Haruto Saito changed his mind. Originally, he had planned to go straight for the treasure and then leave the Land of Whirlpools to return to Konoha Village. But now, he didn't want to leave anymore! He felt he had to do something!
Haruto searched Da Tao Village again but couldn't find Hiroshi Oshima. Given Hiroshi's strength, unless the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist actively attacked him, he shouldn't have died. Haruto figured Hiroshi must have left the night before. Haruto didn't bother looking for him further and quickly left Da Tao Village.
******
Two days had passed since the battle at Da Tao Village.
It was noon on this day.
In a large fishing village called "Nanshui Village" along the southern coast of the Land of Whirlpools, inside a seafood restaurant on the third floor, in one of the guest rooms.
"We'll stay here for one day. If they don't show up, we'll leave!" Jiraiya, wearing a bamboo hat, stood by the window, gazing outside without turning his head.
"The reconnaissance team still doesn't have accurate information on that person. How long are we supposed to keep searching like this?" Tsunade sat at the table, frowning in frustration. This mission had been far from smooth, and it was highly dangerous. The three of them had been moving around frequently within the Land of Whirlpools, and there was a high chance they would be exposed before they could find their target. If they were exposed first, there was no telling what level of enemy might come after them. It wasn't something they could control.
"If it comes to it, I can infiltrate the Mist's forward camp. I might be able to find some useful information," Orochimaru, standing by the table with his arms crossed, said coldly.
"No, that's too dangerous," Tsunade shook her head, looking at Orochimaru. "We're not at a critical point yet. We still have time. There's no need to rush."
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Tsunade immediately stood up. All three of them turned their heads toward the door, their expressions serious.
In this world, who could be knocking?
"The agreed time hasn't come yet," Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and said in a low voice.
"I'll check it out," Orochimaru said, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light. He slowly walked to the door, sensing the presence outside, and then carefully opened it.
Outside stood a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant, reeking of fish. He seemed to be a fishmonger who had been in the seafood business for years.
"Sir!" The man bowed respectfully when he saw Orochimaru opening the door.
Orochimau raised his hand, signaling to the other two in the room that this was one of their own. He then stepped aside to let the man in and closed the door behind him.
He was a ninja from the reconnaissance team—a Konoha ninja. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all knew him.
"The agreed time hasn't come yet. Why are you here early?" Jiraiya asked.
"There's an urgent piece of intelligence provided by our informant. They insisted it be delivered directly into the hands of the three of you," the man said quickly, pulling out a small scroll from his sleeve and placing it on the table.
"Your informant? Insisted on delivering it directly to us?" Tsunade picked up the scroll, frowning, but didn't open it immediately.
Jiraiya closed the window and hurried over to the table.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," the man replied promptly. "Please rest assured, the scroll has been checked. There's no issue."
"Hmm…" Tsunade murmured, untying the red string on the scroll and opening it to read.
At first, she frowned. Then her expression changed, her eyes widened, and she suddenly stood up. Her hands holding the scroll trembled slightly, and she seemed unable to contain her emotions. Unstable chakra fluctuations began to emanate from her.
Slap!
Jiraiya quickly pressed his hand on Tsunade's shoulder, suppressing her chakra fluctuations.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked urgently.
Tsunade seemed stunned. Her eyes slowly moved as she finished reading the contents of the scroll, but she remained in a daze.
"Tsunade?" Jiraiya called out to her.
"Haruto…" Tsunade uttered the name, her neck stiff as she slowly turned to look at Jiraiya. "He… he might be dead." As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and tears seemed on the verge of falling.
"What?!" Jiraiya was shocked. He snatched the scroll from her hands and quickly scanned its contents.
The intelligence was written by Hiroshi Oshima!
Two nights ago, after Tsunade had entrusted Haruto to Hiroshi's care, the three of them had left. Not long after, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, accompanied by tracking ninja hounds, had launched a night raid on Da Tao Village, targeting Haruto. Haruto had used earth-style techniques to continuously evade them but found it difficult to escape. He was forced to reveal himself in the forest south of Da Tao Village, facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen head-on.
Then, a thick fog had risen, obscuring the battle. The fight had been brief, lasting only moments before it ended.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist withdrew!
Both the ninja hound and Haruto had disappeared.
Based on the intensity of the chakra fluctuations and the known tactics of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, it was highly likely that Haruto had been killed in battle. The possibility of him being captured was low. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had all emerged unscathed, but the ninja hound had also vanished.
The report was extremely detailed, including the state of Da Tao Village after the battle and some professional deductions.
Hiroshi Oshima had not gone far. He had maintained a safe distance while observing the battle. Due to the thick fog, he couldn't see much, but he could infer what was happening based on the chakra fluctuations and the sounds of battle.
After the Seven Ninja Swordsmen withdrew, Hiroshi had conducted a search, entering the foggy area to inspect the battle traces, but he hadn't found Haruto's body.
He was surely dead!
Hiroshi hadn't stated it definitively, as there was no body to confirm the death. Strictly speaking, Haruto could only be considered missing.
"How… how could this…" Jiraiya's face changed repeatedly, unable to believe what he was reading. He looked up sharply at the man who had delivered the intelligence. "Why would the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist target him? He's only been in the Land of Whirlpools for a few days. How could he have made such powerful enemies?"
From the report, Jiraiya could sense that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been determined to kill Haruto. There must have been some deep enmity. Otherwise, why would such high-ranking and powerful ninjas personally hunt down someone as seemingly insignificant as Haruto?
"According to the available intelligence, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had previously stayed in Liushui Village…" the man said.
"Liushui Village!" Tsunade suddenly interjected, her tone heavy. "Hyuga Roba died in Liushui Village, but what does that have to do with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Even if they had tracking intelligence, why would they personally intervene?"
"It's not just Hyuga Roba," the man shook his head, his tone somewhat strange. "The day after Hyuga Roba's death, at noon, Fujita Asa, the chief intelligence analyst of the Mist, was assassinated in Liushui Village! He died from an explosive attack."
"Fujita Asa…"
"It was him…"
"Haruto…"
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged glances. Fujita Asa was a legendary figure in the Mist Village, and he had also been killed—also by an explosion.
There was no doubt—Haruto had done it!
Tsunade couldn't help but recall what had happened after they had encountered Haruto in Da Tao Village. Haruto shouldn't have been in Da Tao Village in the first place. He had, once again, gone and done something reckless!
And this time, he had paid the ultimate price!