"Understood," Hiruzen Sarutobi responded calmly. He had already received news that Orochimaru had found Jiraiya and Tsunade and that they had escaped danger. However, his mind was still occupied with the news regarding White Fang and the situation at the borders.
After a moment of thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi called out, "Once they enter the village, have Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade come directly to the conference room."
"Yes!" the ninja outside the window acknowledged the command before disappearing.
At midday, under the bright sun, a group of weary travelers arrived at the western gates of Konoha. Orochimaru had successfully led his team to locate and bring back Jiraiya and Tsunade, who had encountered danger in the Land of Rain. This news spread quickly throughout the village.
Of particular note was the revelation that Haruto Saito was still alive. This was significant news for both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.
The other ninjas dispersed upon entering the village—their mission was complete, and the reporting of it was not their responsibility.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who carried a wooden barrel on his back, walked side by side. Following closely behind them, clad in a loose black robe, was Haruto Saito. No one could see the black samurai armor hidden beneath his robe. This was a crucial detail. Although the fact that Haruto Saito was the Black Samurai was difficult to keep secret, it was still unwise to parade around openly in the armor—it would attract too much attention.
The bustling streets were lively, filled with merchants, travelers, and villagers going about their daily lives. The air was filled with the familiar scent of home.
Even though Haruto Saito had only been away from Konoha for less than a month, returning gave him a nostalgic feeling. Gone were the hardships of fleeing and traveling. Gone was the constant sense of danger. The best way to describe the feeling was: comfortable.
However, Haruto Saito was in poor spirits—he was exhausted.
He had been plagued by nightmares. For the last three nights before reaching Konoha, he had woken up repeatedly from terrifying dreams, unable to get proper rest.
Despite this, he was excited.
He would be accompanying Tsunade and the others to report their mission. Tsunade had already promised to petition for him to receive recognition. Whether he would be granted access to the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll depended on this meeting.
They moved through the bustling market and onto the forested path leading to the Hokage's office.
Whoosh!
A figure, cloaked in black, appeared before them out of nowhere and knelt on one knee. "Lord Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, the Hokage requests your presence in the conference room."
Tsunade exchanged a glance with Jiraiya before nodding. "Understood. We'll head there immediately."
Whoosh! The figure vanished again.
"A high-level meeting? If they're calling us, it must be about the situation in the Land of Rain. They're making an exception for us," Jiraiya speculated, resting his hands behind his head.
"Seems that way," Tsunade nodded before turning to Haruto Saito. "You should wait outside the Hokage's office. Once the meeting is over, the Hokage will summon you."
"How long will that take?" Haruto Saito yawned.
"Not sure. At least an hour, maybe several," Tsunade replied.
"Then I'd rather go back and rest." Haruto Saito scoffed. He had no intention of standing outside the office like an idiot.
"Fine," Tsunade nodded.
Haruto Saito turned and walked away. Since he couldn't meet Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately, he planned to get some sleep. Now that he was back in Konoha and completely safe, perhaps he wouldn't have nightmares anymore.
As he walked off, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru quickened their pace, heading toward the conference room inside the Hokage's building.
"Don't mention Haruto Saito's role in subduing Jido or his hypnosis technique in the meeting," Tsunade suddenly instructed. "This must be reported to Sensei separately. The fewer people who know, the better."
"Understood," Jiraiya responded immediately.
"Hmm," Orochimaru, still carrying the wooden barrel, merely gave a faint nasal acknowledgment.
The three arrived quickly at the conference room, where all the high-ranking officials of Konoha were present. As expected, the meeting was about the situation in the Land of Rain. However, it wasn't just about White Fang—it was about the overall political climate. Hanzo's actions had become increasingly aggressive, and the scent of war was growing stronger.
Two hours later, the meeting concluded.
Inside the now-empty Hokage's office, the door suddenly opened. Hiruzen Sarutobi entered first, followed by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who respectfully filed in behind him.
The wooden barrel Orochimaru had been carrying was now gone—it had been handed over during the meeting. Danzo had left early to personally oversee Jido's imprisonment.
"What was so important that you couldn't say it during the meeting and had to report to me separately?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, not bothering to look back as he moved toward his desk. He had caught Tsunade's subtle hint during the meeting.
"Sensei, in truth, we did not capture Jido through combined efforts," Tsunade stated, stepping forward.
"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi had just sat down at his desk when he looked up at her. "Wasn't Jido captured because he exhausted himself using his forbidden life-draining technique and lost mobility, allowing you to subdue him?"
"That's not how it happened," Tsunade shook her head. "Sensei, this involves Haruto Saito, which is why we wanted to report separately."
"Hmm?" A glint of interest flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. During the meeting, Tsunade had already mentioned how Haruto Saito had obtained the black samurai armor and become the Black Samurai, which had caused quite a stir. She had also referenced his ability to make calculated predictions.
"Explain. How is he involved?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"It involves one of his abilities. To explain properly, I need to start from my initial encounters with him," Tsunade began. "Haruto Saito possesses a unique hypnosis technique. He can put people to sleep when they are off guard, relaxed, or mentally exhausted. This ability does not require chakra. Because of its uniqueness, I even wanted to learn it from him…"
She had carefully planned how to present this information. Since she had promised to petition for Haruto Saito's recognition, she had to explain everything thoroughly—otherwise, such an extraordinary ability would be difficult to believe.
Tsunade recounted how she first discovered Haruto Saito's hypnosis ability. When she explained that he could make people answer questions truthfully while under hypnosis, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted. And when she described how Haruto Saito had instantly put a relaxed Jiraiya into a deep sleep, his expression changed again.
An ability this strange and powerful…
And Hiruzen Sarutobi had already guessed where this was going.
"…Then we encountered Jido. Haruto Saito, using his sensory abilities, detected Jido ahead of time and devised a strategy that injured him severely. However… as I stated in the meeting, Jido's abilities are terrifying. He sustained his combat strength by burning his own life force. We actually lost the fight—Jiraiya was gravely wounded and unconscious, and I was trapped underground by Jido's attack. I initially thought Jido had escaped, but he hadn't… because he wanted to kill Haruto Saito and take the black samurai armor."
"Haruto Saito hypnotized him, didn't he?" Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted. That had to be it—why else would Tsunade bring up hypnosis in the first place?
"Exactly!" Tsunade nodded firmly. "At the perfect moment, Haruto Saito used his hypnosis. He succeeded! That's how we captured Jido—alive! In this matter, Haruto Saito deserves the most credit."
Tsunade finished speaking.
Silence filled the office.