Haseo's first attempt at farming severely shook his confidence.
Farming might not exactly require talent, but it definitely needs knowledge, experience, learning, and patience.
This wasn't an issue of physical strength at all—Haseo was a genuine ninja who mastered Sage Art. Would he possibly lack the strength needed for plowing fields?
It just meant he and the land weren't really getting along.
After relocating to the Land of Hot Springs and wasting an entire farming season, Haseo completely gave up on his plan of running a rural guesthouse and returning to nature—high art finds few admirers, as the saying goes.
Anyway, in a fit of anger—or more likely embarrassment—he transformed the entire piece of land into a bamboo forest.
The bamboo plants were surprisingly cooperative—they clung to life stubbornly and even started sprouting shoots… Now that's a minor miracle.
As long as one lives within society, they always need some kind of professional role. After settling down here, Tsunade resumed her work as a physician. To be honest, her job required extreme expertise, and given her skill level, employment was never a concern.
Soon enough, she became somewhat famous both in town and its surrounding areas—not only because she was beautiful but also due to her superb medical skills. She gained considerable respect, which could perhaps be called "social status" in legends.
Of course, since arriving in the Land of Hot Springs, Tsunade had been using regular medicine instead of Medical Ninjutsu. In other words, she applied techniques theoretically accessible by ordinary people rather than resorting to mystical "healing magic"—this was part of their effort to remain inconspicuous.
There was a small ninja village in the Land of Hot Springs known as Yunagi Village. Though summoning everyone from this entire village probably wouldn't provide much of a challenge for Haseo alone, the couple clearly had no desire to provoke suspicion.
A peaceful life and yōro (retirement)—that was truly Haseo's purpose for coming here. In fact, neither Haseo nor Tsunade had performed any jutsu for a very long time.
Did Tsunade like her current lifestyle? You bet she did. Previously, Haseo had never stayed quietly by her side for such an extended period. Looking back now, the feeling of waking up to find him gone seemed almost dreamlike.
To put it bluntly, being a ninja inherently meant living an unsettled life; there simply wasn't room to calmly savor daily existence.
Going to bed on schedule, waking up each morning at a set time, and finding Haseo right by your side when you open your eyes—shouldn't that be something simple enough to enjoy?
Settling down was truly what life should be about. Here, Tsunade at least didn't have to worry about her husband suddenly rushing off to fight someone again, ending up with broken arms, trees growing from his legs, or showing off their insides—any number of unfortunate incidents.
However, this tranquil life did come with one major downside: Haseo had turned into a breadwinner-dependent husband. His wife had become the sole financial backbone of the family, significantly affecting his standing within the household… But honestly, this was a role he'd long grown accustomed to—after all, what else was he good for except fighting?
After failing at farming, Haseo found himself pretty lonely for a while... Actually, it was more about being used to staying busy. The sudden idleness caused some discomfort, somewhat similar to war syndrome.
Would Tsunade really make Haseo kneel on a wooden board just because he couldn't earn money? There's absolutely no connection between these two things. As everyone knows, although superheroes often save the world, they never actually earn a single penny from it.
The key point is that whether you have money or not doesn't logically determine whether you should be punished.
Money doesn't matter. When it's time to kneel, everyone must kneel.
But as a chauvinist who deservedly should be beaten up, Haseo still felt he shouldn't so easily accept being a kept man. Therefore, in the end he returned to his original profession—making hand puppets.
At first, he only made clay figurines, later expanding into other materials like wood and stone, with various sizes and proportions. But one thing was certain: anything coming from Haseo's hands was a premium product without exception.
Poor quality? Absolutely impossible! The skillful Fourth Hokage wouldn't allow himself to be associated with such shoddy work...
Though what he was doing now would undoubtedly make The Third turn over in their grave multiple times already.
Haseo didn't actively promote or sell his creations either. He'd just leave finished works in the bamboo forest. Whoever liked them could drop a few coins and take them—or just take them free of charge. In fact, kids would come pick up toys at the beginning.
Later developments proved exactly the saying "Gold will shine eventually." Before long, these pieces began circulating widely, and buyers started seeking him out. After all, his craftsmanship was unmatched. Theater troupes, shrines, and even some fanatics became customers.
Haseo discovered this field actually had quite a market. Could it be because otaku types are everywhere?
