Naruto: Troublesome Ninja Haruta

Chapter 113 – Massive Jackpot!

"Son of… Kaguya?"

Haruta stared at the reward. And the first person that popped into his mind was:

The founder of Ninjutsu. The savior of the shinobi world. The root of all chaos. The father of Indra and Asura…

The Sage of Six Paths himself—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo!

Of course, Haruta knew he couldn't possibly connect with Hagoromo yet.

So the reward probably referred to someone else…

Black Zetsu. The third son of the Goddess. Kaguya's will incarnate.

Haruta's lips twitched with slight disappointment.

Sure, Black Zetsu was one of the ninja world's greatest behind-the-scenes manipulators—but in terms of prestige, he couldn't hold a candle to his brothers.

Still… a reward was a reward.

And being "Kaguya's Son" definitely wasn't weak.

"And the ability seems… similar to the [Ninjutsu Doctor] reward."

Haruta blinked. He'd been hoping to unlock a pair of flashy eyes—but maybe not this time.

So far, his favorite reward was still the [Ninjutsu Doctor]—a one-time-use skill that let him instantly master a high-level ability.

Super useful.

But now… this?

He had to take a closer look.

[Special Ability: Son of Kaguya]

[Black Zetsu is Kaguya's third son, a manifestation of her will. Possesses extremely high Yin-Yang Release mastery and advanced mental manipulation techniques.]

[When you complete Yin-Yang Release Fusion, you will inherit this skill, instantly maxing out your Yin-Yang proficiency.]

Haruta stared at the glowing description and had only one thought:

"Damn… the old hag really dropped gold this time!"

The Son of Kaguya

Black Zetsu truly lived up to being the spawn of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Sure, the guy had no real combat ability and his style was... not exactly high-class, but who could deny his effectiveness?

Just his innate understanding of Yin-Yang Release, as the embodiment of Kaguya's will, was staggering. No one knew exactly how deep that knowledge went, but the technique he evolved from Yin-Yang Release—Assimilation Technique—was enough to leave people speechless.

Remember how he manipulated Uchiha Obito, forcing him to perform Rinne Rebirth and bring Uchiha Madara back to life? That alone could be written in textbooks on ninja manipulation. Not to mention the heartfelt "conversation" he had with Madara through Obito's body—talk about being emotionally involved.

These weren't just feats. They were milestones.

"Yin-Yang Release, huh..."

Haruta's eyes gleamed with excitement. As someone who had deeply analyzed the power systems in the Shinobi world, he'd formed a few theories of his own.

Yin-Yang Release wasn't simply the pinnacle of Yin or the peak of Yang—it was the perfect fusion of both. A force even the Ōtsutsuki clan made heavy use of. The Sage of Six Paths had pushed it to its absolute limits.

"To create something from nothing, and breathe life into it"—that was perhaps the most accurate definition of what Yin-Yang Release could achieve.

In Haruta's eyes, only Senjutsu (Sage Arts) could remotely compare in terms of ceiling potential. But of course, that was all just his speculation. After all, the power scale in this world often came down to the individual.

Still, if there were a true "Tier 0" ability—something that could stand at the very top—it would no doubt be Bloodline Convergence.

But the allure of Yin-Yang Release? That had already been proven in his previous life, when Sasuke and Naruto showed what it was truly capable of.

"Still, merging Yin and Yang is not as simple as it sounds..."

Haruta pursed his lips. Obito had indeed "dropped the formula card" on him, but using it was another matter entirely.

Both his Yin and Yang Release levels were currently only at LV7. To reach the fusion described in the formula, he still had a long way to go—and a lot of practice.

"Yin-Yang Release, huh..."

He sighed. The reward was undeniably a good one—but it definitely had some "potential-based" conditions attached.

"System, are you trying to push me down a certain path?"

Haruta rubbed his chin, muttering quietly to himself. First Obito dropped a Trial Card on him, and now he'd just unlocked [Son of Kaguya]. It was pretty obvious which direction the system wanted him to go.

Fortunately, Haruta didn't mind. Yin-Yang Release was essential. Without it, how could he hope to merge Bloodline Convergence?

"Time to work on this quest..."

He sighed again, but a new thought crossed his mind: Could Black Zetsu's control ability even work on Kaguya herself?

