Haseo led the final group of around fifty remaining members out of Konoha—again.
He could probably be considered a commander with one of the shortest intervals between expeditions—and already departing again.
This final group personally led by Haseo mainly consisted of various logistics, support, and medical specialists—as well as ninja trained in other niche fields.
The larger the scale of the Front Line grew, the more complex and extensive its required support became. So when the number of his ninja increased from over a hundred to just over a thousand, it truly tested Haseo's command capabilities.
Although he couldn't remember how many years ago it was, he had once played many real-time strategy and war simulation games. But that was still many years in the past, and truthfully speaking, he'd been quite the armchair gamer back then.
Such experience seemed practically useless now.
When theory met no real-world experience, the result was almost always the same—the base would blow up.
Therefore, rather than just thinking more carefully, Haseo now leaned heavily on the battlefield experience he'd gained over the years.
Among the ninja accompanying him on their journey now were several types he rarely interacted with—they were a small squad of Uchiha.
Since Kagami Uchiha, Haseo had only undertaken one or two missions related to the Uchiha, or had worked together with them briefly. Thus, he hadn't really had much interaction with this currently most renowned and powerful ninja sect within Konoha.
Precisely because they lacked any prior connection, Haseo himself had no particularly strong feelings toward the Uchiha clan—neither positive nor negative. If there were Uchiha among his subordinates, all he required was for them to fulfill the standard duties of a ninja. That alone would suffice.
Such a requirement shouldn't seem too excessive.
In Konoha, Haseo had worked most closely with the Senju before—but now, it was the Uzumaki with whom he was most deeply connected. As for the Uchiha... frankly speaking, even if they still had issues, they should belong to the generations of his grandchildren—it might well be that by then, he'd already been peacefully resting underground.
Of course, Haseo always paid attention to major problems—he needed accomplishments throughout his life. However, the Uchiha issue he cared about pertained to the elder generation, rather than focusing on petty concerns regarding descendants.
Konoha still had its share of backstabbers and schemers, so some things were just inevitable.
Still, even if the unfortunate Uchiha encountered another tragedy, it wouldn't be something that concerned Haseo much—compared to the great ninja villages, although Konoha had some impressive slogans, relationships between ninjas had always remained quite cold.
What they called "bonds" were nothing more than small-scale connections between specific individuals...
These so-called "bonds" were limited to personal relationships—they couldn't hide the larger truth that ninjas were tools, used and treated as such across the board.
As far as Haseo was concerned, there were only two people he truly cared about—Kagenami and Tsunade.
"Commander, I noticed you've been watching us for a while. Is there anything wrong with us or something worth paying special attention to?"
When the squad paused briefly for rest midway, the captain of the Uchiha squad asked Haseo with curiosity… No wonder they were known for their resilient minds and perceptive eyes. Haseo had merely glanced at them a few times while thinking about something else, yet still got noticed.
The 'Uchiwa' clan symbol on the backs of Uchiha ninja was particularly eye-catching, even more noticeable than the Konoha emblem in the middle of the forehead protectors they wore… It was as if emphasizing that they were Uchiha ninja first, before being Konoha ninja.
Zooming out a bit, this clearly showed a form of isolationism—a lack of unity and belonging to Konoha as a whole.
It might seem like overthinking, but if Haseo were the Hokage or part of Konoha's leadership, he wouldn't exactly approve of this kind of attitude… Subjective impressions were usually drawn very casually anyway.
Yet these easily formed impressions could imperceptibly influence many important judgments.
Konoha had numerous minor and major ninja sects; so far, most still retained their own clan emblems. From what Haseo had seen, though, only the Uchiha seemed to proudly display theirs openly on their uniforms.
Other clans generally used their emblems only within the clan itself, opting for the Konoha symbol when in public. Even the Uzumaki clan did the same… Now that the Uzumaki still exist, there's no need for the village to commemorate them ostentatiously anymore, so up until now, the standard uniforms of Konoha ninja don't feature the Uzumaki emblem as a necessity.
As for the Uchiha clan, they always took pride in their Sharingan and their origins.
Haseo took two seconds to process before realizing the ninja was referring to him with the title "Commander Lord."
Such an address felt rather awkward indeed, but it didn't matter much. The other party had taken on an official demeanor, and Haseo had no objections; this actually made communication easier.
"It's nothing really. Although we're both ninja of Konoha, I haven't interacted much with the Uchiha clan before, so I was just curious… I'm just wondering whether all of you have awakened your eyes?" Haseo said like that.
