Chapter 176
Haruto Saito's spirit was instantly lifted. He snapped his head toward the direction of the voice. Though night had already fallen, torches had been lit all over the mountain, casting flickering lights over numerous figures. Due to the terrain, Haruto couldn't immediately see what was happening in that direction.
"Stop! Everyone stop for now! Stop digging!" Haruto shouted loudly and shot forward like an arrow. Tsunade, who had been deep in a pit, leaped out and swiftly followed him.
The location was slightly south of the northern section of Meiji Mountain. Massive boulders were scattered all around, and a colossal pit had been excavated—over twenty meters wide, more than thirty meters long, and over thirty meters deep!
Nearly twenty thousand cubic meters of rock had been removed. While a small portion had been transported down the mountain, most of it still lay in heaps around the site.
A sloped path led into the pit, and Haruto dashed down it until he reached the bottom.
Around twenty to thirty ninjas were already gathered near a newly uncovered passageway. As soon as they saw Haruto arrive, they stepped aside. Since they had been assigned this mission, the entire Konoha Defense Corps Vanguard Unit was following orders to dig up the mountain. Haruto was the official mission issuer. No matter his rank in Konoha, these ninjas had to follow his commands.
Whatever was uncovered had nothing to do with them. Their only concern was receiving their payment—Haruto was required to pay them ten million ryo once the job was done.
The passage entrance was small and partially collapsed. Someone had thrown a torch inside, illuminating part of the tunnel. The interior was made of precisely stacked stone blocks, forming a passage about three meters wide and three meters tall. However, the torch's light only revealed a short section, leaving the deeper end shrouded in darkness.
"This is it!" Haruto's face lit up with excitement as he stood at the entrance. The guiding signal in his mind was incredibly strong here!
More people began gathering around the passage. Tsunade, standing beside Haruto, was equally excited. On her other side, a tall and lean ninja in his late thirties furrowed his brows as if recalling something. He muttered, "There really is treasure... Meiji Mountain..."
This man was Uno Shaku, the captain of the Konoha Defense Corps Vanguard Unit. A highly respected elite jonin with a reputation exceeding twelve thousand points.