For the Forest Senju, Konoha was merely an even larger forest. Ever since the passing of the Second Hokage, this ninja sect that founded the Hidden Leaf Village had chosen to integrate itself into its village in a more thorough and extreme way.
That the powerful Senju clan would make such a decision suggests that, in some ways, their current clan head is overly cautious and conservative—lacking ambition, honor, and driven instead by extraordinary patience.
Right after the death of the Second Hokage, the Senju changed like this. If you stood from the perspective of those who love a good show, you might say with indifference...
Yeah, every generation just keeps getting worse.
But how many people could even begin to understand the inner battle and pain she went through making that choice? She had already braced herself for immense pressure, public scrutiny, and relentless questioning. After all, no weak or cowardly person could possibly make such a decision... although she might seem completely different from both the First and the Second Hokage, deep inside, just like her predecessors, she possessed an unshakable and strong heart.
A soft tapping came from outside Haseo's room. It wasn't rushed, but its rhythm clearly urged whoever was inside to open the door quickly.
Haseo had slept well last night, so he had already woken up early this morning. As soon as he heard the knocking, he immediately walked toward the entrance. When he opened the door, he found Sansho, director of the Jinoyaku Welfare Center, standing outside.
"Put on these clothes, then follow me," Sansho said. Before Haseo could even greet her, Sansho swiftly handed him a small bundle and shut the door behind him.
Confused but not because of Sansho bringing him clothes—rather because of her unusual urgency at such an early hour when dawn had barely arrived—he unfolded the cloth-wrapped package. Inside were complete outfits including a top and shoes. He slipped off the hospital gown and changed into the new outfit. They were thick enough for the season, warm, made of tight yet elastic fabric. Regardless of style, they actually felt really comfortable to wear. The only odd part was the absence of the Hokage vest—it otherwise looked just like a ninja's combat uniform.
Actually, it wasn't just a lookalike.
After pulling out the clothes and shoes, he found two much smaller pouches at the bottom of the bundle. Opening them, he found four kunai inside the longer pouch, while the waist pouch was filled with countless shuriken, along with several kinds of pills neatly categorized into separate compartments… Clearly, all of these were tools used by ninjas.
Haseo, recalling how he had seen ninjas dress before, tied both pouches onto himself accordingly. After getting fully ready, he stepped out of his room again.
Sansho gave Haseo's new outfit a quick once-over, then simply nodded without saying anything. She motioned for him to follow and quickly walked off.
The situation must've been urgent. Haseo had no idea where he was headed next, but Sansho didn't leave him a chance to ask questions—so he just followed along quietly.
Soon enough, Sansho led Haseo into a circular building. He remembered this place should be Konoha's administrative center, where the Hokage handled official affairs. After arriving here, Sansho twisted and turned through several corridors before stopping at an office within an agency. They processed him quickly, and after a while, he stepped out holding a document bearing his name and an ID number: "001050."
"Sarutobi is currently reorganizing Konoha's forces, re-registering every ninja starting from himself and working down through the ranks with unique identification numbers." Noticing Haseo's puzzled expression as he stared at the paper, Sansho explained, "This policy has just been launched. For one thing, most ninjas are currently out on missions, so there aren't many in the village right now. And since we arrived early enough, we managed to secure a relatively low ID number. Still, you were slightly unlucky—you would've gotten a number under 1000 if your timing had been just a bit better."
Could Haseo, an outsider, really be included in the Acting Hokage's restructuring campaign for Konoha?
"Teacher Sansho, does that mean I've officially been registered as a full-fledged ninja?" Realizing what this meant, Haseo cautiously asked. Since he had already discovered that he possessed chakra, becoming a ninja wasn't something he necessarily minded… but still, everything felt too rushed.
What do you even call someone who becomes a ninja without any real ninja skills? If they sent him straight into battle now, what exactly would that make him?
That's called cannon fodder.
Haseo didn't mind becoming a ninja—but he certainly had issues being treated as mere cannon fodder.
"That's right," replied Sansho. "And starting now, you will join me to complete a mission together." Confirming precisely the worst-case scenario Haseo had imagined.
It was clearly an urgent mission. Even as they spoke, neither of them slowed their pace. It was still early, yet the streets of Konoha were already buzzing with activity before dawn. Soon, Sansho and Haseo reached the village's main gate.
There, a group of people awaited them.
"Is this everyone?" Sansho asked as she stepped forward with Haseo.
Before anyone answered, Haseo looked at two familiar faces among the crowd and gradually recognized them—Homura Mitokado and Kagami Uchiha.
He inwardly recoiled—he hadn't expected such veteran leaders to be part of this team.
Beyond those two elder figures, though, there stood another child behind them—a boy clearly no older than ten judging by his size alone. Dressed entirely in black, only his eyes were visible. This heavily concealed appearance reminded Haseo of the spy he'd seen outside his hospital room window two nights ago.
"Yes, Lady Sansho," Homura Mitokado stepped forward to respond.
"A reasonable plan. I represent the village's sincerity, while the two of you will handle the actual negotiation. As for the Genin boy..." Sansho glanced at the members participating in this mission before continuing, "in a way, his presence shows we're not coming with hostile intentions. He is our gesture of goodwill."
Although it was no rarity for young ninja to go to battle, who would bring along a child on a major combat operation? In that sense, her reasoning held some validity.
"Doesn't that make me pretty much superfluous? There's no need for me to participate at all," Haseo really wanted to ask. Except for him, this squad was already a standard four-man ninja team. So why had they brought along someone like him—a completely inexperienced rookie who can't even handle himself in a fight?
However, he didn't dare voice this thought. There was no room for him to interject here.
"Well then, since everything's ready, we can depart now."
"Sansho-sama, actually, there's no need for you to take this risk," Kagami Uchiha finally couldn't help but plead gently. Even now, he still hoped Sansho might change her mind.
Yet Sansho simply shook her head. "We are not going into battle, and there's no way we're changing the mission roster at this point."
"But today is…" Kagami Uchiha seemed eager to say more, yet his words were abruptly cut short by two sharp, decisive syllables.
"Let's go." With that, Sansho took the lead down the path leading out of the village.
Kagami Uchiha and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances, both clearly recognizing the bitter smile behind the other's expression before reluctantly falling into step behind her.
Behind them, the village of Konoha grew ever more restless…
It wasn't just because this mission was dangerous—it was because today marked the funeral of The Second Hokage, a leader long dead whose remains hadn't even been recovered.
No matter what, Sansho should have remained in the village.
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