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Chapter 89: A Big Harvest!
🕑 Added 2025-03-01 13:53:50 +0000 UTCChapter 89: A Big Harvest!
Konoha, Hokage’s Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was reviewing documents, but his mind kept drifting to Haruta and the current mission.
To be honest, he felt a bit helpless about sending Haruta out this time.
"That kid is just too good at stirring things up..."
Thinking back to the troubles caused when the Fourth Raikage was "visiting" Konoha, Hiruzen felt a headache coming on.
Sure, capturing the Fourth Raikage had boosted Konoha’s morale, but the aftermath had been nothing short of a nightmare.
What if Kumogakure had declared war?
What if the incident had triggered another Great Ninja War?
Of course, Haruta had helped smooth things over, creating a plan that allowed the Fourth Raikage to save face and prevented an outright war.
But Hiruzen knew Kumogakure wouldn’t let it slide so easily.
"If only things weren’t so complicated..."
He sighed. The external problems were bad enough, but the internal ones weren’t any better.
Danzo was one thing. But even Tsunade was giving him a headache.
"Old man!"
The office door suddenly burst open, and Tsunade stormed in, looking furious.
"Lady Tsunade, please don’t be reckless!"
Shizune followed anxiously, desperately trying to hold her back. But with her small frame, she had no chance of stopping Tsunade.
"Old man, when is Haruta coming back? And what’s the situation over there?"
Tsunade ignored Shizune entirely, slamming her fist onto the desk as she questioned Hiruzen.
"That brat disappeared without a word, and you haven’t given me a single update. Isn’t that a bit much?!"
"Calm down, Tsunade."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples in exasperation. Waving a hand to reassure Shizune, he sighed and responded.
"There’s no major issue on Haruta’s side. This mission was urgent, and I’ve already explained everything, haven’t I?
And you don’t need to keep checking in every single day. I know you’re worried about him—but do you think I’m not?"
If it weren’t for the mission’s urgency, he wouldn’t have sent Haruta.
Grass Village leaned toward Iwagakure, and their secret experiments were a major concern.
They couldn’t send ordinary shinobi to investigate—only ANBU could handle it.
On top of that, Onoki himself had taken an interest in the matter, and there were rumors that the experiments involved either the Uzumaki or Senju clans.
No matter how they looked at it, they had to send a strong squad.
Haruta’s team was highly capable in both offense and defense—plus, they had an escape route.
With Flying Thunder God, they could retreat at any time.
So, in the end, it had to be them.
"Besides, Haruta isn’t alone. The other ANBU squads are supporting him. Trust me—he’ll be fine."
"Tch."
Tsunade clicked her tongue, clearly still dissatisfied.
It had been a long time since someone awakened Wood Release naturally, without any experiments involved.
She had already started seeing Haruta as family, and she trusted him.
Now that he had been sent on such a dangerous mission, how could she not be upset?
"Hokage-sama! Urgent report!"
At that moment, a shinobi rushed in, breathless. But upon seeing the situation in the office, he hesitated.
"Bring it here."
Hiruzen composed himself and gestured for the shinobi to proceed.
Taking the scroll, he immediately noticed it had come from the Land of Grass.
"Looks like it’s Haruta’s report. Might as well take a look together."
Without waiting, Tsunade moved behind Hiruzen, making it clear she intended to read it too.
Hiruzen didn’t waste time.
Unrolling the scroll, he scanned the contents—and both he and Tsunade froze.
"...This is—"
Hiruzen quickly skimmed the report, but his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Tsunade, standing beside him, stared blankly, struggling to believe what she was reading.
According to the report, Haruta’s squad had coordinated with the border forces as planned.
That part was fine—it was within their authority, as long as they didn’t enter Grass Village directly.
But this time, their maneuver had startled Grass Village so badly that they had sent even more shinobi to the front lines!
And that wasn’t all—
Haruta had also mobilized the ANBU squads assigned to reinforce them.
And then…
They had attacked Grass Village, completely overwhelming its defenses and capturing Kitsuchi!
What the hell were they trying to do?!
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t hold back anymore. He had known that Haruta would stir up trouble, but he had never imagined things would escalate this much!
Did this kid have an issue with not starting wars?
"Get them back! Quickly!"
Hiruzen’s body trembled slightly as he spoke in a halting voice.
"Tell them to release Kitsuchi immediately! Hurry!"
