Black Cat stood up from the "mat" it had been lying on, then shook its body vigorously, producing a series of soft crackling sounds.
It had chosen that item as its mat last night because it liked the color—it made sense since they were both pitch black. However, this meant Black Cat hadn't slept well all night long.
For one thing, Black Cat was a furry mammal, and placing a silk fabric beneath itself in the presence of the omnipotent Ninja God and Tesla above them all inevitably caused static electricity to build up. And for another… Well, actually, there wasn't really anything else.
Haseo always maintained human sleeping habits, but today he felt like he would need to catch up on sleep during the day.
Haseo was woken up by that electrically charged cat. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a pillow covered in golden hair—and behind it, Tsunade, still sound asleep. The space was quite tight, so they could only lie on their sides facing each other.
A bit of drool hung at the corner of Tsunade's mouth, giving her an oddly childish and cute look; clearly, she had fallen into a deep slumber.
This side of her wasn't often seen—it seemed that even when not beating anyone up, Tsunade remained conscious of her own image.
Haseo gently brushed away some stray strands from her face, then tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Finally, he placed his palm against her cheek, his fingers gently caressing her earlobe.
Tsunade's face flushed pink, her arm wrapping around Haseo's back as she nuzzled her forehead against his shoulder. Her entire body slightly curled inward, pushing his hand away and halting his mischievous act.
Well, ninjas are always particularly… sensitive. Agile, yes.
Haseo chuckled softly. This must have been what he meant last night by "reality"—having Tsunade beside him made him feel as if his life was truly complete.
Alright, that was just romantic embellishment spoken by someone lost in emotion.
At its most intense, he felt like someone who'd willingly die on another's lap without a single regret—and that's exactly how it felt.
"I'm heading over to see the Third Hokage now, Tsunade. Want to rest a bit longer?"
"Mm, rest a bit longer…"
The sleepy laziness in the young woman's voice sounded blurred and carried a unique charm.
"You're like a cat."
Yes, just like a cat—exceptionally adorable.
Then…
Black Cat perked up its ears, "WTF?"
Tsunade = cat = cute, Black Cat = cat = meat stock? There was a logical issue here!
At this moment, Black Cat couldn't help but contemplate deeply—if humans found cats so lovable, why had Haseo never considered it cute before, instead constantly threatening to cook it in a hot pot? Its entire worldview as a cat had been overturned.
So it turned out that all humans were double-standard dogs.
Under Black Cat's gaze filled with grievance, Haseo tidied himself up a bit before leaving home.
By now, it was already quite late.
When Haseo arrived at the Hokage's office, he found the Third Hokage sitting alone silently smoking, wearing an unusually quiet expression.
How else could it be described?
The kids are such a headache. Jiraiya, who refuses to go home even during holidays, Tsunade, who's gotten mixed up with Haseo, a troublesome figure, and… Orochimaru, who has his eyes set on the Nine-Tails.
They were so cute back then—now look at them. The Third Hokage is pretty sure it's because they've been picking up some of Haseo's bad vibes.
Think about it—when Tsunade was little…
Uhh, when Orochimaru was little…
Wait, when Jiraiya was young…
Okay, fine—they were all a bit of troublemakers as kids. The Third Hokage decided not to kid himself—it wouldn't be fair to place all the blame solely on Haseo.
"Hokage-sama…" Haseo paused, then continued after receiving a nod from the Third Hokage. "Hokage-sama, regarding Orochimaru's matter, has he already discussed it with you?"
"He did mention it, but I'm still weighing the pros and cons of this decision."
Haseo nodded, then said, "Orochimaru also asked for my opinion, and in principle, I support this decision… If Orochimaru truly wishes for this, it can't really be considered a bad thing. Eventually, someone must become the jinchuriki here in Konoha. I believe Hokage-sama isn't partial toward certain individuals."
Indeed, just because Orochimaru is the Third Hokage's disciple—someone personally raised under the Hokage's watchful eye—doesn't mean he should get special treatment. Becoming a jinchuriki should be seen as a sacrifice; therefore, there shouldn't be a situation where other ninja can make sacrifices while the Hokage's disciple cannot… Hmm, the implication in Haseo's words seemed to indicate this applied only to male disciples of the Hokage, excluding female ones.
Still, the Third remained silent.
"The Nine-Tails Splitting Plan aims to enhance control and utilization of tailed beast power. It's a measure that directly strengthens Konoha's combat capabilities. One day, Konoha may even have eight jinchuriki existing simultaneously… Once the Nine-Tails' power gets equally divided, to a significant extent, it becomes controllable power. Therefore, I don't think Hokage-sama needs to worry about whether Orochimaru can handle the Nine-Tails," Haseo continued.
Ninja who, like the Sannin, summon large summoned beasts are certainly ninja with abundant chakra reserves. This includes Haseo himself. Without sufficient chakra, one wouldn't be able to pull such massive beings through spatial passages from distant summoning realms… With such a strong chakra foundation, combined with sealing assistance, there's potential to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra.
After all, the current Nine-Tails is far from its full power.
Orochimaru giving advance notice made sense—Haseo indeed wanted to speak in his favor… He especially supported such a bold initiative.
"That's not what I meant. They won't receive special treatment just because they're my disciples. It's just… Orochimaru is somewhat special. Many times, even I can't figure out his intentions," the Third Hokage shook his head.
Please. Wasn't that exactly the problem? Think about it carefully—if someone could keep viewing a mad scientist as one of Konoha's potential successors, how good could his judgment really be?
It's the same with every parent, isn't it?
"Being a Jinchuriki isn't any different from holding leadership—you can do both."
Haseo mumbled under his breath.
Some of the Hidden Village Kages themselves were Jinchuriki. So even if Orochimaru became the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, it wouldn't prevent him from remaining a candidate for Hokage.
"Parents always struggle to say no to their kids' requests, especially when the kid wants a toy."
The Third Hokage shot Haseo a sidelong glance, wondering what exactly Orochimaru had promised this man to keep earning his support.
"Yeah, unless she brings a boyfriend home."
Haseo flinched slightly, then shot back immediately, "Her father passed away years ago, and even when he was still alive, he held me in high regard."
You're just her teacher, not her real father... That's essentially what Haseo implied.
Who knows how the man truly felt about Haseo? With him gone, there's no way to tell—it's all just speculation now.
Any favor the late man showed Haseo stemmed mostly from Tsunade's mother's influence; his personal feelings for Haseo mattered little in comparison.
"I understand your position. I'll give this matter serious thought."
The Third Hokage waved his hand, indicating that Haseo could leave now.
With that, the conversation came to an end.
Out of sight, out of mind — the perfect way to describe it.
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