The deafening explosion echoed through the entire Liushui Village in mere moments.
Flames surged skyward, reaching heights equivalent to a ten-story building. From an artistic perspective, it was almost breathtaking—at least, that's what Haruto Saito thought. To everyone else, it was nothing short of a terrifying catastrophe.
Ding! The host has successfully killed an enemy of a higher rank. Reward: 10,000 Reputation Points and one A-rank Jutsu Random Card.
Ding! Congratulations, host! You have achieved the Primary Group Kill Achievement by killing ten enemies simultaneously. Reward: One Tenfold Time Card.
The system notifications rang in Haruto's ears as the explosion raged.
A new achievement reward?!
This wasn't about killing ten enemies consecutively—it was about eliminating ten enemies at the same time!
Because Mudasi had already decided to defect to the Hidden Mist Village, his entire group was marked as hostile toward Haruto. Now, they were all dead!
Kaguya Roka had brought five ninja subordinates, and Mudasi had five samurai under his command—a total of twelve individuals, all wiped out in the blast!
A complete annihilation!
As flames surged and illuminated the night, golden light shimmered in the air—hundreds of loot cards scattered in all directions.
Tsunade stood frozen in shock. The explosion's brightness cast her expression in stark relief. This... this was what Haruto had called "fireworks"? His assassination target had been obliterated in an instant!
"Move!" Orochimaru, ever the composed one, commanded sharply.
"Go!" Tsunade snapped out of her daze, grabbed Haruto, and vanished. Jiraiya and Orochimaru followed suit.
—
Moments after they fled.
Dozens of Hidden Mist ninjas, including several elite jonin, rushed to the scene. The explosion had been massive, and they were not far away. Within ten seconds, they reached the outskirts of the square.
Mudasi's samurai, along with hundreds of soldiers, also arrived as quickly as they could. The entire village was in chaos.
The square remained engulfed in flames, and even a nearby watchtower had caught fire.
Patrol squads stationed nearby had witnessed everything. Their "honored guest," Kaguya Roka, and Mudasi—both had been instantly obliterated by the sudden blast!
"Damn it! What the hell just happened?!"
"Lord Roka is... gone?!"
"Put out the fire!"
"Lock down Liushui Village!"
"Find the culprit! NOW!"
The entire village plunged into chaos. Watchtowers lit their signal fires, illuminating the settlement like daylight. Mudasi's subordinates searched frantically—more desperate than even the Hidden Mist ninjas. They feared retaliation from the Mist Village for failing to protect their emissary.
A Hidden Mist elite jonin roared in frustration.
With a massive surge of water-style jutsu, the flames were extinguished in seconds. His gaze swept the carnage, then locked onto something amidst the ashes.
Kaguya Roka's remains.
Of all the bodies, his was the only one intact.
In his final moments, he had desperately attempted to defend himself—altering his bone density and attempting to form an external bone armor. But he had been too slow.
Everyone else had been reduced to ashes. Only Kaguya Roka's skeletal remains remained, grim proof of his demise.
—
A few kilometers west of Liushui Village, atop a low mountain.
The night was thick, and the moon cast a silver glow over the cliffs. Four figures peered over the edge, using binoculars to observe the chaos in the village below.
They had fled in one breath, knowing the aftermath would be messy.
After all, Kaguya Roka had not died quietly—his death was cataclysmic!
In truth, even if Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had stayed behind, the Hidden Mist ninjas left in the village would have been no match for them. As for Mudasi's men? They were utterly insignificant—Tsunade alone could wipe them out.
But that wasn't the point.
They couldn't risk exposure! The same applied to Haruto. Fighting inside Liushui Village meant leaving witnesses. Killing every single one of them was impractical. Fleeing was the correct choice.
"Kaguya Roka is really dead. The Mist ninjas have gone insane…" Tsunade muttered, scanning the scene through her binoculars.
"Did you enjoy the fireworks? That was a pretty sincere apology, wasn't it?" Haruto smirked.
Tsunade put down her binoculars and turned to look at him. Jiraiya and Orochimaru did the same.
Their expressions were identical—shock, awe, and a deep sense of unease.
"Don't look at me like that. You'll make me think I'm a genius or something." Haruto grinned.
Tsunade felt a strange chill crawl up her spine. This kid... he had just obliterated his target in the blink of an eye, without any fuss or warning. He had caused a massive explosion, and his enemies probably didn't even know who had killed them. And yet, here he was, grinning like it was all a joke.
She suddenly recalled something the Third Hokage had told her in private.
Haruto had been affected by the side effects of the Black Armor. His personality had become more erratic—more violent, more ruthless. He no longer valued human life.
In simpler terms, he was a violent lunatic.
"Oi! Isn't it obvious?" Haruto suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "I planted explosive tags on him when I bumped into him. You all saw it, right? When I disguised myself as a beggar and ran into him?"
Jiraiya hesitated. "That… but how?! Kaguya Roka was an elite! How could he not notice that something was stuck to him? It makes no sense!"
Jiraiya had suspected as much right after the explosion. That moment when Haruto, disguised as a beggar, had "accidentally" collided with Kaguya Roka had been the only opportunity.
But thinking about it logically—it seemed impossible!
How could an elite jonin fail to notice someone planting explosive tags on him?!
Orochimaru remained silent, observing. Tsunade, on the other hand, didn't doubt it too much. She knew firsthand how fast Haruto's hands were. He had stolen the necklace from her neck more than once without her noticing. Unless she was actively watching him, it was hard to catch him in the act.
Haruto turned to Jiraiya, smirking. He patted Jiraiya's shoulder. "Jiraiya-san, are you doubting my skills?"
"Yes! It's completely unreasonable!" Jiraiya admitted.
Haruto chuckled, withdrawing his hand. "Well then, take a guess. How many explosive tags did I just place on you?"
Jiraiya's pupils shrank. He froze for three seconds—then suddenly leaped into the air, frantically patting himself down.