Anyway, within just a few months, Haseo became the local "master artist." Some hardcore fans even started calling him "Master"—looks like the Fourth had kicked off his second career.
After that, Haseo only accepted custom orders, charging exorbitant prices.
As for that bamboo forest... Although Haseo's "creations" became increasingly valuable, no one ever tried stealing from there again.
The reason was simple enough: the bamboo forest itself was extremely dense and eerie, filled with lifelike dolls whose eyes seemed almost animated. Imagine whenever a breeze passed through, producing rustling sounds...
Anyone brave enough to try stealing here definitely earned a reward!
Besides, quite a few people claimed they'd seen those dolls moving before... Well, actually that wasn't mere paranoia, since sometimes Haseo indeed enjoyed manipulating the puppet strings for fun.
In short, Haseo and his wife had settled down in a small town within the Land of Hot Springs, blending perfectly with the locals... As for the unpleasant experiences when they first arrived, since they weren't worth mentioning, well, just forget them.
You could say human nature leans toward the dark side, and not liking outsiders constitutes a major aspect of it. If Haseo were truly an ordinary person, moving houses would've been more painful than losing half his skin... Considering he also had a beautiful wife, you can imagine.
The dark forces in town had actually gone to listen to Lord Haseo's lectures before. Later, because his words were so convincing, they all turned their backs on evil and returned to the right path—it was as if they had been reborn in a new life.
And don't say that as a ninja, Haseo is too narrow-minded for taking action against "ordinary people"—in reality, countless real civilians had already been murdered by those very people who claimed to be just "ordinary citizens."
Since those people deserved death, why should a ninja fear spilling blood? Consider it an act of mercy—sending them off to their next life.
So, mysteriously enough, the town's overall safety situation took a sudden turn for the better.
...
One afternoon, Haseo was working on a puppet in his private backyard when a sudden *plop* echoed through the air—Katsuyu appeared. Then, she began "delivering" a red-haired girl by "spitting" her out.
"Oh, Yayoi has arrived again for treatment? Wait a moment. Tsunade should be back soon—she went out to deal with a case at the gambling house (casino)."
"Yes, Lord Haseo."
The person who had suddenly appeared here was none other than Uzumaki Yayoi, seeking her regular medical treatment.
Yayoi glanced at the half-finished puppet in Haseo's hands, then shifted her gaze toward a bowl of herbal soup on the nearby table, which emitted a strange smell.
"Oh, recently I've started taking medicine to regulate my body. Relying purely on brute strength doesn't seem effective anymore. My attending physician prescribed me some unknown herbs... these past few days I've basically been drinking this like water. Honestly speaking, the taste is absolutely unbearable."
Haseo explained to Yayoi.
Given his extremely high tolerance for bitter tastes, if even he found it difficult to drink, then it truly must have been intolerable.
Of course, Yayoi wasn't used to discussing such personal topics, so she quickly recalled that she had another important matter to handle.
"Lord Haseo, I've brought important intelligence."
So saying, she handed the information over to him.
"Just place it on the table first."
Haseo didn't rush to look at it. Only after he finished shaping the wooden puppet roughly did he pick up the paper and start reading it. Then...
"Huh...?"
Unexpected developments made Haseo feel slightly thirsty, so instinctively, he grabbed the bowl of medicinal soup beside him and took a large gulp.
After finishing most of it, Haseo smacked his lips and finally voiced his reaction...
"What the heck is this?"
The content of the note itself wasn't complicated—but for Haseo, it certainly was:
In the forty-third year of Konoha.
Due to dissatisfaction with the Third Kazekage for betrothing his daughter Karura to Sasori and secretly naming him as the Fourth Kazekage, a Sunagakure jonin named Rasa suddenly rebelled, attacking the Third Kazekage.
As a result, the Kazekage was left critically injured, Rasa fled in panic, and the prodigious puppet master Sasori ascended prematurely to the position of Fourth Kazekage.
Currently, Sunagakure's "hero," Pakura, was leading a team in pursuit of Rasa.
"Tsk..."
The events occurring in Suna were completely logical—so where exactly was the issue?
Ah...
No wonder Gaara has red hair.
So Sasori of the Red Sand actually has both parents alive? Then does that really make him the bearer of the [Wind's Will]?
Chiyo's grandson being the Kazekage doesn't seem like an issue.
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