Wouldn't that be the ultimate reversal?

Haruta smirked. That could be interesting...

"What a pain..."

Just as he let out that sigh, Jiraiya beside him groaned too.

Turning around, Haruta saw the Toad Sage scratching his head so hard that strands of his white hair were falling out.

"What's going on with him?"

Haruta blinked, glancing over at Yagura Karatachi—who was trailing behind them silently. Then he turned to Yugao Uzuki.

"Probably stressed out over something," Yugao replied softly.

But then Pakura, walking with her and clearly on good terms, snorted dismissively.

"Don't play dumb. You do know what's bothering him. Konoha's about to make headlines thanks to this!"

"Tch."

Haruta scoffed. What did Konoha's reputation have to do with him?

He was just a "humble public servant", working tirelessly for the sake of the village. Nothing more!

"Haruta, do you know what this is all about?"

Tenzo asked with a puzzled face, curiosity all over his features. Even Kakashi gave him a blank stare with those perpetually dead fish eyes.

"Shouldn't you be asking your captain first? That's kind of rude, y'know?"

Haruta smirked, throwing a glance at Kakashi. The latter's face twitched.

With you here, who even sees me as the captain anymore...?

"It's not hard to guess why Jiraiya-sensei's upset," Haruta began, shrugging. "He's facing a pretty major problem right now."

Noticeably, Haruta made it sound like Jiraiya's issue, not theirs.

"By agreeing to negotiate with the Mizukage's faction and accepting the Fourth Mizukage himself, Jiraiya-sensei set the stage for this mess.

"Of course, he didn't really have a choice. We still needed intel on Obito, and for that, we needed Yagura and his people's cooperation."

He paused, then added pointedly: "But bringing back a Kage to the village? Yeah... that's a first."

Sure enough, Jiraiya shot him a resentful look. Like this whole mess was his fault.

What, just because I'm the captain?

But he kept quiet. He knew how serious the situation had become.

Yagura might've been exiled, but he was still a Kage. No one had ever brought one home before.

Konoha had just set a precedent.

"But... so what?" Tenzo blinked in confusion. "Didn't you guys once—uh—'invite' the Fourth Raikage to Konoha?"

"Ahem! Watch your wording!"

Haruta coughed deliberately and shot him a glare. Tenzo immediately corrected himself.

"I mean, welcomed. Welcomed him. So now we're just welcoming the Fourth Mizukage too, right?"

"Innocent thinking," Pakura snorted. "The Fourth Raikage could return to his village. Can this guy?"

She wasn't from Konoha, but she was involved deeply enough to have a say.

"If you forcefully send him away now, it'll leave a bad taste—especially when he hasn't explicitly said he's staying or leaving. Even if he's no longer Mizukage, it will hit your village's reputation hard. That affects your mission commissions."

"And besides," Haruta chimed in, picking up where she left off, "we can't kill him, and we can't extract information from his mind either."

He threw up his hands in a mock surrender.

"Image is everything. We're not bandits like Kumogakure. Everyone has a public persona. Some are kind, others sunny. Just like how Jiraiya-sama is seen as righteous and upright—what if people knew he's a total perv?"

"Oi! Leave me outta this!"

Jiraiya winced. He never even tried to hide his pervy ways, thank you very much. Not that he didn't try to justify it as 'research'...

"Yeah, and if people find out, they might stop giving him missions. No wonder he doesn't bother hiding it."

Tenzo nodded sagely, earning a twitch from Jiraiya. The urge to smack this brat around was growing strong...

"Exactly. Villages are no different. They must maintain their public image—keep their 'persona' intact."

Haruta's eyes sparkled like a teacher watching a student finally 'get it.'

"Even if we did it Kumogakure-style—killed the Fourth Mizukage and pulled intel straight from his head—the backlash would be huge.

"Kirigakure would retaliate. They may be declining, but their ninja forces are still intact. Imagine them launching sabotage missions across the Land of Fire, targeting caravans and shinobi teams. Total chaos.

"And if the other villages catch wind of this? Public condemnation, thinly-veiled threats, maybe even revenge. A Kage can die, sure—but he must not be humiliated.

"That's why we treated the Raikage with such politeness. No war? Then hands off the Kage."