"Hold on, old man. Why are you panicking?"
Tsunade, shaken out of her thoughts by Hiruzen’s outburst, shot him a glare.
"Did you even finish reading? Haruta already provided explanations and solutions in the latter half."
"Huh?"
Hiruzen blinked, realizing he had indeed been too hasty. He quickly lowered his head and continued reading.
Just as Tsunade had said, the report laid everything out clearly.
He had been too anxious—Konoha couldn’t afford reckless conflicts at the moment.
"Uchiha Obito appeared. A mysterious organization. Iwagakure hired them. Leak intel to force Danzo to visit Sunagakure and pressure Iwagakure..."
After reading everything, Hiruzen fell silent.
That damned Uchiha Obito had resurfaced again?!
And he had not only ambushed Haruta’s team but was also involved with an organization full of rogue shinobi?
"So that’s what’s going on..."
Hiruzen immediately grasped Haruta’s intent. Their squad’s original mission had already included capturing Uchiha Obito.
If Kitsuchi had intel, they couldn’t just let him go.
Hiruzen himself wanted more information on Obito’s movements.
Furthermore, sending Danzo as an envoy to Sunagakure would put pressure on Iwagakure. As the Hokage’s advisor, Danzo could represent Konoha’s will to some extent.
With the right leverage, they could force Onoki to negotiate—then they could safely return Kitsuchi and the captured Iwa shinobi.
And along the way, Konoha could take a small bite out of the Land of Grass for its own benefit.
"This kid..."
Hiruzen exhaled deeply.
Haruta was truly a rare genius—he had considered everything and ensured Konoha’s interests were the top priority.
The only problem was... his approach was a little too extreme.
Hiruzen wasn’t sure his heart could take much more of this.
"So? We can recall them, no problem. But..."
Tsunade smirked at Hiruzen’s conflicted expression.
"Do we really have to release Kitsuchi? There are people waiting on our decision, after all."
"Well..."
Hiruzen smiled wryly and sighed.
"Since he's here as a guest, we should treat him well. And let’s not keep our guests waiting too long.
Tell them to return immediately."
Any longer, and Hiruzen feared his own heart might give out.
---
"Nobody’s hurt, right?"
Back in the Land of Grass, Haruta glanced at Kitsuchi, who looked utterly humiliated, then turned to Kakashi and the others.
"No major issues on our side. But some of the ANBU..."
Kakashi sighed. They had all survived, but not everyone had been so lucky.
In large-scale battles like this, casualties were inevitable.
Even if they had all mentally prepared for it, the loss of comrades always weighed heavily on Kakashi’s heart.
"This is actually better than usual. In Root, we sometimes had to eliminate our own people to prevent intel leaks and protect the village."
Tenzo, standing nearby, blinked as he casually added this.
Kakashi stiffened.
Shisui and Itachi, who had just arrived, also froze for a moment.
Itachi, in particular, lowered his head upon hearing those words.
"Eliminating comrades when necessary... to protect the village..."
"Enough of that, you idiot!"
Kakashi snapped back to reality and smacked Tenzo on the head, making him clutch it in pain.
Haruta, however, just nodded to himself.
Now he understood why, in the future during the Ryumyaku mission, Tenzo—by then renamed Yamato—would hit Kakashi back.
"He totally deserved it."
But Haruta didn’t dwell on it.
His gaze shifted to Yugao, who was catching her breath, bloodstains on her clothes.
Seeing she was fine, he then turned toward Shisui—because behind Shisui and Itachi, a red-haired girl was timidly trying to hide herself.
"Who’s this?"
Haruta already knew her identity but asked anyway.
"We found her in their laboratory."
Shisui turned and gently pushed the girl forward.
"A poor kid. And from what we can tell, she was their test subject."
The girl looked terrified.
Surrounded by corpses and the angry glares of the surviving Grass shinobi, she trembled uncontrollably.
"Are you okay?"
Yugao, unable to ignore it, stepped forward to comfort her.
At the same time, she carefully observed the girl—shinobi had to stay alert, even around children.
"What’s your name?"
"I-I'm okay..."
Tears welled in the red-haired girl’s eyes, but she forced herself to respond.
"M-my name is... Karin. I..."
"Karin, huh?"
Hearing her name, Haruta stepped closer and studied her.
"We received intel that Grass Village was conducting experiments that could instantly heal severe injuries.
Looks like you were the test subject, huh?"
