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The ANBU Squad Captain, Mole, gritted his teeth and then said to Tsunade, "I will send a team of ANBU back to inform the Third Hokage of the situation, but the remaining twelve must stay behind as... as Kushina's guards!"
He knew the consequences his actions might bring, but as long as he remained an ANBU ninja, he couldn't abandon his current mission.
Tsunade also knew that driving these individuals away was unlikely, and indeed Kushina needed protection. So, she coldly stated, "I won't interfere with your mission, but make sure you stay out of my sight!"
Mole retreated as if granted amnesty. Their task was to protect Kushina discreetly; there was no need for them to appear in person as long as Tsunade agreed to their presence.
Due to this ANBU mistake, the best option for Kushina's safety at that moment was to leave immediately and return to Konoha.
Even Tsunade hesitated about her decision just made.
However, Kushina insisted on staying because the likelihood of her information being leaked due to a single remark from the ANBU was not significant.
This place was, after all, the frontline command post, protected by layers of elite ninjas, making it almost impossible for spies to infiltrate.
What puzzled Kushina was that Haori seemed very aware of her being a Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails... However, she had no intention of investigating the source of Haori's information. From the beginning, she knew her disciple was a thoughtful person despite being young and acted in a mature manner.
After months of getting to know each other, it was not surprising that he could deduce her identity. For Kushina, Haori's attitude, which remained the same despite knowing she was a Jinchuriki, was the most appropriate.
Haori was not originally from this world, so his attitude towards the Tailed Beasts was essentially "Tailed Beasts = Sacred Beasts." He was merely curious about Chakra monsters, and as long as individuals had above-average intelligence and rationality, they should understand that Jinchuriki should not be equated with the Tailed Beasts themselves. However, most people were blinded by fear and hatred.
Jinchuriki were humans, Tailed Beasts were beasts. The former certainly acted as containers for the latter, but besides that, they were also regular human beings.
This was how Haori viewed the situation.
After the two ANBU members left, Tsunade turned to Haori and said, "Haori, you're good. I'll remember your name."
This was a gesture of admiration. Haori's direct action against the ANBU had earned her praise and favor.
Ninjas were often seen as emotionless tools of killing. However, being human, no one could completely erase their emotions. Tsunade didn't need Haori to stand up for her, but his willingness to do so impressed her.
...
And so, Kushina and Haori's activities on the frontline began.
To Haori, being at the frontline command post was no different from being in Konoha, except for a slightly tenser atmosphere. In fact, apart from that, there wasn't much difference; he even found himself with more free time than when he was in Konoha.
He began to utilize all his time to improve the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing he was working on. He had also requested to learn the most extreme sealing technique, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, from Kushina. However, this time, no matter how hard he tried, Kushina refused...
Personalities are multifaceted. Describing Haori as mature didn't mean he didn't have a reckless side. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been involved in certain cases with Kushina.
In fact, when it came to Kushina's crazy plans, he would symbolically try to stop her, but then actively participate... Having understood his character, Kushina couldn't possibly teach him something as dangerous as the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. It wasn't about being secretive or restricted by the higher-ups in Konoha - this was originally a sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan, beyond the jurisdiction of the Hokage.
She was just afraid that Haori might misuse this deadly sealing technique, something he was capable of doing. Upon mutual understanding, once Haori got to know Kushina, she could roughly understand the kind of person he was and believed that at a certain point, her disciple might indeed act in such a manner.
Despite being on the frontline, Kushina remained restrained. It was hard to imagine her, a restless person, quietly assisting Tsunade with paperwork, but this phenomenon did occur.
In reality, Kushina was aware of her situation. Being able to stay at the command post was already her limit; if she wanted to move to the frontline, Tsunade probably wouldn't agree.
Konoha's defense line towards Sunagakure was arranged in three stages. The frontline was located within the Land of Rivers, sixty kilometers from the Konoha command post. This defense line was loosely arranged in a horizontal line, appearing quite weak with a total of only six hundred people. Although it was at the forefront, its main role was to alert and monitor.
The second defense line was located twenty kilometers behind the first, with 1500 people stationed in a circular formation. This was Konoha's main mobile strike force. Once the first defense line was breached by the Sand Shinobi and their attack direction was confirmed, the forces from the second defense line would swiftly mobilize to reinforce the first line and directly engage the enemy.
The final defense line for Konoha was the Konoha command post, situated thirty kilometers behind the second defense line. This was the frontline command center for Konoha, stockpiling a large amount of war supplies and essential facilities such as field hospitals. It was guarded by 500 ninjas directly under the command post.
Konoha's deployment of forces was a combination of horizontal and vertical depth, considering their weaker position in terms of force comparison. At the moment, Konoha was not yet ready for a full-scale counterattack against the Land of Wind.
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