In wartime, kill a Kage and it's just a tactical victory.

In peacetime, kill a Kage—and you're declaring war.

And Konoha couldn't afford that right now. Not with Hiruzen Sarutobi still seeing the village as being in a precarious state...

"Besides, that Fourth Mizukage's still got the Three-Tails inside him," Pakura added, almost gleeful at the mess Konoha had landed itself in.

She'd been screwed by Konoha and Danzo long enough—seeing them in trouble was satisfying.

What puzzled her, though, was how calm Haruta looked.

"Yup. Three-Tails. Another headache."

Haruta nodded with a helpless sigh.

"Who knows what's going through Kirigakure's head? They treated the Three-Tails like disposable trash—sealing it inside Rin-senpai like she was just a tool.

"Thankfully, she woke up in time and chose to—"

"Ahem."

Kakashi's dead eyes narrowed.

Haruta caught the look and skipped ahead with an innocent blink.

"But even if they didn't care, other villages sure will. With both the Nine-Tails and Three-Tails here, it's the perfect excuse for the others to stir up trouble."

Long story short—letting Yagura return would be chaos. Kirigakure had truly thrown them under the bus.

"So, Jiraiya-sensei... why did you even agree in the first place?"

Stop tossing the blame! Jiraiya glared at him again.

But before he could open his mouth, Haruta grinned and added, "Never mind all that! This mission's been a huge success."

He clapped his hands cheerfully.

"We gathered tons of intel on Akatsuki, Uchiha Obito, Yahiko, and Nagato. This mission was totally worth it!"

"..."

Jiraiya swallowed his frustration. At least Haruta's summary made the entire ordeal feel a little less miserable.

Whatever the case, they'd completed the mission. They had results to bring back. As for what came after... well, that was for the higher-ups to worry about.

They had risked their lives. They'd done their part.

And if you looked at it optimistically—they hadn't just captured a former Kage. They'd also opened lines of communication with Kirigakure.

With a little luck, that might stabilize the region, maybe even open the door to an alliance and trade agreements.

Maybe, just maybe—they'd built a new bridge for Konoha's future.

"Looks like this is going to be more troublesome than we thought," Yugao murmured, seeing the frown still lingering on Jiraiya's face.

She glanced at the silent Yagura—calm on the surface, but carrying an air of guilt and regret.

Leaning close to Haruta, she whispered, "Do you think it'll be okay? This mission..."

"Don't worry," Haruta smiled, gently squeezing her hand. "Don't forget, our team captain is none other than Jiraiya the Gallant."

He ignored the scowl Jiraiya sent his way, keeping that confident grin on his face.

"And we've still got the Hokage. He'll make the right calls. Who knows? Maybe we'll even get that Byakugan back in the deal.

"I mean, we helped Kirigakure with a huge favor... They owe us something, right?"

Wishful thinking...

Jiraiya was too drained to even retort. He didn't want to look at Haruta anymore. He feared if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from punching that smug brat—repeatedly.

...Though he wasn't sure he'd win if it came to blows.

With Jiraiya falling silent, the group let the topic drop, shifting instead to casual conversation as they made their way to rendezvous with the survivors from Sunagakure. These survivors had been sent outside the village beforehand, and now that it was time to leave, naturally they had to bring them along.

During the journey, Pakura had been quietly observing Haruta and gathering intel on him.

In her eyes, Haruta's value had skyrocketed after this mission. She was now convinced—this guy was too important to remain a mystery. As allies in the light and rivals in the dark, knowing more about him could only benefit her village.

"Orphanage background, lacking familial warmth growing up… so, he's into older women?"

Watching Haruta casually hold Yugao's hand, she became more convinced of her theory. This guy clearly had a thing for older women.

But suddenly, an image flashed through her mind, along with a voice that made her mentally scream:

"Nice figure."

...

Land of Water, Deep in the Forest

Pain walked alongside Orochimaru and the others as they made their quiet departure from the area.

On the other side of the forest, hidden from their path, Konan slowly pushed a wheelchair-bound Nagato forward.

His frailty was something that couldn't be revealed. The world could only see Pain—immortal, invincible, godlike.

In the eyes of Akatsuki, there was only one leader—Yahiko. No matter what he called himself now or what form he took, that fact could not change.

