Chapter 73: Mami (Part 1)

A squad of Konoha ninja returning from an outside mission arrived at the Konoha base as scheduled. Just as they were preparing to enter the camp, a heavy, deep, thunderous sound suddenly rose from the nearby lake. Moments later, the center of the lake's surface bulged upward like the back of a turtle.

"Enemy attack?" The exhausted ninja instantly regained their battlefield alertness. A sense of unease crept into their hearts—could it be that the previous camp assault incident was about to repeat itself?

"You guys don't need to worry. Someone's just practicing Water Release techniques. We've gotten used to this already—every day at this time, he makes a scene like this," one of the passing ninja explained with a "here we go again" look toward the lake, followed by an expression saying "just as expected."

He was totally chill—this kind of thing was totally normal now.

"Practicing ninjutsu? At this location, and at such a scale?" The newly returned ninja didn't get why someone would go all out like this every day... Not only did they waste so much chakra daily, but they were even allowed to cause such massive disturbances near the camp—was there someone backing them up?

Well, the one happily messing around with water on the lake could only be Haseo.

Though he wasn't in need of advanced chakra-based medical treatment, he still missed the timing for returning to the village alongside his teammates. He entered Kōga's arranged "chakra purification therapy" alone.

He'd been doing things the same way for the past few days: precisely at the appointed hour, releasing [Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave] across the lake until his chakra dropped nearly halfway before proceeding to other training exercises.

"That should be enough for now."

Once he felt his chakra had decreased to a very low level, Haseo stepped off the lake surface and walked toward the shoreline opposite the camp.

On this side lay several training facilities Haseo had set up himself. Here, he would undertake even more foundational physical conditioning, stamina enhancement, and Taijutsu practice, aiming to forge a stronger physique without relying excessively on chakra.

This wasn't part of Kōga's plan—it came from Haseo himself after hearing the detox explanation. Even without specific issues troubling him, improving one's strength always remained both reasonable and commendable.

Chakra undoubtedly stood as the core element and most crucial aspect for ninja; in many ways, it was irreplaceable and indispensable. That didn't mean cultivating a strong physical body held lesser importance… Comparing styles, ninja utilizing Lightning Release showed significant differences—for example, Leaf ninja Kakashi possessed one sort of build, while Kumo Raikage A exemplified another type entirely. The former appeared sharp yet fragile, whereas the latter was truly tough-skinned, resilient, and durable—clearly ideal qualities in battle endurance.

In his heart, if Haseo really had to choose between these two paths, he would definitely prefer becoming a hulking badass like the Raikage. After all, that guy was genuinely strong. However, in reality, this path seemed unlikely. The Raikage's physical build and resistance to Lightning Release were surely achieved through some special training methods. One could only imagine how arduous and painful the cultivation process must have been—probably comparable to the discipline of the most devout ascetics, or even making one wonder whether a unique bloodline was required.

Although Haseo couldn't reach the level of such berserkers, he still hoped at least to toughen up a bit and not be so fragile. Just look at Naruto; though his initial strength wasn't impressive, he was practically immortal, always managing to survive no matter what—yet another extreme that inspired envy.

But regardless of which path, it was never a bad idea for a ninja to beef up a little.

Haseo's mindset here went somewhat against prevailing trends. Ninjas were like those cheap RPG characters who only cared about upping their attack stats, chasing the rush of a one-hit kill—and getting killed just as fast. Such an extreme approach dominated the ninja world.

One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run daily—well, Haseo's training intensity far surpassed that baseline. He definitely didn't think doing that much training would turn him into a one-hit KO ninja in three years. If his thinking were truly that naive, he'd probably be dead within three days.

Rather than focusing on refining chakra, Haseo concentrated more on physical conditioning—a method so basic and traditional that it bordered on being overly simplistic. Just as he was diligently training, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.

"Who's there?"

Instinctively, he thrust his sword forward with his right hand while flipping a kunai in his left, palms tucked inward for stability—in what looked like a Falan Street Dance Crew-style pose.

However, the moment the figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees, Haseo lowered his weapon immediately.

"Sansho-sensei?"

It was indeed Sansho who appeared. Although her arrival brought Haseo some joy, logically speaking, she shouldn't have been anywhere near the Front Line at all. "Teacher, why are you here?" He quickly walked toward her.

Sansho looked rather pale, and Haseo noticed the massive scroll strapped to her back—it was clearly oversized and heavy. Judging from her condition, she should definitely not be carrying something this burdensome.

"Well," she said as she slid the scroll off her back and propped it upright against a tree, pausing to catch her breath before continuing, "one reason is that I escorted Ran, Tō, and Motoi—three apprentices of the Third Hokage—to the Front Line, and the other is that I heard about your situation."

At this point, her complexion had shifted from pale to an unnatural flush. Although she had come because of him, truthfully speaking, her own problems were far more serious than whatever issue Haseo was facing.

"…Doctor Kōga overreacted a bit, didn't he? My condition isn't that severe yet."

"Haseo," said Haseo. Whether it was mainly to bring Jiraiya and the others to the Front Line, or for his own disciple to come there, Haseo felt that if he had known this would happen, perhaps it would have been better for him to return to Konoha.

Sansho smiled slightly without saying much. Instead, she gestured for Haseo to unfold the scroll she handed him.

"You should already know about the Summoning Technique, right?"

"...I've heard something about it."

Once Haseo unfolded the scroll, along with Sansho's words, he immediately understood—it was a Summoning Contract scroll... and very likely, the very one he had in mind.

"The Summoning Technique generally falls under Space-Time Ninjutsu. By signing a blood contract with a Summoned Beast through chakra, you can summon it during battle to assist in combat. However, the Summoned Beast prepared for you isn't meant primarily for fighting—it's intended to help deal with your particular condition... You'll understand more clearly once the contract is signed," Sansho explained.

By this point, Haseo was nearly certain which Summoning Contract scroll this was. And precisely because of that, he hesitated. "Sansho-sensei, would it really be appropriate for me to sign this contract?"

After all, this scroll seemed to belong to the Senju clan as a public resource. Would it be right for someone like Haseo—an outsider—to use it for personal purposes? Although Haseo had faintly heard rumors that the Senju were considering retirement, the issue was that even if the Senju did plan to withdraw, at this time their influence over Konoha was still far greater than in the weakened state they would later fall into.

Sansho simply smiled and addressed Haseo's concern. "No problem."

"If I say it's fine, then it is."

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