Holding a bone, gnawed on by an unknown source, Haruto Saito slowly stood up. He tossed the bone into the air and quickly formed a hand seal with both hands. Immediately, a strange chakra fluctuation rippled from his body.
The moment he completed the seal, the bone, still mid-air, suddenly dropped into his hand and instantly crumbled into fine powder. A faint curse mark emerged on Haruto Saito's palm.
After a brief hesitation, he abruptly lowered his head, bringing his face close to his palm, and inhaled deeply through his nose.
Hiss!
All the powder was sucked into Haruto Saito's nose. He instantly threw his head back, eyes shut tight, as his body convulsed violently, as if struck by a seizure. However, the episode did not last long. Soon, he straightened his posture once more.
His breathing was erratic!
This was a forbidden jutsu! A unique forbidden technique developed by Haruto Saito himself. Born with an extraordinary sense of smell, he was naturally skilled in tracking and could even use his scent to counter-track his enemies. To maximize this talent, he had created numerous jutsu related to his ability.
Among them, the most extreme technique was the one he had just used—the Forbidden Tracking Jutsu: Absolute Scent!
This jutsu had severe drawbacks, with irreversible side effects!
Absolute Scent heightened Haruto Saito's olfactory sensitivity by more than ten thousand times that of an average person, locking onto a single scent he intended to track. This was a terrifying enhancement—after all, a dog's sense of smell was merely over a thousand times stronger than a human's.
Once his sense of smell was enhanced and locked onto a target, the effect would last for three days. However, after those three days, his sense of smell would deteriorate, resulting in permanent brain damage!
Haruto Saito had used Absolute Scent multiple times before, causing his sense of smell to deteriorate significantly. While still superior to ordinary people, it had diminished greatly compared to when he first acquired it.
He had sworn never to use this jutsu again!
The most extreme consequence of overusing Absolute Scent was the permanent loss of his sense of smell. Among the five senses—hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch—this jutsu risked making him lose one of them forever.
Yet, he had broken his vow!
Because he had to find Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Black Samurai. To become the deputy leader of the Village Hidden in the Rain, he needed to complete the mission Hanzo had assigned him within the deadline!
Haruto Saito trembled again, struggling to regain control of his body. After a while, his erratic breathing gradually steadied.
He took a deep breath!
He caught the scent he was tracking. It was impossible to tell who had eaten the roasted rabbit leg—whether it was Tsunade, Jiraiya, or the Black Samurai. But as long as they stayed together, finding one meant finding all three!
Whoosh!
Haruto Saito's figure vanished from the cave.
Afternoon, deep within a mountain forest, a hundred kilometers south of the abandoned mine.
After four to five hours of relentless running, Rito Lee, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had finally shaken off their relentless pursuers. They had taken a roundabout route, constantly changing directions. Rito Lee had alerted them to the presence of enemies ahead four times, and the Rain Hawks tracking them had been a major nuisance. Because of this, they had been forced to take a long detour to reach this remote forest.
They couldn't stop yet. Their enemies had tracking dogs. Even if the rain helped wash away their scent, there was no guarantee the dogs wouldn't pick up their trail again. Moreover, more enemies were likely entering the region. They needed to leave as soon as possible!
The farther they ran, the better. Now was not the time to rest.
However, something was wrong with Tsunade—she needed rest!
Tsunade's last break had been two days ago, before Rito Lee had fallen unconscious. Back in the cave, she had watched over him, then continued without pause. She had sustained injuries and blood loss, but what had affected her the most was her rigorous training session with Rito Lee.
Despite her injuries, she had dedicated her full concentration to teaching him for twelve hours straight! She had even used ninjutsu multiple times to force herself to stay awake. Now, after several hours of relentless fleeing…
All these factors had left Tsunade completely exhausted!
By a stream in the forest.
Tsunade knelt at the water's edge, splashing cold water on her face in an attempt to wake herself up. She had already tried using ninjutsu to stay alert, but it no longer worked on her.
"You can't keep going like this. If you don't rest, you might pass out," Jiraiya said worriedly.
"Jiraiya-sama, can you carry her? I'll follow you," Rito Lee suggested.
"I can't carry someone while running at high speed for long. My chakra would drain too quickly, and if we encounter an enemy, I won't have enough left to fight!" Jiraiya admitted honestly. He wanted to carry Tsunade, but he had to consider the bigger picture.
Jiraiya was a pure ninjutsu specialist with limited physical strength. Carrying someone wasn't a problem, but sprinting at full speed with someone on his back would rapidly deplete his chakra. Unlike Tsunade, he didn't have an immense chakra reserve, so he wouldn't be able to run far.
"What should we do, then? Should we find a place to hide?" Rito Lee asked.
"No! It's fine!" Tsunade stood up, rubbing her face harshly. "I can keep running. Just a little longer, I'll be fine! Let's go!"
Without waiting for their response, she grabbed Rito Lee's arm and dashed off.
Jiraiya followed in pursuit.
Four hours later.
Night had fallen.
Deep in the mountains, inside a massive natural cavern.
The cave was semi-open, with a large opening on its southern side that led to the forest outside. Rito Lee, Tsunade, and Jiraiya hid behind the largest stalactite deep inside, sitting side by side.
The cave was illuminated—not just by the various stalactites but also by numerous glowing stones hanging from the ceiling. These natural fluorescent minerals absorbed sunlight during the day and emitted a soft glow at night.
The multicolored light gave the cave an ethereal beauty.
Yet, none of the three had the time to marvel at nature's wonders. Tsunade had already fallen into deep sleep. Jiraiya and Rito Lee ate silently, chewing on wild fruits without saying a word.
"I'll take watch," Jiraiya suddenly said, getting up.
"Huh? Jiraiya-sama, don't you need to rest? You haven't slept in a long time. I'll stand watch instead—I'm still alert," Rito Lee offered.
"I'm fine. I'll go." Jiraiya waved him off and vanished in a flicker.
The night was silent.
Inside the cave, Tsunade slept soundly, while Rito Lee, eyes closed, was about to drift off.
Outside, Jiraiya perched on a tree, visibly fatigued yet forcing himself to remain vigilant.
The light rain continued to fall. The wind howled. Other than that, there was no sound.
Time passed…
Suddenly, two to three hundred meters away in the forest, a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere!
Haruto Saito!
"Damn pests. You made me work so hard to find you," Haruto Saito muttered, a sinister grin spreading across his face. He took a deep breath.
He confirmed it—three distinct scents!
They were all here!