The two moved slowly through the trees, but neither said much. Nagato, especially, was unusually quiet—his mind filled with Haruta's words, and that arrogant, disdainful look the guy had given him.

"Was the recruitment a failure, Nagato?" Konan finally broke the silence, her voice soft but curious.

Nagato raised a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet, and quickly formed a hand seal.

A soundproof barrier enveloped the wheelchair.

"Why the precaution?" Konan asked, puzzled.

"Better to be safe. Some things… you can't be too careful about," Nagato replied with a sigh.

"This recruitment attempt? You could say it failed… but also that we gained something from it."

He paused, feeling like he was spouting nonsense—a 'successful failure'? But truthfully, it wasn't far from the truth. He'd gained a better understanding of Haruta and, perhaps more importantly, a sense of his intentions.

"What do you mean?" Konan asked, eyebrows furrowed.

So, Nagato told her everything—no holding back. He described how Haruta had practically seen through their entire past, how he'd 'predicted' (more like accused) Obito's future actions, and how he'd shamelessly twisted the whole recruitment into talk of "collaboration" and "outsourcing."

He even revealed how Haruta had guessed their true goal—tailed beasts—and bluntly exposed their location without hesitation.

By the time Nagato finished, Konan's expression had changed subtly.

She finally understood why Nagato had been so careful.

But one thing she couldn't figure out was—

Just what kind of monster is this guy?!

How the hell did one man manage to predict so many of their secrets with such horrifying accuracy?

It was like he could read them like an open book.

Was he... even human?

"Our situation's looking worse than we thought," Konan said grimly, a tinge of regret in her voice. After all, it had been her idea to try recruiting Haruta. And now look where that got them.

Especially after Nagato mentioned Haruta would be reporting all of this back to Konoha. Even if he hid some details, that still put Akatsuki in a very dangerous position.

"True," Nagato muttered, "But… I don't think he'll sell us out entirely."

Konan gave him a confused glance.

"I don't know what his goal is," Nagato admitted, "But he doesn't seem eager to crush us completely."

Which confused him even more. By all logic, they were enemies. Their skirmishes had been anything but friendly—Haruta had mercilessly beaten Scorpion, Kakuzu, and the others. If they hadn't escaped in time, they would've died by his hand.

"Maybe it's because of Jiraiya-sensei?" Nagato wondered aloud.

But even that didn't quite explain it. He didn't think Haruta was the kind of guy to go easy just because of a teacher.

In truth, his instinct was spot-on. What he hadn't accounted for... was that in the ninja world, there were cheats. And Haruta—was one of them.

A walking, talking endgame boss who just happened to spawn early.

One who didn't just see enemies—he saw assets to harvest later.

"Maybe he knows about Danzo's tricks," Nagato added thoughtfully. "Maybe he plans to use us in the future—and so he's not looking to take us out just yet."

"That… makes a weird kind of sense," Konan nodded slowly.

Still, there was something else she was curious about.

"Nagato, what did you think about what he said? That whole talk about political goals and long-term doctrines?"

Nagato fell silent.

That conversation had shaken him more than he wanted to admit.

Because he'd never thought about any of that.

All he ever focused on was strength—on using force to bring peace.

He had the Rinnegan. He was the Six Paths reincarnate. He didn't need people to agree with him. He'd force them to.

But Haruta's words had touched something deep in him. Ideas he couldn't just brush off.

"Even if I suppress the ninja world now… what comes after?"

Nagato had strayed far from Yahiko's ideals, but he still yearned for peace—true, lasting peace.

And what Haruta said made him realize: brute force wouldn't be enough.

After he died, what would remain?

"So, I was only looking at the present… and he was already seeing the future?" Nagato clenched his jaw. He wasn't stupid—just uneducated and emotionally volatile.

But now, forced to reflect, he saw the gaps in his vision.

"Let's just leave this place first," Konan said, not pushing the issue. She could see he was still processing it all.

"That guy mentioned cooperation. I don't think this will be the last we see of him. When we cross paths again… maybe we can get some real answers."

"Mm."

Nagato nodded, but then another thought struck him.

"What do you think he wants? Why would he cooperate with us? Could he be…?"

"No idea. Someone like him? Way too hard to guess," Konan sighed.

But then a sly smile crept onto her lips.

