Haruto Saito hadn't expected to obtain "Radiant Thunder Blade," "Instant Step Seal," and "Dream of the Blade" despite the low drop rates!
Of these, the one that excited him the most wasn't the S-rank forbidden technique that allowed him to mimic swordsmanship—it was the Instant Step Seal! A teleportation technique! While it wasn't as powerful as the Flying Thunder God Technique, it had one advantage over it:
It didn't require pre-set coordinates! He could teleport wherever he wanted, instantly!
Of course, overall, this jutsu was far inferior to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
But for Haruto Saito right now, it was incredibly useful!
Because with this jutsu, he could escape—he could break free from Tsunade and the others' surveillance and get far away! He truly wanted to escape! Being constantly watched was far too annoying—he had missions to complete!
And he knew full well…
Once Hiruzen Sarutobi read his report, he would definitely be furious and would most likely order him back to Konoha immediately!
He had no intention of going back!
That's why he had to run before Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders arrived. If he never received the command, then he could do whatever he wanted without technically disobeying direct orders!
If he never got the message, it wasn't his fault!
—
There were just over a hundred cards left, mostly Basic Healing Cards and Basic Chakra Recovery Cards—over sixty in total. Additionally, there were Intermediate Healing Cards and Intermediate Chakra Recovery Cards, amounting to a dozen or so.
These weren't surprise rewards, but they were incredibly valuable!
Even more important were the Mental Enhancement Cards and Reputation Cards!
He had twelve Mental Enhancement Cards!
Consuming them would increase his overall chakra reserves significantly!
One notable thing was that he hadn't received any Special Weapon Cards in this batch. Since Momochi Chigen and Ringo Nagakaze weren't bosses, neither had dropped any weapon cards! This was surprising to Haruto Saito.
After all, both of them were incredibly strong!
Haruto Saito wasted no time—he began consuming the cards rapidly, crushing one after another!
"Are you done yet?!" Tsunade's impatient voice rang out from outside.
"Shut up!" Haruto Saito shot back, equally irritated.
He finished consuming the necessary cards and stored away the rest.
Then, still soaking in the bathtub, he pressed his hands together and formed a seal!
Dark energy pulsed from his hands, twisting into three black seals, which floated into the air before settling onto his shoulder, merging with his skin… Haruto Saito formed another seal, generating another black seal, sending it into his body, and again…
A total of three seals, all embedded into his shoulder.
This was the Instant Step Seal!
Once established, he needed to charge the seals with chakra. Once fully charged, they could be activated instantly! Each activation consumed the chakra within one seal, allowing for three uses in a row!
After three uses, the seals would become dormant. Haruto Saito would need to recharge them before he could teleport again.
However, since this was his first time forming the seals, they were already fully charged!
He could use Instant Step Seal immediately!
Haruto Saito expanded his sensory field.
Outside the bathroom, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were all there, whispering amongst themselves. Tsunade was muttering curses about Haruto Saito.
He was going to escape!
Thinking quickly, he formed a seal and activated Shadow Clone Jutsu!
With a puff, another Haruto Saito appeared! The real Haruto Saito immediately leaped out of the bathtub while his clone jumped in, splashing water around…
The purpose of the clone was simple—to keep making noise! If the bathroom suddenly went completely silent, they would realize something was wrong right away!
Haruto Saito's Shadow Clone Jutsu was nearly flawless—it emitted the exact same chakra signature as him! This would make it even more convincing!
The real Haruto Saito stood outside the tub, activated Breath Concealment Jutsu, and formed another seal.
With a puff of white smoke, he was fully dressed!
Then, he activated the seal on his body—Instant Step Seal activated!
Haruto Saito vanished from the bathroom!
—
Ten minutes later.
Since Haruto Saito had escaped far enough, he lost control over his shadow clone. The moment his control faded, the clone inside the bathtub burst into a puff of white smoke, and the room fell completely silent.
Half a minute later, Tsunade and the others sensed something was off and stormed into the bathroom!
The bathroom was empty—Haruto Saito was gone!
"That little bastard!!!" Tsunade's furious scream echoed through the entire house!
By that point, Haruto Saito had already put miles between himself and Shōsho Village. There was no way they would be able to catch him!
—
Shōsho Village was located east of the Poison Punishment Forest, while Yamaryuu Village was located west of the forest. The two villages were separated by the entire forest! To the south of the Poison Punishment Forest was another village, Tonan Village, a prosperous trading hub due to the forest's resources.
The name was simple—it was located in the southern part of the Poison Punishment Forest, hence Tonan Village.
That afternoon, just hours after Haruto Saito's escape…
Inside a luxurious mansion in Tonan Village.
In the grand hall…
Hattori Ryuuno and over a dozen Mist ninja were gathered around a sand table, discussing strategies for finding the Whirlpool Treasure. The sand table displayed a detailed topographic map of the Poison Punishment Forest.
"Advisor-sama, our ninja eagle units have now fully deployed across the Poison Punishment Forest, and our Anbu reconnaissance teams have reached their designated positions," a tall, masked ninja reported.
"Good! Very good!" Hattori Ryuuno nodded, his face finally showing a hint of satisfaction. "Now, all we need to do is wait for Konoha to show up!"
Hattori Ryuuno was now certain he could locate the Whirlpool Treasure!
And his strategy relied entirely on Konoha!
Because he had confirmed three things:
The treasure hadn't been taken yet.
The only ones who knew its exact location were Konoha ninja.
The treasure was somewhere inside the Poison Punishment Forest!
That's why he had mobilized all available forces to the region.
He was setting up a classic "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" scenario!
All he needed to do was wait.
Konoha would inevitably try to dig up the treasure, which meant they would send a large force to the Poison Punishment Forest. In doing so, they would lead the Mist straight to the exact location—and once they did, Hattori Ryuuno would slaughter every last Konoha ninja and take the treasure for the Mist!
Hattori Ryuuno was personally overseeing the entire operation, ensuring nothing would go wrong!
The Whirlpool Treasure undoubtedly contained massive wealth, but money was secondary to him.
What he truly valued were the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques!
The treasure would contain countless sealing jutsu scrolls! Even if only a handful of Mist ninja had the talent to master them, their village's power would skyrocket!
If the Mist acquired these forbidden sealing jutsu, their overall strength would grow exponentially!
That's why, to Hattori Ryuuno, this treasure was a prize he absolutely had to obtain!
—
Suddenly, in the dimly lit corner of the hall, a figure appeared out of thin air, kneeling on one knee.
"Sir, intelligence from Amegakure!"
"Bring it to me!" Hattori Ryuuno ordered.