Habara wasn't aware of Konoha's "rat hunt." After leaving the Hokage's office building, he slowly made his way back to Konoha Hospital, leaning on his crutch.
Funnily enough, on his way back to the hospital, some people recognized him, and he overheard whispers and exclamations of surprise. It seemed his "debut" the night of the Nine-Tails attack had had a more significant impact than he'd anticipated.
Upon returning to his hospital room, Habara found several bouquets of flowers and fruit baskets beside his bed… Keep in mind that Habara didn't have many close acquaintances in Konoha at this point, so these gifts were likely "acts of kindness from strangers."
Honestly, at this stage, Habara only wanted Konoha's leadership to recognize his strength and usefulness, not to show off to ordinary Konoha ninjas. He felt the time wasn't right for the latter, so this mixed kind of influence wasn't entirely to his liking.
In any case, during the most somber week that followed in Konoha, Habara stayed obediently in his hospital room, recovering. During this time, he restored the Six Directions Seal on himself, creating what could be considered a 2.0 version that retained the anti-genjutsu effect and eliminated the safety hazards.
Thanks to the effects of natural energy, Habara made a full recovery within a week. During this period, the Third Hokage largely regained his authority, and Konoha was once again under the Hokage's control… Theoretically, this should be considered a good thing. Regardless, having someone in charge was far better than a leaderless situation.
And just a day after Habara was discharged from the hospital, the Third Hokage summoned him again.
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
"Habara, how is your recovery?" the Third Hokage asked as soon as he saw him.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Habara felt that the Third Hokage had aged considerably. It seemed that the unexpected death of his successor was also a heavy blow to him.
"Lord Hokage, I've made a complete recovery," Habara replied immediately, despite the various thoughts running through his mind.
"You had close contact with the enemy who invaded Konoha. Do you have any insights into his identity?" the Third Hokage asked.
This question made Habara think for a moment, and he decided to tell a partial truth. "Yes. Contrary to the rumors circulating in the village, I saw the enemy's Sharingan and was almost caught in his genjutsu. More importantly, when I was dealing with the Nine-Tails, I noticed that it was also being controlled by a Sharingan."
There were only the two of them in the Hokage's office at this moment, so wasn't this the perfect opportunity for a "heart-to-heart"?
The Third Hokage nodded. "You're very perceptive. However, according to the Fourth Hokage's dying wish, to prevent internal strife in Konoha, the culprit behind the incident must be identified as Kumogakure. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Lord Hokage."
This was a gag order. Habara thought to himself, this way of handling things was definitely something only the Fourth Hokage could come up with.
"The Fourth Hokage died because of the Nine-Tails, and the culprit behind the incident is Kumogakure. Given this situation, we must organize a retaliatory strike against Kumogakure. The pressure within the village, the emotions of the ninjas, the pursuit of justice… Although the trend in the ninja world is towards de-escalation, we must now go against the tide," the Third Hokage said.
Since Konoha was propagating this version of the truth, it had to carry out the corresponding retaliation; otherwise, where would the dignity of a great nation be?
But the question was, would the next step be a victory for the grieving army, or a defeat? No one could predict the outcome. Therefore, before launching such retaliation, the Third Hokage had to eliminate as many unfavorable factors as possible.
"Before we initiate this new round of conflict, we must be fully prepared. Therefore… Habara, I have an important mission for you. You are to go to Sunagakure as an envoy and discuss the formal signing of a peace treaty with the Land of Wind. This is a very important mission. You can choose to accept it or not."
Habara: "…"
As the Third Hokage said, this was a very important mission, so Habara had the right to choose. Forcing him to accept could lead to him being uncooperative during the mission; his subjective willingness was very important.
However, Habara couldn't understand why such an important mission would be entrusted to him. While it was dangerous to be an envoy to an enemy country during wartime, and Pakura's example was fresh in everyone's minds, even so, this kind of mission was something that a ninja like the original timeline's Kakashi Hatake, in his late twenties, would undertake…
Competent, mature, a core member of Konoha, prioritizing Konoha's interests – Habara didn't fit these criteria at all.
So, after thinking for a moment, Habara said directly, "Lord Hokage, may I ask a few questions?"
"You may," the Third Hokage nodded.
"Why was I chosen for such an important mission? I wasn't born in Konoha…"
"Your actions during the Nine-Tails incident have fully proven that you are a Konoha ninja. There's no need to doubt that. As for why you were chosen, firstly, your strength is trustworthy, and secondly, I personally have high hopes for you."
There was actually another very important point that the Third Hokage didn't say aloud: with the spread of the news of the Nine-Tails incident and the Fourth Hokage's unexpected death, it was highly likely that the news of a certain Konoha ninja's exceptional activity during the incident had also been spread as an addendum.
The label of "a ninja who can deal with the Nine-Tails" was an important factor in prompting the Third Hokage to make this decision. Whether or not Habara could actually deal with the Nine-Tails, he had to wear this label first.
At this time, after such an event, it made a certain amount of sense for a ninja like Habara to become an envoy.
"Second question… Am I an official envoy or a secret envoy?" Compared to the first question, Habara was more concerned about the answer to this one.
"You are an official envoy. Before your departure, Konoha will formally notify Sunagakure, and Sunagakure will officially receive you," the Third Hokage said.
There was a significant difference between an official envoy and a secret envoy. If Habara was an official envoy, it meant that all of Konoha would endorse his mission. As an official diplomatic envoy, theoretically, Sunagakure couldn't do anything to him… Simply put, a secret envoy was like Pakura – killed and that was that; an official envoy was like the Kumogakure head ninja in the Hyuga Affair – although he was also killed, Konoha had to sacrifice Hiashi Hyuga as compensation, or Kumogakure would have restarted the war.
Okay, those weren't good examples; they both got killed.
Habara carefully considered for a while, understanding the risks and rewards of this matter. He took a deep breath and said, "Lord Hokage, I accept this mission."
"Very good."
The Third Hokage nodded and handed a scroll to Habara. "This contains Konoha's bottom line for the negotiations. If you can successfully complete the mission, the village will arrange a grand welcoming ceremony upon your return."
A welcoming ceremony – this was one of the rewards the Third Hokage offered. Such an event shouldn't be viewed as mere image-building; it actually represented a rapid spread of personal influence, which was especially valuable for a ninja like Habara who wasn't born in Konoha… So this mission was high-risk, but also high-reward.
Then, the Third Hokage added, "In addition, you can choose a companion to accompany you on this mission."
"..."
Habara nodded. Got it.
_________
Join me on Patreon! A free subscription grants you immediate access to 20 chapters!: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls