Battlefield surprises always strike when a person is least prepared.
Just moments ago, a squad-level skirmish had ended peacefully, yet now an enemy suddenly burst out from beneath the ground. His fingers curled like a beast's snapping jaws, aiming straight for Tsunade's throat.
There's no place on the battlefield for cute little girls—only enemies waiting to be crushed.
"I got it!"
In the blink of an eye, the situation completely flipped, catching Tsunade off guard. She was still inexperienced in warfare; even if you considered Haseo himself, not even a year and a half into his combat career, he would have been helpless against such an ambush too.
"Crack…"
Jiraiya did notice the danger immediately, but with his speed, there was nothing he could do. The short distance between him and Tsunade felt like an unbridgeable chasm.
On battlefields like these, countless deadly assassinations happen daily—some succeed, others don't. This attacker chose perfect timing and a perfect target. His strikes were lightning-fast, pinpoint accurate, and merciless. But his only mistake? He'd assumed victory too early.
Even in the most extreme moment, amid the fastest and fiercest moves, there's always a transition phase—and during that exact moment, even the fastest ninja can intervene.
Try to move? We'll break your arm. Try to kick? I'll take both legs from under you.
A brilliant [Mikage Dōruku] glow surrounded Haseo as he precisely slipped between Tsunade and her attacker in the blink of an eye. With one hand, he yanked Tsunade up and dodged the assassin's blade mid-motion. Then, swinging his leg high with crushing force and lightning speed, he smashed his boot directly into the attacker's knee.
With a crisp crack like breaking sugarcane, the enemy staggered and crumpled. Before he could even process what was happening, his aggressive stance crumbled into a face-first collapse—a perfect textbook pratfall.
He lifted his head—only now realizing that another Konoha ninja had intercepted his strike.
Yet just as the enemy locked eyes on Haseo, the boy had already lifted his leg once more. Then he drove it down vertically in a brutal axe kick.
"I admire your courage," Haseo said. "Most ninjas wouldn't dare charge four opponents alone after being outnumbered and outpowered with their teammates dead."
Praising the man's bravery, Haseo showed zero hesitation as he stomped his foot down onto the enemy's head—fluid and elegant like a dragonfly skimming water. Yet this graceful motion carried immense force, smashing the foe's skull cleanly into the earth.
Haseo-chan Kick, Absolute Annihilation… A good enemy is a dead one—and only the dead deserve applause.
The Iwagakure ninja's final thought was: *I could've dodged that kick, but there's just no point.* And indeed, experience proved his instincts right—there truly was no point at all.
Although Haseo couldn't exactly be called experienced, he did have some battlefield experience, and certain things weren't hard to judge—considering the current squad structures of ninja from various nations, four-man teams were the most common. Therefore, he had been staying alert for a fourth enemy.
It would be best if there wasn't one, but if there was, he'd stay still and wait.
In the end, an enemy really did appear, though… Haseo had overthought it a bit. That Iwagakure ninja hadn't planned to take down all four Konoha ninjas at all. His only intention had been to snatch away one Konoha member, balance the score slightly, then retreat quickly.
"…Pfft." Jiraiya's excitement didn't stop in time, so even after Haseo finished his task, he was still unintentionally emitting the emergency distress signal.
After pausing briefly, he finally realized what just happened—had the enemy really come up from underground only to dive back into it?
Then came the question: what was the point of Haseo setting up such an emergency signal in the first place?
Or rather, did it serve any purpose other than messing with Orochimaru?
Looking at the enemy half-buried in the ground, Jiraiya felt somewhat sorry for him. He still remembered something Haseo said not long ago: "I've always got a soft spot—I just can't stand the sight of blood."
Well… brain matter isn't exactly blood, is it?
Jiraiya was full of complaints but didn't know where to start venting them. In truth, though, his concerns were completely off-topic…
Orochimaru kept staring at Haseo. Just like Jiraiya, he had sensed the enemy's movement, but he too had been powerless during the fight. Yet Haseo… since when had he become this strong?
"It seems improvement isn't something exclusive to myself alone."
This was what Orochimaru thought. Still, he held onto a bit of pride. Yet this very line of thinking itself was flawed—Konoha had countless ninjas, many of whom improved rapidly. Why did he think he was the only one?
What if he fought against Sakumo Hatake right now? Maybe he'd gain some perspective.
"Hey… if the danger has already passed, could you please put me down?" Tsunade, who had been slung lazily over Haseo's arm, started feeling self-conscious. Being carried like this felt awkward and undignified, so she hesitantly spoke up.
Luckily, Haseo's Lightning Release wasn't the kind that shocked people uncontrollably, or their close contact could've hurt Tsunade too…
Wait, something wasn't quite right—after putting her down, Haseo noticed Tsunade seemed barely able to walk, limping badly on one leg.
"It looks like you sprained your foot? That enemy was truly despicable, acting far too unexpectedly. Sorry, I might not have intervened in time enough," Haseo said.
"No, you reacted fast enough," Tsunade looked at Haseo, looking slightly pitiful. "Don't try dodging the issue. What does this have to do with the enemy? You're the one who accidentally ran into me when rushing over earlier."
Haseo's eyelid twitched slightly. He thought to himself that apparently Tsunade had sharp instincts—she'd figured out who was really at fault. Feeling awkward, he scratched the bridge of his nose. "Ah… sorry about that. I don't have much experience protecting others—I guess I'm not very professional at it."
The enemy was just too weak. Haseo was too hasty, so Tsunade ended up being accidentally injured.
Having struck his own ward, even someone as thick-skinned as Haseo couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"Are you hurt badly?" Seeing Tsunade injured, Jiraiya and Orochimaru rushed over.
"No, nothing serious. I think it's just a sprain," Tsunade replied.
Orochimaru remained silent. Though often considered sinister—and for good reason— he now began suspecting something more conspiratorial. He began to suspect Haseo did it on purpose… After all, if Tsunade got hurt, wouldn't that give them the perfect excuse to back off?
This clearly shows just how terrible Haseo's reputation was in Orochimaru's eyes.
P.S. I'm really hoping for your support this Monday! Unless something unexpected happens, I'll probably go live within these two weeks. I'll ask my editor for the exact date soon, so I hope you'll all keep voting and showing your support until launch!
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