"Although… if it has something to do with Danzo, that would make perfect sense. Didn't you say he seems to know Danzo's game?"

"Shimura Danzo..." Nagato muttered darkly, his eyes narrowing.

"If that's true—then I'd be all for it."

...

Elsewhere, as Akatsuki withdrew from the Land of Water…

Black Zetsu and Obito were also on the move.

But their expressions?

'Grim' didn't even begin to cover it.

Black Zetsu had not expected this outcome. One moment they were operating smoothly from within the Land of Water—next moment, everything was falling apart, and they were running with their tails between their legs.

Sure, he'd always known controlling the Mizukage wouldn't last forever, especially with a liability like Obito on the team…

But to get driven out this badly?

He felt like grabbing Obito by the collar and screaming, "Why the hell did you mess with Haruta Shigaru of all people?!"

"You know what… maybe it's better we left," Obito muttered, though his lip was twitching. Even he couldn't mask how badly this stung.

He'd lost. Again.

Every single time he ran into Haruta, it ended in disaster. But this time? Haruta had stormed their base and wrecked it.

Each encounter was more ridiculous than the last.

Obito hadn't even decided where to go next. But one thing was certain—they couldn't stay in the Land of Water.

"Let's find somewhere to lay low… then regroup. I'm not letting this slide."

"Mm." Black Zetsu nodded, though he said nothing else.

Honestly, he had no energy left to argue. Obito's blunders were getting harder and harder to defend.

But then, Obito turned to him with a curious look.

"You're Uchiha Madara's will, right?"

Black Zetsu blinked. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Haruta Shigaru is a descendant of the Senju. Madara fought Hashirama for years. He must've had some tactics or experience dealing with Senju, right?"

Black Zetsu's face froze.

Experience? Sure.

Success? …Not really.

Yes, Madara fought Hashirama countless times. And occasionally, he even won.

But if you looked at the big picture—he mostly got his ass kicked.

"You could say there's experience… but I'm not sure any of it will help you. Haruta isn't exactly like Hashirama."

In fact, Haruta was worse—in a terrifying, vintage kind of way.

He didn't just steamroll everyone with Wood Release. He'd adopted a chakra mode, more like the classic Asura-style reincarnations.

But unlike past Asuras, Haruta seemed to be walking the same path as Hashirama—

"Crushing an entire era beneath his feet."

That thought made Black Zetsu's scalp tingle.

They'd finally found a Madara with the Rinnegan… finally outlived Hashirama… and now?

Now some new "Asura" just popped up—before the cycle of reincarnation had even restarted?!

"This… we have to get to the bottom of this!"

Forget the base. Forget the mission.

Black Zetsu was far more worried about Haruta now.

This might be the closest he'd ever come to freeing his mother—and he wasn't going to let any surprises ruin that.

"Could it be... Asura's chakra again? Is this guy trying to become the 'big brother' in the cycle reversal?!"

"But if it's not Asura's chakra…"

"Then we've got an even bigger problem on our hands."

...

"You've returned?"

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled warmly as he welcomed Jiraiya and his team back to Konoha.

But Jiraiya looked anything but confident—his smile was awkward, his eyes evasive.

The journey from Kirigakure back to the Hidden Leaf hadn't taken long. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the whole "respecting our allies" bit, Haruta could've just used Flying Thunder God and warped them home in seconds.

Of course, even without the need to "escort" their Sand allies, Jiraiya still would've preferred the slower boat ride. He knew what was waiting for him back in the village, and playing ostrich for a little while longer seemed like a good idea.

Still, reality waited for no man. They returned—albeit reluctantly—and Jiraiya wasted no time taking the lead.

"Place the Mizukage where we once 'invited' the Fourth Raikage and Kurotsuchi's old man. We'll meet with the Hokage first."

He wasn't dumb. He knew he couldn't just walk into the Hokage's office and say, "Surprise, we brought home a Kage!" No, no. He needed to soften the blow. Deliver the good news first, then ease into the catastrophe.

Hopefully that works…

"So, how did the mission go? You didn't cause more trouble, did you?"

Hiruzen eyed Jiraiya suspiciously. He knew his student well. That awkward smile spoke volumes.

Before the Hokage could summon the ANBU for a debriefing, Haruta stepped forward.

