Haruto Saito hadn't sensed Minato Namikaze's presence in advance because Minato was inside the training ground's sealed area, which blocked all external sensory abilities. Even though Minato had opened the door, Haruto still couldn't sense him. The door and its seals were designed to prevent Byakugan users from seeing through it.
"Uh…" Haruto looked a bit guilty.
The seals in the training ground were one-way, meaning those inside could sense the outside and even hear some of the sounds. Haruto wasn't sure if Minato had overheard anything.
"Sensei, who were you saying you love?" Minato tilted his head and asked. "Was it Lady Tsunade? And what's 'mwah'… mmmph…"
Haruto rushed over like a gust of wind, clamping his hand over Minato's mouth and pushing him back into the training ground. He followed inside and slammed the door shut with a loud *bang*.
Inside the training ground.
"Kid, I'm warning you, if you dare breathe a word of this, I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!" Haruto issued a stern warning to Minato.
"Sensei, do you have to be so harsh…" Minato's eyelids twitched, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "I'm your own disciple!"
"And yet you eavesdropped on your teacher!"
"I wasn't eavesdropping, it was an accident…"
"Don't argue! Zip your lips! I'm warning you again, if you talk, you'll regret it."
"Oh…"
Minato understood everything. Because he understood, he wasn't overly curious. Haruto's nervousness made it clear what was going on.
"Alright, forget about this!" Haruto calmed down and led Minato deeper into the training ground. "When did you get here?"
"Just after dawn," Minato replied.
"Got any new ideas?" Haruto asked.
"Just some thoughts."
"Had breakfast?"
"Not yet."
"Then skip it. We'll have a good meal at lunch. Let's get started."
Haruto was in a bit of a hurry. He had to attend his special training today, or White Fang would come looking for him again. But his schedule was tight—it was already 9 a.m., so Haruto had to adjust his plans.
Haruto and Minato spent hours discussing the Flying Thunder God Kunai, and it wasn't until after 1 p.m. that Haruto finally obtained another fragment of the Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Afterward, Haruto gave Minato some money to treat himself to a good meal, while Haruto skipped eating and headed straight for the Hokage Mountain.
Upon arriving at the ANBU base, Haruto immediately began his special training.
He still had over thirty days of training left—less than forty. Missing a day meant adding another, so he didn't want to delay. Whenever he had time, he prioritized training.
Today's training focused on olfactory senses—a very specialized form of training designed to help detect poisons and track enemies. With Haruto's sensory abilities, distinguishing different scents was easy, but he didn't know what those scents represented, so he needed this training.
The training lasted until evening.
Just as Haruto finished his training for the day and stepped out of the stone chamber into the corridor, someone hurried over from the left side of the passage. Seeing Haruto, the person quickly said, "Akaito, the assassination squad is assembling. Head to the assassination hall!"
This person was also a member of the ANBU's first squad assassination team, codenamed "Seikou," an elite jonin with a reputation score of 11,000.
"Do I have to go?" Haruto was puzzled. "I can't take on missions yet. Why should I go?"
"The entire assassination team is assembling. Everyone has to go!" Seikou said.
"Everyone?" Haruto muttered, following Seikou.
Could there have been some sudden development that allowed him to take on missions now?
**Assassination Hall!**
Located next to the assassination team's living quarters, the hall had a separate passage leading to it. Other ANBU squads didn't have their own dedicated halls—only the first squad did, as their missions were too special and required higher confidentiality.
When Haruto arrived at the assassination hall with Seikou, the other assassination team members who had received the notice were already there, including the team leader, Kirimizu. The assassination team had 21 members in total, but four were currently recovering from injuries, so 17 were present.
In addition to the assassination team, the ANBU captain, White Fang, was also there.
Haruto was surprised because he knew that assassination team missions were usually assigned directly by the team leader, Kirimizu. White Fang, as the ANBU captain, didn't typically handle such matters personally—he only oversaw the big picture.
"Everyone's here," White Fang said, scanning the room before getting straight to the point. "According to intelligence received at noon today, the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water dispatched a vanguard force three days ago to invade the Land of Whirlpools. Based on the timeline, they will likely land on the eastern coast of the Land of Whirlpools tonight!"
"During this afternoon's meeting, the Hokage decided to send the Fourth Division to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools. However, given the current situation, it's not in our best interest to engage directly with the Hidden Mist Village, nor do we have sufficient justification to repel their invasion of the Land of Whirlpools. Based on analysis, the Hidden Mist Village's decision to send only a vanguard force to the Land of Whirlpools is likely a test—a test of our reaction. If we don't intervene, they won't be able to quickly conquer the Land of Whirlpools, which lacks a strong ninja village. They'll have to proceed step by step, starting by establishing a village outpost on the eastern side of the Land of Whirlpools."
"By order of the Hokage, we must stop the Hidden Mist Village's village-building operation and deliver a heavy blow to them!" White Fang's voice was hoarse and serious as he scanned the room. "Therefore, I've decided to initiate a decapitation operation! If necessary, I will personally go to the Land of Whirlpools!"
"Your mission is to carry out high-level ninja assassination targets!"
As White Fang spoke, he walked over to a large bulletin board.
The board was covered with portraits of various individuals, along with relationship charts and written descriptions.
"Based on our current intelligence, the Hidden Mist Village's vanguard force consists of approximately 20 elite jonin, 160 jonin, 1,600 chunin, and about 400 genin—totaling over 2,000 ninja."
"After analyzing the intelligence, we've identified 36 individuals as key assassination targets, including the vanguard force's commander, Hozuki Ieyasu. However, Hozuki Ieyasu is extremely powerful and heavily guarded. Whether we target him is still under discussion. Even if we do, I may have to handle it personally… The other 35 are your targets!"
"These are the individuals!" White Fang pointed to the portraits on the bulletin board. "They not only hold important positions within the Hidden Mist vanguard force but also have complex and significant connections within the Hidden Mist Village. For example, this one—Kisame Tadashi, captain of the vanguard force's reconnaissance unit. He's only 19 years old and is considered the top genius of the Kisame clan, as well as the youngest son of the current Kisame clan leader. His strength far surpasses that of an average elite jonin!"
"And this one—Hōzuki Roba. He's one of the few in the current Hōzuki clan who still possesses the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, and he's a strong contender for the next Hōzuki clan leader…"
"Take a look," White Fang said, stepping aside. "Once you've made your choices, I'll issue the mission orders. Remember, don't overestimate your abilities!"
The assassination team members gathered around the bulletin board, looking up at the portraits and occasionally whispering to each other.
"Captain!" Haruto quickly approached White Fang. "Can I take on a mission?"