Under normal circumstances, Hattori Ryuuno wouldn't receive intelligence from the Land of Rain, as it wasn't his responsibility. Even if the Mist obtained intelligence from the Land of Rain, it would be sent directly back to the Mist Village, not to Hattori Ryuuno.
This time, however, was a special case.
Hattori Ryuuno already knew why the intelligence had been sent to him.
A while back, he had personally sent a letter to the leader of Amegakure, questioning him about the mysterious assassin. At the time, he had suspected that the assassin might have originated from Amegakure. In his letter, he had used severe wording, expressing his extreme anger over the matter and demanding an explanation from Hanzo.
He had the authority to do so.
That was because the Mist and Amegakure had secretly formed an alliance months ago. The two had shared interests—there were no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. The Mist could assist Amegakure in countering Konoha, and in return, Amegakure could do the same for the Mist.
Together, they could attack Konoha from both sides.
That was why they had allied.
If this mysterious assassin had indeed been sent by Hanzo, it would mean he had broken the alliance, which would be an extremely serious betrayal.
But now, Hattori Ryuuno knew the truth. The mysterious assassin was from Konoha—an Anbu ninja codenamed Red Eye. He had wrongly accused Amegakure.
Taking the scroll from the messenger ninja, Hattori Ryuuno unrolled it.
As expected, it was a personal reply from Hanzo.
In the letter, Hanzo not only denied that he had sent the mysterious assassin but also revealed who the assassin really was.
—
"Based on your description, his height, physique, and heterochromatic eyes… I can confirm that this individual was indeed once a ninja of Amegakure. However, several months ago, he failed a mission and was captured by Konoha. He later defected and joined Konoha. He is now considered a rogue ninja of Amegakure.
This individual is not short but rather just twelve years old. Months ago, he was only a Genin, but after being captured by Konoha, his strength increased dramatically and he was accepted as the personal disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is Hiruzen's fourth personal disciple, and his name is Haruto Saito."
—
Hattori Ryuuno was shocked upon reading this.
The mysterious assassin Red Eye was actually the same person Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken as his fourth personal disciple just over a month ago?
And he was only twelve years old?
Unbelievable.
He was a direct disciple of the Hokage? How could Hiruzen Sarutobi have sent such a young student on such dangerous assassination missions?
He was just twelve.
It was Haruto Saito's age that stunned Hattori Ryuuno the most. To possess such fearsome combat abilities at only twelve… that level of talent was one in a million among ninja. In modern history, those with such talent had almost always grown into legendary powerhouses.
The most famous examples were Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
One had become a god, and the other… if not for Hashirama's overwhelming strength, would have been equally deified.
Or, looking at those still alive, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Third Raikage A—both had achieved terrifying power in their early teens and inherited the title of Kage in their twenties.
There was another thing Hattori Ryuuno couldn't understand.
Haruto Saito hadn't grown step by step like a normal ninja. He had been just a Genin in Amegakure, yet after arriving in Konoha, his strength had skyrocketed.
Even for someone with hidden potential, this was too absurd.
Did Konoha have some secret method for rapid power growth?
At the bottom of the scroll was a portrait—Haruto Saito's image.
Indeed, he looked like a half-grown boy, with sharp features and a rather handsome face.
The hall fell into absolute silence. Everyone stared at Hattori Ryuuno, watching as his expression shifted while reading the scroll. Though they were all curious, no one dared to ask.
"I didn't expect this… truly unexpected," Hattori Ryuuno muttered, shaking his head before handing the scroll to the masked Mist Anbu beside him.
The tall, slender masked ninja quickly skimmed through it and his eyes widened in shock.
"Twelve years old? A personal disciple of the Hokage? Haruto Saito?" the masked ninja exclaimed.
"No wonder Hiruzen Sarutobi took him as a personal disciple!" Hattori Ryuuno grinned. "Haruto Saito must have an extraordinary, unique talent. To have grown so fast, he must have undergone some kind of special process."
"Advisor-sama!" the masked ninja spoke urgently. "Now that we have detailed intelligence on the mysterious assassin, should we immediately deploy a team to hunt him down? We now know what he really looks like—tracking him won't be difficult!"
Haruto Saito was far more important than Hattori Ryuuno had initially thought. Previously, he had assumed that Red Eye's assassination skills made him a rising star within Konoha's Anbu—perhaps even a future Anbu Commander candidate.
But now…
Forget becoming an Anbu Commander—if Haruto Saito's growth continued at this rate, and with his Hokage disciple status, he could very well become the next Hokage.
With his age, talent, and strength, there was no way Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't place immense value on him.
That meant capturing or killing Haruto Saito would be a devastating blow to Konoha.
Hattori Ryuuno fell into deep thought for a moment, then waved his hand. "Not yet! We'll wait. Focus all our efforts on securing the Whirlpool Treasure first! If he leaves the Land of Whirlpools, then fine. But if he stays, and doesn't return to Konoha… then we'll use everything at our disposal to eliminate him—no matter the cost!"
Although he desperately wanted Haruto Saito dead, the treasure was the higher priority.
For now, he had to wait.
—
Time passed quickly. Two days later…
Still in Tonan Village.
Inside the grand hall, two figures stood before Hattori Ryuuno, awaiting his inspection.
With the deaths of Momochi Chigen and Ringo Nagakaze, Hattori Ryuuno had requested permission from the Mizukage to rebuild the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. These two before him were his new recruits.
Both came from the Mist Vanguard Corps.
The first was Hozuki Baygetsu, 31 years old, a top-tier Jonin and captain of Hozuki Ieyasu's personal guard.
The second was Kikushiyama Dari, 19 years old, a prodigy and the youngest son of the Kikushiyama Clan's leader, also a top-tier Jonin and commander of the Vanguard Corps' scouting division.
Due to their high-ranking roles in the Vanguard Corps, it had taken time to arrange their replacements, which was why they had only arrived today to report to Hattori Ryuuno.
Their transfer was a major loss to the Vanguard Corps, but for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, it was a step forward. That said, their strength had only just reached the minimum threshold to join the group—they weren't strong enough to fully compensate for the previous losses.
Hattori Ryuuno bestowed the Executioner's Blade upon Hozuki Baygetsu and the Lightning Blades upon Kikushiyama Dari.
Suddenly—
"Report! Urgent intelligence!" A figure in a black cloak appeared in the dim corner of the hall.
"Speak!" Hattori Ryuuno turned.
"The intelligence network in southern Land of Whirlpools has been attacked! In the past two days, thirteen spies have been killed, and over twenty informants are dead or missing!"
Hattori Ryuuno's expression darkened.
He didn't need to ask.
With this level of precision and lethality, there was only one possible culprit…
Haruto Saito.
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