White Fang had reached his conclusion through meticulous deduction. He knew far more than the Mist, having also read Haruto Saito's previous report to Hiruzen Sarutobi—where Haruto had made no effort to hide his greed for the treasure!
Had the excavation proceeded without interference from the Mist, White Fang might have assumed that Haruto had been captured and the treasure had fallen into Mist hands.
But the Mist was just as clueless!
While there were other possibilities, none seemed likely. The only plausible explanation was that Haruto Saito had moved the treasure!
The Mist had reached the same conclusion.
Hattori Ryuuno had even started suspecting Haruto's loyalty to Konoha!
Both he and White Fang shared one belief—
The treasure was probably still within the Poison Punishment Forest!
But neither side could spare the manpower to search for it.
The forest was too vast!
Even if they had ten thousand people scouring the area, it might take months to find it—if they were lucky. If they weren't, they might never find it at all!
And with both sides locked in a tense stalemate, they couldn't afford to conduct a proper search.
—
One and a half days later.
Konohagakure, Fire Country—midnight.
The village was shrouded in thick darkness, the moonlight faint and hazy.
Most of the village was asleep—only a few lights flickered across the rooftops.
A ninja falcon soared in from the south, slicing through the sky before disappearing into Konoha's mountainous backwoods.
Minutes later—
In the heart of the village, inside a heavily guarded residence, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his study, finishing his final notes before retiring for the night.
By this hour, almost everyone in Konoha was asleep. Very few people were still awake, much less working.
—
"Report! Urgent intelligence from the Land of Whirlpools!" A voice called from outside the window.
"Oh?" Hiruzen looked up, then immediately said, "Come in!"
A flicker of excitement passed across his face.
At this time of night, most reports wouldn't even reach him—his subordinates knew he needed rest, too.
Only the most critical emergency intelligence would be delivered without hesitation.
It had to be about the treasure!
A masked Anbu operative materialized in the room, kneeling before him and presenting a sealed scroll.
The scroll was unopened.
The mark on it—
White Fang's personal seal.
Hiruzen unsealed the scroll and quickly scanned its contents.
His face froze.
Then—
His eye twitched.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
He had been enraged—again!
He nearly tore the scroll in half!
According to White Fang's report—
The treasure had almost certainly been moved by Haruto Saito!
Hiruzen didn't doubt Haruto's loyalty—he simply couldn't imagine who Haruto could even betray Konoha for.
What possible incentive could make him turn traitor?
Amegakure?
Impossible! He had destroyed his ties to them long ago—
Terado was still rotting in an Anbu prison!
Kirigakure?
Even more impossible! Haruto had inflicted far too much damage on the Mist. They wanted him dead more than anyone!
As for the other Great Villages—
Haruto had never had any connection to them, past or present!
Given what Hiruzen knew about Haruto—
The answer was clear.
Haruto had moved the treasure for one simple reason—
He believed it was his.
Because he was too greedy!
—
But Hiruzen's anger wasn't just about the treasure.
Yesterday, he had received another report from Tsunade's team in the Land of Whirlpools.
It confirmed—
Haruto Saito had "escaped."
This had all been premeditated!
"That little bastard! He cares more about treasure than his own life!" Hiruzen slammed the scroll onto his desk, taking several deep breaths to calm himself.
His expression hardened.
Then, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a blank scroll.
He began writing five urgent orders—
—
Order #1: To Haruto Saito.
Get back to Konoha immediately!
He had already issued an order for Haruto's return once before.
But before it could reach him, Haruto had vanished!
This time, he would ensure that Haruto received the order.
If Haruto refused to return, he would be dragged back by force!
—
Order #2: To White Fang.
Hiruzen commanded White Fang to reassign his assassination squads.
Kirigakure would undoubtedly deploy teams to hunt Haruto down.
White Fang was authorized to launch counter-assassinations against any Mist operatives involved.
To this end, Hiruzen granted White Fang absolute discretion!
—
Order #3: To White Fang (Again).
If Haruto was found, he was to be captured and brought back to Konoha—whether he wanted to or not!
—
Order #4: To Tsunade's team.
They were to abandon their assassination mission on Hattori Ryuuno.
Instead, they were to track down Haruto Saito.
If found—capture and return him!
—
Order #5: To Nara Rakuyama (Fourth Division Commander).
If Haruto Saito was captured by Kirigakure—
The Fourth Division was authorized to invade the Land of Whirlpools without prior approval.
Hiruzen ordered them to rescue Haruto at any cost, working alongside White Fang!
—
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, exhausted.
This damn kid was going to be the death of him.
Once Haruto returned, he was getting locked up!
Maybe a few months of solitary confinement would fix his brain.
Hiruzen was now convinced—
Haruto Saito was insane.
Probably from the side effects of that damn Black Armor…
—
Half a month later.
Southeastern Coast of the Land of Whirlpools—Red Sand Village.
Inside a noisy ramen shop, a disguised Haruto Saito, wearing dark glasses, sat in the corner, devouring fishball noodles.
The shop was filled with chatter and gossip.
"Hey, did you hear? The Hokage's personal disciple has assassinated over two hundred Mist operatives in the Land of Whirlpools!"
"You mean Haruto Saito? The Anbu callsign Red Eye, right?"
"Yeah, that's him! You know about it too?"
"Who doesn't?! It's all over the country!"
Haruto sighed.
He was so tired.
Someone—some bastard—had leaked his entire profile.
Now, the whole country was talking about him!
And both Konoha and the Mist were hunting him down.
Haruto had already decided—
He would return to Konoha.
But first—
He had one last big job to do.