On the Konoha side.
When the Eastern Front had been overrun earlier, the entire village became tense. But now, with new reports coming in, the gloom seemed to have vanished entirely.
For most civilians and some reserve ninja—those ninja who remained behind in Konoha—the details of how the war was unfolding weren't important. What mattered were the results: victory or defeat. If they even knew who had led them to this victory, that was already impressive enough.
In any case, after this battle, Haseo's image among the people of Konoha became more vivid than ever. His reputation had risen even higher… From a slight distance, it was easy to see him as someone truly worthy of admiration—Lord Haseo indeed.
Up close? It wasn't so simple.
Frankly speaking, this was no longer something that could be described as "over-glorification." Rather, Haseo was heading toward becoming a "legend."
Leading only a small group of battered troops to easily defeat Mist forces with an overwhelming advantage—such an almost impossible feat came naturally to Haseo. This kind of achievement seemed surreal, clearly separating him from "ordinary ninja."
The tide of war shifted far too quickly. The newly gained victory carried a touch of legend, so for the past few days, all of Konoha had been buzzing about the battles on the Eastern Front—and all things Haseo.
The war was right on Konoha's doorstep—but felt worlds away.
Only by stepping onto the battlefield could one truly understand what this war was really about.
Moreover, regardless of individual circumstances, both Konoha ninja judged ready for combat—and even those considered unfit—would soon find themselves sent to the battlefield.
On the Kagenami front, Uzumaki Shikou was making arrangements to send younger ninja to the battlefield.
"Right now, Konoha is under extreme pressure for manpower, and as time passes, this pressure will keep increasing. Going to the battlefield now has one advantage: your position can still be arranged with some flexibility. But later on, everything will become mandatory.
Getting used to the atmosphere of battle now is actually a good idea. It's definitely better than being thrown straight into the harshest fighting later. At the very least, you'll have an easier time adjusting.
You might be itching to prove yourselves on the battlefield, but… it won't be anything like what you imagine."
Shikou was lecturing Kushina and Kakashi.
Faced with these two—one a seasoned veteran, the other still a youth—the pair always stood respectfully and quietly, barely daring to speak above a whisper in her presence. Especially Kushina. Though she often acted casually in front of Haseo, she would never dare do the same in front of Shikou.
"Lady Shikou," Kushina asked obediently, though her eyes betrayed a clear eagerness to get into action. "Because of the previous defeat and the follow-up conflict, I think the Eastern Front currently has the worst personnel shortage among all of Konoha's battlefields. So will we be sent east next?"
"Lord Haseo will certainly benefit from my presence there."
Her suggestion was sound in theory... but then again, if Lord Haseo had wanted her by his side, he wouldn't have excluded her from the group right from the start.
Uzumaki Shikou shook her head. "The Eastern Front truly lacks personnel badly, yet precisely because of this, only a major reinforcement effort can restore balance. How much difference could just one or two additional fighters possibly make?
More importantly, since Lord Haseo himself hasn't requested reinforcements, he must surely have his own plans.
As for you two... you'll be heading to the Northern Front next, where Sakumo Hatake currently is."
Kushina is a Jinchuriki; stepping onto the battlefield naturally carries some risk. However, given other villages rarely deploy their Jinchuriki in battle, she might unexpectedly prove useful under special circumstances.
From Konoha's perspective, Jinchuriki fall into the category of "we have what others don't"... after all, other villages' Jinchuriki are practically nonexistent at the moment.
And speaking from a harsher, more pragmatic perspective... at present, Konoha can bear the loss of a single Jinchuriki.
"Although Konoha's overall strategy involves resisting Sand, Rock, and Cloud from both the Western and Northern Fronts, ultimately the Northern Front, where Third Hokage resides, bears greater pressure. It's more appropriate for you two to go there."
While these words made sense, the deeper reason lay in sending Kakashi and Kushina closer to Sakumo Hatake—a powerful ally indeed.
In the midst of this turbulent battlefield, ninja like Sakumo Hatake were among the few you could fully trust.
"Do you understand? Prepare yourselves; you'll depart in a few days."
"We understand, Lady Shikou."
Kushina knew she had no room for negotiation, so she agreed immediately.
As for Kakashi, he nodded shortly afterward.
Shikou believed that if they were definitely going to the battlefield, sooner was better than suddenly facing the cruelest scenes unprepared. Growth comes through trials, but they must be steps, not leaps; when the first step feels like a mountain, it's no longer a test—it's a burden.
Uzumaki Shikou truly had the best interests of the younger generation at heart. However, she didn't yet know that during this great war, "smooth progression" didn't actually exist.
...
After achieving an unfathomable victory and repeatedly showcasing what could only be described as superhuman combat prowess, Haseo's command authority and control over the Eastern Front ninjas ceased being questioned.
Although many still felt puzzled about the small-scale incursion into the Land of Water, they willingly obeyed Haseo's orders, eagerly anticipating another miracle... essentially cause and effect: Haseo had already led them this way once before. Even though they returned midway last time, their mental preparation this time was absolutely genuine.
So now, if Haseo was going to attack the Land of Water again, most people didn't really react much.
Going to fight against Kirigakure in the Land of Water? Let's go, let's do it—that was basically everyone's attitude. They were starting to adapt to Haseo's ways faster than anyone expected—and it almost felt like they'd been helplessly dragged along.
It was almost as if they'd been "doomedly assimilated."
The invasion of the Land of Water would truly happen—no compromises, no half measures.
Haseo's plan was soon put into action. He set off leading more than seven hundred Konoha shinobi… though the phrase "Seven Hundred Shinobi of Konoha" sounded slightly ominous. Anyway, Haseo led over seven hundred shinobi from Konoha, departing from the Land of Fire's coastline, crossing the sea, and charging toward the Land of Water.
They didn't even encounter any resistance along the way. Across the vast ocean surface, there wasn't even a sign of a large-scale team from Kirigakure. There was absolutely no reason for their movements not to be detected by Kirigakure's scout ninjas during their approach to the Land of Water.
Even until Haseo and his ninja landed successfully and unimpeded on the shores of the Land of Water, Kirigakure's large squads still hadn't appeared.
"Tell me, if we charge straight for the Water Daimyo's castle and make it look like we're wiping him out completely, what do you think Mist's reaction would be? Kinda curious, aren't you?"
After quietly and swiftly landing, Haseo casually asked his surrounding ninja.
"Lord Haseo… this seems against the rules. Bypassing Ninja Villages to directly attack a country's Daimyo is a serious violation of the unwritten laws of the Ninjutsu World." Hiashi Hyuga immediately tried to stop him.
Daimyos were important, but ultimately ordinary humans. Bypassing the Ninja Villages and attacking them directly? That would be highly inappropriate. If Konoha did that, others could just follow suit and strike at the Fire Daimyo too.
Or maybe that was exactly what Lord Haseo intended—he really had it out for Daimyos?
"I get it, I get it—I was just kidding. Let's keep pushing forward toward Kirigakure—it's a route I know all too well.
Kirigakure surprisingly managed to hold back their response—but let's see how long they can last."
Of course, Kirigakure wouldn't last long when Konoha's forces were already within the Land of Water.
Sure enough, after traveling only a short distance forward, Konoha's army ran headfirst into Kirigakure's defensive line.
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