"Hey, hey, hey! If you keep looking at me like that, I'll really start to feel narcissistic." Haruto Saito lowered his voice. The last time Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at him this way was when they had confirmed that his "divination" actually worked.
"So... this is the hypnotism technique you learned from him?" Jiraiya tilted his head slightly and glanced at Tsunade.
Tsunade nodded but added, "Only a part of it."
She was already glaring at Haruto because he hadn't taught her the part about controlling people and making them answer questions. He had only taught her how to put people to sleep. The problem was, she hadn't even mastered that part yet!
Now, Tsunade was starting to suspect that Haruto hadn't been seriously teaching her at all!
"Such an unbelievable technique... never heard of it before... it's just..." Jiraiya was in awe, his heart shaken. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. This completely shattered the conventional understanding of a ninja's abilities!
"Yeah! Unheard of! And a certain brat didn't even bother to mention it before." Tsunade muttered through gritted teeth.
Haruto raised a middle finger at her. He had actually mentioned it before, but Tsunade just didn't remember. He lowered his hand and said, "Hey! Any more questions? If not, we can kill him now!"
"Orochimaru is leading the squad. Given his personality, if he can't find us quickly, he'll likely initiate a battle with the Rain Ninja to draw their attention to himself. That way, we'll have a better chance to escape. So we need to find Orochimaru as soon as possible!" Tsunade said firmly.
"Agreed!" Jiraiya nodded. "Once we regroup with Orochimaru, the three of us together—along with the elite ninja under him—will have a real shot at fighting our way out. As long as we don't run into the full force of the Rain Ninja army, we can kill our way through!"
"Head north?" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade again.
"Yes! Orochimaru has more people with him, so they'll definitely leave traces." Tsunade nodded.
"Then it's settled. No need for more questioning." Jiraiya said.
Haruto immediately raised his blade!
Splat!
A kunai flew through the air and pierced through the head of the enemy ninja, Nanesa. Haruto, still holding his blade, whipped his head toward Jiraiya, wearing an expression of utter disbelief. The kunai had come from Jiraiya—this guy had stolen his kill again!
Honestly, there was nothing wrong with it.
Jiraiya had lost a good friend, so his thirst for revenge was strong. Since Nanesa was no longer of use, it didn't matter who killed him.
Haruto, however, was frustrated beyond words!
Thankfully, Nanesa was only an elite Chunin. Even if Haruto had killed him, he wouldn't have gained too great of a reward. Still, Haruto made a silent vow to prevent this from happening again—it was too risky! If he ever obtained a boss card in the future and Tsunade or Jiraiya ended up killing the boss, it would be a huge loss!
The three quickly gathered all the fallen Leaf Ninja bodies. Jiraiya then used Fire Release to cremate them, followed by Earth Release to churn the ground and bury the ashes. It was a makeshift funeral.
The rain continued to fall, but it had softened into a gentle drizzle.
The three set off again against the wind and rain, altering their original plan and heading north.
Under the same night sky, in the southeastern region of the Land of Rain, about 300 kilometers from the border, stood an abandoned mine.
It was an iron mine known as the Red Rock Mine. It had been mined since the Warring States Period and was completely depleted ten years ago. Since then, it had been abandoned, and as other nearby resources were also exhausted, the area had become desolate.
Deep into the night, the Red Rock Mine was brightly illuminated.
Campfires and tents covered the mountain, with over 1,500 Rain Ninja and more than 10,000 laborers gathered there. These were the Rain Ninja Village's Second Army Corps and their logistical support unit.
Days ago, the Second Army Corps had received an urgent order from Hanzo and had set up camp here two days prior. They had since been conducting a thorough search of the surrounding areas.
The entire mine served as their base. The laborers stayed in tents outside, while the ninja occupied the tunnels. Since mining had ceased long ago, there was no risk of cave-ins.
Guards stood at the entrance of every tunnel. Occasionally, messenger hawks flew in, disappearing into the depths of the mines.
Though it was nearly midnight, the Rain Ninja inside the Red Rock Mine showed no signs of resting.
In the largest cavern, dozens of fire pits illuminated the space brightly.
Hanzo stood before the largest fire pit, his hands behind his back. Behind him, a dozen ninja stood respectfully. The one closest to him, clad in a black robe, was none other than his personal guard captain, Jido.
"...Leader, aside from news about Orochimaru, we also received intelligence today that another large unit of Leaf Ninja has entered the Land of Rain. One of our vanguard squads encountered them and was completely annihilated... Based on scouting reports from Rain Falcons, we can confirm that these ninja belong to the Leaf's Anbu! They are likely also here to find Tsunade and Jiraiya!"
The speaker was a tall, burly ninja in his late forties with broad shoulders, a towering frame over two meters tall, and dark brown skin. Despite his age, he radiated a fierce and powerful aura. His voice was deep and respectful.
This man was none other than Mosaku, the commander of the Rain Ninja Village's Second Army Corps.
His name was unusual because he wasn't originally from the Land of Rain—he was a rogue ninja from the Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning. He defected during the First Great Ninja War and had since gained Hanzo's deep trust. His strength ranked among the top in Rain Ninja Village.
"Anbu... White Fang?" Hanzo asked with a slight turn of his head.
"We can't confirm whether White Fang is leading them, but given the number of Anbu operatives, it's highly likely he is."
"Interesting." Hanzo let out a cold chuckle.
"Leader, White Fang's strength is on par with mine," Mosaku said. "If we don't consolidate our forces and let him freely sweep through our ranks, our individual squads won't stand a chance. He'll take them out one by one, and our losses will be severe!"
Hanzo remained silent.
Mosaku was right. A ninja of White Fang's caliber wasn't on the same level as Tsunade or Jiraiya. Leading a team of elite Anbu, he could massacre any hundred-man squad he encountered.
Yet, because Hanzo was determined to locate the Black Samurai, he had scattered his army. Some units were even temporarily disbanded, acting as independent squads.
The thousands of Rain Ninja had been spread into a vast net, but White Fang could simply avoid the stronger ninja and tear through the weaker ones with ease.
This was the terror of a top-tier warrior.
Dealing with someone like White Fang required one of two strategies: either consolidate the army to prevent individual squads from being wiped out or send a warrior of equal strength to take him head-on.
But consolidating the army would mean giving up the search.
"The search for the Black Samurai must not be halted!" Hanzo finally spoke in a low tone. "As for White Fang... I will handle him personally. I will kill him!" A sinister smile curled at his lips.
White Fang was strong, but in Hanzo's eyes, he was insignificant.
The only one in Konoha worthy of being his opponent was Hiruzen Sarutobi!