Actually, Haruto Saito might not be the only person who knows the location of the treasure!
He could have reported it to others, but from the perspective of the Mist, this Red Eye possessed the precise location of the Whirlpool Treasure. Even if he did report it, the Mist would have no way of knowing whom he had informed!
And given the importance of this intelligence, it was certainly something that had to be reported to the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Considering the timeline, even if Konoha's communication was swift, the intelligence might not have reached Hiruzen Sarutobi yet! Or at best, he might have just received it, given that the great battle had only occurred a day and a half ago.
Taking all this into account, the Mist Anbu, in their report, could only state that Red Eye was currently the only person who knew the location of the Whirlpool Treasure!
Hattori Ryuuno reviewed the report on the scroll again, his eyes flashing as if he had thought of something.
He suddenly turned and vanished into thin air.
A moment later, he reappeared inside a tent and picked up a large scroll resting on a long table!
This was a storage scroll!
After forming a seal to release the seal, he unfurled the large scroll, revealing numerous normal-sized scrolls inside—intelligence scrolls, all containing information gathered by the Mist since they began their operations related to the Whirlpool Treasure.
Hattori Ryuuno opened one scroll, glanced at it, put it down, then searched by numbering, opening another, then another.
After going through more than a dozen scrolls, he seemed to have confirmed something.
"The Poison Punishment Forest?" Hattori Ryuuno's expression was one of shock and suspicion.
Based on previously gathered intelligence, Hattori Ryuuno had already determined that the Whirlpool Treasure was located in the central region of the Land of Whirlpools. Furthermore, certain unique terrains could be ruled out, as they were unlikely to contain the treasure. However, this still left a vast area!
Now, with the latest Anbu report, he had new insights!
He learned what had happened the night before last—Red Eye had used a large number of sealing explosive tags for the first time. He had never used them before, which suggested that he had only recently found the treasure—possibly even that very night!
This matched previous intelligence!
Before encountering Tsunade and the others, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had already spotted Red Eye. But when they pursued him, they were intercepted by several elite Hyuga clan members, including the famous defensive specialist Hyuga Domon!
The Hyuga clan's battle with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had given Red Eye the opportunity to escape! As a result, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had no chance to search for and track him further!
However!
The Hyuga clan had not used sealing explosive tags!
Later in the battle, Red Eye had given sealing explosive tags to Tsunade and the others—so why hadn't he given any to the Hyuga clan earlier?
The likely answer was that when the Hyuga ninja intercepted the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Red Eye had not yet obtained the sealing explosive tags!
This meant that he had acquired them that very night… and the location was most likely the Poison Punishment Forest!
By analyzing all previous intelligence and combining it with this latest report, Hattori Ryuuno was almost certain—the Whirlpool Treasure was in the Poison Punishment Forest! The probability exceeded eighty percent! And conveniently, the Poison Punishment Forest was within the area he had previously identified as a likely location for the treasure!
If Haruto Saito were here and knew what Hattori Ryuuno was thinking, he would be utterly in awe!
Damn… does everyone in the Mist have such god-like deduction skills?!
In truth, this was all a misunderstanding. At that time, the Hyuga clan wasn't protecting Haruto Saito at all—they were chasing him down… but the Mist didn't know that! They assumed the Hyuga clan was protecting him and reached their conclusions accordingly… a complete fluke!
But!
It was all pointless!
The treasure had already been taken by Haruto Saito!
"Someone, come!" Hattori Ryuuno suddenly shouted.
"Yes, sir!" came a respectful voice from outside.
"Notify all Anbu members within the Land of Whirlpools, including the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—they are all to gather in the central region of the Land of Whirlpools. Everyone must be in position within two days!"
"Understood!" the voice responded before retreating.
******
Central Land of Whirlpools, east of the Poison Punishment Forest—Shōsho Village!
This was a large commercial village with a population of around 30,000. Like the previous Yamaryuu Village, this settlement thrived because of the Poison Punishment Forest. Many samurai and hunters frequented this place as a base to enter and exit the eastern region of the forest for hunting.
In a residence on the southern street of Shōsho Village…
"This intelligence report must be delivered to the Hokage as quickly as possible—urgently!" Haruto Saito handed a sealed report scroll to a disguised ninja beside him.
"Understood!" The ninja, dressed as a merchant, took the scroll and hurried off.
"What are you planning to do? Wait here for the teacher's orders, or continue your purge mission?" Tsunade asked.
"I'll rest and wait for news first." Haruto Saito shot Tsunade a sideways glance, looking thoroughly displeased!
Why was he annoyed?!
Because Tsunade was keeping an eye on him!
Originally, Tsunade had intended to drag him back to Konoha by force, but since Haruto Saito had an ongoing mission and explained his position, she had no choice but to relent. Still, she wasn't letting him off the hook!
Currently, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were all traveling with Haruto Saito!
Eating together, traveling together, even sleeping together in the same room when they arrived in a village!
Haruto Saito was exhausted!
Tsunade was afraid he would escape because he was too reckless. He didn't just complete his missions—he caused chaos wherever he went, taking unnecessary risks!
Haruto Saito had actually considered escaping, but when he realized that Orochimaru could use snakes to burrow underground and track him… he gave up on the idea!
...
The next day, at noon.
Konoha, Land of Fire.
Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower.
"Lady Mito's time is running out…" Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, his face full of concern. "Once Lady Mito passes away, and the world learns of it, the great ninja war will likely erupt!"
"Everyone dies eventually. This is inevitable," Danzo said, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "They fear Lady Mito, but even without her, war will come sooner or later!"
Whoosh!
A figure suddenly appeared in the office.
"Lord Hokage, urgent intelligence from the Land of Whirlpools!" White Fang said quickly, handing over the intelligence scroll.
"Mm!" Hiruzen Sarutobi grunted in acknowledgment, swiftly scanning the scroll. His eyes gradually widened, his expression shifting between astonishment and deep contemplation as he read about the deaths of Momochi Chigen and Ringo Nagakaze, as well as the information regarding the Whirlpool Treasure.
Finally, his brows furrowed deeply, and his face darkened.
"That little bastard!" Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed out loud.
He was furious at Haruto Saito!
"What happened?" Danzo asked.
"Haruto Saito has done it again! He killed two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Momochi Chigen and Ringo Nagakaze!"
"What?!" Danzo was stunned!
"He also found the Whirlpool Treasure—the wealth left behind by the Whirlpool Clan!
"Treasure?!" Danzo's face changed again.
"But… he won't tell me where it is! That damn brat!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly tore the scroll apart in anger!
At the end of the report, Haruto Saito had written one sentence twenty times:
The treasure is mine!