Haruto Saito's spirit was instantly lifted. He snapped his head toward the direction of the voice. Though night had already fallen, torches had been lit all over the mountain, casting flickering lights over numerous figures. Due to the terrain, Haruto couldn't immediately see what was happening in that direction.
"Stop! Everyone stop for now! Stop digging!" Haruto shouted loudly and shot forward like an arrow. Tsunade, who had been deep in a pit, leaped out and swiftly followed him.
The location was slightly south of the northern section of Meiji Mountain. Massive boulders were scattered all around, and a colossal pit had been excavated—over twenty meters wide, more than thirty meters long, and over thirty meters deep!
Nearly twenty thousand cubic meters of rock had been removed. While a small portion had been transported down the mountain, most of it still lay in heaps around the site.
A sloped path led into the pit, and Haruto dashed down it until he reached the bottom.
Around twenty to thirty ninjas were already gathered near a newly uncovered passageway. As soon as they saw Haruto arrive, they stepped aside. Since they had been assigned this mission, the entire Konoha Defense Corps Vanguard Unit was following orders to dig up the mountain. Haruto was the official mission issuer. No matter his rank in Konoha, these ninjas had to follow his commands.
Whatever was uncovered had nothing to do with them. Their only concern was receiving their payment—Haruto was required to pay them ten million ryo once the job was done.
The passage entrance was small and partially collapsed. Someone had thrown a torch inside, illuminating part of the tunnel. The interior was made of precisely stacked stone blocks, forming a passage about three meters wide and three meters tall. However, the torch's light only revealed a short section, leaving the deeper end shrouded in darkness.
"This is it!" Haruto's face lit up with excitement as he stood at the entrance. The guiding signal in his mind was incredibly strong here!
More people began gathering around the passage. Tsunade, standing beside Haruto, was equally excited. On her other side, a tall and lean ninja in his late thirties furrowed his brows as if recalling something. He muttered, "There really is treasure… Meiji Mountain…"
This man was Uno Shaku, the captain of the Konoha Defense Corps Vanguard Unit. A highly respected elite jonin with a reputation exceeding twelve thousand points.
When Tsunade returned to Konoha to post the mission, she happened to encounter Uno Shaku. Upon hearing that she wanted to issue fifty A-rank missions for simple excavation work with no apparent danger, he used his authority to take on the entire contract himself. After seeking approval from the Defense Corps commander, he led the entire unit to carry out the excavation.
During the journey, Tsunade had explained the situation to him.
"Meiji Mountain… This place is Meiji Mountain…" Uno Shaku kept repeating, his eyes growing brighter with realization.
Tsunade glanced at him, still bubbling with excitement, but she didn't quite understand why Uno Shaku was fixating on the mountain's name.
"This is definitely the place!" Haruto declared, just about to step inside, but he stopped himself. Turning to Tsunade, he said, "Lady Tsunade, could you bring that brat Minato over here? I need to make him understand—my calculations are always accurate!"
Whoosh!
Without a word, Tsunade disappeared like the wind.
"Haruto, are you searching for the Meiji Treasure?" Uno Shaku suddenly asked. His voice wasn't low, and many people around him heard it.
Haruto's expression changed instantly. He shot a quick glance at Uno Shaku and immediately raised a finger to his lips, motioning for silence. Then, lowering his voice, he said, "Captain Shaku, there's treasure here—I calculated it. Whether it's the Meiji Treasure, I don't know. But let's not spread rumors, alright?"
"The Meiji Treasure?"
"You mean the legendary treasure of the Meiji Clan?"
"This is Meiji Mountain… The place where the Meiji Clan was wiped out… Could it really be hidden here?"
Several vanguard ninjas began murmuring among themselves.
"Everyone!" Haruto raised his voice, scanning the group. "You're here on a job that I commissioned. Whatever we uncover has nothing to do with you. You will all receive your agreed-upon payment. Now, I ask you to remain quiet and stop discussing this matter. Thank you."
The surrounding ninjas exchanged glances, then turned their eyes to Uno Shaku. Seeing that he wasn't objecting, they all obediently shut their mouths.
Every ninja had memorized the rules of the profession. They knew what they were supposed to do and what they shouldn't. Even if this was truly the legendary Meiji Treasure, they could only envy the discovery—they wouldn't dare take any further action. Besides, Haruto's status was not ordinary. Even if someone felt greedy, they would have to suppress it.
Silence fell over the area, and Haruto nodded in satisfaction.
Money is king! This principle never failed.
Haruto wasn't actually worried about them stealing anything. Konoha's ninja had high professional ethics. He was just concerned that the words "Meiji Treasure" would reach Tsunade's ears. If that happened, that shameless woman would undoubtedly cause trouble.
Whoosh!
Tsunade reappeared like a phantom, dropping Namikaze Minato to the ground. The poor kid barely managed to stay on his feet and looked like he was about to throw up—Tsunade's speed had been too fast for him to handle.
"Come here, kid!" Haruto grinned, slinging an arm around Minato's shoulders. "Come with me inside. Today, I'll show you once and for all—my calculations are always spot on!"
Minato glanced at the tunnel entrance, and his expression changed. The existence of a tunnel meant it was man-made. Whatever lay at the end of it could be anything—possibly even a treasure.
"Lord Haruto!" Minato suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with realization. "You really found the Meiji Treasure!"
He shouted it at the top of his lungs.
Haruto wanted to slap a hand over his mouth, but it was already too late. He could only stare at Minato like he had just been betrayed by fate itself.
"The Meiji Treasure?" Tsunade, standing nearby, furrowed her brows. The name sounded familiar. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened as if struck by lightning. She nearly jumped up in shock. "The Meiji Treasure?! The lost treasure of the Meiji Clan?!"
The gears in her head finally clicked into place.
"Don't listen to this brat's nonsense—" Haruto tried to cut her off, but—
"Ow!" Haruto yelped as pain shot through his ear.
"Brat! You knew! You knew all along!" Tsunade shrieked, grabbing Haruto's ear and twisting it with an explosive temper. Her hair seemed to stand on end. "You tricked me! You only promised me one million ryo! Just one million ryo! You did that on purpose, didn't you?! No way! I demand half!"
"Did you dig it up?" Haruto shot back.
Tsunade froze for a moment, her eyes flickering. Slowly, she released his ear.
Haruto had caught her in a trap. The passage wasn't dug by her. It was discovered thanks to the ninjas Haruto had hired. In this situation, if Tsunade tried to take a bigger share, it would be outright robbery.
If they had worked together to unearth the treasure, she could at least argue for a fair split, shameless as it might be. But now? She had no argument at all.
"Well, I still put in effort, even if I didn't get results!" Tsunade pouted, crossing her arms. Her voice, however, was much quieter now.
"Didn't I already agree to give you one million ryo?" Haruto rolled his eyes at her before turning to the others. "Alright! You all wait outside. I'm going in with Minato and Lady Tsunade."
With that, Haruto dragged Minato into the tunnel, picking up one of the torches inside as he moved forward.
Tsunade hurried after him, grinding her teeth as she glared at Haruto's back.
She normally wouldn't back down so easily. But today, she had no real leverage. And with so many people watching, even she had a limit to her shamelessness.