"Perhaps in Lord Haseo's eyes, our attachments are completely unnecessary—nothing more than overkill—and our actions could even be called 'brain-damaged' or 'extremely foolish.' However, when positions differ, it's only natural that perspectives will differ as well."
After that, Aruo began speaking again with astonishing fluency. Though every time her mouth opened and closed, blood poured out in large amounts, none of it interfered with her ability to communicate amidst excitement and exhilaration.
Is this the effect of nearing death?
Or perhaps the effect of adrenaline?
"Take Lord Haseo as an example—you chose to ignore a child entirely just because his birth coincided with the passing of your most respected teacher. Lady Tsunade and Lord Nawaki share the exact same blood, yet your attitude toward them is completely different... Everyone knows that one's birth is never their own fault, but you gave in to your inner desire to escape.
Isn't such self-deception equally foolish? At the end of the day, we're all just regular humans."
At this point, Aruo's expression finally turned extremely mocking.
Faced with such accusations, Haseo found himself unable to respond. What she said was uncomfortably close to the truth about his inner thoughts.
"Perhaps through Lord Nawaki's behavior, you had already sensed something suspicious about me. But so what? It's the kind of thing where one misstep leads to endless mistakes.
One moment of neglect means permanent dismissal. With Lord Nawaki, your trust in me pales in comparison—because I was originally trustworthy. Therefore, even if you realized there was something off about me, there was nothing you could do... Not to mention you also had to consider your relationship with Lady Tsunade.
In the end, isn't that just another form of helplessness?"
Though calling out others' faults and picking apart their actions is easy enough, it must be said that Aruo—or rather, the group she represented—had conducted thorough research on Haseo.
Her criticism hit very targeted weak points.
Haseo was far from flawless; he had his fair share of weaknesses... What Aruo said rang true—he was very much an ordinary mortal.
"Putting aside your ambitions and obsession regarding the revival of the Senju clan, do you think I'm an obstacle? Yet in reality, I don't care at all what you choose to do anymore." Haseo simply accepted the label of "incompetence," attempting instead to extract further information from this dying person's mouth.
The Senju should have targeted the Third Hokage for assassination, not him. He was just tending to his own tiny patch of land and posed no real threat to the current Senju clan.
But this was only Haseo's wishful thinking. Even if every word he spoke was absolutely factual, the issue of "trust level" still remained.
"Lord Haseo, last time we even believed you were our comrade. And so, what happened?"
"..."
Every single one of them had been eliminated by Haseo.
This woman, no matter what was going through her mind, had to admit that her current act of dying for the sake of an "ideal" was... Well, stupid. But she'd truly been brainwashed through and through.
Though technically a ninja, in reality, she was just an ordinary person who'd never taken part in a single battle. Enduring the pain of a wound through her chest and still managing to rip into him—that took real grit.
"I mean, that's just who Lord Haseo is. Like right now, I'm not saying there's zero hope of survival. If you were to save me, maybe some things could still change. However... will you?"
"Do I look insane? Why on earth would I save you?"
Haseo's reply was, naturally, exactly as expected.
"Heh heh... So... Lord Haseo, you're strong, alright. We are your obstacles, yet at the same time, we can also become our own source of motivation."
Would dying publicly by Haseo's hand truly accelerate unity and determination among the Senju?
Could Nawaki really lead the Senju to rise again? Where did she get such confidence?
Haseo still couldn't shake the feeling that this woman had some serious gaps in her reasoning. Wasn't she exposing far too much directly to the Anbu?
Years from now, the Senju rising again might seem all but inevitable; striving to return seemed a reasonable claim in their eyes. But now, they would become terrorists?
The human heart is like a pendulum—unpredictable and ever-shifting. When people stand on one's side, their support sometimes feels practically useless. Yet if those hearts shift to the opposing side, then public opinion becomes a serious obstacle—no one welcomes the Senju's return.
Just as Haseo was bracing himself for more verbal abuse, he noticed her gaze starting to lose focus, and soon, her entire body lost all vitality.
That earlier "plea for help" had clearly only been a joke. This woman's resolve to die was unquestionable, even making her believe her death held immense value. Perhaps within the Senju's plan, this was an essential step in prompting Nawaki's "awakening."
But why were they so confident?
An Anbu officer stepped forward, examined her briefly, and reported, "Lord Haseo, she's gone."
