The mission to assassinate Hanzo Ryūno was clearly the task assigned to Tsunade and her team!
Jiraiya had mentioned that a high-ranking figure from the Hidden Mist Village had come to the Land of Whirlpools to temporarily oversee the covert operations unit. That figure was undoubtedly Hanzo Ryūno!
No one more important than him would come here. The Mizukage wouldn't personally visit the Land of Whirlpools. In fact, the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages rarely leave their headquarters, as they must remain to oversee their respective territories.
"Why did he come to the Land of Whirlpools?" Haruto Saito wondered again.
At the time, Jiraiya hadn't elaborated, as Tsunade had interrupted him. They likely knew something about it.
Judging by the timeline, Hanzo Ryūno must have arrived in the Land of Whirlpools first, after which the Hidden Mist Village dispatched their vanguard forces, including the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They wouldn't mobilize such a large force without a reason. There must be something significant going on!
"What could it be?" Haruto Saito speculated about various possibilities but couldn't come up with anything concrete.
He kept his Byakugan activated, observing the situation from a distance.
Hanzo Ryūno emerged from the warehouse with two bodyguards, and the three of them used the Body Flicker Technique to enter a nearby house. There, they began discussing matters with the eight Mist ninja. It seemed more like Hanzo Ryūno was issuing orders, occasionally asking questions.
"The Mizukage's right-hand man… If I could take him out…" Haruto Saito couldn't help but entertain the thought, but this time, he restrained himself.
Hanzo Ryūno's reputation was far too intimidating!
With over 70,000 reputation points, even if half of that was due to his status, he still had more than 35,000 points from his personal achievements. That put him on par with the White Fang, surpassing even Shisui in strength. However, Haruto Saito didn't know exactly how much of his reputation was tied to his status.
But one thing was certain: Hanzo Ryūno was someone who could single-handedly take on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! Whether he was slightly stronger or weaker, Haruto Saito stood no chance against him.
Assassinating him would be a death wish!
"Should I try to inform Tsunade and the others?" Haruto Saito thought again.
Informing them was possible.
He just needed to find a member of the covert operations unit and pass the information to them. It would probably take two or three days for the intelligence to reach Tsunade. But the problem was, the information wouldn't remain relevant for that long.
Hanzo Ryūno wasn't going to stay in one place indefinitely.
Haruto Saito would have to keep tracking Hanzo Ryūno and continuously send out updates to ensure that Tsunade and her team could locate him. It would be an extremely tedious process.
"Tch!" Haruto Saito clicked his tongue, staring intently as he considered his options. After a moment, he formed a hand seal and vanished from the cliff.
Not long after, Haruto Saito quietly infiltrated Duanhai Village… He wanted to observe the situation up close. Maintaining the Byakugan from a distance consumed too much chakra. If he got close enough, he wouldn't even need the Byakugan; his sensory abilities alone would allow him to track the eleven individuals.
He wanted to see if there was an opportunity.
Assassinating Hanzo Ryūno was too dangerous, but what about the others?
Taking out one target at a time would still be progress. The question was whether Hanzo Ryūno would give him the chance.
...
Inside a dimly lit, windowless house.
Hanzo Ryūno, a man in his late forties, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at a landscape painting on the wall. Two elite jonin bodyguards flanked him, while the other eight ninja stood respectfully behind him.
"…Sir, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have requested the mobilization of the Hawk Unit from the Mizukage. The Mizukage has issued orders stating that all matters in the Land of Whirlpools are under your full authority, so the decision is yours to make…" A thin, dark-skinned ninja behind Hanzo Ryūno spoke respectfully.
"What do they need the Hawk Unit for?" Hanzo Ryūno frowned slightly, turning his head. "Is it still about that matter?"
"Yes! They want revenge, not just for Lord Fujita Asa, but also for Kurojo… According to the latest reports from the village, this matter has drawn the attention of Elder Suigetsu. The Suigetsu clan is demanding that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen return to the village immediately to explain the situation. The Mizukage has intervened to mediate, but the Seven Ninja Swordsmen only have one month left. If they can't find the killer of Fujita Asa and Kurojo within that time, they must return to the village…"
"Hmph!" Hanzo Ryūno snorted coldly, his eyes narrowing. "What a time for petty infighting!"
The thin ninja lowered his head, remaining silent, not daring to respond.
One of Hanzo Ryūno's bodyguards, Suigetsu Shin, stood nearby. His eyes flickered briefly, but he didn't move.
"Any other news?" Hanzo Ryūno asked.
"There's also an update from the northern part of the Land of Whirlpools. Our covert intelligence network there has been compromised. In the past few days, we've lost fifteen undercover operatives, and over twenty informants have been killed," the thin ninja reported.
"What?!" Hanzo Ryūno snapped his head around, his frown deepening.
He didn't care about Fujita Asa's death, nor did he care about Kurojo's. But the attack on the covert operations unit and the collapse of the intelligence network were unacceptable!
Since he was personally leading the covert operations unit, any failure would fall on his shoulders.
Moreover, he had a pressing need for civilian intelligence. The disruption of the covert operations unit would severely impact his plans.
"What have you been doing?!" Hanzo Ryūno erupted in anger. "Were the informants turned by the Leaf? Or were you discovered by the Leaf's covert ops?" Hanzo Ryūno could only think of these possibilities. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for fifteen undercover operatives and over twenty informants to be killed in just a few days.
"No, sir!" the thin ninja hurriedly explained. "They were all killed by a single individual. This person didn't hide his tracks. He repeatedly killed our operatives in public, on the streets. Each time, it was a single, fatal strike, and he never missed his target. It seems he has… obtained accurate information about our covert operations unit. We don't know how the leak occurred…"
The thin ninja's voice grew cautious toward the end.
Hanzo Ryūno's face darkened, his gaze turning icy.
The thin ninja began to sweat under Hanzo Ryūno's stare.
"Sir, here's a sketch of the suspect. Please take a look…" The thin ninja quickly pulled out a scroll from his robe and presented it respectfully.
Hanzo Ryūno took the scroll and slowly unrolled it.
The sketch depicted a small, thin samurai wearing a robe and a wide-brimmed hat, carrying a slender katana. Based on his height and build, he appeared to be a child of about eleven or twelve. The hat was large, and its brim was pulled low, obscuring his face.
No one had seen Haruto Saito's full face.
"A samurai? Or a ninja?" Hanzo Ryūno asked, his expression dark.
"Most likely a ninja, and one skilled in assassination," the thin ninja replied.
"How do you know?" Hanzo Ryūno looked up.
"According to intelligence from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen," the thin ninja explained, pointing to the sketch. "This person is believed to be the one who assassinated Hōzuki Rōba and Fujita Asa, as well as killed Kurojo. Based on the height, build, weapon, and clothing, we can confirm it's the same individual."
...
Half a kilometer away, in another part of Duanhai Village, Haruto Saito hid in the shadows, observing Hanzo Ryūno and his group with his Byakugan.
He saw the thin ninja present the scroll, and Hanzo Ryūno unrolled it to reveal a sketch of Haruto Saito himself.
"Damn it!" Haruto Saito froze.
He realized he was being targeted.
And he was so close!
A sense of extreme danger washed over him, urging him to flee immediately.