"I..."
Karin panicked.
Had she just escaped from one nightmare only to fall into another?
She instinctively clutched her arm, but Haruta noticed something.
Grabbing her wrist, he rolled up her sleeve.
"What are you doing?!"
Yugao frowned, displeased by his rough approach.
But then—everyone fell silent.
"...Bite marks. And injection scars."
Haruta examined her arm, his eyes narrowing.
"Pale complexion... extreme anxiety... It’s clear she was the test subject. And they were likely using her blood."
"Blood?"
At that word, only Shisui and Itachi remained relatively calm.
The others were visibly disturbed.
Even Kitsuchi—still bound by Wood Release—looked utterly shocked.
"Wait... this is real?"
"Grass Village is even worse than us!"
"And with this unique blood ability and red hair... she’s probably from the Uzumaki clan."
Haruta stood up and ruffled Karin’s hair.
"By the way, do you have any special abilities? Like enhanced sensory perception?"
"I-I can sense things from far away..."
Karin nodded, but she hesitated to reveal her other ability—the ability to detect lies.
Since it didn’t always work, she figured it wasn’t worth mentioning.
"That confirms it. She is an Uzumaki."
Haruta nodded.
A special bloodline, red hair, and extraordinary sensory abilities—if she wasn’t an Uzumaki, then no one was.
And he also knew that this sensory ability was none other than the legendary Kagura Mind’s Eye—one of the strongest sensory techniques in the ninja world.
It wasn’t just limited to detecting enemies from miles away.
Karin could even track targets with pinpoint accuracy and read people’s emotions through chakra.
She had sensed Sasuke’s descent into darkness and, even earlier, had felt the sinister chakra hidden beneath Naruto’s bright aura.
It was an incredible ability.
"Uzumaki..."
Hearing that name, Karin’s eyes filled with even more tears.
She remembered her mother.
Haruta took the opportunity to ask,
"Do you have any family left?"
"N-no... none."
Karin lowered her head, her glasses fogging up with moisture.
"My mother... they killed her... I..."
"I understand."
Haruta cut her off gently, smiling.
"Don’t worry. That won’t happen again."
"We’ll take you back to Konoha. Everything will be fine—trust me."
"Konoha..."
Karin could feel Haruta’s sincerity.
Her glasses fogged up even more—
Because this was a warmth she had never felt in Grass Village.
Haruta patted her shoulder before turning back to the still-shocked Kitsuchi.
Grinning, he said,
"Thanks, Kitsuchi."
"...?"
"If it weren’t for your intel, we wouldn’t have found this girl. We really appreciate it!"
"..."
Kitsuchi’s face twisted.
If he could, he swore he’d strangle this bastard.
"Who the hell let a guy like this become a ninja?!"
But whatever Kitsuchi thought, it no longer mattered—
Because at that moment, Haruta and his team had already begun their journey back to Konoha.
"So, the organization is called Akatsuki, but you don’t know the details?"
"Hmph, who would care about such a small organization?"
Kitsuchi scoffed, turning his head away.
But Haruta wasn’t convinced.
"Really? A small organization? Then why did Iwagakure hire them?"
Kitsuchi had no desire to answer Haruta’s questions, but being bound was already frustrating enough. Besides, he also wanted to gather some intelligence.
So, he decided to reveal some minor, inconsequential details about Iwagakure. However, to his surprise, these guys seemed quite interested in that organization.
"We hired them because they were effective tools. That’s all."
"Oh, and because they kill without hesitation, making it easier for you to eliminate rebellious small nations, right?"
Haruta tilted his head, amused. His words instantly made Kitsuchi bristle with anger, his face flushing as he glared at Haruta.
"That’s nonsense! Their actions have nothing to do with us!
We only hired them to suppress revolts and maintain stability. Whatever they do beyond that is their responsibility!"
"..."
Haruta touched his chin.
He suddenly realized—his experience in verbal sparring was still lacking.
Kitsuchi, who seemed straightforward and honest, had actually come up with such an argument.
Clearly, Onoki had taught him well.
Kakashi, Shisui, and the others also gave Kitsuchi exasperated looks.
As ANBU, how could they not know about Iwagakure’s dirty dealings?
The only one still struggling to accept such realities was Uchiha Itachi. He had only just joined ANBU and wasn’t yet accustomed to these kinds of discussions.
