"Congratulations, host, for reaching the sign-in point! Beginning formal sign-in! Withdrawing midway will count as failure!"
The moment Senju Haruto stepped into the Mizukage's office, the familiar voice of the sign-in system echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations, host! Sign-in successful! Reward obtained: Two-Tails' chakra and the Kekkei Tōta—Dust Release."
"Dust Release, huh…"
Haruto frowned slightly. It didn't excite him much. What drew his attention instead was the chakra of the Two-Tails.
At his current level, chakra was hardly in short supply. A single tailed beast's chakra wasn't particularly useful to him on its own. But once all of the bijū chakras were collected, that would be an entirely different matter.
"If I could directly become the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails… my strength would skyrocket beyond measure."
Haruto muttered under his breath, already envisioning the possibilities of acquiring more tailed beast chakra in the future.
But he had no intention of actively hunting the bijū himself.
For one, he lacked something like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path that could act as a container for sealing tailed beasts.
And secondly, it was far too troublesome.
"Besides, the Akatsuki's ultimate goal is collecting all the bijū anyway. Let them do the hard work. Once they've nearly completed their collection, I'll step in and claim the fruit of their labor."
Having settled his thoughts, Haruto cast aside the matter for now and chose instead to rest for the night within the Mizukage's office.
By the time dawn broke, word of the shocking events in Kirigakure had already reached the ears of the Daimyō of the Land of Water.
This sudden upheaval not only drew his attention, it also instilled deep fear.
Fortunately for the Daimyō, Haruto hadn't launched an immediate follow-up assault after seizing control of Kirigakure. That gave him precious time to mobilize his army.
"Haruto-sama!"
Aburame Torune hurried in, sweat dripping from his brow as though he'd just faced an enemy himself.
"What is it?" Haruto yawned, stretching lazily as he rose from the bedding.
After hearing the report, he remained completely calm.
"How amusing," he chuckled. "I hadn't even gone looking for the Daimyō yet, and he's already worked himself into a frenzy over me."
But Torune was visibly uneasy. If the Daimyō ordered his troops to march on the village and the imprisoned Kirigakure shinobi cooperated from within, their situation could quickly turn precarious.
Yes, Haruto had unleashed the titanic True Thousand Hands yesterday, a Senjutsu technique of overwhelming destructive power. But Torune suspected—perhaps even feared—that jutsu of such magnitude couldn't possibly be cast again so soon.
Like Kakashi with his Sharingan, overuse might leave Haruto depleted and vulnerable, unable to mold chakra for days.
Of course, this was merely Torune's worst-case speculation.
"Come on," Haruto said as he dressed. "Let's pay the Daimyō a visit."
While the Daimyō had summoned every soldier under his command, the memory of the colossal wooden Buddha from the previous night was etched deeply into his mind. That spectacle alone kept him from daring to attack rashly.
Haruto, on the other hand, was even more decisive. He activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and, through genjutsu, pinpointed the Daimyō's hidden location.
In just a short while, Haruto and Torune arrived at the compound.
The moment the guards spotted him, they rushed forward with blades drawn, determined to strike him down.
But how could such men hope to oppose Senju Haruto?
In mere moments, the guards were scattered, and Haruto pressed on with Torune at his side, heading straight for the Daimyō's private chambers.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Yamato and Zabuza were quick to notice the army encircling Kirigakure.
"A battle could erupt at any moment," Yamato said, throat tightening. Though the enemy hadn't yet advanced, it could happen at any time.
"And where is Haruto-sama?" Zabuza countered. To him, Haruto alone held the power to resolve this standoff.
"Torune already went to fetch him, but…" Yamato trailed off, his gaze heavy as it turned toward the Mizukage's office.
By Haruto's nature, he was not one to dawdle. Torune should've returned with him already.
Could it be… that the colossal True Thousand Hands had drained Haruto's chakra reserves completely?
Was he suffering the same aftermath as Kakashi—unable to mold chakra at all?
If that were true, the consequences could be disastrous.
Yamato shook his head fiercely, unwilling to believe it. Haruto's chakra had always been immeasurably vast, unlike anyone else. The odds of him being incapacitated seemed slim.
But still… what if?
"Zabuza," Yamato said at last, voicing his fears, "we should prepare for the worst."
Zabuza's jaw tightened. He didn't want to accept such a possibility, but with so much time gone by and Haruto yet to appear, Yamato's reasoning rang uncomfortably true.
"If Haruto-sama really can't fight…" Zabuza muttered, "then what do we do?"
"Then our only option is to prevent war from breaking out," Yamato answered grimly. "I'll go check the Mizukage's office myself. In the meantime, Zabuza—use your Hidden Mist Technique. Confuse the enemy as much as possible. Keep them from making a reckless move."
"…Fine." Zabuza nodded. It wasn't a bad plan.
Though Kirigakure was littered with traps, the thinning mist made them less effective now. His chakra reserves weren't enough to shroud the entire village—but at the very least, he could obscure its weakest points.
"Focus on covering the vulnerable sectors," Yamato instructed.
At that very moment, Haruto kicked open an iron door and strode into the Daimyō's chamber with Torune at his side.
The Daimyō stiffened in shock, his eyes meeting Haruto's.
"Y-You… who are you?" His voice quavered. He had heard faint sounds of battle while Haruto dealt with the guards, but his chamber had been built with reinforced copper walls, leaving only one entrance. Supposedly impregnable.
Yet here he was—cornered like a rat in a trap. His mind cursed the useless, overpaid guards who'd already failed him.
"Senju Haruto, of the Land of Fire."
Haruto smirked, dragging over a chair and sitting down casually across from the Daimyō.
"Relax. I'm no devil," he said, tone calm. "All I've done is dissolve the Daimyō's authority in the Land of Fire and take control of Kirigakure."
He paused briefly, then leaned in slightly.
"Now, I want just one thing. Once I have it, I'll leave."
The Daimyō swallowed hard, voice trembling. "W-What do you want?"
"I want the Land of Water."