"Lord Hokage, this mission yielded critical intel."

He glanced at Jiraiya—yep, still dodging eye contact—and sighed.

"In fact, under Captain Jiraiya's leadership, we uncovered something major. We confirmed: the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was being controlled by Uchiha Obito."

"…Oh?"

Hiruzen's eyes widened sharply.

A Kage… controlled?

That was something unheard of—even in the chaos-ridden shinobi world.

Kirigakure's reputation was about to hit rock bottom.

Hiruzen's expression turned serious as he gently tapped his pipe against the ashtray. "Explain. Everything."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Haruta sent another sideways glare at Jiraiya (who still refused to meet his gaze) and began.

"As we all know, Uchiha Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan can manipulate tailed beasts. The Nine-Tails incident proved that much. As the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, Yagura wouldn't normally be affected by genjutsu. But if the tailed beast inside him was compromised first, his resistance would crumble."

"So you're saying Obito first took control of the Three-Tails, and Yagura had to wrestle with his own tailed beast… which left him vulnerable to Obito's illusions?"

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. He was a master of genjutsu theory himself—perhaps not as skilled as an Uchiha, but certainly no slouch. He knew exactly how devastating internal conflict with a Bijū could be.

"That's the theory."

Haruta couldn't say for sure what exact trick Obito had used—but speculation made great cover. And besides, now was the time to exaggerate the threat.

"Using Yagura's authority, Obito enacted a series of devastating policies: escalating the Blood Mist doctrine, persecuting clan shinobi, closing off the Land of Water to all foreign contact. He turned Kirigakure into a slaughterhouse. The economic and societal damage was staggering. His threat level should be raised."

"Agreed," Hiruzen said darkly. "This man… Obito has redefined what it means to be a threat."

The idea of someone hijacking a major hidden village and governing it through a puppet? It wasn't just insane—it was revolutionary, in the most horrifying way.

And what scared Hiruzen even more?

Now that Obito had done it once, what's stopping someone else from doing it again?

Kage across the world would soon start sleeping with one eye open. This wasn't just about Kirigakure—it was a warning to every village.

Especially when the Uchiha's genjutsu was involved.

Hiruzen took a deep pull from his pipe. Smoke curled in the air around him as his eyes narrowed in thought.

And then Haruta struck again.

"In addition, we acquired intel on the Akatsuki."

That got Hiruzen's full attention. Jiraiya looked over, eyes flickering.

He'd been waiting to ask about that—but with Gari and the Sand allies present during most of the journey home, he hadn't dared bring it up.

Now, finally, they were alone.

"The Akatsuki?" Hiruzen nodded. "Go on."

"With Obito's involvement confirmed, Akatsuki has become our top concern—especially since their inner circle includes others with ties to Konoha," Haruta said calmly.

"Currently confirmed members: seven in total. Beyond Kakuzu, Biwa Jūzō, and Sasori, the others are… Orochimaru, Konan, Nagato, and Obito."

"…Konan and Nagato?" Hiruzen frowned. Those names didn't ring a bell.

But Jiraiya let out a quiet sigh.

"They're… children I once trained in Amegakure. I raised them for three years. Tsunade knows. I… I didn't expect this."

"I see."

Hiruzen's brow furrowed, clearly displeased he hadn't been informed.

Haruta, sensing the tension, quickly interjected.

"According to the intel I've pieced together, they once held a degree of goodwill toward Konoha."

"…Even though we—Konoha—killed their families?" Haruta added innocently.

Jiraiya winced. Seriously?!

"Could we maybe not phrase it like that?" he muttered.

"It was war," Hiruzen added tersely. "Not intentional."

"Even so," Haruta continued, "they still respected Jiraiya-sensei and followed his teachings. At least, until something… happened."

He shot Jiraiya a subtle look before continuing.

"Someone allied with Hanzo of the Salamander. It led to betrayal. One of the trio was captured. The other two were forced into a deathmatch. One died. The survivor snapped."

Hiruzen's eyes darkened.

"And the perpetrator…?"

"The one I fought," Haruta said slowly, "explicitly claimed Konoha was involved."

Konoha?

Hiruzen's expression instantly turned black.

Jiraiya suddenly whipped his head around, eyes wide with realization.

