Because White Fang participated in this high-level expanded meeting, receiving this intelligence was truly a divine aid!
Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows as he took the scroll. The moment he opened it and read just a few lines, he suddenly stood up, eyes widening in shock. He stared intently at the scroll, then slammed his hand on the table with force, his entire demeanor filled with excitement!
"Good! Good! Hahahahaha! Excellent! Hahahahaha..." Hiruzen burst into laughter.
Everyone in the meeting room was dumbfounded.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost his composure—what exactly had happened? An emergency report from the Land of Whirlpools? Could it be that Haruto Saito had done something astonishing again…?
"Hiruzen..." Danzo also stood up.
Hiruzen directly tossed the scroll to Danzo, his face flushed with excitement. It had been so long since he had felt this way—his entire being felt as if every pore was breathing in pure exhilaration...
Danzo read the scroll and was utterly stunned!
Koharu Utatane quickly snatched the scroll and started reading it as well.
The scroll passed rapidly among the council members...
Before long, the entire meeting room fell into a deathly silence.
Hiruzen had already sat back down, fingers interlocked, a smile lingering on his face as he drifted into deep thought. The others, however, were still completely dumbfounded, their expressions frozen. They wanted to discuss the situation among themselves but had no idea what to say—what was there to discuss?
This was already a fact. Should they now just move on to discussing how to reward Haruto Saito?
"This is impossible!" Danzo pressed his hands on the table, speaking as if to himself, though loud enough for others to hear. "A flood? How could it cause such massive casualties? The Mist ninja… are they afraid of water?"
The intelligence came from an undercover unit and wasn't detailed—just a brief summary of the battlefield analysis.
Are Mist ninja afraid of water?
That depends!
It depends on how much water!
A normal flood is a disaster for ordinary people, but not for ninja. But what if the power of an ordinary flood was amplified dozens of times?
*Smack!*
Hiruzen slammed the table again and stood up. "Meeting adjourned!"
Many had expected him to say something more, but he didn't.
The meeting was over!
---
By dusk, in the ancient village of the Land of Whirlpools.
Inside an underground base, Haruto Saito was giving a lecture to over a thousand students. These students had all previously encountered him in his mysterious attire because they were the ones he had found and arranged to be brought to this village. To them, Haruto was their benefactor!
Haruto rarely gave lectures himself!
But today, he was in a good mood, and Tsunade's influence had affected him—so he decided to teach a class.
The topic? Ideological education!
About family, friends, lovers, and enemies!
The primary focus? Enemies!
Haruto suddenly realized how important this was. Tsunade had given him insight. He would never admit that he was brainwashing these students. Strictly speaking, it was nationalist education…
Tsunade stood in the corner, listening as Haruto lectured.
Since last night, they had not been apart.
Tsunade's thoughts were dangerous!
People can be kind—but only to the right people...
The methods of war don't matter. What matters is victory!
People may feel reluctant, but everyone eats meat, even though few can stomach watching an animal be slaughtered. Reluctance is human nature, but one must not get lost in it…
---
Night fell silently.
That day, many residents of the village sensed that something was different. Haruto had made very special arrangements—this village was about to undergo rapid expansion!
---
As the lights flickered on, in the palace dining hall…
Tsunade looked depressed, eating absentmindedly, her thoughts drifting into deep contemplation. She was becoming more and more dangerous… She was too emotional, and her ability to handle pressure—while stronger than most—was still flawed!
In the original timeline, Tsunade had developed hemophobia!
That happened during the Second Shinobi World War, when both her brother and lover died in battle… But in this world, her original lover, Dan Kato, was still a background character, and her brother, Nawaki, was not yet of age to fight. He still had two years to go…
"I'm done eating. You all take your time," Haruto put down his chopsticks and stood up.
Damn it, he still hadn't had time to count everything!
Too many loot cards. Killing over a thousand people meant collecting tens of thousands of cards… Sorting through all of them would take hours!
Haruto had plenty of short bursts of time but finding several continuous hours was difficult.
Just as he got up to leave…
Tsunade suddenly put down her chopsticks and followed.
"Brat, wait for me…"
---
Not long after.
Haruto's room.
He walked in first, with Tsunade following close behind. They continued talking.
"My dear Lady Tsunade, what exactly are you so upset about? How many people have even died? Do you know how many ninja have already perished since the start of the Second Shinobi World War? And you grew up with Orochimaru—he has killed innocent people for the sake of missions… and you didn't react much then, did you?"
"That's different."
"How is it different?" Haruto sat down on his chair.
Tsunade sat on a stool beside him, her face conflicted and torn.
"Tell me, give me an answer, please?" Haruto was getting frustrated. Tsunade was about to have a breakdown!
"Because of you…" Tsunade looked into his eyes.
"What do you mean because of me?" Haruto didn't quite get it.
"Because you're the one doing it…"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want you to become that kind of person…"
"Huh?"
Haruto blinked in confusion before realization struck him!
Tsunade's issue wasn't about how many people had died or how brutal their deaths were. It was about *who* was responsible for it all!
"I don't want my future husband to become a ruthless and terrifying person…" Tsunade finally confessed.
Haruto was deeply moved, tears almost welling up in his eyes! He then scooped Tsunade up and carried her to the bed. He was going to shower her with love—because there was no conflict that a good session of affection couldn't resolve. And if there was… well, another round would do the trick.
---
Hours passed.
Tsunade cried.
---
Late at night.
The room was dim, silent, and peaceful. Haruto held Tsunade in his arms, wrapped in a soft blanket, ready to sleep.
"Brat…" Tsunade started to speak.
"Tomorrow…" Haruto cut her off.
"Oh…" Tsunade muttered softly and fell silent.
The night was quiet.
The two gradually drifted into slumber.
Absolute silence.
Suddenly!
A figure appeared beside the table, looking towards the bed where the two lay.
This room had seals to prevent intrusion!
Yet this person had materialized out of thin air, without causing any chakra disturbance, without triggering any of the sealing inscriptions on the walls.
Because…
That person was Hiruzen Sarutobi!