Tsunade made it very clear—this was an immense achievement, one that would be rewarded with unimaginable prizes! However, even she couldn't be certain what kind of reward Haruto Saito would receive.
Since Haruto had no official position in Konoha and lacked high status or great power, the range of possible rewards was incredibly broad.
However, Haruto didn't care about money, power, or official ranks. Those things could be earned as long as he had enough strength. There was only one kind of reward that was truly, truly rare!
"Forbidden techniques? Can those really be used as rewards?" Haruto asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Of course!" Tsunade leaned in close and whispered, "There are very few techniques that are completely forbidden. Most forbidden techniques are simply too dangerous for lower-level shinobi to practice. Many forbidden techniques are also restricted to maintain their rarity. My grandfather and Tobirama-grandfather created many such techniques, and their training methods have been recorded. Lord Hokage has locked away all these forbidden jutsu scrolls. In Konoha, aside from the Hokage, no one has the right to read them! Some of these jutsu are only awarded to shinobi who accomplish major missions."
The grandfathers Tsunade referred to were, of course, Konoha's First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Haruto's eyes weren't just shining now—they were practically glowing!
Edo Tensei! Flying Thunder God Technique! Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags! Spirit Transformation Technique! Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu! Chakra Sensory!
Haruto immediately thought of many forbidden techniques mentioned in the original story, most of which had been created by the genius Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Among all the forbidden jutsu that Tobirama developed, the most terrifying, the most outrageous, was undoubtedly the summoning technique known as "Reanimation Jutsu"!
"What if I request a forbidden technique as my reward? What would Lord Hokage give me?" Haruto asked cautiously.
"How could I possibly know?"
"Could it be Edo Tensei?"
Smack! Tsunade flicked Haruto's forehead and scolded, "The Reanimation Jutsu is completely forbidden! Unless Konoha is on the brink of destruction, and someone is responsible for its revival, no one is allowed to learn it!"
"I was just asking." Haruto really was just curious. He understood the nature of Edo Tensei. After a moment's pause, he asked again, "Then… what about the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"That… might be possible," Tsunade replied uncertainly.
"Might be? That's good enough!" Haruto clenched his fists tightly.
The Flying Thunder God Technique!
If he could learn it, what did it matter whether he killed Jidao or not?
Jidao was strong, but he wasn't a boss enemy with double drop rates. Killing him would only grant Haruto some of his abilities, and many of Jidao's abilities were high-risk forbidden techniques! Rain Village shinobi were like that—they constantly harmed themselves, constantly burned their own life force. Haruto wanted to master many forbidden techniques, but not those kinds.
The rewards and growth he would gain from killing Jidao couldn't compare to learning the Flying Thunder God Technique!
"But," Tsunade added, tilting her head, "the Flying Thunder God Technique is a space-time ninjutsu. You need exceptional talent in that area to have even a slim chance of learning it. So, Lord Hokage would only grant it to someone who is truly suited for it—not just as a reward. If someone in Konoha displays outstanding space-time talent, even if they haven't achieved great merit, Lord Hokage would still make the Flying Thunder God Technique available to them to help them grow. But if someone lacks that talent, then learning it would be a waste of time…"
Haruto ignored Tsunade's words.
He could learn any jutsu. Talent wasn't a limitation for him—at most, it would affect the speed of his learning. But he would master it eventually!
One hour later.
Tsunade and Haruto continued chatting about what had happened over the past three days and four nights, as well as the current situation on the Fire-Rain border.
Orochimaru emerged from the cave, carrying a large wooden barrel on his back, with Jiraiya following beside him. Jidao was nowhere to be seen.
Haruto and Tsunade both looked over, quickly realizing that Orochimaru had temporarily sealed Jidao inside the barrel.
"Prepare to move out," Orochimaru commanded the chunin stationed at the edge of the forest.
As Haruto and Tsunade walked toward him, Haruto suddenly tilted his head and asked, "What's Jidao's condition now? Have his internal injuries healed? How much strength does he still have?"
"His injuries are still very severe, even if they don't appear that way on the surface. As for his strength, it's impossible to determine—Jidao's abilities are too strange," Tsunade answered quickly. "But don't worry. I severed all the chakra nodes in his body, and Orochimaru sealed his hands, feet, and heart. Right now, he's completely powerless!"
After giving the order to move out, Orochimaru noticed Haruto speaking in hushed tones with Tsunade.
For a brief moment, an unusual look flashed through his eyes.
Regarding Haruto's situation, there was much that he hadn't told Tsunade and Jiraiya—because it involved a miscalculation on the part of Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although Danzo had taken responsibility, claiming that he had arranged for an informant to leak information to Rain Village, Orochimaru knew exactly who had made the decision.
If Tsunade and Jiraiya found out that Rain Village had preemptively stationed forces at the White Stone Mines because of Hokage's plan, he wondered how they would react.
Three days later.
Konoha, Fire Country. Inside the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat expressionlessly in his chair, staring silently at the map spread across his desk. Danzo stood at the side of the desk, leaning slightly forward, both hands pressed against the map as he studied it.
"…Rain Village has consolidated its forces. Their first and second armies are entirely stationed in the southeastern part of the country, but that's not the main issue. The Rain Country is highly xenophobic—they distrust us in Konoha. If our army enters Rain Country from this direction, we won't just be fighting against Rain Village's forces. Other small factions in the area will also rise against us…"
Danzo pointed at different locations on the map as he spoke.
Four days earlier, they had received a report via Orochimaru's summoned messenger hawk, confirming that he had found Tsunade and Jiraiya, and they had escaped danger.
However, only they had escaped Rain Country. The other rescue team, led by White Fang and consisting of dozens of ANBU, was still inside Rain Country with no news. Recent intelligence indicated that Rain Village had altered its strategy. Since their pursuit of Tsunade and Jiraiya had failed, they had shifted their focus to hunting down White Fang's team!
To this end, they had mobilized their entire army, and Hanzo himself was leading Rain Village's ANBU in the hunt.
While it wasn't an immediate crisis, White Fang's team had to avoid Hanzo's elite forces and avoid direct confrontation with Rain Village's main army. If they could do that, their chances of escaping Rain Country were high.
But it remained a major problem.
Konoha's First Main Battle Army was already stationed at the Fire-Rain border. Sarutobi was discussing with Danzo whether they should invade Rain Country to assist. However, doing so could trigger an all-out war.
Sarutobi listened to Danzo's analysis in silence for a long time. Then, suddenly, he stood up and said, "Notify Koharu and the others—it's time for a meeting."
"Understood." Danzo straightened. "Call a meeting!"
Whoosh!
From outside the window, a presence flickered, followed by a respectful voice: "Report! Lord Orochimaru's team is now only ten kilometers from the village gates."