The guidance provided by Haruto Saito's heightened state of luck had to be correct. It might not reveal the location of the world's greatest treasure, but at the very least, it would point him toward something of immense value!
Once he used the treasure card, Haruto would know the location of the largest treasure within a 200-kilometer radius!
As for the Land of Whirlpools, what other treasures could there be?
Compared to other nations, the Land of Whirlpools was a small country in the shinobi world. Historically, it had always been controlled by Uzushiogakure, and even the country's name was derived from the "Whirlpool" of the Uzumaki clan. All the wealth was in the hands of the Uzumaki.
So, if there was a treasure, if this treasure was of great value, if the Uzumaki treasure truly existed…
Then!
The treasure in the Poison Forest had to be the Uzumaki treasure!
The likelihood of any other scenario was minuscule!
"Heh! Ha! Hahaha, I'm destined to strike it rich! Hahaha!" Haruto laughed wildly, his laughter echoing through the forest.
He still had that treasure card!
He should have used it by now!
But because the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had chased him and destroyed Datou Village, Haruto had been focused on revenge, delaying his trip to the Poison Forest. Now, it seemed like the perfect time to go!
Time to hit the road!
Haruto immediately decided to head straight for the Poison Forest. Everything else could wait. He needed to act quickly!
He wasn't sure how much intelligence the Hidden Mist had gathered or whether they had already pinpointed the treasure's approximate location.
The intelligence scrolls he had obtained were only a fraction of the total. He hadn't found the Hidden Mist's covert operations headquarters, so he couldn't access the primary intelligence. He had no idea how far along the Hidden Mist's investigation was.
But it didn't matter!
Haruto didn't care!
He would rush over there immediately and retrieve the treasure!
Once the treasure was in his hands, the Hidden Mist could do whatever they wanted. No matter how hard they tried, they wouldn't be able to get their hands on it!
---
One day later, Duanhai Village.
Secret Hideout of the Hidden Mist's Covert Operations Unit.
Hanzo Ryūno appeared in the courtyard out of thin air. His expression darkened as he spotted the corpse not far away.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Over a dozen ninja appeared behind Hanzo Ryūno. Their faces also changed when they saw the body in the distance.
"It's Daiki Tō!"
"Quick, check it out!"
Several ninja rushed toward Daiki Tō's body.
Hanzo Ryūno, however, ignored them and hurried to the warehouse in the backyard.
Not long after.
Basement.
Five or six ninja gathered at the basement staircase. Inside the basement, near the empty bookshelves, lay the bisected body of a ninja. The blood had dried, but the strong stench of blood and decay filled the air.
Hanzo Ryūno stood beside the corpse, his face livid as he scanned the basement, now stripped of all its intelligence documents. He was on the verge of losing his mind!
"Damn it! I was only gone for a day! Who did this? Who?!" Hanzo Ryūno roared!
His eyes were bloodshot!
In truth, the intelligence documents stored here were both important and unimportant. This was just a branch hideout, and the information lost here wasn't critical. Once the Hidden Mist had reviewed the documents, their usefulness diminished.
But the problem was!
That information couldn't fall into the wrong hands!
If the Five Great Shinobi Villages got their hands on it, their professional capabilities, combined with their powerful intelligence networks, could allow them to analyze critical details and make moves that would severely disadvantage the Hidden Mist!
Whoosh!
A figure in a black robe appeared in the basement out of thin air.
He knelt on one knee and addressed Hanzo Ryūno respectfully. "Sir, according to our investigation, nearby residents reported seeing a short, mysterious samurai climbing over the walls of this courtyard. Daiki Tō was killed near the wall that was climbed over. Based on the evidence at the scene, it's highly likely that Daiki Tō was killed by this individual."
At the time, Haruto had deliberately revealed himself to lure Daiki Tō out. He hadn't hidden his presence. His main body had first climbed over the wall into the alley outside, then climbed back over and delivered the fatal blow…
"A mysterious samurai? Short? How short?" Hanzo Ryūno demanded, his eyes wide.
"About the size of a twelve or thirteen-year-old child," the black-robed ninja replied respectfully.
Hanzo Ryūno's expression froze, his gaze hardening.
It was him!
It was him!
It was him again!
That mysterious assassin who had escaped from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
The case was solved!
In truth, Haruto had intentionally left clues for them to solve the case. Being known wasn't scary—as long as they couldn't catch him!
"It's that assassin again!"
"How did he find this place? It's impossible!"
"He seems to know everything."
"We… might be in danger too!"
The ninja at the staircase whispered among themselves, their unease growing. A sense of panic began to creep into their hearts.
A mysterious assassin of unknown origin!
Never failing!
Never missing his target!
He seemed to know everything, moved unpredictably, and had only been found once by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
Even more terrifying, his true identity remained unknown!
"The Rain Village! Hanzo! It's his people, it has to be his people!" Hanzo Ryūno clenched his fists, his eyes cold and menacing.
He was almost certain now that this person was from the Rain Village!
There was no other organization in the shinobi world capable of training such a powerful and elusive assassin! Not even the mysterious Jashin Cult could do it!
"Bring me paper and a brush!" Hanzo Ryūno barked, gesturing impatiently.
A ninja quickly stepped forward and handed him a blank scroll and a brush.
Hanzo Ryūno held the scroll in one hand and the brush in the other, writing furiously.
He was composing a letter!
A personal letter to Hanzo!
---
Another day later.
Noon.
Central-Western Land of Whirlpools.
The sun hung high in the sky, its rays filtering through the gaps in the tree branches, casting dappled light across the forest floor.
Haruto Saito raced through the forest alone!
He was close to the Poison Forest now—about 80 kilometers away. At his current speed, he would reach it in less than two hours! Over the past two days, Haruto had been traveling day and night, not killing a single person. Even when he rested in villages and spotted Mist ninja, he refrained from attacking.
He couldn't leave a trail of bodies behind him. That would allow the Hidden Mist to deduce his direction of travel.
He was here for the treasure, after all. He had to be cautious.
Haruto continued running.
He passed between two towering trees.
Suddenly!
A figure leaped out from behind the tree on the right, flipping through the air and landing silently!
Since Haruto had already run past, the figure landed about ten meters behind him.
Haruto sensed it and spun around, drawing the Swift Edge and holding it defensively.
Every hair on his body stood on end!
This was terrifying. Someone had been hiding there, and despite his heightened sensory abilities, Haruto hadn't detected them at all! It had been a long time since something like this had happened.
"Akaito, no need to be nervous. It's me," the figure said in a low voice, though his gaze was filled with surprise as he looked at Haruto.
Haruto was stunned for a moment, then slowly lowered his blade, though his heart remained on edge. "Captain Kirisame, it's you. What a coincidence!"
Name: Kirisame (Shimura Fuhō).
Identity: Captain of the First Squad, Assassination Tactics Special Unit, Konohagakure, Land of Fire.
Reputation: 18,965 points.
Relationship: Hostile.
It was him—the leader of Konoha's ANBU assassination unit, Haruto's direct superior, known by the codename "Kirisame," Shimura Fuhō!
And this guy was still hostile!
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