Haruto Saito collided directly with Kaguya Rakuba, but it felt like hitting a solid wall—his body was thrown backward and crashed heavily onto the ground! Although Kaguya Rakuba was sick, his strength ensured that he remained completely unaffected. He didn't even budge.
Haruto hadn't used any force; he made it look entirely accidental.
"Ouch…" Haruto even let out a pained cry, as if he had landed right on an old wound.
Kaguya Rakuba and the surrounding Hidden Mist ninjas all cast indifferent glances at him. The clan leader briefly lowered his head to check his clothes, then casually flicked the dust off his robe.
"Are you blind, you little bastard?" Mudashi, one of the Mist shinobi, snapped impatiently. Without hesitation, he swung his foot and kicked Haruto hard, sending him flying.
Haruto crashed into a street stall, knocking it over, then tumbled and slammed into a wall. A mouthful of blood spilled onto the ground as he hunched over, his body trembling in agony.
"Apologies, Lord Rakuba," Mudashi grinned at Kaguya Rakuba, "Please ignore this fool. Times are tough these days—seems like beggars are popping up everywhere!"
"It's not really an issue," Kaguya Rakuba said flatly. "There are beggars everywhere."
"That's true, that's true." Mudashi nodded repeatedly.
A large group of them continued forward, leaving behind the "dying beggar" in the alley, completely ignoring him.
Haruto remained slumped on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to get up.
Far away, Tsunade and the others watched from a rooftop, completely dumbfounded.
What was Haruto doing?
Did he just… ask for a beating?
When Haruto had rushed toward Kaguya Rakuba, Tsunade had nearly jumped in to intervene. But then, Haruto hadn't made a move—he had only "accidentally" crashed into him. He was acting!
Why?
They continued to watch as the battered "beggar" limped toward a nearby alley, vanishing into the shadows.
"Move!" Tsunade whispered urgently.
The three figures disappeared from the rooftop.
…
Inside the dim alleyway, Haruto straightened up the moment he was sure no one was watching. He stretched his body, his joints cracking audibly.
"Goddamn it… do you know how hard it is to kill someone quietly?" he muttered, wiping the blood from his lips.
He had barely taken a few steps into the alley when—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures suddenly surrounded him—Tsunade stood directly in front, her expression dark and unreadable.
"You—" Haruto started.
"You reckless little brat!" Tsunade snapped, grabbing him by the ear and twisting it hard. "Running off on your own! Acting without thinking! Do you even have a brain?"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts! Let go!" Haruto yelped.
Tsunade released him, but immediately started flicking his forehead repeatedly. "Do you have any idea how much you just scared us? You got that close to Kaguya Rakuba! He has the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit—if you had attacked him, he could've instantly counter-killed you! What were you thinking?!"
"Alright, alright!" Haruto winced, rubbing his forehead.
"We need to leave here. This isn't a place to talk," Jiraiya said calmly.
"Hmph! Idiot!" Tsunade huffed, scanning their surroundings before signaling them to move.
The four of them darted deeper into the alley.
As they ran, Haruto stole a glance at Tsunade. She was still fuming, ignoring his existence entirely.
"Hey, Tsunade, I'm sorry, alright?" Haruto grinned. "Don't be mad."
She didn't respond.
"I'll make it up to you. How about a fireworks show?" Haruto teased.
Still no response.
"Sigh…" Haruto suddenly pressed his hands together—and vanished in a flicker.
"That little bastard!" Tsunade nearly lost her mind. "He ran off again!"
But this time, Haruto had left behind a faint chakra trail. Within a second, the other three locked onto it and teleported after him.
…
Still within the northern district of Ryusui Village, at the end of Second Street, a small plaza connected to a cluster of warehouse-like buildings used for processing dried seafood.
On the western side of the plaza, atop a wooden watchtower, Haruto suddenly reappeared—immediately dropping into a crouch, hiding himself.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru followed suit, concealing themselves as well. The plaza below was patrolled by Mist shinobi, leaving them little cover. Standing openly on the tower, even in the dim light, would be risky.
"You really are asking for a beating," Tsunade muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at Haruto. "Do you want me to break your legs?"
If they had been somewhere less exposed, she probably would've already done so.
"Shh! Just watch," Haruto whispered, motioning forward.
They didn't need him to say anything—they had already noticed.
Across the plaza, Kaguya Rakuba and Mudashi, leading a group of Mist shinobi, emerged from Second Street and entered the square. Mudashi was gesturing around, seemingly introducing something to Rakuba.
"What the hell are you up to, brat?" Tsunade hissed, still fuming.
She was beyond confused now. Haruto had deliberately approached Kaguya Rakuba, making direct contact, only to run off and reposition himself here, just to watch from afar.
What was the point?
Watching Kaguya Rakuba stroll through a marketplace wasn't going to provide any new intel. The Hidden Leaf's ANBU already had detailed reports on his habits. The real problem wasn't Kaguya Rakuba himself—it was the dozens of guards surrounding him at all times. Killing him wasn't difficult. Getting to him was.
This surveillance was a waste of time.
"Hey, Tsunade," Haruto suddenly whispered, "I'm really, really sorry for making you worry. To make it up to you, I'm gonna show you some fireworks!"
"Just stop trying to get yourself killed, that's all I ask," Tsunade grumbled.
"Watch," Haruto urged again, motioning toward Kaguya Rakuba's group.
They had reached the center of the plaza.
"What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" Tsunade asked impatiently.
"Like I said—fireworks!" Haruto grinned.
At that moment, he pressed his hands together, releasing a massive surge of chakra.
Instantly, Kaguya Rakuba froze.
His head snapped toward the distant watchtower—his eyes wide in alarm.
Then, his face twisted in horror.
Because he felt something—a massive surge of explosive chakra radiating from his own body.
That familiar, terrifying energy…
Paper bombs.
"How…?!"
That was Kaguya Rakuba's last conscious thought in this world.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted beneath his feet, engulfing him and his entire squad in a massive fireball.
The night sky ignited.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru watched in stunned silence as the Hidden Mist commander and his men were consumed by the flames.
Haruto chuckled.
"See? I told you—fireworks."
The plaza was bathed in blinding light, turning night into day.