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Although Sasuke bore deep-seated hatred, his life was not devoid of warmth.
Naruto, Sakura, and his peers need no further mention.
He also had some memorable experiences with Kakashi.
For example, together with Naruto and Sakura, they tried every possible method to see what Kakashi looked like under his mask, which always ended in chaos and no results.
Another was that the perennial bachelor Kakashi seemed to have a woman he liked.
Yes, it was the woman in front of him, Hanare.
Looking at the woman who was said to have stolen a lot of Konoha's secrets, Sasuke said:
"Kakashi said you were dead."
"Is that what Kakashi reported? He went to such lengths," Hanare, with a tear mole that added to her allure, stepped closer to Sasuke, smiling at the young man she vaguely remembered.
Sasuke knew Kakashi's character.
He wasn't the type to prioritize beauty over the village's interests.
It was Sasuke himself who insisted Hanare couldn't be let go, and Kakashi had pursued her alone.
Given Hanare's skills, escaping Kakashi's pursuit was unlikely.
Yet here she was.
There was only one possibility: Hanare had successfully deceived Kakashi.
She had made Kakashi believe she was no longer a threat to Konoha, prompting him to let her go and report her death.
This was indeed the case.
Hanare had sincerely expressed to Kakashi her weariness of the spy life and her desire to start anew, living quietly.
Perhaps she genuinely felt that way at the time.
But Kakashi, a perpetual bachelor who relied on "Icha-Icha Paradise" as his emotional sustenance, didn't understand one thing about women.
"Living for espionage is my destiny."
Hanare gently brushed the dust off Sasuke's shoulder, her eyes reflecting a hint of nostalgia, and said: "I once told Kakashi the same thing. So, while I regret deceiving him, I don't apologize."
"Besides..."
Noticing Gensou had finished his conversation with Elder Muteni and was looking their way, Hanare bowed respectfully before giving Sasuke a heartfelt warning, "The prettier the woman, the less you can trust her words. Remember that, Sasuke."
"I don't need women," Sasuke scoffed, turning his head disdainfully.
He now believed in having no women in his heart, and his sword would naturally be divine.
"It seems you two had a good conversation. That's a great start for integration," said Gensou, approaching Sasuke and Hanare.
"Clan Leader," Hanare said with admiration in her eyes, addressing Gensou.
Muteni, who had also come along, introduced, "This is Hanare, the best intelligence operative of the Village of Locks. Thanks to her, we obtained much crucial and secret information from Konoha."
"Well done."
Since he needed to learn more about Konoha's internal affairs, Gensou nodded at Hanare.
Seeing that Hanare and Sasuke clearly knew each other, it was evident she also appeared in the original series.
However, Gensou had little impression of her.
After all, Naruto was a long series, especially with various flashbacks and side stories. He remembered mainly the frequently appearing characters.
Later, led by Muteni, Hanare, and others, Gensou brought Sasuke to the Village of Locks.
It looked no different from villages in the outside world, but as the name implied, each house in the village had a thick lock on the door, symbolizing their determination to protect information at all costs.
Additionally, because the Village of Locks was a front for the Hagoromo clan, it also symbolized the need to safeguard their true identity.
Aside from the dark lines spread across various ninja villages and those without ninja abilities living as ordinary people, most of the Hagoromo clan's strength was concentrated here.
In a way, the Village of Locks was the headquarters of the Hagoromo clan today.
After Hanare, whose real name was Hagoromo Hanare, showed Sasuke around the village, Gensou, under Muteni's introduction, met with the Hagoromo clan members in the village.
The process didn't need much elaboration.
Just as Hashirama was to the Senju clan and Madara was to the Uchiha clan... well, maybe not that last one.
Gensou was a symbol of faith for the Hagoromo clan.
Especially after miraculously living a second life, the clan's admiration for Gensou had only grown.
"After all these decades, it seems the Hagoromo clan has been doing well," Gensou sighed after meeting the last clan member.
Coming to this world, he had mostly treated life as a game, but since becoming the clan leader, he had also taken on responsibilities.
After almost losing everything, his primary worry had been the fate of the Hagoromo clan.
Seeing them now reassured him greatly.
Listening to this, Muteni felt full of guilt and said, "I'm sorry, Clan Leader. The Hagoromo clan is not as prosperous as it was decades ago."
Gensou waved his hand dismissively, "Rise and fall, ebb and flow, it's the natural order of things. Compared to the now-extinct Uzumaki clan, the Kaguya clan, the Yuki clan, the Senju clan with only its name left, and the Uchiha clan, the Hagoromo clan is doing quite well."
Satisfaction comes from comparison.
Gensou had noticed that while many clan members came to pay respects, their power varied greatly, with only five or six having chakra levels of a jonin.
Though not all had come, it was still a stark contrast to the Hagoromo clan of the Warring States period.
This prompted Muteni's self-blame.
After all, he had experienced the peak of the Hagoromo clan.
Gensou understood this well.
Fragmentation, scattering seemed like a good idea and indeed prevented extermination.
But it came at a high cost.
Once a millennium-old foundation was scattered, restoration to its former glory was impossible.
Additionally, ninja training required substantial resources, making it difficult for the Hagoromo clan to nurture elite members as before.
Decades of dispersion naturally weakened the clan's overall strength.
If Gensou returned to find the Hagoromo clan powerful enough to challenge the Five Great Ninja Villages, that would be abnormal.
Given their current state, he was already quite satisfied.
Moreover, his return was timely.
Had it been another decade or so, the dispersed members might have abandoned the clan name entirely.
For decades, the Hagoromo clan hadn't elected a new leader, with elders taking charge instead.
Despite the official explanations, Gensou understood the deeper meaning.
(End of Chapter)