But Kitsuchi wasn’t done. He snorted and said with disdain,
"And if we’re really pointing fingers—has Konoha done any fewer shady things? As far as I know, your ANBU even has a subdivision that’s worse than us!"
"It’s all for the village, isn’t it?"
Haruta simply shrugged.
Tenzo nodded in agreement.
"That’s right. Some things must be done for the sake of the village."
"Tch. Acting all righteous, but you’re no different."
Kitsuchi shot Haruta and Tenzo a suspicious glance.
These two—were they from Danzo’s faction?
"For the village, you’ll do whatever it takes. Even killing your own.
So don’t act like you have the moral high ground over me."
"Did we ever say we were judging you?"
Haruta gave Kitsuchi a puzzled look.
"We were only asking about Akatsuki. Whatever you’ve done—we don’t actually care."
"Uh—?"
Kitsuchi was momentarily stunned.
Had he just… talked himself in circles?
Still, he noted something—
Everyone else had remained indifferent, but when he mentioned that subdivision of ANBU, only Haruta and that other kid had reacted.
Not only that, they seemed to agree with his statement.
That meant… they were definitely Danzo’s men!
Although Kitsuchi was convinced of this, he still planned to probe further.
"Why do you want intel on Akatsuki? If you’re capturing me, don’t you at least owe me an explanation?"
"We’re planning to hire them to attack you."
Haruta didn’t bother explaining. Instead, he casually strolled over to Kakashi and the others.
Kakashi sighed.
"We don’t have enough intel. We can’t confirm anything significant."
Shisui nodded in agreement. But Haruta simply shook his head.
"You guys rely too much on existing intel.
That’s good for caution, but sometimes—it’s not enough."
"Hm?"
Kakashi looked at Haruta in confusion.
Shisui, having been around Haruta longer, seemed to grasp his intent.
Haruta didn’t keep them guessing.
Smiling, he said,
"I’ve said it before—you can’t analyze things just as shinobi. You need to think from the village’s perspective.
And I also said Akatsuki is based in a small nation.
So—what would Onoki think?"
"What would Onoki consider when choosing a small-country organization to suppress insurgents?"
Shisui picked up on Haruta’s train of thought, and Kakashi quickly followed.
"If that’s the case, there’s no way he’d pick an organization from within his own sphere of influence.
Such a group would be hard to control.
In fact, he’d likely eliminate them first."
Indeed, a rogue ninja organization—especially one stationed within his borders—wouldn’t be tolerated.
Onoki never allowed unstable elements within his territory.
"Exactly. And it can’t be too far away.
If it’s too distant, communication would be a hassle."
Shisui nodded.
The distance in question wasn’t about the insurgents—Onoki wouldn’t care about their location.
What mattered was ensuring the hired organization could act swiftly and efficiently.
"That rules out the Bear Country and any regions where Iwa and Suna have territorial disputes.
It also eliminates the Land of Grass."
Haruta nodded, feeling slightly exhausted.
He practically had to spoon-feed them the answer.
"And if the region is already chaotic, it would be even easier for them to hide.
So that leaves only a handful of options."
"The Land of Iron, the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Demons… and the Land of Rain."
Kakashi murmured, listing the most likely locations.
There were many small nations in the ninja world, but only a few fit the criteria.
The Land of Hot Water might have been a possibility—except it fell under Kumogakure’s influence.
And Kumo wouldn’t tolerate such an organization within its borders.
The same applied to the Land of Rivers, which lay between Konoha and Sunagakure.
That left only these four options.
"So you see, the answer is usually right in front of us.
We just need to piece together the clues to uncover something unexpected."
Haruta nodded.
He resisted the urge to outright say “Akatsuki is in the Land of Rain.”
After all, Hanzo was still alive.
Even if he would eventually be overthrown by Nagato, that had yet to happen.
Very few knew the true situation inside Amegakure.
It was better to let others investigate further.
For now, Haruta focused on something more important—returning to Konoha and completing this mission.
Because his priority… was getting stronger.
---
"Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?"
Iwagakure, Land of Earth.
Onoki watched Deidara and Kurotsuchi train while a sense of unease gnawed at him.
Kitsuchi had led a squad to the Land of Grass.
Normally, Onoki wouldn’t have been concerned.
Sure, Kitsuchi was a bit reckless, but he had Wenya keeping an eye on him.
Plus, they had an elite squad and an experienced mercenary group for backup.
