Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

After subduing a few brats and giving them an impromptu "ideological lecture," Haseo felt significantly refreshed.

But just like he had said, no matter how serious his words seemed, it was really just a joke. A person's thoughts, actions, the formation of their worldview and values—these things could never be simply influenced by a third party... Especially for someone like Orochimaru or Jiraiya, who already possessed strong personality tendencies, such influence was even less likely.

This had nothing to do with their age.

Hadn't the Third Hokage been drilling the Will of Fire into Orochimaru's ears since he was a kid? Yet the latter never became a true successor to Konoha; instead, he only sank further into his own world.

Therefore, if the Third Hokage couldn't accomplish such a task, there was no way Haseo could either. In fact, he didn't even have the slightest intention of trying to change anyone. The jokes were just that—jokes. Words alone couldn't change anything; they carried no weight and left no impact… Well, even though that might not entirely be true, at least Haseo understood that what he said would never carry enough persuasion to truly convince anyone.

Right now, he couldn't even handle his own matters properly, let alone care about others.

Originally, Haseo had wanted to ask Sansho something, but after a bit of delay, it simply didn't seem worth pursuing anymore. Plus, Sansho was busy reporting village affairs to the Third Hokage, so Haseo decided to drop it for now.

He came back with nothing to show for it. Honestly, he was starting to act like some nosy neighbor who couldn't mind their own business.

The next day, his teammates finally returned from Konoha.

"You all successfully got promoted to chunin?" Haseo asked his teammates.

Looking at them, he could clearly see why the Third Hokage rotated front-line ninja back to the village for rest. After spending a few days in Konoha, Nagisa Nara and the others clearly looked better mentally than before… And that was only because they came back to handle promotion formalities—not actual vacation.

"Yeah, it was pretty much a done deal from the start while we were still out there on the front line. Coming back was just filling out the paperwork anyway," Nagisa replied affirmatively. For them, it wasn't really a success as much as it was something that had never carried any risk of failure.

After all, this time they hadn't encountered another favor-currying case like Haseo before, so their promotions had gone very smoothly.

Then, Nara and others started showing concern for Haseo's physical condition. After all, it was due to illness that Haseo hadn't returned to Konoha with them. However, since they'd come back before hearing anything official, all they knew was some sketchy rumors… But at the very least, judging from Chichio's account of the Medical Ninja's serious demeanor, whatever issue Haseo had must have been rather severe.

"It's nothing serious. The doctor already gave me an effective prescription... Basically, I'm just advised to exercise more. My issue is, my body's just not all that strong." While saying this, Haseo secretly supported his lower back. Right now, Katsuyu was clinging onto the sword sheath across his waist.

After activating his summoning ability, Haseo didn't have to worry about his physical condition for the time being. However, since what he was doing was basically cheating—which wasn't exactly honorable—Haseo didn't elaborate on the details with his teammates.

"That's a relief," Nara said flatly.

Although it was indeed fortunate that Haseo's situation wasn't severe, everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Before returning to the Front Line, they had all mentally prepared themselves. Whether Haseo's illness was something minor like a common cold or something major like a terminal disease, they were ready to accept either—a common cold or a terminal illness. But now Haseo told them his problem was merely weak physique.

It sounded almost like anemia or malnutrition.

Then unintentionally, several teammates recalled the scene where Haseo rushed into Sunagakure's ranks during battle and swiftly beheaded Menzuomen like thunderclap… Even that counts as being physically weak?

For some unknown reason, the joy of these three ninja getting promoted to Chunin vanished in an instant.

Haseo's description of his physical condition wasn't exactly wrong—just misleading. The correct explanation should have been that his chakra was too powerful, making his body seem comparatively fragile. Yet Haseo hadn't gone into such detail with his teammates, leaving them to hold back their stunned reactions.

Putting aside Haseo's personal matter, with the return of his teammates, a slightly awkward situation arose within the squad—Haseo was clearly the leader but remained only a Genin, while the other three had been promoted to Chunin yet were still subordinates.

Still, it wasn't a particularly serious issue. When forming the team initially, they barely knew each other and didn't trust Haseo much as their captain. Therefore, the mastermind behind the scenes, Sansho, had forcibly downgraded two members' ranks. Now things were different. Since Haseo had already proved himself on the battlefield and gained his teammates' trust, a slight difference in ranks wouldn't cause significant problems anymore.

Poisoned by a certain ideology, Haseo actually preferred staying a Genin rather than becoming a Chunin. So even though he now had a solution for his health, since it doesn't put him out at all, he felt no urgency to immediately bridge the rank gap.

Chunin or Genin, after all, are just nominal classifications. Becoming a Chunin doesn't magically make someone stronger; instead, one becomes a Chunin precisely because they've grown stronger. That wasn't something worth putting the cart before the horse over.

Therefore, unless these squad members could surpass Haseo in strength, battlefield judgment, and tactical decision-making, they wouldn't really bear any ill feelings toward him.

They were all just tools for each other. As long as everyone did their part, no one had anything to complain about.

After the squad returned, Haseo and his team resumed their patrol and monitoring duties. However, after several repeated assignments, Haseo noticed a new issue — their surveillance routes and checkpoints were gradually shifting from the direction facing Sunagakure westward toward the northwest. And in this new direction, the enemy wasn't some major nation or large Hidden Village, but...

The Land of Rain — Hidden Rain Village.

After settling tensions with the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind, the Hokage had now turned his gaze to Fire's final neighboring threat.

It seemed the Third Hokage had made up his mind to put an end to this Great Ninja World War once and for all.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>