Though the question bordered on personal, Haseo was the commander, after all, and had every right to ask about his subordinates' combat capabilities… Moreover, he hadn't asked about any secret techniques hidden inside their Sharingan, so his question wasn't probing into anything critical.
"Yes, Commander Lord. We are all ninja who can utilize the Sharingan, or else both our clan and the village wouldn't specially assign us to the Eastern Front," one Uchiha ninja replied.
Clan… village… Hmm…
Smiling slightly, Haseo nodded, "That's good. From what I know, the chance of awakening the Sharingan seems quite low, so your abilities will surely prove useful at the front lines."
It was just empty politeness, though. In reality, Haseo didn't have high hopes for the Sharingan's abilities. Compared to having an additional squad of Uchiha ninja under his command, he would much rather have a squad of Hyuga ninja instead.
Even though this squad of Uchiha Ninja could all use the Sharingan, at best they only had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Could they really hope someone among them possessed a Mangekyō?
To someone of Haseo's caliber, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was hardly anything impressive. In fact, his fighting style was precisely the kind that countered the Sharingan—but they were not enemies.
"Commander, maybe you're not very familiar with the power of the Uchiha, but please believe me, the Sharingan will definitely show you something that'll blow your mind," another Uchiha ninja remarked.
He wasn't trying to sound arrogant. After all, Haseo was his direct superior; there was a clear distinction between respect and inferiority. Yet some inherent traits would naturally surface regardless.
Haseo blinked, then replied somewhat seriously, "You're speaking to me like this even knowing exactly who I am?"
Setting strength aside, Haseo held himself to an impossibly high standard. To be specific, he even looked down upon his own abilities, so he was genuinely curious how this ninja intended to impress him.
Would betraying everything and defecting to the enemy right now shock him?
Well, that might indeed make Haseo's jaw drop in shock.
Although Haseo admittedly lacked knowledge about certain aspects of the Uchiha, there were other areas where his understanding surpassed even most Uchiha clansmen.
The power of the Sharingan—how mysterious.
Never mind those visions from the future inside Haseo's head; more than ten years ago, he had witnessed Kagami Uchiha's final battle, and afterward was recalled to the village specifically to carry out missions targeting the Uchiha clan… If back then, the conflict between the Uchiha and the village had erupted fully, by now Haseo's hands would have already been stained with Uchiha blood.
So, the attitude this Uchiha ninja was showing right now…
It was interesting, to say the least.
"Yes… Konoha Jonin, Supreme Commander of the Eastern Front, Lord Haseo Yu."
Well, clearly, the other party fully understood Haseo's identity.
"Then okay, since you're so confident about yourselves, I just have one question.
I've heard tales about the terrifying power of the Uchiha's dōjutsu and genjutsu, so tell me… can your Sharingan control a Tailed Beast?
I know for a fact that in the past, members of the Uchiha clan could do such things—not just one or two, but easily and effortlessly."
"…"
For some reason, this proud Uchiha ninja found himself momentarily speechless.
Therefore, Haseo shrugged his shoulders—what use was there in talking about eye techniques that couldn't even control a Tailed Beast?
It wasn't that Haseo was underestimating the Uchiha—it was that *they* underestimated their own ancestors. They didn't even know the true limits of the Sharingan, yet presumed they had already reached that peak themselves.
Even if one could copy a thousand different jutsu—was that truly impressive?
Why was it that when the ancestor of the Uchiha was resurrected, although he highly valued the Uchiha name, he treated the actual Uchiha clan with utter disregard?
Disappointment really can be a powerful thing indeed.
However... Setting aside the fact that Haseo's words carried an air of trying to steal the spotlight, there seemed to be some major plan subtly implied within his statement.
P.S. Monthly summary:
1. I was supposed to update 90 chapters according to plan, but looks like I only got around to updating about 75 chapters. Progress has stalled, and none of the vote counts are going up either. I've lost motivation, so I've become somewhat lazy. The good news is that the average chapter length has increased significantly—I guess you could call it a second growth spurt.
2. I tried paid-only chapters this month. Honestly, they were surprisingly effective, which is kind of hard to understand. However, they're exhausting. As long as there aren't Zero-level accounts spewing nonsense, it's better to keep such activities to a minimum.
3. Not a single recommendation spot the entire month. Sigh...
4. 2019 went by without anything to show for it. I've already started fearing New Year's.
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