By all logic, there should have been no problems.
And yet…
This nagging feeling just wouldn’t go away.
Even now, as he supervised training, his mind was elsewhere.
"Hey, Kurotsuchi, what’s up with the old man?"
Deidara grumbled.
He found training boring. He much preferred playing with clay, testing explosions, and—
Maybe blowing up a house?
Unfortunately, Onoki was watching him like a hawk, so he couldn’t slack off.
Not unless he wanted a lecture.
For now, he didn’t quite have the guts to challenge Onoki’s authority.
"Deidara, at least show some respect to my grandfather."
Kurotsuchi sighed, shaking her head.
"He’s your teacher. Could you stop calling him ‘old man’?"
"Tch."
Deidara clicked his tongue. But then, something occurred to him.
"Wait a minute—if the old man is my teacher, and you’re his granddaughter…
Shouldn’t you be calling me Uncle Deidara instead of ‘Big Brother’?"
"You wanna die?!"
Kurotsuchi’s expression darkened, and she immediately lunged at him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—calm down!"
Deidara yelped, scrambling away.
"Listen, I could fight back, but I won’t. I don’t hit girls, alright?"
The two had always been like this—bickering like childhood friends.
But before the scuffle could escalate, Onoki’s sharp voice cut through the air.
"You two—"
He wasn’t happy.
"You’re here to train, not play around!"
"...Uhh."
Both Deidara and Kurotsuchi froze, quickly standing at attention.
But before Onoki could continue scolding them—
A shinobi rushed into the training ground, holding a scroll.
"Lord Tsuchikage! Urgent news!"
Onoki’s heart sank.
"Was this what I was worried about...?"
Without hesitation, he snatched the scroll and scanned its contents.
With every line he read, his expression grew darker.
**"Akatsuki failed. Grass Village fell. Kitsuchi and Isamu are now Konoha’s ‘guests.’
And Danzo… is heading to Sunagakure."**
“Bastard!”
Onoki was furious.
Whether he was more enraged by Akatsuki’s failure or by Kitsuchi’s capture was unclear.
But his eyes remained fixed on the last line of the scroll:
"The Third Hokage cordially invites you to Grass Village for discussions."
Discussions?
This was a forced negotiation!
“Damn it… so they’ve set their sights on the Land of Grass, huh?”
Onoki cursed, but there was little else he could do.
His son was in enemy hands, along with numerous Iwagakure shinobi—he couldn’t afford to act recklessly.
As for declaring war?
That was never an option.
He had been the one who took down the Third Raikage. The Fourth Raikage definitely hadn’t forgotten that grudge.
If Iwagakure and Konoha went to war, Kumogakure would be overjoyed.
Similarly, Kumogakure hadn’t made a move against Konoha partly because of him.
After all, he had killed the Third Raikage—who knew if Iwagakure might seize the chance to stab Kumogakure in the back if a war broke out?
"...Grandfather?"
Kurotsuchi hesitantly looked at Onoki and asked in a soft voice.
"It’s nothing… nothing at all."
Onoki suppressed his anger and forced a smile.
No way he could tell her, "Your dear father just got taken to Konoha as a hostage."
The whole point of this operation was to investigate Konoha’s Wood Release, Flying Thunder God, and Mangekyō Sharingan.
It wasn’t like he wanted to fall into Kumogakure’s trap.
These three powers were too dangerous—they had shaken him to his core.
Even knowing it might be a setup, he had no choice but to take the risk.
And now—everything had gone completely sideways.
“…Tell Konoha I understand.”
After a long pause, Onoki finally nodded.
“Any other important intel?”
"Lord Tsuchikage, Grass Village… has turned into a forest."
The Iwa ANBU member hesitated before continuing cautiously,
"Additionally, we can now confirm that Kumogakure’s claims were true.
And one more thing—"
"What?"
"You were right, Lord Tsuchikage.
There was an Uzumaki survivor in Grass Village.
They had detained her and conducted human experiments.
She has now been taken by Konoha."
"…"
Onoki froze.
Then—he ripped the scroll to shreds.
Damn it—Grass Village really had one?!
Now he regretted it.
Why hadn’t he been the one to take down Grass Village?!
---
Land of Fire, Konoha – Root’s Base
"Lord Kitsuchi, welcome to Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood outside Root’s underground base, offering his usual diplomatic greeting.
The same one he had used last time.