Haseo remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly. "You've heard what she said. Bring the corpse back to the Anbu headquarters and see if you can find anything."
"Yes, Lord Haseo."
The Anbu moved in to clean up the scene, quickly finishing the task and preparing to leave with the body.
"Wait," Haseo suddenly called them back. After a slight hesitation, he finally spoke. "Send someone to keep an eye on Nawaki… Just watch him."
Nawaki must have really cared about this tutor.
In the end, Haseo was still thinking about his relationship with Tsunade.
He should've gone to see Nawaki in person.
Marks caused by explosions and battles would later be erased. Yet after the Anbu departed, Haseo still stood there motionless… For a moment, he didn't know where to go next.
Haseo gave a wry smile. I hate to admit it, but Aruo was right—he really was an idiot too.
...
Orochimaru's underground lab.
Shimura Danzo and Orochimaru were both here.
"It has begun. Your research here has indeed succeeded?"
Shimura Danzo gazed upward into the blackness. Even though he couldn't see a thing down here underground, his posture made it seem like he could still hear everything going on up top.
"If they hadn't succeeded in their research, how could they have started moving already... Danzo-sama, you're welcome to experience my research anytime," Orochimaru rasped.
He absolutely hated having others enter his lab, but sometimes compromises had to be made... It didn't matter, just a minor inconvenience. Even someone who values privacy and control sometimes has to let others into his space.
"In that case, all the destabilizing elements in the village will finally surface.
Eliminating them has been part of my plan for over a decade now. Exchanging temporary chaos for lasting stability in the village is a worthwhile bargain."
Orochimaru might have sounded eager, but Danzo had zero intention of becoming a test subject.
"I don't care about your business and won't get involved. I just want to complete my research... However, let me offer one friendly warning — don't drag Tsunade into this, or you'll certainly die.
I wouldn't want to get dragged into that kind of trouble myself."
This was obviously no friendly warning; Orochimaru was afraid of suffering collateral damage.
"Tsunade isn't one of the Senju — she belongs to Konoha, so there's no reason to target her. Besides... Even if I really were killed by Haseo's attack, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. If that were to happen, Haseo himself would no longer have a place — or a future — in the village.
Compared to others, he's another unstable factor who will eventually bring great trouble to the village."
Shimura Danzo's words sounded noble and justified, yet given his mentality where he'd rather make a mistake than miss an opportunity, why did he place such complete trust in Tsunade? To put it plainly, he simply didn't want to confront Haseo directly right now.
It's almost pitiful how some members of the Senju will actually believe Danzo truly supports them.
"It's a fair exchange. I support them returning to prominence, while they support my becoming the new Hokage (village leader)... Because it's fair, there's no need for excessive suspicion.
Moreover, I've indeed provided them with substantial support, for example... recommending you."
Danzo seemed to have every advantage stacked in his favor. If the Senju lost, it meant eliminating the radical elements of the Senju clan; if the Senju won, he might actually become Hokage... Although the likelihood of the latter was extremely low, either way, Shimura Danzo couldn't possibly lose.
Orochimaru looked at this man who seemingly acted entirely for the village's benefit. After thinking for a moment, he still asked:
"Danzo-sama, there's a small curiosity I'd like to satisfy — that woman called Aruo, exactly which side is she on?
Is she with the Senju...
or with Root?"
Those who keep their distance and watch from the sidelines often see things more clearly — and notice problems others overlook.
"Why do you ask?"
This sudden question didn't shake Danzo in the slightest. Remaining completely calm, he merely lowered his eyelids slightly.
"Because she could be with the Senju... or with Root."
"It somehow made more sense for her to belong to Root instead of the Senju..." Orochimaru didn't say this out loud.
Something didn't quite add up here. Even if it was for the revival of the Senju, did Aruo really have any reason to act in such a hurry? After all, the experiment had already succeeded.
That would just make her look stupid.
"Of course she's one of the Senju. My reach isn't that long."
Without a doubt, Danzo Shimura would only give such an answer.
Orochimaru simply smiled to himself and said nothing more — his curiosity seemed satisfied.
He had one virtue — his sharp mind.
And he also had one flaw: he was clever enough to outsmart himself.
Whatever happened — or was about to happen — had little to do with Orochimaru anyway. He figured he was just a minor player — an insignificant extra. Even if Haseo found out, it wasn't like he'd actually kill him for it.
Better yet, it'd be safest if Haseo never found out anything at all.
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