Jiraiya was startled by Haruto Saito. He had personally witnessed how gruesome Kaguya Rakuba's death had been. Even though he knew that the explosive tags Haruto had supposedly placed on him wouldn't actually detonate, having someone else's explosive tags hidden on him was incredibly dangerous.
It was like carrying an uncontrollable bomb. If he couldn't find it, there was no telling when it might explode! For instance, if he were in battle and got hit by a powerful shockwave, while the impact itself might not injure him much, it could trigger the unstable explosive tag!
Jiraiya frantically patted himself down from head to toe but found nothing.
Haruto watched him with a smirk.
Realization dawned on Jiraiya, and his expression darkened as he glared at Haruto. "You little brat, you tricked me!"
"I just asked you to guess. I never said I actually put an explosive tag on you. Why are you so nervous?" Haruto chuckled.
Jiraiya felt a little embarrassed but also relieved.
"Heh!" Haruto suddenly twisted his body, reaching for Jiraiya's waist pouch. His movements were lightning-fast—before Jiraiya could react, Haruto had already pulled something out and waved it in front of him. "Jiraiya-sama, take a look. What's this?"
Pinched between Haruto's fingers was a stack of explosive tags!
Jiraiya's expression changed. How was that possible? He had just checked himself!
Tsunade, watching from the side, saw through Haruto's trick immediately. She smacked him on the head and exposed him. "Jiraiya, don't let this brat fool you. The explosive tags were always in his hand. He just pretended to pull them from your pouch."
Jiraiya froze for a moment before understanding clicked.
"You little—! You tricked me again!" Jiraiya fumed.
"Why did you have to ruin the fun?" Haruto shot Tsunade an annoyed look. "So smart, aren't you?"
"Alright, enough with the nonsense." Tsunade lifted her binoculars and scanned the village of Ryusui. After a brief moment, she said, "Some Mist ninjas have already left the village to report the incident. It won't be long before reinforcements arrive. We need to leave now!"
"Agreed!" Jiraiya responded, preparing to retreat down the cliffside.
"Wait a second!" Haruto quickly called out. "Shouldn't we check Ryusui Village one more time? If we go back, we can gather more intelligence and take out a few more enemies. Besides, the Mist Village reinforcements won't be here right away, so we won't be in danger."
In truth, Haruto wanted to retrieve his reward cards!
He had taken down Kaguya Rakuba, but the hundreds of dropped cards were still scattered across the village square. Due to the system's drop mechanics, Haruto had to physically return to the site of Rakuba's death to collect his rewards.
Smack!
Tsunade gave Haruto another smack on the back of his head and scolded, "Stop looking for trouble! Your mission is complete. You need to return to Konoha and report! This isn't your job! Konoha hasn't officially declared war on the Mist yet. If you expose yourself, it could create problems for Konoha. Got it?"
"Can you stop hitting me every time you talk?" Haruto grumbled, rubbing his head. "Do you have to smack me for everything?"
"Enough talk, let's go!" Tsunade grabbed Haruto by the arm.
The four of them descended from the cliff and disappeared into the forest, moving swiftly. Tsunade never let go of Haruto, as if afraid he might sneak away and cause trouble.
"Jiraiya-sama," Haruto suddenly spoke up, "Can I have my explosive tags back? It's dangerous to keep them on you."
"Explosive tags? What explosive tags?" Jiraiya turned to Haruto, confused. Then, realization struck him, and his face turned pale. "Where did you put them?!"
"Your lower back, tucked under your pouch," Haruto answered casually.
Jiraiya immediately stopped in his tracks and reached behind him, his fingers brushing against something. His face went completely white.
They were really there!
He pulled out a stack of explosive tags… and instantly realized when Haruto had slipped them onto him. It was the very moment Haruto had "pretended" to pull the tags from his pouch. He hadn't noticed a thing!
Without hesitation, Jiraiya returned the tags to Haruto and then shuffled a few steps away from him—keeping his distance.
He suddenly found Haruto incredibly dangerous!
A New Day, Early Morning
In the eastern region of the Land of Whirlpools, beside a small river in the forest…
Haruto jumped down from a tree, followed by Tsunade and Jiraiya. He stretched his body, rolling his shoulders and shaking out his limbs.
He had just woken up.
The four of them had arrived in this area late at night and had taken a rest until now.
Whoosh!
Orochimaru suddenly appeared beside them, having been keeping watch nearby. Seeing them awake, he silently joined them.
Tsunade pulled a small scroll from her pack. It contained the evaluation of Haruto's mission. She wrote a few lines, signed her name, and handed it to him. "Give this to the Hokage when you return."
"Are we parting ways here?" Haruto asked, taking the scroll.
"Yes," Tsunade nodded. "You're heading back to Konoha. We still have tasks to complete… Listen up, brat! Don't stir up any trouble! On your way back, avoid villages unless absolutely necessary. If you get into a fight, don't engage unless you have no choice. And for heaven's sake, don't go snooping around for intelligence. That's not your mission! Just go straight to Konoha!"
She kept lecturing him, clearly worried he would cause chaos.
"Alright, alright. Do you not trust me at all?" Haruto sighed, clearly exasperated.
"When have you ever been trustworthy?" Tsunade shot back, then turned to Jiraiya and Orochimaru. "Let's go!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's move!"
Orochimaru and Jiraiya nodded, forming hand signs before vanishing in an instant.
Just like that, they were gone.
Haruto had thought about pulling Tsunade aside for a private farewell, maybe whispering a few things in her ear—but she hadn't given him the chance.
"Sigh." Haruto exhaled deeply, then clasped his hands together.
Secret Art: Marking Perception Technique!
A high-level sensory technique. His awareness spread in all directions, and soon, he could sense Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru moving away. They weren't trying to watch him secretly. It seemed Tsunade wasn't that paranoid.
Relieved, Haruto lowered his hands, scanned his surroundings, then bolted off in a different direction.
Back to Ryusui Village!
He needed to retrieve the hundreds of reward cards that had dropped. Who knew what kind of treasures they held? Maybe even a Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit Card.
Even if he didn't get that, the mission was already worth it—hundreds of cards from twelve enemies? Forget high-level jutsu cards; just the mental enhancement cards alone would be plentiful!
Noon, Ryusui Village
The village was under martial law. It wasn't the bustling, noisy place it had been. While there were still vendors on the streets, business was slow. Many villagers chose to stay inside today.
Everyone had heard the news—their leader, Mutashi, was dead. A high-ranking Mist ninja had also been killed. More people would die today.
More Mist ninjas had arrived in the village that morning, questioning and investigating.
Under the scorching midday sun, the northern plaza of the village showed clear signs of battle. Scorched marks littered the ground, with a large crater in the center.
The plaza was mostly empty. A patrol had just passed by and was now moving away.
Suddenly!
A black-cloaked figure appeared in the crater, quickly waving his arms and hopping in place before vanishing back into the hole.
The figure had come and gone in two seconds.
Nobody had been watching the crater closely enough.
Nobody had noticed that fleeting shadow.
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