Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 341: Haneda Always Brings Someone Back to the Village

Due to Shikaku's specific instructions, Haneda didn't return directly after completing his tasks.

Instead, he wandered around the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.

Originally, Haneda had planned to travel through the Land of Rivers with Kakashi, enjoying the beautiful landscapes of rivers and valleys.

However, the higher-ups in Sunagakure changed their stance so quickly. Within just a few days of their arrival in the Land of Rain, they bowed to Konoha and issued an apology.

Reluctantly, Haneda ended his vacation early under Shikaku's repeated urgings and returned to Konoha.

"Haneda, are you heading home first or straight to the office to see Shikaku?"

Kakashi asked softly.

The two walked side by side along the streets of Konoha, followed by Hiruko and Deidara.

Deidara was holding a regenerative core created by Sasori and muttering incessantly, seemingly arguing with someone.

Ahead, Haneda unintentionally overheard a lot of discussions about art.

Deidara's fleeting art versus Sasori's eternal art—two completely opposing artistic philosophies often led to debates between them, though it never diminished Deidara's respect for Sasori.

"Are you thinking about the moon?" Kakashi patted Haneda on the shoulder and asked again.

Normally, Haneda would always respond when Kakashi spoke, but this time he seemed distracted.

Haneda replied, "Something like that. I'm thinking about how to arrange things for Sasori. I'm planning to send him to the moon to create puppets for me."

During his first trip to the moon, Kakashi had seen numerous puppets and knew that the Tenseigan could control them.

It was clear that Haneda intended to leverage this, using Sasori's exceptional puppet-making skills to build an army of puppets.

This way, during times of war, Konoha's ninja could avoid unnecessary casualties.

Kakashi said, "That arrangement works too. My father always taught me to cherish my comrades, and he practiced what he preached."

"Having Sasori build puppets for Konoha means those dangerous missions during wartime won't require sending ninja to their deaths."

Haneda nodded, "That's my thought too. Uncle Sakumo has always embodied the Will of Fire."

Talking about Sakumo made both of them fall silent.

Although it was logical, they couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when thinking about it from a moral standpoint.

Of course, Haneda's real intention was to maintain a friendly relationship between Konoha and the Akatsuki.

More specifically, to keep Nagato and Konan cooperative with Konoha.

Secondly, he wanted Sasori to atone for his crimes by working for Konoha.

Both ideas stemmed from Haneda's plan to resurrect Sakumo, which lessened his moral burden compared to Kakashi's.

Initially, Haneda and Kakashi planned to visit the Memorial Stone, but somewhere along the way, they abandoned the idea.

The first thing they ended up doing in Konoha was returning to the Hokage's office.

When Shikaku heard someone enter the office without knocking, he frowned and looked up, only to meet Haneda and Kakashi's gaze. Shikaku's expression turned to one of shock.

"You're back already, Lord Hokage?"

"This is my office. Why wouldn't I be here?" Haneda replied.

"What about him?" Shikaku's eyes shifted to Kakashi.

"I'm Haneda's Anbu Captain. If I don't follow him here, should I follow you instead?" Kakashi said jokingly.

Not long after, two more people entered the office—Deidara and Hiruko.

Shikaku's expression became strange yet unsurprised when he saw the rogue ninja Hiruko casually return to Konoha.

Pointing at Hiruko, Shikaku quietly asked, "Did you bring someone back to the village again, Lord Hokage?"

Hearing this, Kakashi laughed.

He recalled how, not long ago, Haneda had brought back a black-eyed boy; before that, he'd dragged back an Ōtsutsuki heir; and even earlier, he'd captured Orochimaru...

Haneda truly lived up to his reputation—every return to the village involved bringing someone back, be it an orphan or a rogue ninja.

Haneda said, "This is Hiruko, the person I mentioned before. I plan to have him join the research division and work with Orochimaru to contribute to Konoha."

"Oh, and it's not just Hiruko this time. There's also Sasori of the Red Sand, the grandson of Sunagakure elder Chiyo."

"I have other plans for him."

Shikaku sighed and said dutifully, "Alright. I'll make the necessary arrangements for Hiruko."

Haneda nodded slightly. Suddenly, he noticed the pen in Shikaku's hand had never stopped moving. Smiling, Haneda said, "Thank you for all your hard work these past few days."

Shikaku thought to himself that if Lord Hokage actually helped handle official duties or assigned him more staff, he wouldn't feel so overworked.

But still... at least Lord Hokage knows how to show some appreciation now.

Just as Haneda was about to leave, he added, "Tonight, I'm heading to the moon to take care of some matters. I might be gone for several months, and there won't be any letters."

"Kakashi knows about this. He won't be going with me. If there's anything important, report directly to him."

Shikaku's mouth twitched. Was Lord Hokage planning to disappear again?

Kakashi explained, "Haneda does indeed have something very, very important to handle on the moon."

"There's no one else there, so it's more convenient to get things done."

As he spoke, Kakashi scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry to trouble you, Shikaku. I'll help you with the official duties these next few months."

Shikaku gave Kakashi a puzzled look but didn't say much.

After all, having someone share the workload was a good thing.

But when did Kakashi become so diligent?

…

After leaving the office, Haneda wandered the streets alone for a while.

He visited the Uchiha compound, helped Obito clean up a bit, and then looked at the sky—it was almost time for Naruto and the others to return.

Haneda used Flying Thunder God to arrive at the Ninja Academy gates.

At this time, the school bell hadn't rung yet, but students were already leaving one by one.

Unlike the education system in Haneda's previous life, students here could leave early with their teacher's permission.

Sitting on a swing under a tree, Haneda waited for a while until he saw Naruto surrounded by a group of friends coming out of the school gates.

Sasuke, Toneri, Gaara—they were all there. Sasuke was walking closest to Naruto, the two whispering to each other. Judging by Sasuke's slightly flushed face, it seemed something had embarrassed him.

"Naruto! Over here!" Haneda waved from afar, signaling for them to come over.

As soon as Naruto saw Haneda, he lit up and excitedly ran over, shouting, "Uncle Haneda! How was the Land of Rain? Can you take me with you next time?"

Haneda gently flicked Naruto's forehead and smiled. "You're still too young, not even a ninja yet. Maybe next time, after you graduate from the Academy."

"Aw, don't flick my head! I'm not a little kid anymore! And stop patting my head—it'll stunt my growth!"

Haneda's affectionate gesture made Naruto feel a little embarrassed, even though he secretly enjoyed it.

Sasuke, seeing Haneda back, blushed even more.

He still vividly remembered when Haneda promised to teach him Chidori. He'd been so excited he couldn't sleep for days.

But then Haneda kept leaving on missions, one after another. Without Haneda's guidance, how was Sasuke supposed to surpass Naruto or improve himself?