Haruto Saito had just thought of a critical issue!
It was something he had overlooked before—Terado's remaining lifespan!
Before Terado was captured, he had used a forbidden life technique to seal his injuries and maintain peak combat strength. He fought against Tsunade and Jiraiya for several hours, and when he was eventually cornered, he fully unleashed the forbidden technique, burning his life force to increase his power output.
No one knew exactly how much of his lifespan he had lost!
Haruto Saito hadn't paid attention to this detail before. After all, Terado didn't look like an old man—he still had the appearance of a middle-aged man, albeit with a weary and battle-hardened aura. Because of this, Haruto had subconsciously assumed that Terado still had many years left, perhaps over a decade. But that was just an assumption.
Terado's strange behavior made Haruto Saito rethink everything.
He strongly suspected that Terado had very little time left to live. The reason he still looked young was likely due to the nature of the forbidden technique he had used to burn through his lifespan.
"Yes, I am dying. I have about a year and four months left… approximately." Terado spoke calmly and with certainty.
"So, it's true," Haruto thought to himself. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Terado wasn't afraid of death—because he knew he didn't have long left. Every day he lived only brought him closer to the inevitable. That kind of awareness must have been agonizing.
Terado possessed an unshakably strong mind.
"So, what do you say?" Terado's tone took on an unusual inflection, his gaze intense. "I can teach you, but you must become an assassination ninja. You must promise me that you will reach the pinnacle!"
Haruto Saito began to understand Terado's mindset.
Was this man searching for a successor?
Or did he simply want someone to fulfill his lifelong ambition of becoming the greatest assassin in the shinobi world?
But why now? Why had he suddenly made this decision? And why choose an enemy to be his successor?
The latter question was easier to answer—Terado had no other options. If he had the chance to search the entire world, he might not have chosen Haruto Saito. But he didn't have that luxury. He was imprisoned in Konoha, the most powerful village in the shinobi world, under the tightest security, with his entire body sealed. He likely knew he would die here.
But why had he suddenly come to this decision?
It wasn't as if today was his first time meeting Haruto Saito.
Haruto Saito observed Terado with a serious expression. He was concerned that this might be the first step of a manipulation scheme. Terado was incredibly intelligent—Haruto couldn't be sure of his true intentions.
Moreover, Haruto wasn't even interested in learning from him.
Killing him outright would be much simpler!
Granted, Terado's knowledge wasn't limited to the techniques he personally used. For example, Haruto had learned the Breaking Obstruction Technique from him. But Haruto still preferred a direct approach—he didn't want to play psychological games with Terado.
"No need to think it over—I can tell you," Terado said as if reading Haruto's mind. "You have the potential to be an elite assassin. I realized it the moment I lost to you. Having a unique offensive ability is essential for an assassin. A ninja without distinguishing characteristics, no matter how powerful, cannot become a great assassin."
"Of course, the most important factor is your talent! I am truly astonished by it. I can't tell if you've used some special methods, but the fact that you were able to master a dark and powerful forbidden technique in such a short time… that's all the proof I need! You're still young, with incredible potential. You shouldn't waste it."
"You're acting strangely," Haruto Saito said, watching Terado's expression carefully, searching for any signs of deceit. "We're enemies, yet you want to teach me."
"You're afraid I'll try to harm you," Terado chuckled, able to read Haruto's thoughts.
"I just don't want unnecessary complications," Haruto replied.
"You're not the type to shy away from risks. If you say that, it means there's another reason, doesn't it?" A sharp glint flashed in Terado's eyes.
Of course, there was another reason—Haruto simply wanted to kill Terado and be done with it.
"Heh," Haruto Saito smirked but didn't deny it.
"Don't you want to become the most powerful assassin? The number one in the shinobi world? The most feared existence?" Terado tempted him.
"I want to become the strongest ninja. That much is certain," Haruto said, staring at Terado. "But whether or not that means becoming an assassin… that doesn't seem very important."
"The strongest assassin can also be the strongest ninja!" Terado emphasized. "I'm showing you the best path. You should trust my judgment."
Haruto didn't respond immediately. He was still observing Terado.
His relationship status with Terado continued flickering between 'Neutral' and 'Hostile,' meaning that Terado's thoughts about him were fluctuating. While he might be lowering his guard in the moment, that didn't mean he wouldn't try to manipulate Haruto later.
It was worrisome.
This guy was dangerous!
"Become an assassin! Follow this path, aim for the top, and claim the title of the greatest assassin in the shinobi world! If you agree, I will teach you everything I know!" Terado repeated his offer, then fell silent, waiting for Haruto's response.
"Aren't you afraid I'll deceive you?" Haruto smirked. "I could agree now, but you probably won't live to see the day I become the number one assassin."
"Heh." Terado laughed and shook his head. "No, you won't have the chance to turn back. Once you accept, I will make you understand what it truly means to be an assassin. I will let you experience the thrill of assassination—I will make you addicted to it. You won't want to stop."
"You're a lunatic. Assassination is a brutal business, and you talk about it like it's fun?"
"That's because you don't understand it yet."
"Hmph." Haruto Saito scoffed but remained silent.
He was weighing his options. Should he just agree for now?
After all, he couldn't kill Terado at the moment. Plus, he had a mission coming up in the next few days. Regardless of whether Hiruzen Sarutobi approved his chosen assassination target, Haruto had to leave Konoha—if necessary, he would select a different target. Either way, he was determined to visit the Land of Whirlpools.
So for now… he could just lie to Terado, take advantage of the situation, and extract some knowledge about ninjutsu.
As for Terado's ultimate fate… that could be decided later.
The cell was silent for a long time.
"Maybe…" Haruto finally spoke. "It's worth a try. I am already part of the ANBU assassination unit, after all."
"You agree?" Terado's eyes gleamed.
"Yeah," Haruto Saito nodded seriously.
"Good!" Terado shouted excitedly. "Trust me—I will make you the strongest assassin!"
At that moment, Terado's relationship status stopped flickering and settled on 'Neutral.' Killing him now would yield no rewards. However, that was only temporary—if Haruto betrayed him, Terado would surely become an enemy once again.
Ding! A system notification rang in Haruto's mind.
[Host has established a Legacy Bond with Terado. Current Bond Index: 5 Points.]