For a moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
But there was no time to dwell on that—resolving the current situation was the top priority.
"…'Welcome,' huh?"
Kitsuchi snorted.
But he didn’t push back too hard—right now, he was still technically a ‘guest.’
Better to cooperate than risk becoming a prisoner.
"Sigh… Fine. If I’m a guest, then let’s rest first."
"Of course. Someone, show Lord Kitsuchi to his quarters."
Hiruzen let out a small breath of relief.
Kitsuchi was cooperative—that was one less problem to deal with.
As soon as the Iwa shinobi were led away, Hiruzen’s gaze shifted toward Haruta and the others.
"You still remember how to come home, huh?"
Before he could say anything else—
Tsunade had already grabbed Haruta by the collar.
"Since when did you start keeping secrets from me, huh?!"
She scowled.
"Important stuff like this—and you don’t even tell me in advance?! You’ve got some nerve!"
"Enough, Tsunade. There’s no need for that."
Hiruzen sighed, already knowing exactly what she was doing.
"Yeah, Tsunade-sensei."
Haruta smiled, playing along.
"We’re all fine. And the mission came up so suddenly—we didn’t even have time to think about it."
Tsunade was just looking out for him, making a show of protecting him in front of Hiruzen.
But at this point, Haruta wasn’t entirely sure if she was acting—or if she was genuinely pissed.
Those were some big hands, after all…
"Tch."
Tsunade finally released him, crossing her arms.
But then—her gaze fell on the timid red-haired girl standing behind them.
"Who’s this?
Red hair—same shade as Kushina’s."
"If our intel is correct, she was the true target of this mission."
Haruta glanced at Karin, then subtly gestured for Kakashi to deliver the report.
But—
Neither Kakashi nor Shisui made a move.
Both kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact.
In the end, Haruta had no choice but to do it himself.
He gave a thorough debriefing—
Everything from their encounter with Akatsuki, to the assault on Grass Village and the capture of Kitsuchi, which had been included in their intel reports.
But he also provided additional details that hadn’t been in the reports—
Their assessment of Obito, the likely location of Akatsuki’s base, and the truth about Karin.
Tsunade and Hiruzen listened intently.
By the time Haruta finished, Tsunade clenched her fists.
"Hmph! Grass Village is disgusting.
That damn place…"
Then, she turned back to Karin and spoke firmly.
"From now on—you’re with me.
You have natural medical abilities, and I happen to have some Uzumaki techniques.
I’ll teach you. What do you say?"
"H-huh?"
Karin blinked, confused.
She didn’t really understand what was happening—but she felt like she had no choice.
And…
This woman—she didn’t seem like a bad person.
In fact—she radiated something warm.
After hesitating for a moment, Karin finally nodded.
"That settles it, then."
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction before glancing at Hiruzen.
"You got a problem with that, old man?"
Hiruzen nearly rolled his eyes.
"Do I even have a choice?"
Still—he agreed.
Tsunade was perfect for Karin.
She was the First Hokage’s granddaughter, and her grandmother had been Uzumaki Mito.
If anyone could mentor Karin, it was her.
And with Haruta and Yugao—both ANBU—already by Tsunade’s side, Karin would have a strong sense of belonging.
"You all did an outstanding job."
After resolving Karin’s situation, Hiruzen turned back to the group.
"Not only did you rescue an Uzumaki survivor, but you also gathered intel on Akatsuki.
That’s an incredible achievement.
Congratulations on completing your mission."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Kakashi, Shisui, and the others bowed slightly in response.
Haruta followed suit—
But his focus was elsewhere.
Because at that moment—his system panel refreshed.
---
[Mission Complete: Investigate Grass Village]
Rating: SS
Reward: 12 Free Points
[Hidden Mission Complete: Uncover Uchiha Obito’s Identity (4)]
Rating: S
Reward: 10 Free Points
[Due to High Completion: Special Rewards Earned]
Bonus 1: Kakuzu’s Fire Release (Based on Heart Level)
**Bonus 2: Free Points DOUBLED
Total Free Points: 45
---
Seeing the series of rewards, Haruta froze.
He had only one thought—
Next time, should I target an even bigger ninja village?
This… is an insane profit.
But before he could dwell on it—
Hiruzen spoke again, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
"But next time…
Please.
Just focus on the mission.
You promised me, Haruta-kun."
**I’m begging you.
My heart can’t take this anymore.**
