A strike similar to an inch punch sent force into the ground, accumulating energy beneath the surface until it reached a breaking point and erupted. It was incredible—Tsunade had not used any other ninjutsu, accomplishing everything solely with her monstrous strength and her near-superhuman chakra control. Her mastery in this area was unparalleled in all of Konoha.
The earth pillar shot up tens of meters before breaking apart and scattering in all directions. The massive rock that had been launched into the air turned and plummeted back to the ground, dragging with it large tree roots and other debris.
Perched atop a tree, Jiraiya suddenly sprang into action. With a quick burst of movement, he soared into the air, his hands forming seals in an instant.
"Wind Release: Rolling Dragon Technique!"
Jiraiya exhaled a terrifying spiral storm, sweeping up all the airborne soil and the massive rock. The rock was ground to dust, and the debris was carried away in a lateral tornado, raining dirt over the forest like a bizarre earthy downpour.
His only intention was to prevent the stone and dirt from falling back and potentially injuring someone.
"That guy is seriously strong with Wind Release too," Haruto Saito muttered, watching Jiraiya return. Jiraiya was proficient in four elements—Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth—only lacking Lightning Release. However, his strongest affinity was with Fire Release.
"Brat, you lost!" Tsunade turned to Haruto with a smirk.
"How did I lose?" Haruto asked as he walked toward her.
"I blew up ten meters of earth, and there was nothing there!" Tsunade folded her arms, lifting her chin smugly. "We're even now!"
"Ten meters? Then I must have miscalculated," Haruto replied as he approached the crater in front of the tree. He peered down into the nearly circular hole, which had a diameter of about three meters and was pitch black inside.
"That was an impressive display, but you were being so cautious before. Now you've caused such a commotion. Is that really okay?" Haruto quipped while examining the hole.
"We're leaving soon, so it's fine," Tsunade said. Then, shooting a sharp look at Haruto, she added, "What, are you not admitting defeat?"
"I'll take a look down there." The moment Haruto finished speaking, he stepped into the pit and vanished instantly.
"Damn brat! Just wait till I get my hands on you!" Tsunade muttered at the edge of the hole, her expression shifting between irritation and excitement, as if she was already savoring the thought of pummeling Haruto.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Jiraiya said, moving to stand beside Tsunade, his voice tinged with concern.
"Don't jinx it!" Tsunade shot him a glare, making Jiraiya hastily step aside.
...
At the bottom of the dark pit, Haruto landed lightly on the soft earth.
The guiding signal was overwhelming—the intensity had reached its peak. Haruto crouched down and began feeling around the pit floor, digging into the dirt with his hands. Soon, his fingers brushed against something metallic.
It was fairly large. Haruto cleared away the surrounding dirt and pulled the object free—it was quite heavy.
A rectangular box, half a meter wide and nearly a meter long... a chest!
"A treasure chest!" Haruto exclaimed in surprise. Hugging the chest, he tensed his legs and sprang upward, kicking off the dirt walls to propel himself higher. In just two breaths, he shot out of the hole, twisting in midair to land beside it.
Jiraiya smacked his forehead in exasperation—Tsunade had lost again!
Tsunade's mouth hung open in shock as she stared at the chest in Haruto's arms, completely frozen.
Haruto set the chest down and examined it closely. It was black, adorned with intricate carvings that gave it an ancient feel. A lock was affixed to one side. Brushing off some dirt with his hand, Haruto looked up at Tsunade and grinned.
"No way! This is impossible! How could you calculate something like this? Did you bury it here yourself?" Tsunade's face was full of disbelief.
"Hah! You're the one who suggested the bet, not me. I have no idea what's inside," Haruto scoffed. He tugged at the lock, but it didn't break. Applying more force with his enhanced strength, he finally snapped it off.
Taking a deep breath, feeling a mix of anticipation and excitement, Haruto slowly lifted the lid.
What he saw left him stunned.
Jiraiya and Tsunade had also gathered around. They stared at the contents, equally dumbfounded.
Inside the chest lay... a neatly folded suit of armor?!
Resting atop the armor was a helmet, and to the side, a sheathed short sword.
"Is a suit of armor really worth hiding so carefully?" Haruto muttered, feeling a twinge of unease. If this armor wasn't particularly valuable, then he might have lost the bet after all.
"It looks like something from the Warring States period," Jiraiya observed as he crouched down, studying the items. "This is a samurai's armor, but modern samurai no longer use standard helmets. But... why the short sword?"
Haruto took out the short sword, helmet, and armor. The armor was incredibly heavy, made of metal. All three items shared the same color scheme—entirely black, with dark red patterns on the armor.
Haruto started to panic a little. These things looked valuable, but probably not valuable enough to impress Tsunade.
Tsunade, however, was frowning deeply, staring at the armor in silence.
"Wait, there's more." Jiraiya suddenly spoke. With the armor removed, he noticed something else at the bottom of the chest—several scrolls.
He picked them up and began examining them one by one.
"What do they say?" Haruto continued handling the armor. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt a faint energy emanating from it. The patterns on the armor looked suspiciously like some kind of sealing script.
Jiraiya didn't answer immediately. Instead, he became engrossed in the contents of the scrolls.
"Is it from Kurobu Country?" Tsunade suddenly asked.
"Yes!" Jiraiya nodded.
Haruto's eyes widened. He glanced between them before fixing his gaze on Tsunade. "You recognize this armor?"
"It's a famous legend. I once read about it in my teacher's study," Tsunade replied.
"What is it?" Haruto pressed.
"Kurobu Country—a small nation that was destroyed nearly seventy years ago. Like the still-existing Land of Iron, it was a nation of samurai." Tsunade folded her arms and explained, "It was founded a thousand years ago and was once very powerful. But in modern times, as ninjutsu flourished, the way of the samurai declined. Around seventy years ago, during the early Warring States period, Kurobu Country was wiped out in the chaos of the ninja wars."
"So… this is Kurobu Country's armor? With seventy years of history, it should be worth something, right?" Haruto was still focused on its value. A relic from seventy years ago was only a recent antique—its worth was uncertain.
"Not just valuable..."
"Oh."
"It's incredibly valuable!"
"Huh?!"
Tsunade's face darkened. It was clear she hated losing, but she finally admitted, "If this truly is the legendary Kurobu Armor, its price on the black market wouldn't be less than ten million ryo."
"What?!" Haruto's excitement surged.
"This isn't just any samurai armor," Jiraiya explained. "The Kurobu Armor was unique. It was worn only by the Great Generals of Kurobu Country for generations. It's their national treasure—a symbol of power!"
"Holy crap!" Haruto was floored.
Tsunade and Jiraiya both turned to look at him like he was an alien.
How the hell did he manage to predict this?!