Haruto Saito Was Clearly a Lunatic Too!
The way he interacted with Terado was completely unconventional. Terado had adopted an attitude of "You better not do that to me, or the consequences will be dire." He had an opportunity to secretly learn Haruto Saito's hypnosis technique, but instead of keeping it hidden, he deliberately pointed it out, making Haruto wary.
Meanwhile, Haruto Saito took the stance of "I'm going to do it anyway—go ahead and try to steal it if you can." He wasn't the least bit afraid of Terado, and he was openly plotting against him without any attempt to conceal it.
Terado's way of thinking was bizarre—there was a thin line between genius and madness! And he was someone who constantly teetered on the edge between the two, a monstrous anomaly!
But Haruto Saito's thinking was just as strange. He had a habit of pushing the limits of danger—an extreme risk-taker!
After all, Haruto's hypnosis technique could be performed without the use of chakra. The effect would be exactly the same; the only difference was that it was more difficult to execute. If Terado really managed to learn hypnosis, the consequences would be devastating.
Haruto was well aware that he was playing with fire. But the opportunity was equal for both of them—Terado might learn hypnosis, but Haruto also had the chance to hypnotize Terado first. If he could extract information from him, Haruto could then kill him and claim the reward. The risk was worth it!
"A game, huh..." Terado muttered, looking at Haruto Saito like he was some kind of fascinating specimen. "Did Sarutobi Hiruzen send you here just to play games with me?"
"My teacher sent me to get information. I can use any method I want." Haruto smirked, completely straightforward.
At the doorway, Gokushin's expression changed. The way he looked at Haruto's back was strange… He was now convinced that Haruto wasn't normal. Maybe Sarutobi was right—this guy really had a few screws loose!
"Teacher?" Terado's voice sharpened.
"Yes! My teacher!" Haruto grinned. "Because I caught you! The achievement was too great, and since I have outstanding talent, Lord Hokage has already taken me as his personal disciple!"
"You're trying to provoke me." Terado said directly, his mind as sharp as ever. Haruto was indeed trying to provoke him.
"I won't deny it," Haruto squinted slightly. "But aren't you doing the same? The moment you snapped your fingers, you were intentionally or unintentionally trying to provoke me."
Terado fell silent for a moment, then grinned. "Kid, you really are interesting."
"So are you." Haruto smirked. "Honestly, you scared me. But in the end, I still won."
"Such a pathetic attempt at provocation." Terado shook his head, seemingly dismissing Haruto's words.
"Is it really fun for us to keep provoking each other?" Haruto shrugged. "Let's go back to our previous discussion. I'm giving you a chance to beat me—even a chance to kill me… You cooperate with me, I hypnotize you. You might learn hypnosis, or I might hypnotize you first. Want to play?"
"You realize that if I master your ability, I can hypnotize you instead? We're sitting so close—I have a hundred ways to kill you in an instant. No one would be able to save you. Aren't you afraid?" Terado grinned, his voice carrying a sinister edge.
"If I hypnotize you, I can control your consciousness. I can make you say things you don't want to say. You're the one who should be afraid." Haruto leaned in, staring directly into Terado's eyes.
Gokushin, standing by the doorway, was dumbfounded.
Haruto was just laying everything out in the open!
It was as if he wanted Terado to know everything!
Terado's mind was too quick, too unpredictable, his thoughts always unexpected—so much so that he often seemed outright insane.
But Haruto? He was actually insane!
"Interesting, truly interesting. Tsk tsk!" Terado shook his head in a bizarre, erratic way, his eyes never leaving Haruto's face. "Honestly, kid—I think I'm starting to like you."
"I'm honored." Haruto smirked. "Terado-sama, don't you think we're the same kind of people?"
"You're just pretending."
"Then you don't understand me yet."
"Tsk!" Terado clicked his tongue and shook his head again. Then he raised his hand—
Snap!
A crisp snap of his fingers echoed in the cell.
Then he said, "Your ability has a major flaw. Hypnotize me? I don't make the same mistake twice."
"You shouldn't underestimate me."
"And you shouldn't underestimate me."
"Don't you want to beat me? Don't you want revenge? I'm giving you a chance!"
"Kid, I can guarantee you—this will be the worst mistake of your life."
"Ha! That means you agree! You agree, don't you?!"
"This is an interesting game. You want to die? I'll make it happen. This time, I won't fail!"
Terado had agreed!
Haruto felt a surge of excitement—it wasn't easy to get to this point! Talking to Terado was exhausting; he was too smart, as if he could see through everything.
That's why Haruto had chosen to be completely honest.
It didn't matter.
Haruto wasn't afraid of Terado knowing anything—because what truly mattered was that Haruto knew Terado's weakness.
"I never fail!"
That was something Terado always said. It was his obsession.
Yet last time—he failed.
That obsession had already been shattered by Haruto, turning it into a non-weakness weakness. If Haruto wanted to drag Terado into this "game," all he had to do was lay everything out in the open and give Terado a chance to reclaim his victory.
And Terado had taken the bait!
At the doorway, Gokushin's expression kept shifting. He had now heard everything laid out clearly. If Terado truly learned hypnosis, he would kill Haruto first—and then possibly attack everyone else.
Haruto was gambling with his life!
"Alright then, Terado-sama. I'll show you a magic trick first—just watch." Haruto spoke again, pulling out a deck of playing cards from his pocket.
"Haruto Saito! Stop messing around!" Gokushin suddenly shouted, his voice filled with urgency. "Don't do this!"
"It's just a magic trick. What's the problem?" Haruto turned back to look at Gokushin.
"I mean don't play that game."
"Terado-sama, what would you like to eat? My treat."
Terado's eyelids twitched.