Chapter 76: Big, Big, Big!
For a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like he had been tricked.
Wasn't the report clear?
Hadn't it said that this brat standing before him had been slacking off these past few weeks?
Yet, looking at the towering trees forming a lush forest not far away—feeling the chakra radiating from the woods and the sheer vitality surging from within—Hiruzen suddenly had doubts.
Was there a spy in the Anbu?
Was this kid really just "slacking off"?
"You..."
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time before finally squeezing out a single question:
"You've… already mastered it?"
"It wasn't that hard, honestly," Haruta replied, blinking innocently.
To him, it really wasn't difficult.
After all, LV6 put him firmly at a Jonin-level in terms of skill.
At that level, mastering most jutsu wasn't nearly as challenging as people thought.
Of course, how powerful a jutsu turned out to be depended not only on its base level but also on his overall physical condition and chakra reserves.
In simple terms, LV6 guaranteed Jonin-level execution. Pour in a ton of chakra, and the jutsu's power could skyrocket even further.
Haruta was pretty satisfied with this balance—after all, a person's abilities were interconnected. It didn't make sense to have one overpowering skill while the rest of your stats lagged behind.
Even someone like Kisame, a master of Water Release, wouldn't have been so fearsome without his near-Tailed Beast levels of chakra.
Without that monstrous chakra pool, Kisame's jutsu wouldn't have been nearly as overwhelming.
"Not… hard…"
Hiruzen's mouth twitched again as he glanced at the towering trees, finding himself at a rare loss for words.
He couldn't forget what he had just said either—how could he possibly turn around now and claim, "This isn't good enough"?
But at the same time, the idea of letting Haruta leave the village made him uneasy.
This kid's talent was so absurd that even the Third Hokage himself found it hard to believe.
"Lord Hokage, does this mean I can go find Lady Tsunade now?"
Before Hiruzen could figure out what to say next, Haruta's voice broke his train of thought.
"This…"
Hiruzen hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he let out a sigh and nodded.
"Fine. I'm entrusting this mission to you."
No matter how reluctant he felt, there was no better option right now.
Besides, thinking it over, sending Haruta wasn't a bad choice. His Wood Release was already this advanced.
And given that Uchiha Obito, of all people, also had Wood Release, having Haruta persuade Tsunade might actually increase the chances of her agreeing to return.
"This time, take your own squad. Yugao will help keep things steady, and bringing Shisui along might help him clear his mind."
"Understood, Lord Hokage."
Haruta nodded without hesitation. He was already familiar with his team, and having people he trusted made these missions smoother.
As for Shisui "clearing his mind"…
Haruta didn't need to ask to know why.
The Uchiha were probably losing their minds by now.
A pair of Mangekyou Sharingan locked away in the Anbu? Those Uchiha must be seething.
---
In the Forest of the Land of Fire
Three figures darted swiftly across the treetops, heading toward the Land of Hot water.
"I didn't expect we'd be sent to find Lady Tsunade."
Yugao broke the silence, her tone carrying a hint of awe.
As someone with medical training, she deeply admired Tsunade.
In fact, there wasn't a single medical ninja in Konoha who didn't hold Tsunade in the highest regard.
Still, Yugao couldn't help but glance at Haruta.
She understood the real reason behind this mission—it was mostly about Haruta.
"Honestly, it's not that surprising.
After all, Uchiha Obito can use Wood Release too, right?"
Haruta shrugged, quickening his pace.
His gaze, however, flickered to Shisui, who had been oddly quiet.
"What's with the long face? Didn't pick up anything useful in the Anbu?"
"That's not it. There's a lot to learn in the Anbu," Shisui replied, shaking his head with a smile.
He didn't regret staying in the Anbu.
It allowed him to sidestep a lot of the Uchiha clan's internal politics and gave him space to think.
He had to admit—his way of thinking had often been too naive, too idealistic.
There were so many things he didn't understand—like the story Haruta had told him over a month ago.
Honestly, at the time, he had almost rushed to the Third Hokage to ask about it.
But he hadn't, out of loyalty—he didn't want to betray Haruta's trust.
And once he calmed down and thought about it more carefully, he realized…
Even if he had gone to the Hokage, what good would it have done?
Haruta hadn't directly accused anyone. He had only told a "story"—a story that just happened to echo the situation with Danzo and the Uchiha.
How Shisui interpreted it was entirely up to him.
No matter what happened, the one most affected wouldn't be Haruta—it would be him.
Realizing this had left Shisui feeling defeated.
Looking back on what had happened in Sunagakure—the way Haruta analyzed the situation, used Pakura as leverage, and forced Suna to "ally" with Konoha—he couldn't help but be impressed.
Haruta wasn't just strong; he was cunning too.
He had seen through Obito's plans using the Sharingan and turned the tables on him again and again.
And now, with just one simple story, he had made Shisui question everything about his clan, his village, and his own role in all of it.
"Danzo… the clan… I have to do something."
The thought burned in Shisui's mind.
He didn't have a plan yet—but he had made up his mind.
He would act.
He just needed time to figure out how.
Or maybe… he needed someone to guide him.
"You still look like something's bothering you," Haruta said, eyeing Shisui curiously.
Shisui forced a smile.
"Have you noticed?
There's been trouble in the Land of Hot water recently—one of their clans secret scroll of techniques was stolen."
"Oh?"
Haruta and Yugao exchanged surprised looks.
Shisui went on:
"From what I've heard, it's most likely Cloud Village's doing again.
But the Land of Hot water has hired the 'Ninja Hunters,' to get the scroll back.
What's unexpected is that Lady Tsunade is also there.
I'm just a little worried."
Cloud Village again…
That place was practically a bandit stronghold.
They stole secret techniques, robbed clans, and hoarded bloodlines—countless smaller villages and ninja families had suffered at their hands.
But because of Cloud's military strength, most could only protest or retaliate quietly.
A full-on war with Cloud would mean annihilation.
Haruta didn't like those "Cloud thugs"—neither their methods nor their mentality.
But he wasn't interested in meddling in their affairs right now.
They had their own mission.
Pushing forward at full speed, they crossed into the Land of Hot water by nightfall.
The next day, they finally reached the location where Tsunade was rumored to be.
However…
The moment they pushed open the doors to a gambling hall, they all froze in place.
"Lady Tsunade… please, stop!"
Shizune, clutching a small pink pig in her arms, was pleading desperately.
But Tsunade, her eyes burning with gambler's fury, didn't even glance at her.
"Don't bother me! Just one more round!"
"Place your bets!"
The croupier's voice trembled as Tsunade slammed her stack of chips onto the table.
Her voice boomed as she chanted:
"Big! Big! BIG!"
Haruta, watching the chaotic scene, quietly walked over and placed all his money… on Small.
Still, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Well… there's definitely something big going on here…"
…