That pretty face, looking just like a feminine cross-dresser... the deepest impression he left on people was: is this person a woman or a man?!
Despite the records always stating that Haku was a male, his appearance was such that no matter how one looked at him, Haku seemed like a woman; he didn't seem to have anything in common with men at all. As for whether he was truly a man or a woman, it remained a point of debate that countless Naruto fans argued over.
Kimimaro and Haku Ronglin felt he had to see them if the opportunity arose!
Kimimaro was easy enough to deal with; if nothing else worked, Ronglin could just take a stroll to the Land of Water. But Haku was a headache. Only the heavens knew which small island he was living on. One had to remember that the Land of Water was composed of countless islands, large and small. Trying to identify one person among so many islands was no easy task.
"Uchiha Ronglin!"
"Uchiha Ronglin!!"
Ronglin, who was lost in his own thoughts, suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked up to see Tsunade's face already darkening. He coughed dryly. "Um, where were we?"
Good grief. Tsunade slapped her forehead, completely defeated. She couldn't believe he could zone out at a time like this. She truly didn't know what was going on in his head.
"I was saying, now that the final battle has begun, you will play a vital role."
Tsunade was speechless. She could only offer a reminder. Didn't he see that everyone in the command center was looking at the two of them with strange expressions? That included Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan.
"Oh, no problem. I await my orders," Ronglin replied very seriously.
This only earned him a dark cloud of frustration from Tsunade. "What I said was that you will be a crucial player in this final battle. I'm asking for your opinion on the Hidden Mist Village, not telling you to just wait for orders."
"Hey, you should have said so earlier. You had me rambling on about nothing," Ronglin waved his hand dismissively, nearly making several people burst out laughing.
"My opinion isn't much. As long as we block the Hidden Mist Village's attack, that's enough. Why worry so much? While we are targeting others, they are also targeting us."
Ronglin hadn't heard a single word of what they had been discussing, so he could only toss out a few random sentences to get by. Thinking too much was exhausting.
At a time like this, getting more rest was the right thing to do. After drifting at sea for several days, spending all his time thinking about what to do, Ronglin just wanted to sleep. As for strategic arrangements, it was better to leave that to Shikaku Nara. That silent but sly guy was full of clever ideas anyway.
Since someone was going to arrange things, why should he waste his brain cells thinking about it? After being put through the wringer by Jiraiya, Ronglin had become wary of making arrangements or strategies; he would be lazy whenever he could.
Tsunade felt she had asked the wrong person. Had she known earlier, she wouldn't have wasted so much energy. This kid clearly hadn't listened to a word of the discussion.
The high-level officials of both Konoha and the Hidden Mist Village were constantly deliberating on how to face the enemy, crafting a series of strategies. Both sides were making various arrangements, preparing for the commencement of the final war.
Clearly, the Hidden Mist Village was unwilling to slink away in defeat. they wanted to bring out their full strength for a final showdown. Victory or defeat rested on this single stroke, and no one dared to be careless.
It seemed that after being foiled by Ronglin several times, the people of the Hidden Mist Village had developed a psychological trauma regarding him. Their reconnaissance had become extremely tight to prevent that damned Uchiha Ronglin from infiltrating again. If that happened, there would be no need for a final battle; they might as well pack their things and go home.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Once both sides were ready, a heavy tension filled the air. The final battle had begun.
Upon receiving the intelligence, everyone in Konoha turned out in force. Success or failure depended on this moment. No one was left behind; everyone participated in this final war, except for those with severe disabilities and the necessary medical Ninja.
Thousands of people from both sides stood in confrontation on the main battlefield. The weather, which had been shrouded in thick mist for over a month, had finally cleared up a bit.
"Uchiha Ronglin!!!"
On the battlefield, walking at the very front, the Third Mizukage saw Ronglin and couldn't help but grit his teeth in rage. He wished he could skin the boy alive, pull out his tendons, and drink his blood.
"Hello there, Third Mizukage. I wonder if you are satisfied with the gift I left behind? If you aren't satisfied, I can always do better," Ronglin countered without hesitation.
The final battle was about to erupt, and emotions and morale were vital.
"Hahaha..."
The people of Konoha all knew what Ronglin had done. Recalling it and seeing the Third Mizukage's face which looked as though his parents had just died they couldn't help but roar with laughter.
"Bastards!!!"
While the Konoha Ninja laughed happily, the people of the Hidden Mist Village couldn't find any humor. Their faces were dark as they shouted curses. But in such a moment, the more anger you showed, the more it proved you couldn't control your emotions.
"Third Mizukage!! Why have you led your people to invade the territory of our Land of Fire!!!"
As the commander-in-chief, Tsunade stood forward and shouted her rebuke. No matter the situation, it was always best to place oneself on the moral high ground when sanctioning others. One had to keep reason on their side. Besides, Tsunade wasn't wrong; the Hidden Mist Village was indeed invading without cause.
The Hidden Mist Village was fundamentally in the wrong.
"Humph!!!"
The Third Mizukage knew he couldn't engage with those words. Otherwise, the morale they had worked so hard to build would vanish. In this matter, Konoha was always in the right. Since that was the case, what was the point of talking?
"I didn't expect the dignified Mizukage wouldn't even dare to answer a single question."
Just because the Third Mizukage didn't want to answer didn't mean Tsunade was going to stop there.
"Look at that expression of his, like his father died and his mother remarried. You should know he won't answer you. Don't bother explaining anything to him," Ronglin said, calmly pushing Tsunade aside. What was the point of accusations now? It was boring.
"Third Mizukage, damn you! If you're a man, come and fight me for a few hundred rounds!! What are you doing hiding behind an old man?! If people didn't know better, they'd think the Third Mizukage was a member of the Hozuki clan."
The entire battlefield fell silent. Tens of thousands of Ninja stared in shock at Ronglin and the Third Mizukage and, of course, at the extra person, the head of the Hozuki clan.
No one expected Ronglin to break out into such curses, let alone drag the Hozuki clan into the mud with him. He had ruthlessly mocked his opponent. For a dignified Mizukage to hide behind someone else... was that any way to behave?
"Pfft... Hahahaha..."
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