"Fake! Fake! It must be fake! You left Konoha without permission—no, wait, you betrayed and escaped from Konoha! You're no longer a Konoha ninja, so our bet doesn't count. Fake, fake, it's all fake!" Tsunade turned around and walked toward the shore, muttering to herself. She was blatantly trying to play dirty!
Haruto Saito followed behind her with a cold smirk, moving at a leisurely pace. He had no intention of letting Tsunade get away with this. Her attempt at blatant denial wouldn't work—unless she planned never to return to Konoha for the rest of her life.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru had also returned to the lakeside. Jiraiya saw Tsunade's expression and struggled to hold back his laughter but dared not actually laugh out loud.
"What are you looking at? Not eating breakfast? Do you want me to beat you up?!" Tsunade yelled at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya quickly took a few steps back, formed a hand seal, and disappeared instantly.
Orochimaru also silently walked away to collect firewood from a nearby grove.
Once Orochimaru was gone, Tsunade crossed her arms, turned back to Haruto, and raised her chin. "Alright, just name your price. How much money will it take for you to drop those two conditions?"
"I'm not lacking money." Haruto curled his lips and spread his hands. "Besides, those two requests aren't something that can be measured in money. You might as well give up on that idea!"
"Brat, if you keep this up, you won't live long. What's the point?"
"Oh no, I'm so scared."
A short while later…
A fire was lit by the lakeside. Jiraiya had hunted down a plump wild boar and skillfully skinned and cleaned it before cutting it into pieces and roasting it over the fire. Naturally, Haruto also got his share of the roasted meat.
Tsunade sat by the fire with a sour expression, ignoring everyone. Her face practically screamed, "I'm in a terrible mood, so don't mess with me." She was trying to intimidate Haruto, hoping that would prevent him from making any outrageous demands.
"Haruto-san, what's your mission this time? Are you alone?" Jiraiya asked with a smile as he grilled the meat. He was always easygoing, and anyone who could make Tsunade suffer a loss earned his respect. Haruto had definitely earned his admiration!
"Heading to the Land of Rain. An assassination mission," Haruto replied absentmindedly while sneaking a glance at Tsunade.
"An assassination mission?" Jiraiya was surprised.
Assassination missions were at least A-rank! What qualifications did this brat have to take on an A-rank mission? His rank didn't even allow him to accept such tasks, let alone execute them.
"Can I take a look?" Jiraiya gestured toward him.
"Here." Haruto handed over the mission documents he had just taken out. This was a classified mission, something normally not meant for others to see. But showing it to Tsunade and Jiraiya? That didn't matter at all.
Jiraiya carefully examined the mission scroll and documents. He quickly confirmed their authenticity—these were sealed with special encrypted seals that carried unique chakra signatures, making them impossible to forge.
It really was an assassination mission! And it really was an A-rank mission!
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, while even Tsunade's gaze was drawn toward the documents. Her eyes scanned them suspiciously before she looked back at Haruto with doubt. "Brat, you didn't actually defect, did you?"
Haruto rolled his eyes at her.
"How could you possibly receive an A-rank mission? You must have faked it, right? I got you!" Tsunade clenched her fists as if she was about to beat him up.
Haruto remained calm. Tsunade wasn't actually hostile toward him.
"The documents are real," Jiraiya confirmed. He then paused and looked at Haruto. "However, you shouldn't be alone. There should be three Uchiha clan members overseeing your mission. Where are they?"
"Something unexpected happened last night, and we got separated," Haruto replied.
"Let me see." Tsunade took the mission documents from Jiraiya. She had glanced at them earlier but hadn't taken them seriously. Calling them fake had just been an excuse to be unreasonable.
The aroma of roasted meat gradually filled the air.
After reviewing the documents again, Tsunade passed them to Orochimaru.
The documents were real, which meant the mission was real.
The only issue was that the three Uchiha members were missing.
During the meal, Jiraiya casually chatted with Haruto, asking about what had happened the night before. He wasn't suspicious of Haruto—just making conversation and helping Tsunade ease her embarrassment. Otherwise, Haruto's constant staring at her with a smirk would have been unbearable for her.
Haruto spoke half-truths, mentioning the unexpected encounter with a Sand Village scouting team and the Hyuga clan's pursuit. However, he left out the details about his own killings. Instead, he downplayed his actions, claiming that once the fog rolled in, he took advantage of the chaos to escape and didn't know what happened afterward.
"I haven't seen them since. But my guess is that they were focused on protecting Uchiha Mikoto and, since they were injured, probably returned to Konoha directly," Haruto concluded uncertainly. "Of course, there's also the possibility that they died in battle."
"Hmm." Jiraiya nodded and didn't press further.
He had seen many such situations before. Despite his youth, he already had over a decade of mission experience, and the more skilled he became, the more dangerous his tasks were. Encounters with enemies during missions were common.
The only unusual aspect was the involvement of the Hyuga clan, but that wasn't Jiraiya's problem—he had no interest in getting involved in that mess.
"Fleeing from battle? You're a disgrace to Konoha!" Tsunade sneered.
"According to the Ninja Mission Protocol Handbook, during an external mission, a ninja's top priority is the mission itself. The highest priority is completing the mission, even at the expense of teammates' lives. Retreating when necessary and ignoring unrelated conflicts is standard procedure." Haruto gave Tsunade a mocking look. "Where exactly was I wrong? My mission is to assassinate a wealthy target in the Land of Rain. Encountering enemies last night, I ran away fair and square!"
Tsunade was speechless and could only glare at him fiercely.
Because Haruto was absolutely right. That was the reality of the ninja world—everything revolved around completing the mission!
"Alright, alright, let's eat. We still have a long journey ahead," Jiraiya quickly intervened, fearing that Tsunade might lose her temper. If she did, he was far more likely to become her punching bag than Haruto.
After the meal, Jiraiya suggested checking out the battlefield from the previous night. Haruto agreed and led them there.
The forest southeast of the river bore clear signs of battle—burn marks, scattered bodies, and the scent of scorched plants and animals.
Haruto and the others searched the area. The battlefield was extensive, but only Sand Village and Hyuga clan corpses were present. As Haruto had stated, the Uchiha members had likely escaped in the chaos, while the other two factions suffered heavy casualties.
Finally, they arrived at the site where Hyuga Kyokujitsu had died. The area bore marks of a massive explosion, indicating intense combat.
Kyokujitsu's headless, charred body remained in the distance, though his head was missing.
Due to the severe burns, no distinguishing features were visible, making it impossible for Tsunade and the others to confirm his identity.
The group stood around the corpse.
"If the Uchiha members were injured and focused on protecting Uchiha Mikoto, they've probably returned to Konoha by now," Jiraiya speculated. He glanced at Haruto. "But doesn't that put you in danger? Without their support, going alone to Amegakure is practically suicide."
"Well…" Haruto started to refute but paused. Then, after reconsidering, he very seriously said, "You're absolutely right! It's extremely dangerous!" He then shot a strange look at Tsunade.
Tsunade shivered. Even her hair stood on end. What was this brat planning?
"Ahem. Lady Tsunade, I'm about to make my first request. Listen carefully!" Haruto cleared his throat and declared.