As the frontline commander and main battlefield force, Sakumo Hatake had only stayed in Konoha for a very brief time after returning from battle—just long enough to have a chat with an old friend before heading back to the front lines the next day.
Of course, Sakumo wouldn't easily share the details of their conversation with others; what Lord Haseo said was already rather secretive... Could it really be true that the Fourth Hokage, who'd taken office less than a year ago, was already thinking about retirement and leaving the village?
It wasn't just consideration—he actually planned to do it. This sounded pretty surreal.
Was the position of Hokage equivalent to crap to Haseo?
Well, this description would be too extreme. In Haseo's heart, Hokage definitely stood slightly above something unmentionable, though not by much... It wasn't completely disgusting, but after helping Konoha survive its biggest crisis since losing the Third Hokage, he truly felt some "discard like an old shoe" disregard for the role.
Uzumaki Shikou was currently leading the "Shisanxiang" in setting up the underground third layer of Kagenami.
Burying explosive tags under your own base—and even working directly atop them afterward—can't help but make anyone who knows the situation feel uneasy. Therefore, Nine-Tails' protection and defensive barriers needed to be handled with extreme caution.
Haseo came here to inspect their work. After taking a walk around, he stopped in front of everyone:
"Everyone, uh... Don't stop working on my account; I just want to make an announcement.
Going forward, we need to tweak our operations at Kagenami a bit — dividing tasks into internal and external roles.
Internally, we will continue our usual duties: protecting those secrets, safeguarding Nine-Tails, selecting jinchuriki, and conducting the sealing rituals combining both elements.
Externally, we must strive to become a responsible international organization—an entity bearing broad vision, promoting internationalism, and contributing efforts toward global harmony...
Specifically speaking, when jinchuriki from other ninja villages defect, or when tailed beasts die and later revive elsewhere, we must help capture them and send them back to their original locations, naturally charging appropriate fees along the way.
If the payment isn't good enough, we can always apply a little pressure.
After all, none of the villages can afford the consequences of losing their tailed beasts.
In summary, our core principle is clear: whichever village originally owns a tailed beast must always maintain control over it."
"Lord Haseo, I...we don't quite understand the meaning behind such actions. Is this merely for earning rewards?" Uzumaki Shikou and other Uzumaki shinobi couldn't grasp Lord Haseo's intentions. Was this… another spontaneous decision again?
"Rewards? No.
The first reason is to protect the system set up by the First Hokage for the ninja world. Although constant conflicts persist, looking at things now, the Five Great Nations and their Five Great Ninja Villages remain undeniably stable structures. Therefore, instead of attempting to undermine this framework, we need to protect it... The balance among tailed beasts remains a crucial component in maintaining worldwide equilibrium."
"But this is complete nonsense, because strictly speaking, there are currently only four Great Ninja Villages in the world—the fifth has been eliminated. The person who caused the most damage to the Five Great Nations System was Haseo himself.
"Secondly," he continued, "providing assistance and charging reasonable compensation can, to some extent, build mutual trust and ease the tension and hostility between Konoha and other villages."
That also seemed unlikely. The hatred between ninja villages was bloody and blatant; what good could such minor acts of goodwill possibly do?
"Third… do you know what the fastest way to eliminate hatred is?
It's to cover it with an even greater hatred.
Therefore, keeping the Tailed Beasts within their own borders is a move that offers a hundred benefits with only one drawback."
Clearly, this last point Haseo had made so ambiguously was actually his true reason for making these arrangements… His thinking wasn't complicated either—if the survival of Black Zetsu remained uncertain, then preventive measures were necessary.
Secretive plans and hidden figures were hard to determine, but one thing was certain—they would eventually reach out for the Tailed Beasts, and when that happened, everything would surface.
If… just if… someone were to rise again in the future and attempt to gather the Tailed Beasts, that would be the moment when the Five Great Nations System collapses and the world is redrawn.
Shattering the old order… This kind of task isn't something ordinary people can handle—after all, whoever does it will carry the weight of unimaginable hatred.
So usually, the person most capable of delivering massive destruction against the old system often lacks the legitimacy to build the new order.
If Black Zetsu was still alive, then naturally the job would go to him—he not only desired it but didn't care one bit about bearing global hatred.
Perhaps Haseo was overly farsighted, but for now, no one could possibly grasp the depth of his vision.
"Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing.
Even the innocent may falter, but the strategist won't… I mean, the Hokage cannot."
Haseo simply smiled without further explanation. Thanks to his advantage in 'intelligence,' he already had a rather thorough plan formed in his mind—but those thoughts would remain there for now, not spoken aloud too soon.
Of course, ideally, the Five Great Ninja Villages should continue indefinitely. Haseo thought this system worked quite well as it was. Yet… if it truly shattered, then the world should ultimately progress forward, breaking before rebuilding, rising upward in a spiral.
This was an inherent truth, a fundamental necessity… If a world keeps regressing instead of evolving, what purpose would its existence serve?
...
Haseo processed every task the Hokage needed to handle, one by one, and actively began making various long-term arrangements. This unusual behavior alarmed many nearby ninjas.
Who am I? Where am I? Is the world ending? Why is the Fourth working so hard?
Is this reforming from evil ways, or being possessed by some evil force?
Yet for those closest to him—people like Uzumaki Shikou… they couldn't shake a vague premonition lingering deep within.
Although Haseo had only informed Tsunade and later Sakumo Hatake of his plans...
During this time, Haseo was often seen in Konoha's secret archives and the Uzumaki Clan's Secret Vaults, seemingly immersed in study… His dedication resembled that of someone with just a hundred days left before the Gaokao (college entrance exam).
This kind of earnest attitude toward learning had long been absent from Haseo.
A few days after issuing the revised policies for Kagenami to Nagare, Haseo remained inside the underground space—the Uzumaki Clan's secret library—sifting through various classified records that had gathered dust for untold years.
Feeling at loose ends, Tsunade stayed close by—brewing tea, preparing meals, or simply sitting beside him as he pored over documents while she reviewed her medical texts. The truth was, times like these were dangerous—you couldn't afford even the smallest mistake, or someone would pounce on you instantly.
How many strong women had failed just when they were about to succeed?
At this moment, Tsunade had just placed lunch on the table in front of Haseo when he swiveled halfway off his high stool. With one hand casually resting on the table and the other naturally circling Tsunade's waist, he pulled her snugly against him.
"What's wrong, Haseo?"
"There's a small question…"
"This Secret Vault… if we categorize it, technically should be considered some sort of library, right?"
"…I suppose you could say that."
"Right, so what is a library for? It's a place for study.
Tsunade, I've taught you plenty of knowledge in the past and continue doing so, so why not review here together? Things easily get forgotten over time."
"…"
Taught me what? Tsunade was momentarily confused until finally realizing what Haseo actually meant—his not-so-innocent gestures gave her the hint.
"It's the middle of the day! What do you think you're doing?"
Instantly straightening herself up, Tsunade quickly fled the scene.
With Haseo recently recovered from serious injuries, no pressing matters weighing on him, and his mood relaxed, he was bursting with energy—proving age was no barrier to strength. For Tsunade, this was a rare time when she was at a disadvantage—she was weak, and he was dangerously strong.
Pushing open the hidden door from inside the Vault, Tsunade felt like she'd done something wrong, hastily adjusting her clothes. She waited a moment longer until she thought the heat in her cheeks had faded, then rushed out and left the base completely.
There was no way she could stay here any longer—not without compromising her dignity.
As a woman, she still needed to maintain decorum, although… it had indeed felt quite thrilling.
After scaring Tsunade off—or rather, it didn't really matter whether she ran away or not since he lost nothing either way.
Haseo wiped all expression from his face, turned back around, and lifted his arm… revealing a half-unfurled scroll covered in densely written characters, clearly ancient and worn.
Haseo gazed at the passage before him. After scanning it from start to finish, he went back and read it again more carefully... Even he couldn't help feeling stunned by the secret accounts listed there.
Several hours later, after poring over the same lines for what felt like the hundredth time, Haseo rubbed his eyes and muttered absentmindedly,
"Old clan leader... was this what you meant all along...?"
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