Everyone knew war was cruel, yet that didn't stop it from appearing highly "ritualistic" at its outset. The so-called "grim poetry of war" wasn't entirely absent.
Life or death, loyalty to the village, and the Will of Fire—weren't these always enough to justify war?
Yet every ninja who had set out full of ambition and pride eventually became numb amid slaughter. Moreover, behind the very concept of "setting out to battle," there were always all sorts of internal bureaucratic disputes among the higher-ups.
Because of the rapidly deteriorating relations between Konoha and Mist, Haseo now commanded a properly organized military force. To guarantee the provisions for this army, he engaged in prolonged and cordial discussions with the two Konoha Elders.
To Haseo, many things could be negotiated, but some matters simply weren't open to compromise. He bore responsibility for over a thousand lives, so how could he possibly accept delayed or insufficient supplies?
The Eastern Front battlefield differed from the Western one. Konoha naturally prioritized the "tri-nation rivalry" on the Western Front, which Haseo fully understood. Even so, while the East might be considered a secondary battlefield, its logistical support absolutely couldn't become secondary.
Plus, those two Elders might have made a mistake—they might have confused strategic secondary status with operational inferiority. Therefore, their decision came across either as stubborn idiocy or deliberate provocation.
Fortunately, after firmly defending his position, Haseo successfully corrected their mistaken judgment.
After all, Haseo was a very reasonable person. If reason failed with these two, then he would've gone straight to the Third Hokage. If even the Third Hokage wouldn't listen, then he'd explain everything to his own thousand ninja, letting them know clearly that if they faced shortages of weapons, food, or medicine during combat, it definitely wouldn't be Haseo's fault.
It was the higher-ups who chose to double the supply cycle for this front compared to the other.
So... every grievance has its culprit, and every burden its bearer.
Such issues could easily lead frontline ninja to lose trust in Konoha's leadership. With Haseo leading a thousand rank-and-file ninja, did the Elders really have room to bargain?
Once he clearly laid out these points, the Elders suddenly became much more understanding. After all, weren't they comrades fighting together for Konoha's bright future? As long as their fundamental purposes aligned, any issue could be discussed openly and honestly.
Anyway, whatever supply distribution standard applied to the Western Front would also apply to the Eastern one.
With this provision settled, other minor issues quickly got resolved as well. Meanwhile, the reinforcements bound for the Eastern Front had already assembled. They proceeded forward in three separate waves toward the frontline.
Thus, once all of Haseo's affairs in Konoha were finalized, he would depart shortly.
However, the trio of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had departed earlier. After all, they had only been urgently recalled to receive the Third Hokage's instructions and did not have any actual duties here.
Given their positions, remaining away from the Front Line for too long without justification would inevitably draw criticism; considering their influence among ninja, they needed to return as soon as possible... The main reason they could stay in Konoha for a few days was because of Tsunade's injuries.
Once her chakra exhaustion symptoms subsided, she performed self-healing to mend her severely fractured leg. Thus, they returned to the Western Front battlefield ahead of Haseo, a place that saw particularly fierce combat.
The peace within Konoha was merely a brief respite; though sweet, that harmony lasted only momentarily.
Nowadays, war is the dominant theme in this world.
Tsunade and her companions made their way through Konoha's streets toward the village gate. At this point, she released the Black Cat she had been holding in her arms, then waved toward a certain direction behind her.
Orochimaru followed suit by narrowing his eyes toward the distance, lost in philosophical contemplation... What exactly is romantic affection between men and women? Is it based on genetic imperatives tied to species propagation, social mimicry or pressures accumulated across generations, or is it simply hormonal endocrine reactions?
In short, this also seems like one path toward researching, pursuing, and tracing the origins of life itself. Therefore, Orochimaru had discovered a new research topic. Hmm, he could secretly observe, record, summarize, and eventually reach conclusions.
The scientist immersed himself in his own thoughts while instinctively reaching into his ninja pouch to pull out a notebook.
But right then...
"Just shut up. Don't think I don't know what you're going to say."
Jiraiya's sudden reprimand caught Orochimaru off guard, making him flinch involuntarily.
Read... my mind?
But the thing is, I haven't even said anything, right? Thoughts themselves shouldn't be crimes... Even Orochimaru felt slightly wronged for the first time in his life.
But Jiraiya was young too, and now looked genuinely resentful.
People are like that—for instance, someone who has never even been in love might still experience a heartbreak-like illusion now and then.
Fortunately, despite being a notorious pervert, Jiraiya essentially had principles—he qualified as quite principled, given that perverts without standards in current circumstances would certainly be beaten to death.
After a brief farewell, the three turned around and exited the village.
The Black Cat crouched right in the center of Konoha's main gate. Once the trio had gradually moved far away and completely vanished from sight, it flicked its tail, stretched lazily, then darted deeper back into the village.
Within just two or three days, rumors began circulating in the village about "eyewitness accounts" claiming that the granddaughter of the First Hokage and disciple of the Third, Tsunade-sama, had been seen running through alleys carried on the back of a strange man.
The rumors underwent a qualitative change within 24 hours, evolving from simply meeting with her boyfriend to returning to the village for marriage, then to giving birth in the village, and finally reaching the stage where she had come back specifically to check on their newborn child out of worry while stationed at the Front Line.
Honestly speaking, although such rumors were not significant enough to influence the overall situation, they could already be considered serious defamation. However, those busybodies didn't care about that. They always loved spreading rumors—especially ones involving noble women.
At least it helped relieve some wartime tension.
Black Cat bounded across the rooftops of Konoha. The more it ran, the higher it climbed, until finally reaching the Hokage Cliffs. With a few quick leaps, it landed upon the shoulder of someone standing here.
Haseo stood here, watching Tsunade and others depart. Specifically, he stood atop the head of the Third on the Hokage Cliffs.
After all, the First and Second were senior predecessors; stepping directly on their heads seemed rather impolite.
Haseo reached out to scratch under Black Cat's chin and said, "How about I quit and join the battle at the Western Front? It actually seems like a pretty decent job… After all, the Western Front battlefield is crucial, and I should be able to help."
Black Cat rolled its eyes. It refused to acknowledge Haseo's monologue, not even bothering with a meow.
"Okay… seems kind of inappropriate actually."
If he knew it was inappropriate, why say it?
"The green water plants sway temptingly beneath the soft mud; in the gentle waves of the Cam — oh how I'd love to be a single blade of water grass..."
He murmured softly under his breath, then turned and left.
This made Black Cat's ears instantly perk up — it had been trying to get more cultured lately.
Reciting… poetry?
But where was this "Cam"? Konoha hadn't heard of such a river before.
With a cat's brain capacity, it simply couldn't understand.
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