Late at night, Furuta Village.
Haruto Saito awoke abruptly, flipping over and leaping to his feet, his gaze alertly scanning his surroundings!
In Haruto's bedroom, by the table, Tsunade had just finished a serious conversation with Sarutobi Hiruzen. They had discussed Haruto, the Choshazan operation, marriage, the future, and more.
Haruto suddenly jumped up from the soft couch at the side... Both of them turned their heads to look at him simultaneously.
Silence!
Haruto gradually relaxed his tense state. He felt waves of soreness and stinging pain coursing through his body... The last thing he remembered before passing out was being in the water. He had just used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport, intending to surface, when a surge of electricity instantly overwhelmed his consciousness!
"You're awake? How do you feel?" Tsunade's voice came.
She had already treated Haruto. Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't intended to kill him, and Haruto's physique was incredibly resilient. There was no risk of death, but his body had suffered significant damage—from the outside to the inside, even his internal organs had been struck by lightning...
Even Tsunade wasn't entirely sure how he would feel upon waking up.
Haruto slowly turned his head, frowning as he pondered how he had lost the fight. It happened too suddenly!
In truth, the reasoning was simple: water conducts electricity. A well-placed Lightning Release attack could spread throughout the entire water body. However, for it to instantly incapacitate Haruto, two conditions had to be met. First, the lightning had to be powerful enough. Second, the jutsu had to be cast incredibly fast!
An ultra-powerful Lightning Release jutsu executed in an instant?!
That was something Sarutobi Hiruzen could achieve!
He wasn't called the "Professor of Ninjutsu" for nothing! A master of all elemental ninjutsu! Although he commonly used Fire Release, it didn't mean his other jutsu were weak!
When discussing Lightning Release, most people would think of Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
However, Kumogakure's Lightning Release techniques were different from Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
The Land of Lightning specialized in Lightning Release Taijutsu. The Third Raikage, Ay, was said to possess the strongest spear and the strongest shield—his "Hell Stab: One-Fingered Assault" and Lightning Release Chakra Mode… all of which were Taijutsu-based!
On the other hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mastery lay in pure Lightning Release Ninjutsu, not Lightning Taijutsu!
Lightning Release was naturally suited for Taijutsu applications, but Hiruzen's talent lay in Ninjutsu, not Taijutsu. He wouldn't abandon his strengths to pursue something else!
The jutsu he developed were primarily pure Ninjutsu!
...
Haruto felt like an idiot!
The way he lost was utterly foolish!
But in that moment, he had no way to avoid Sarutobi Hiruzen's final attack. Unless he completely left the battlefield and teleported to Tsunade's side, he had no escape. He was underwater... all his Flying Thunder God kunai were also submerged. Even if he teleported before the lightning struck, he'd still be in the water—still electrocuted!
And the speed at which electricity traveled through water was terrifyingly fast. There was no time to react!
A tactical misstep led to a complete defeat!
"Sensei!" Haruto jumped off the couch, striding up to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Let's have another match! One more time!" He was unconvinced—completely and utterly unconvinced!
"Enemies won't give you a second chance," Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him, responding indifferently as he sipped his tea.
"One more match!"
"No. I've already made you aware of your shortcomings. That's enough."
"No, no, no, that was just an accident."
"It was a fatal accident. Reflect on it properly."
Haruto wanted to strangle this smug old man!
It wasn't losing to Hiruzen that bothered him—losing was fine. The problem was how he lost. He had made an unnecessary opening, and Sarutobi Hiruzen capitalized on it, "instantly defeating" him. That was indeed a testament to Hiruzen's strength, but Haruto was certain that if they fought again, he wouldn't make the same mistake!
"Enough!" Sarutobi Hiruzen put down his teacup. "I'm heading back. Haruto, I won't interfere with the development of Furuta Village, but be cautious in your expansion. Kirigakure might come after you at any cost... Unless you abandon Furuta Village and return to Konoha, Konoha can't offer you much direct protection."
With that, Hiruzen rose to his feet.
"Sensei, won't you stay here for the night?" Tsunade asked as she stood up.
"No, I must return." Hiruzen waved a hand.
In a flash, he disappeared!
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't afford to be away from Konoha for too long. As the Hokage, he had to be in the village. If word got out that the Hokage was absent, it could spell disaster!
Now that things were settled, he had to return as soon as possible.
With a flicker, Hiruzen vanished from the room.
Only Haruto and Tsunade remained.
Haruto sat by the table, frustration written all over his face. He felt utterly stifled! He acknowledged Hiruzen's strength, but he refused to believe he was so weak. The fight lasted only a few minutes!
Tsunade smirked, tilting her head as she watched Haruto sulk. She reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Chakra flowed in!
She checked his condition—no major issues, though he was bound to feel uncomfortable.
"You already told Sensei about the Choshazan operation?" Haruto asked gloomily.
"Yeah, Jiraiya and I reported everything," Tsunade replied. Since both she and Jiraiya had participated in the entire mission, they provided a highly detailed account.
"I earned a huge merit, right? No reward?" Haruto pressed.
"Guess!" Tsunade teased.
"That means there is one! What is it? Hand it over!"
"Alright..." Tsunade pulled a scroll from her robe and handed it to Haruto. "Sensei wrote this while you were unconscious."
Haruto took the scroll, unrolled it, and raised an eyebrow.
It was an appointment letter: Haruto Saito was appointed as Konoha's Fifth High Council Advisor.
A simple appointment! But a highly significant one!
Konoha's four current advisors were Danzo (the Hokage's aide), Koharu (Minister of Commerce), Homura (Minister of Finance), and Shikaku (Minister of Missions). Haruto was now the fifth!
He already held multiple titles—Leader of the ANBU Assassination Squad, Konoha's frontline commander in Uzu no Kuni, and now…
This was a major deal!
He had officially entered Konoha's high command!
But something felt… off.
Advisors primarily provided counsel to the Hokage and participated in top-level meetings with voting rights.
"Damn it! You knew I wouldn't return to Konoha, so..." Haruto cursed.
For anyone else, this would be a meteoric rise!
For Haruto, it was a meaningless title!
"You could just return to Konoha," Tsunade teased, clearly amused. She had read the appointment letter earlier and fully understood Hiruzen's intent—as well as why Haruto was so frustrated.
"Hmph, I *will* return!" Haruto grumbled. Since he had this position now, he was definitely going back to stir things up!
...
A day later.
News of the First and Third Divisions of Kirigakure being destroyed by a man-made flood had spread across the entire ninja world!
All major powers were shaken! Shocked! Stunned!
After months of lying low, Haruto Saito was once again at the center of a storm!