Boom—
The Blade of Heavy Mountain slammed into the ground. Although Haruto Saito held back some of his strength, the terrifying force still blasted a massive crater into the earth. Soil and debris flew in all directions, and the explosion rang in their ears.
However, no one paid attention to the impact of Haruto's strike.
Tsunade and Jiraiya stared at Haruto, whose entire body was shrouded in black mist. Even Haruto himself was astonished. Holding his sword, he looked down at himself, then spread his arms and examined his surroundings.
It was incredible—the black mist seemed to be drawn to him, lingering only around his body. This gave him an ethereal appearance, as though he were flickering in and out of existence. When Haruto raised his arm, some of the mist couldn't keep up with his movements and simply dissipated.
The black mist was constantly forming and constantly fading.
Haruto was its creator!
He could clearly feel it—the armor was absorbing his chakra. The absorption point was at the back of his neck, where the armor's collar pressed tightly against an acupoint, drawing in his chakra.
Yet, this drain on his chakra was so minimal it was almost negligible. The mist it produced wasn't much, and the chakra consumption was even slower than Haruto's natural chakra regeneration rate.
"So this is the effect of the Black Warrior Armor," Haruto murmured.
"The Black Warriors recorded in history always appeared this way," Tsunade said, eyeing him in astonishment. "They were known as the Reapers of the Night. In the pitch-black darkness, Black Warriors could blend into the shadows completely, indistinguishable from the night itself."
"I see," Haruto nodded.
"But something is strange." Tsunade frowned. "A legendary treasure like the Black Warrior Armor, passed down for a thousand years, shouldn't be so easily wielded by an outsider. You're a ninja, yet this armor was designed for samurai."
"Why not?" Haruto shrugged. "Is there a record stating that it can't be used by a ninja?"
"There are no records explicitly saying so, but theoretically, it shouldn't be possible," Tsunade shook her head.
"Maybe I'm just naturally gifted," Haruto said casually.
In truth, he had already formed a theory in his mind. Even if the Black Warrior Armor required a samurai to activate its powers, he could still use it—because he already possessed the abilities of a samurai.
Haruto experimented further, trying to control the armor with his chakra. The dense black mist that had enveloped him dissipated under his command. He could even manipulate the size of the armor. He was certain that the Black Warrior Armor had other unique abilities, as many of its engraved seals remained inactive.
"Enough playing around. Are you really planning to travel wearing that armor?" Tsunade asked impatiently.
"Why not?" Haruto looked up at her.
"Don't you think it's too conspicuous? The legend of the Black Warriors is well known. Any experienced ninja or samurai would recognize it. Wearing that in the Land of Rain will bring you a lot of trouble."
"I'll just put on some clothes over it." Haruto responded nonchalantly, picking up the robe he had taken off earlier and putting it back on.
The long black robe still fit well, not appearing too tight despite the armor underneath. This was thanks to the Black Warrior Armor's thin design. After securing the collar and pulling the oversized hood over his head, he turned in a circle and asked, "Does it show?"
"This will work," Tsunade nodded. Indeed, nothing seemed out of place.
Haruto then put on a pair of dark sunglasses, hiding his dual-colored eyes.
"Hmm?" Just as he was about to pick up his backpack, he suddenly snapped his head northward, his expression sharp. "Someone's coming!" Haruto's enhanced perception allowed him to detect movement over two hundred meters away.
Tsunade gave him a surprised glance before also turning her gaze northward.
She, too, sensed it—but she had noticed it later than Haruto. The person was approaching their location at high speed.
"Hide!" Tsunade ordered in a low voice.
Jiraiya grabbed the large chest on the ground, Haruto picked up his backpack and scattered weapons, and the three of them leaped in different directions, vanishing into the surroundings.
Moments later, a ninja, who had slowed his pace, arrived at the scarred, towering tree. His expression was highly vigilant as he carefully examined the crater in front of him.
He was a middle-aged ninja in his forties, dressed in non-standard ninja attire, making it difficult to determine his allegiance.
However, hidden in the trees, Haruto could see his information. The ninja's name was Haino Jingmu, an elite Chunin based on his reputation. He belonged to the "Konoha Village Northwest Border Outpost Reconnaissance Unit."
A Konoha ninja!
This area was still within the Land of Fire. The Fire-Rain border was notoriously chaotic, so Konoha had established outposts here and assigned patrol ninjas. Haino Jingmu must have heard the loud explosion from Tsunade's attack and rushed over from afar.
"Well, if it isn't Jingmu-san! What a coincidence!" Jiraiya suddenly appeared beside the crater, greeting him familiarly.
Haino Jingmu was startled but relaxed upon recognizing Jiraiya, exhaling with a smile. "Ah, it's Lord Jiraiya."
"He's from the village?" Tsunade appeared behind Haino Jingmu, her tone cool and distant.
Haino Jingmu immediately turned and greeted her with deep respect. "Scout Unit, Northwest Outpost. Haino Jingmu greets Lady Tsunade!"
He was relaxed with Jiraiya but far more formal with Tsunade.
Jiraiya was friendly and had no airs, making it easy to interact with him. Tsunade, however, was infamous for her fiery temper. Most Konoha ninjas preferred to avoid her altogether.
So, while Jiraiya recognized Haino Jingmu, Tsunade only found him vaguely familiar.
"It's fine now, kid. You can come out." After confirming he was an ally, Tsunade called out.
Time passed swiftly. Two days later.
Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
"Hokage-sama, while the enemies we encountered during this mission were from Sunagakure, the appearance of the Hyuga Clan there is highly unusual… especially Hyuga Kyogoku… That Haruto Saito is now missing, and there's a high chance he's already dead. If not killed by Sunagakure ninjas, then by the Hyuga Clan."
Two men sat in the office. Sarutobi Hiruzen, exuding authority, listened intently as Uchiha Tokugawa reported on the mission.
The Uchiha forces had returned to Konoha that morning and reported to Tokugawa.
This type of mission usually wouldn't require the Uchiha Clan Head to personally report to the Hokage. However, since it involved the Hyuga Clan, Tokugawa saw an opportunity to press their rivalry.
"The mission failed. The police force has temporarily classified Haruto Saito as missing."
"But that's not the issue—the real question is why the Hyuga Clan was there."
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time, his face unreadable. Finally, he tapped the desk and said, "Understood. Tokugawa, you may leave. I'll have the Anbu investigate this."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Tokugawa bowed and left.
Once the door closed, Hiruzen turned to the window and ordered, "Summon Danzo."
A short time later, the enigmatic Danzo appeared.
"Tokugawa was just here. His men have returned."
Danzo's eyes narrowed. "And?"
"They believe Haruto is dead…"
Danzo remained expressionless. He already knew Haruto was alive. And now, things were about to get more complicated.