These past few days, Haruto Saito had sensed powerful individuals passing by daily, but never before had he felt such an overwhelming presence!
Who could it be?
It was unlikely to be Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly coming for an inspection. During such times, unless absolutely necessary, Sarutobi wouldn't leave Konoha. Besides, his aura was different from this one.
Of course, there was always the possibility that Sarutobi was concealing and altering his aura.
But what seemed more likely to Haruto was… Ebiyu!
The Third Mizukage! He might be seeking revenge for Hattori Ryuuno! Everyone in the shinobi world knew that Haruto had been stirring up trouble in the Land of Whirlpools, so it wasn't impossible for Ebiyu to come personally!
What was strange, however, was that there were no other energy signatures around this terrifying chakra presence!
That meant… he was traveling alone!
"If it really is Ebiyu… heh." A grin crept onto Haruto's face, his expression growing more and more excited.
He wanted to kill!
---
Deep within the main tower of the palace, on the first underground level—the intelligence center.
A vast underground space.
Hundreds of shinobi were hard at work. Only a select few were from Furuta Village—handpicked by Haruto as trustworthy—while the vast majority were Konoha shinobi, including members of the Anbu, the infiltration unit, and even the Root division.
They were organizing intelligence and formulating strategic plans—a monumental task, given that the Land of Whirlpools housed hundreds of different factions. Some were small mercenary groups with just over a dozen ninja, while others controlled entire villages, with hundreds of ninja and samurai, plus tens of thousands of ordinary troops.
Just sorting through all these groups was an immense workload, let alone developing strategies against them.
Everyone was busy.
Even Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had joined in. They were leaving in three days, but Tsunade, in particular, was eager to help Haruto as much as possible—especially since he was paying them!
Haruto was compensating the Konoha shinobi with commission fees, depending on the nature of their work. He could have chosen not to pay, but if he didn't, their involvement would entangle Konoha too deeply with Furuta Village, making it unclear whether the village was Haruto's personal asset.
So, to be cautious, he paid them—as if assigning missions.
Whoosh!
Haruto suddenly appeared in the intelligence center.
"Fenghuo, Lady Tsunade, all of you… come here!" His tone was urgent.
Before long, in a private office inside the intelligence center…
The mysterious Hattori Ryuuno, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had all gathered at Haruto's call. A powerful ally, Kakuzu, was also present—though Haruto didn't intend for him to participate in this mission.
Because his plan required them not to act nearby.
They needed to follow first.
This would take time.
Thus, Furuta Village needed someone to stand guard—and that would be Kakuzu. He was busier than anyone right now, and as the village's de facto leader, he couldn't leave so easily. Too many eyes were watching.
"He's here…" Haruto spread out a map on the table and pointed at a location. "We're heading out together. I'll scout ahead, and we'll track him… We can't make a move until we're at least two hundred kilometers away from Furuta Village."
Haruto was being extremely cautious. He wasn't certain he could kill this opponent. If the enemy managed to escape, they would at least know Haruto's whereabouts. But if they were far enough away, they wouldn't necessarily connect him to Furuta Village.
Even if they succeeded…
If their target really was Mizukage Ebiyu, his death in the Land of Whirlpools would shake the entire shinobi world. The Hidden Mist would undoubtedly go berserk and dispatch their forces. Haruto wasn't afraid of their retaliation, but he didn't want them discovering Furuta Village or noticing any inconsistencies.
Furthermore, top-tier battles weren't stationary.
They were bound to move.
If the fight shifted toward Furuta Village, it could be completely destroyed.
Haruto's principle now was to be cautious first—then consider risky moves.
"You're not even sure who it is?" Tsunade crossed her arms and frowned. "Just how strong is this person?"
"Based on chakra reserves and fluctuations, their combat power is probably…" Haruto hesitated to find the right words, then pointed at Hattori Ryuuno. "Even if we teamed up, we wouldn't win. That's why I need you three."
"That strong?" Jiraiya stroked his chin. "If that's the case, only the likes of Sensei, Ebiyu, A, Onoki, Hanzo, and other top-tier powerhouses, including the leader of the Cult of Jashin and the general of the Land of Iron, could fit the bill. Can you be more specific?"
"I can't." Haruto shook his head. Chakra sensing wasn't that precise.
"Are you certain it's an enemy?" Tsunade asked.
"Ninety percent sure." Haruto nodded firmly. "Otherwise, why would such a powerhouse come to the Land of Whirlpools? You all know how many people want me dead—whether they have a grudge or not, I'm worth billions. They're all after money."
"Then let's check it out first. If it's an enemy, we kill them." Orochimaru, for once, was eager—he was a battle maniac.
---
Ten minutes later.
One hundred thirty kilometers southwest of Furuta Village.
Whoosh!
A Flying Thunder God kunai whizzed through the forest! Haruto flickered along with it. The group had left together, but he had gone ahead to scout. Since the enemy was moving, their location had changed.
Haruto paused periodically, using chakra sensing to adjust his tracking.
A minute later.
Haruto landed in the forest, squatted, and placed his fingers on the ground. He frowned—he had lost the signal!
That meant the target's feet were no longer touching the ground!
Chakra sensing used the earth as a medium. If the target was high in the trees or airborne, he couldn't detect them clearly. His sensory level wasn't advanced enough to use trees as conduits—otherwise, he could still get a vague reading.
"Damn it!" Haruto waited but still couldn't sense anything. He stood up and clasped his hands together.
Byakugan, activate!
Now he would see for himself!
He was close enough. If the target had stopped moving, he might just catch a glimpse!
The world in Haruto's vision turned gray and white. The scenery zoomed in as he scanned the area. A few seconds later, his pupils contracted sharply!
He saw him!
Twelve kilometers ahead!
A figure with a scythe strapped to his back stood atop a tree, studying a map.
"It's him!" Haruto's eyes widened before he quickly deactivated his Byakugan and vanished.
Moments later.
Dozens of kilometers away.
Near Tsunade's group, Haruto appeared out of thin air—she carried his Flying Thunder God kunai, allowing him to teleport back instantly.
"Did you see him?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes." Haruto nodded.
"Who?" Jiraiya asked eagerly.
"Hanzo the Salamander." Haruto's voice turned grave.
A major storm was brewing in the shinobi world.