discuss relocation plans with Jiraiya once he returned. Ever since Haseo's visit, this lakeshore had turned into a prime hotspot, bustling with people coming and going.
And Haseo himself?
Watching the retreating figures of the Anbu, he seemed to understand something.
So Nawaki needed Senju. Without the name "Senju," what exactly would he be?
Just another ordinary pawn?
Would the grandson of the First Hokage—a hot-headed, ambitious youth—accept such a fate?
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