Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

"Sensei Sansho, the matter regarding the Uchiha has been resolved within the village. Soon, we ninja who were urgently recalled back to Konoha will return to the front line again..."

Haseo once again arrived at Konoha's Relief Infirmary to update Sansho on the situation and bid her farewell a second time.

"Hm, I've already heard about these arrangements. When are you planning to leave?" Sansho asked. She had already learned of the village's general plan but hadn't yet found out the specifics of Haseo's personal schedule.

"Probably within the next couple of days. The front-line situation changes rapidly. The Hokage would naturally want more forces under his direct command," Haseo replied. Despite being in Konoha, it wasn't hard for him to guess what was happening at the front. Sunagakure had launched a surprise attack on Konoha's base, destroying the command headquarters and eliminating Kagami Uchiha.

"Wars..."

The war continued, with no end in sight. Though Sansho followed intelligence reports from the front every day, for her, the conflict felt both close and distant—familiar yet foreign, hazy yet vivid.

She herself had never set foot onto the battlefield.

"Just stay safe while you're at the front."

"I understand, Sensei Sansho."

That kind of advice doesn't really mean much on the battlefield—nobody can stay perfectly safe out there anyway. Still, Haseo took his simple leave of Sansho, and the next day left the village behind once again, returning to the Konoha front line.

By that time, after several days' effort, the Third Hokage had reorganized the front-line camp, rebuilt the command structure, and with constant reinforcements arriving, the number of ninja on the front line had not only recovered but also surpassed six thousand. In terms of numbers, morale, and nearly every other aspect, the Konoha frontline encampment was fully prepared for large-scale combat operations.

"It's such incredible news that all of you are still alive."

Back at the front, Haseo reunited with the three other members of his squad. Fortunately, none of them had perished during the earlier enemy assault. After their time apart, rather than feeling distant from them, Haseo now felt a sense of familiarity he hadn't realized he missed.

Perhaps they had even become more in tune with each other.

"Actually, we should be the ones saying that, Haseo," said Nagisa Nara. "You suddenly vanished that morning. For a while, we really thought you'd died in the Suna attack. Only the next day did we find out you weren't dead—you'd simply been sent back to the village for a special assignment."

"It's good to see you again too, since for ninja, any parting could potentially be permanent. Just seeing each other alive and well is reason enough to be happy."

"What exactly happened in the village? Has your special mission concluded?" Chichio continued, asking further questions.

"Chichio, if the captain says it's a special mission, we shouldn't ask questions out of respect for confidentiality," Renjiro tried to hold Chichio back, though the expression on his face clearly showed that he was equally curious about Haseo's previous mission.

"Sorry, I asked without thinking," Chichio said. She hadn't intended to overstep any boundaries.

"It's fine. My mission has already concluded. It wasn't anything particularly significant—I just caught a glimpse of Konoha's shadowed underbelly. Now that internal affairs in the village have stabilized, there's no need for everyone to dwell on it," Haseo explained.

However, that was as far as his explanation could go. He couldn't disclose any further details.

"Haseo, you're back at just the right time. The Hokage has reestablished the command system at the Front Line. The chain of command has been clarified and reorganized. We've now been assigned to the Hokage's direct division. If there are operations in the future, this squad might receive orders straight from the Hokage himself," Nara smoothly shifted the topic, preventing the group from lingering too much on Haseo's classified mission.

"What exactly happened? Explain specifically."

...

"Some criticized him for hesitating and indecisiveness due to his 'inaction' during the attack incident. Others now accuse him of seeking quick success and personal glory because of this counterattack plan. When someone wants to blame another person, they will always find corresponding reasons.

Ultimately, people can only view problems based on their own perspectives and positions. No matter how narrow-minded those views are, the big-picture decisions from above are often misunderstood. Is this what our mentor, the Second Hokage, went through... Should the Hokage consider every factor thoroughly and weigh all pros and cons before making decisions, or should he stay true to himself, acting decisively and firmly?"

In these past few days, the newly appointed Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had endured heavy criticism. Being in that position and experiencing current events naturally brought immense pressure upon him.

After all, he was still a young Hokage without experience managing the entire village from such a high position. So, once he took office, he couldn't help but mimic the Second Hokage's methods... In Hiruzen's heart, both the First and Second Hokages held an extremely revered status.

However, by now he had finally understood a simple truth... He was neither the First nor the Second Hokage, so "imitation" would not work. He had to think independently and act according to his own style.

Whether it was criticism or misunderstanding, the Hokage naturally needed to listen to voices from all directions—but he mustn't easily allow himself to be swayed by them. He must make decisive choices, and often, those decisions could only be made by him alone.

The term "Hokage" itself was strange—a combination of "fire" and "shadow," which both complement and oppose each other like two extremes. So then—what exactly is a Hokage?

Such thoughts had once troubled Sarutobi, but they wouldn't trouble him forever.

The day after Haseo returned to the Front Line, the entire Konoha base suddenly sprang into motion. Thousands of ninja were mobilized simultaneously, signaling Konoha's clear intent to launch an offensive.

Following Sunagakure's surprise attack, the Hokage's chosen response was to push the entire Konoha frontline forward directly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's unwavering resolve suddenly turned the tide of war between Konoha and Sunagakure.

"The Third, isn't this somewhat a high-risk gamble?" Haseo remarked. By now, the pre-battle tension had built up sufficiently, and he was carefully inspecting his equipment piece by piece.

Haseo's squad was in a makeshift tent that doubled as their resting area. They all shared one tent—no separation by gender. Conditions at the Front Line were like this; minor inconveniences had to be endured.

"Sunagakure has taken control of the battlefield right now," Nara explained. "Rather than hesitating endlessly and letting Sand turn a short-term gain into a decisive, unbreakable advantage, we should strike back hard before that happens. If it really turns into an all-out war, nobody can say who'll win. They'd never expect us to bounce back this fast either."

"Mm, makes sense," Haseo said.

Not just here on the Front Line—Sand probably didn't think Konoha could sort out its internal mess so fast either. If they did plan some conspiracy in Konoha, it's already been foiled.

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