Haruto Saito suddenly had the urge to abandon this mission!
Traveling to the Land of Whirlpools alongside Tsunade? It felt like a death sentence waiting to happen. Sure, he had a Rivalry Bond with her, but that was a neutral bond—not positive, not negative. Just because the bond existed didn't mean Tsunade wouldn't hate him. Whether she loved or hated him depended entirely on her mood.
"Teacher, maybe this isn't a good idea..." Haruto hesitated. "I think I can handle this alone. If I travel with Tsunade and the others, and they help me, can I really say I completed the mission myself? They're so strong—this mission is nothing for them. If they get involved, won't that greatly diminish my achievement?"
"They have experience. They will know how to strike a balance—helping you, but not too much. They certainly won't complete the mission for you." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Haruto seriously. "This will be a good learning experience for you. It's settled. Tsunade and the others were already here earlier. I told them to wait for you at the village gates. Go get ready."
"...Alright, fine." Haruto had no choice but to accept.
Even though he had doubts, he wasn't willing to give up on the mission.
He had to go to the Land of Whirlpools—there was treasure to dig up. And from what Sarutobi implied, Tsunade and the others were only tagging along briefly; they wouldn't always be with him. That meant he'd still have opportunities to act alone.
As Haruto left, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained alone in the office.
"You're too worried about his safety. That won't help his growth."
A deep voice echoed from the corner of the room. A mysterious figure, shrouded in shadows, suddenly appeared.
Danzo.
He hadn't teleported in using the Body Flicker Technique. Instead, he had been standing there all along, hidden using his unique stealth abilities. Haruto hadn't sensed him at all.
"I know what I'm doing," Hiruzen replied, casting Danzo a glance. "Haruto is still young—his mentality isn't fully stable yet. If he keeps taking risks without guidance, accidents will happen. He needs people to lead him. Tsunade and the others are the best for that."
"You really do value him," Danzo said, his eyes flickering with something unreadable.
Under the shade of a large tree, three figures stood waiting.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
Tsunade crossed her arms, her expression unreadable, her emotions shifting in her eyes. Orochimaru remained as cold and indifferent as always. Jiraiya, on the other hand, stood relaxed, hands behind his head, wearing an easygoing smile.
"Tsunade, what's wrong?" Jiraiya asked, giving her a sideways glance. "You don't look too happy."
Tsunade shot him a sharp look but said nothing.
"You gambled again last night, didn't you? How much did you lose?" Jiraiya pressed on, unfazed.
"Shut up," Tsunade snapped.
Jiraiya immediately shut his mouth and even took a step away, as if trying to avoid any incoming punches.
At that moment, he noticed someone running towards them from the village.
"He's here!"
Haruto Saito had arrived.
He was dressed in Konoha's standard-issue ninja gear, neatly equipped for travel. Even though he was an ANBU operative on an assassination mission, he wasn't required to wear his ANBU mask and attire at all times. After all, ANBU members lived double lives, switching between their public and secret identities as needed.
The moment Tsunade saw Haruto approaching, she lifted her chin, snorted, and turned away—vanishing into the forest without a word.
She was already on the move.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru followed immediately, and Haruto had no choice but to hurry after them.
The four of them dashed through the trees, Tsunade leading the way. She dictated the group's pace, and she was fast.
Haruto pushed himself to keep up, but he could already feel himself lagging behind. He couldn't rely on enhanced strength bursts to speed up, as those weren't sustainable over long distances. They were sprinting—not fighting.
He had traveled with Tsunade before on missions in the Land of Rain. Back then, she had carried him when moving at high speed.
Today, she didn't even spare him a glance.
After running over ten kilometers, Haruto was still trailing behind.
Jiraiya suddenly slowed down, letting Haruto catch up. As soon as he did, Jiraiya casually threw an arm around his shoulders, helping him maintain the pace.
Then, he leaned in and whispered, "Oi... did you and Tsunade have a fight or something?"
"Huh?" Haruto flinched, but quickly composed himself, glancing at Jiraiya. He wasn't sure what Jiraiya had noticed, but after thinking for a second, he decided to play along.
"Yeah," Haruto admitted in a low voice. "We argued. She's not talking to me."
"Heh! Serves you right!" Jiraiya grinned.
"...You ass," Haruto rolled his eyes, expecting some sympathy.
"Why'd you provoke her? Fighting with a woman is a death wish, you know." Jiraiya shook his head knowingly. "Listen, I'll give you some advice. When Tsunade's mad, just suck it up and apologize. Be shameless. She doesn't hold grudges. As long as you admit you're wrong, she'll forgive you."
"I already apologized," Haruto sighed.
"You did?" Jiraiya blinked. "And she still hasn't forgiven you?"
"Nope."
"...Damn. What did you do?"
Jiraiya was genuinely shocked. Tsunade wasn't the type to stay mad at her friends. If an apology wasn't enough, Haruto must have done something serious.
Haruto hesitated, obviously unwilling to elaborate.
"Oh, come on! What did you—"
"Jiraiya. Shut. Up."
Tsunade's cold voice cut through the air. She had turned back, glaring at them.
"...Oh," Jiraiya immediately shut his mouth. He threw Haruto a we'll talk later look but didn't dare ask again.
From morning to afternoon, from afternoon to night—they did not stop once.
No food, no rest.
Because Tsunade was in a bad mood, and if she didn't call for a break, no one else dared to.
Only after an hour into the night did they finally stop—deep in the endless forests of the Land of Fire, beside a small river.
Jiraiya went to catch fish. Orochimaru gathered firewood.
Haruto climbed a tree and stared at the sky. In truth, he just wanted to avoid Tsunade—for safety reasons.
The night air was cool, the wind rustling softly through the trees.
A fire was lit. Dinner was roasted fish.
The four of them sat around the flames in silence.
Tsunade's bad mood was so overwhelming that even Jiraiya wasn't talking.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha.
In the heart of the Hyuga Clan Compound, deep within the old manor.
Under the dim glow of a swaying lantern, two figures stood in the quiet courtyard. Their elongated shadows flickered with the shifting light.
No one else was nearby.
This was the Hyuga Clan's most guarded area—the perfect place for a secret meeting.
One of the men was Hyuga Reiyo, the current clan leader.
The other was Danzo Shimura.
"Danzo, I told you—we should avoid meeting in private too often." Reiyo gazed at the cherry blossoms in the courtyard. "If the Hokage catches wind of this, it'll be hard to explain."
"You don't want to reclaim your clan's lost secrets?" Danzo asked bluntly.
Reiyo's eyes narrowed. "...What do you mean?"
"Haruto Saito—the boy left on a mission this morning," Danzo smirked. "This is your chance."
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