Dusk fell, and the sky burned red like blood.
Shanlong Village.
Commander's Office, Underground Base.
"Captain, take a look at this intelligence report..." Wuchi hurriedly entered Baiya's temporary office and placed a scroll on the desk.
Baiya hadn't left yet. There were still matters to handle, and he planned to return to Konoha later that night.
As the captain of the Anbu, Baiya was diligent in his duties. If he could assist in handling affairs, he would never idle around.
He picked up the intelligence scroll and examined it.
"Hmm... This intelligence needs to be delivered to the northwest covert unit's base." Baiya glanced at it and handed the scroll back to Wuchi. He then asked, "Are you still taking on assassination missions?"
"Yes!" Wuchi responded respectfully.
"Alright! I'll give you fifteen days. You must return to Konoha after that." Baiya continued, "The situation in the Land of Rain is deteriorating. You may need to be deployed there."
"Understood!"
"Good! Go now!"
After Wuchi left, Baiya began drafting multiple orders. To ensure Haruto Saito's safety, he had to issue numerous commands, as Konoha's shinobi within the Land of Whirlpools were scattered. Multiple different orders had to be written.
BANG!
The cave office door was suddenly flung open!
"How could you let Haruto Saito leave alone?!" A furious woman's voice rang out. A gust of wind rushed into the office as she stormed toward Baiya's desk, glaring at him.
Baiya blinked and looked up.
It was Tsunade!
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were there too, standing at the doorway. When Baiya looked their way, they nodded in greeting.
"You just arrived?" Baiya asked.
The news of Haruto Saito, who was presumed dead, being alive had spread from Shanlong Village. Baiya had received the information within a day and immediately rushed over. Meanwhile, Tsunade and her team, relying on the covert unit, took two days to get the news and had hurried over.
They had just arrived!
The moment they entered the base, Tsunade grabbed an Anbu ninja and asked about Haruto Saito's whereabouts, only to be told that he had already left!
Tsunade ignored Baiya's question and slammed both hands on the desk, her voice filled with anger. "Why did you let Haruto Saito travel alone?!"
Regardless of status or authority, Baiya ranked higher than Tsunade. But when she was enraged, she would shout at anyone.
After all, Tsunade was the same woman who dared to curse at the Hokage!
"It's like this." Baiya, unfazed by her outburst, calmly explained, "The Hokage assigned Haruto Saito a new mission—he is fully responsible for eliminating the Hidden Mist's covert units within the Land of Whirlpools. The Hokage granted him complete authority over the mission, so even I cannot override his decisions. He insisted on going alone."
BANG!
Tsunade slammed the desk again!
"Couldn't you have tied him up?! Beaten him until he stayed put?! Why didn't you do that?!" she roared at Baiya.
Baiya was momentarily stunned.
His face twitched slightly.
Tie up Haruto Saito?
Beat him up?
Besides Tsunade, who else would even think of doing such a thing?
"What are you so worried about?" Baiya asked. "Haruto Saito survived a near-death situation last time, proving his abilities. He's not a child. If you're concerned about his safety, I don't think you need to be. He's stronger than you think."
"You don't understand him at all!" Tsunade gritted her teeth, nearly driven insane.
For days, Tsunade had been on the verge of breaking down, believing that Haruto Saito was dead. How could he have just died suddenly? She had been preparing for revenge on his behalf.
Then, out of nowhere, she received news that he was still alive. Her emotions had gone from despair to elation in an instant.
She rushed to this place, all the while planning how to punish Haruto Saito, tie him up, beat him senseless, and personally "escort" him out of the Land of Whirlpools to deliver him to the Konoha Fourth Army Corps.
But she was a step too late. Haruto Saito had already gone on another mission!
Her anxiety spiked again!
Because she knew him too well!
"I think you're being overly protective of Haruto Saito," Baiya said. "He's a ninja. Life and death are things he must experience to grow. Just because he barely survived once doesn't mean—"
"You don't understand him! You have no idea how reckless he is!" Tsunade interrupted, clenching her teeth in frustration.
She knew exactly how much Haruto Saito loved to court danger. That's why she was worried!
Haruto Saito had a habit of stirring up trouble wherever he went. Given this mission, there was no doubt he would seek even more trouble!
And now he was operating solo, meaning he would be even more reckless!
Baiya shook his head at Tsunade, clearly disagreeing with her.
Tsunade clenched her jaw, took a deep breath to calm herself, straightened her posture, and said, "Lord Baiya, where did Haruto Saito go? What is his next mission? Please tell me."
"You plan to go after him?"
"Yes!"
"Well, he is carrying out a sweeping operation. According to him, he first planned to head to the central region of the Land of Whirlpools to scout... He left about three hours ago and went to the Poison Punishment Forest. He intends to cross the entire forest..."
Before long, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, disguised in different outfits, left Shanlong Village and rushed toward Poison Punishment Forest.
Poison Punishment Forest, Western Region.
A tropical rainforest!
Even as the sun set, the forest remained oppressively hot. Insects buzzed relentlessly, adding to the irritation in the air.
Whoosh!
Haruto Saito suddenly appeared on a large rock, clasped his hands together, and summoned a thick mist.
A dense fog rapidly spread over a one-kilometer radius. The mist was so unusual that many of the forest's venomous insects let out distressed cries.
Haruto Saito clasped his hands again. Byakugan, activate!
He gazed westward!
A squad of Hyuga Clan ninja, led by Hyuga Domon, was just seven kilometers away. As Haruto Saito observed them, they were also observing him. However, due to the thick mist, they couldn't see his exact position.
They knew the mist was his doing!
But they didn't understand why Haruto Saito had been generating large-scale mist ever since he entered Poison Punishment Forest. "Hah, so they really are after me!" Haruto Saito smirked. He was now completely certain that Hyuga Domon's squad was tracking him since they had been following him the entire time he had detoured through the forest.
Out of habit, before deactivating his Byakugan, Haruto Saito scanned the distant surroundings one last time.
His body tensed in shock!
To the east, nine kilometers away!
Seven figures leaped through the trees at high speed, closing in rapidly. Surrounding them, within a one-kilometer radius, were over ten Hidden Mist ninja. Each of them had a dozen Blue Feather Hawks flying nearby.
Those seven...
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
"Oh, hell no! Damn it! I should've checked the calendar before heading out today!" Haruto Saito cursed internally, feeling a chill down his spine.