"Sensei, eight years ago I got intel saying they were dead! I didn't— Could it be…?"

"Enough," Hiruzen cut him off.

He turned to Haruta. The boy's expression was calm—he didn't seem too suspicious. That gave the Hokage a bit of relief.

But eight years ago…

That was the year Root was disbanded.

That was also the year Amegakure suffered heavy losses… and Hanzo vanished from public view.

It all clicked.

Someone with a grudge against Konoha. Someone powerful enough to destroy Hanzo and wipe out Root agents. Someone Danzo may have double-crossed.

And now that someone was part of Akatsuki.

Hiruzen's jaw clenched.

Danzo… what the hell did you do?!

He knew the man had always worked from the shadows—but this?

This was a disaster in the making.

As rage simmered behind his calm exterior, Haruta's system interface quietly flickered in the background.

System Notification

Quest Completed: Investigate Kirigakure

Rating: SS

Freedom Points Earned: +12

Hidden Quest Completed: Unveil Akatsuki Secrets (2)

Rating: SS

Freedom Points Earned: +12

Bonus Achievements:

— Rescued Sand allies

— Crippled Kirigakure's internal structure

— Forced Kirigakure to negotiate

— Defeated several Akatsuki members

— Exposed their hidden agenda

Special Rewards:

— [Ninja World Scientist] Trait Unlocked

— Double Freedom Point Bonus

Current Freedom Points: 65

Haruta nearly trembled with excitement.

He'd already had 5 leftover points, and with the hidden objective plus the doubled reward—this mission had been a jackpot.

Once again, it proved his theory: make the world messier, and the rewards get richer.

"The greater the storm, the more valuable the fish."

He hadn't even checked out the [Ninja World Scientist] trait yet. Just thinking about it got his heart racing.

But Hiruzen's voice pulled him back.

"You've done well. Rest for now. But we still have… matters to discuss."

Hiruzen had calmed down—outwardly. But his eyes burned with unspoken anger.

There would be time to reckon with Danzo later.

"Now then," the Hokage continued. "What about the Sand allies? And how exactly did you explain this Mizukage situation to Kirigakure?"

"The Sand shinobi were unfortunate casualties," Haruta replied calmly. "They were caught in the internal conflict orchestrated by Obito and his manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage and Genji."

"And the Mizukage himself?"

Haruta's voice dropped half a pitch.

"We contacted Genji directly. He expressed a desire to open talks with Konoha—to build bridges, leave past hostilities behind, and explore mutual cooperation."

"…Genji wants to talk?"

Hiruzen was stunned. But he noticed one glaring omission.

"You haven't mentioned Yagura."

"What happened to him? What did you do?"

"Ah… nothing much, Lord Hokage," Haruta said, chuckling awkwardly. "Just a bit of, um, 'assistance' that Kirigakure needed for rebuilding their village."

He paused—then threw the biggest, most casual scapegoat he could muster:

"…Ask Jiraiya."

"As for Lord Mizukage," Haruta said with a pleasant smile, "Jiraiya-sama and Master Genji have already reached an agreement. The Mizukage has been formally invited to Konoha as a guest."

He gestured casually. "He's currently waiting in the usual place where you once… hosted the Fourth Raikage and Kitsuchi's old man. I'm sure you'll have plenty to talk about."

As Haruta finished speaking, he glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Jiraiya, now visibly panicked, forced himself to look up at his teacher, no longer able to play dead or feign ignorance.

Hiruzen sat behind the Hokage's desk, face frozen in shock, mouth slightly open as if trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

He lifted a trembling finger and slowly pointed at both Jiraiya and Haruta, his lips twitching like he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

Bang—!

Suddenly, he collapsed forward, slamming his head into the desk and passing out cold.

"Medical ninja! Someone call a medic!!"

Jiraiya jumped to his feet in a panic, voice cracking as he shouted. Haruta winced, honestly stunned.

Was the Third Hokage always this fragile?

Still, he leaned over and whispered with a smirk, "Congratulations, Jiraiya-sama. Looks like you're next in line to become the Fifth Hokage."

"…"

Jiraiya's face went dark.

His fists clenched so tight, they cracked.

He desperately wanted to know who in the hell thought it was a good idea to make this little monster a ninja in the first place!