Haruto Saito suddenly realized something—Tsunade actually had a "moe" side to her. She even had a bit of a tsundere attitude!
This was clearly unusual. What Haruto had done to Tsunade, to put it mildly, was spending the night with her without her consent. Any normal woman would have treated him like an enemy for that, but Tsunade didn't. After her initial burst of anger, she had remained strangely calm.
Even when Haruto was right in front of her, she simply ignored him rather than taking out her frustration on him.
And now, the relationship status displayed in his data interface showed something unexpected—"Fated Enemy."
Haruto tilted his head and stared at the side of Tsunade's face, observing her. Tsunade kept her chin raised, looking away from him, but Haruto could clearly feel her heartbeat quicken, her emotions growing slightly flustered.
This was his electroperception ability at work!
"Hey! Damn woman, why is your heart beating so fast?" Haruto asked with a teasing grin.
"Shut up!"
Tsunade, visibly flustered and furious, punched him on the head. Haruto immediately crouched down, clutching his head in an exaggerated display of pain, as if he were dying from the impact.
"We're leaving!" Tsunade declared, and as soon as she finished speaking, she dashed forward, sprinting down the mountainside.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru quickly followed. Before leaping down, Jiraiya even turned back and flashed Haruto a smug grin, as if saying: "Serves you right for messing with Tsunade!"
"Damn woman, I was just messing with you." Haruto muttered, standing up once they had all descended.
In reality, he wasn't hurt at all. Thanks to his Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), his skull was extremely hard, making it impossible for Tsunade's punch to actually harm him. Of course, it also helped that Tsunade hadn't used her full strength—after all, if she had punched him seriously in the head... it might have shattered his skull completely!
Hours Later—Nighttime
After traveling for many hours into the night, the four of them crossed the border into the Land of Whirlpools. They continued moving eastward for over 100 kilometers before finally stopping beside a forest stream.
They set up camp to rest.
This area was already classified as a dangerous zone, meaning they couldn't risk lighting a fire. Instead, Jiraiya pulled out some pre-cooked wild boar meat from his pack—something he had roasted earlier while they were still in the Land of Fire—and handed portions to everyone. The four of them sat on different branches of the same massive tree, eating in silence.
"We need to contact the infiltration unit first and get the latest intel," Jiraiya said between bites of his roast meat. "We still don't know where exactly the Mist Vanguard forces are stationed..."
The infiltration unit referred to the permanent intelligence-gathering squads that Konoha had deployed in various countries—essentially, spies and informants planted deep within enemy territories.
For example, Konoha had stationed an infiltration unit within the Land of Water, and it was thanks to them that the Mist Village's sudden military invasion of the Land of Whirlpools had been detected early.
Naturally, Konoha also had an infiltration unit within the Land of Whirlpools itself. Their tasks included gathering intelligence, maintaining stability, or even sabotaging enemy operations.
Ever since the fall of Uzushio Village, the situation in the Land of Whirlpools had become highly volatile. Despite the country's small size, it was still home to millions of ordinary civilians.
The infiltration unit's shinobi usually had deep connections with the common people, making use of a vast network of informants to gather intelligence. In fact, recruiting more informants was considered a basic skill for every undercover ninja.
Under normal circumstances, the moment the Mist Vanguard forces entered the Land of Whirlpools, the infiltration unit's informants would have immediately picked up a large amount of relevant information.
For a shinobi on a dangerous mission, intelligence support was absolutely crucial.
"Finding the infiltration unit is too much of a hassle," Tsunade argued, frowning. "If we're lucky, we might find them quickly, but if not, we could waste several days just searching for them."
"Instead, we should head directly east. The Mist Vanguard forces are large enough to be easy to locate. We can scout them personally!"
Jiraiya turned his head and looked at Tsunade in surprise.
Why was she saying something like that?
Tsunade had always placed great importance on intelligence. She was the tactical brain of their three-man team, the primary decision-maker in missions. She had never been reckless, since a hasty decision on her part could doom their entire squad.
So what was going on this time? She seemed uncharacteristically impulsive.
"I just want that annoying brat to finish his mission quickly so he can get lost and stop wasting our time," Tsunade muttered, almost talking to herself.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you pretending I don't exist? That's way too harsh!" Haruto protested from his perch on a higher branch of the tree.
It was obvious he was the "annoying brat" she was talking about.
Tsunade was clearly in a hurry to help Haruto finish his mission just so she could get rid of him as soon as possible!
Her disdain was practically radiating off her.
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted coldly, refusing to acknowledge him any further.
"Fine then! Let's head straight there. Our mission isn't urgent anyway, so we can let Haruto complete his task first..." Jiraiya agreed.
He then glanced up at Haruto and gave him a "Sorry, there's nothing I can do" look.
Truthfully, helping Haruto complete his mission wasn't too difficult, although it did come with significant risks. After all, Haruto's task was to assassinate a powerful Kaguya Clan shinobi. Even if he avoided direct combat and relied on poisoning, traps, or sneak attacks, there was always a chance of being discovered and hunted down.
Two Days Later—Nighttime
In the eastern coastal region of the Land of Whirlpools, a vast grassland stretched beneath the moonlight.
The four of them moved stealthily through the tall, one-meter-high grass, their bodies crouched low as they advanced rapidly. Soon, they climbed up a small grassy hill and lay flat at the summit, peering eastward.
Two kilometers away, a brightly lit encampment stood out against the darkness.
It was the Mist Vanguard's main base!
Everything had gone smoothly so far. After crossing the country from west to east, they had found the enemy camp with surprising ease.
The reason?
The Mist Vanguard forces hadn't even tried to hide!
Their camp was built right in the open on the grasslands, without any form of concealment.
This had both advantages and disadvantages. The downside was that they were easy to locate, but if they hadn't intended to stay hidden in the first place, then it wasn't really a disadvantage. The upside was that the surrounding terrain was wide and open, meaning there were no obstacles or cover besides the grass itself—making it incredibly difficult for enemies to sneak into the camp undetected at night.
All four of them took out their binoculars and began observing the camp.
"The previous intel was accurate. Judging by the layout, there are about 2,000 shinobi here," Jiraiya murmured.
Suddenly—
"Damn it! Why are they here?!" Jiraiya gasped in shock.
"Retreat! We need to fall back immediately!" Tsunade ordered, her face darkening.
Haruto had also seen them. Among the seven shinobi emerging from the camp, one figure stood out.
Name: Momochi Akagen
Rank: Captain of the Mist Anbu's First Squad, Leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
Reputation: 25,890 points
Hostility Level: Extreme!
Damn it! Those seven are the Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen!