Naruto Card King

The rain hawk circled in the sky, occasionally letting out a cry. It glided for a while before flapping its wings and flying away.

"What's going on here recently?" Jiraiya's gaze pierced through the gaps in the tree branches as he cautiously observed the surroundings. "The Rain Ninja Village has actually dispatched a rain hawk. If something serious hadn't happened..."

"We've been away from the Hidden Leaf Village for over ten days now. Even if there's updated intelligence on the Land of Rain, we wouldn't know... It's hard to speculate on this kind of thing," Tsunade frowned and responded. "If something really happened at the Shiraishi Mine, and even the rain hawk was sent out, then the forces protecting Tanaka Sadatsugu must have been reinforced."

Haruto Saito turned his head to look at the two, hesitating to speak.

He could confirm that the forces protecting Tanaka Sadatsugu had indeed been strengthened, but he couldn't tell Tsunade and Jiraiya.

How could he confirm it?

There was no reasonable explanation. Observing the ninjas in the camp from such a distance, it was impossible to judge their strength.

"Kid, do you still plan on going through with this mission?" Tsunade looked at Haruto. "Based on the current assessment, this mission is already more than just an A-rank assignment. The intelligence we received might be significantly different from the actual situation. Under these circumstances, you can choose to abandon the mission. It wouldn't violate the ninja code."

Haruto thought for a moment, then curled his lips. "But we haven't figured out the situation yet. Why give up so easily?"

"If you're dead set on taking the risk, I won't stop you. I'll just make sure to collect your body later."

"Damn woman, what a jinx!"

"We should find a place to hide for now. The rain is getting heavier, which isn't ideal for infiltration and reconnaissance," Jiraiya interjected. "Let's see if the rain eases up around midnight. We can decide then."

Tsunade nodded, and Haruto had no objections either.

Now wasn't a good time for infiltration. It had only been an hour since nightfall.

Several dozen minutes later.

On the northern slope of Shiraishi Mountain, in a valley covered by trees and vines, the three found shelter inside a cave.

The night in the mountains was cold, especially in a country like the Land of Rain, where it rained constantly. The chill seeped into the bones. However, they couldn't start a fire to keep warm, as the light and smoke could expose them.

Jiraiya pulled out some previously roasted jerky from his pack. It was cold, but still tasted decent.

The three of them had a simple meal.

After that, they didn't talk much. Each focused on their own training. It wasn't convenient to chat in the pitch-black cave, and without a fire, they couldn't just sit there doing nothing.

Haruto sat cross-legged in the inner part of the cave. Once he began meditating, he closed his eyes and didn't move again.

Late at night, the rain had lessened significantly two hours ago.

The three left the cave and moved stealthily through the forest. They returned to the cliff they had observed from earlier. This time, Haruto held the binoculars, scanning the Shiraishi camp.

The northern area remained as noisy and busy as before. The laborers worked in shifts, mining and refining ores around the clock.

The southern area, however, had become much quieter. The rows of houses where Tanaka Sadatsugu's private soldiers resided had mostly gone dark, though a considerable number of ordinary guards still patrolled the grounds. Security was tight.

The central mansion remained heavily guarded, just as before.

Haruto noticed additional high-ranking ninjas. Previously, he had counted five Rain Ninja Jonin. Now, three of them were nowhere to be seen—likely resting—but three new ones had appeared.

That meant there were at least eight Rain Ninja Jonin inside the core residence.

Besides them, Haruto also spotted two samurai of Jonin-level strength. Unlike the patrolling guards, they were engaged in conversations in the front and middle courtyards.

Including them, there were at least ten high-level fighters protecting Tanaka Sadatsugu!

Could there be an Elite Jonin among them?

The situation was far trickier than expected. Haruto had already confirmed the presence of eight Rain Ninja Jonin, all of whom belonged to the "Rain Ninja Vanguard Special Operations Squad." None of them were captains. If their captain was present, they would surely be an Elite Jonin!

Haruto double-checked before handing the binoculars to Tsunade. After she finished observing, she passed them to Jiraiya.

"The security is tight, but the rain hawk is gone. It likely flew away for a large-scale reconnaissance," Jiraiya speculated. "Still, this is a major problem. We have no way to determine the full extent of the forces protecting Tanaka Sadatsugu."

"Kid, are you really going in?" Tsunade turned to Haruto again.

Haruto hesitated.

Although he had taken plenty of reckless risks before, knowingly diving headfirst into a hornet's nest wasn't just reckless—it was outright foolish.

His main concern was his own strength. If he was discovered during the infiltration, he would be in a life-or-death crisis. But if it were Tsunade or Jiraiya instead, with their power, they wouldn't need to sneak in at all—they could storm the place head-on and annihilate everything in their path!

"How about..." Haruto looked at Tsunade hesitantly.

"Scared, kid?" Tsunade teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Damn it!" Haruto had been about to ask Tsunade to do the reconnaissance, even if it meant using up one of his "requests," but her remark shut him up.

"How about I go? One request in exchange," Tsunade said with a sly smile.

"Screw off! I'll do it myself!" Haruto rejected her outright.

Once again, he chose the reckless path!

Haruto knew how dangerous this was, but relying on others wasn't his style. He wasn't about to let Tsunade mock him.

"I'm going!" Haruto formed a hand seal and disappeared from their sight.

"You shouldn't have provoked him. That might get him killed," Jiraiya said, giving Tsunade a sidelong glance. "The situation is already complicated. It's not his fault. He was about to ask for our help, but you cut him off."

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. Normally, if he talked to her like that, she'd have smacked him. But this time, she remained silent.

"Stubborn little brat," she muttered. Then, in a softer voice, she added, "This is just reconnaissance, not an assassination. That kid is clever. He won't get into trouble... Besides, we're here. We're watching. If a fight breaks out in the camp, we can—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Jiraiya also fell silent.

If Haruto was caught inside the camp, would they rescue him?

It seemed like a straightforward question, but for Tsunade and Jiraiya, it was a matter of life and death. If they acted publicly, unless they killed everyone in the camp, news of their presence would reach the Rain Ninja Village.

Then, they would face relentless pursuit from the entire Rain Ninja force.

"He'll be fine," Tsunade murmured again, as if reassuring herself.