Chapter 321
That afternoon.
A ninja bird flew in from the south, gliding across the sky above the Hidden Leaf Village before disappearing into the rear mountains of the village.
Shortly after, at the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower—
"That Haruto Saito, he must have betrayed our Hidden Leaf Village!" Danzo's harsh voice echoed through the office. "He clearly knows we're looking for him, yet he deliberately avoids the reconnaissance squads and refuses to accept your orders. Hiruzen, you cannot afford to be soft-hearted any longer! He is a threat that must be dealt with as soon as possible!"
Sitting behind his desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen maintained a stoic expression, silently contemplating. This wasn't the first time Danzo had spoken such words.
It had been over ten days, and there was still no word from Haruto Saito. Moreover, there was solid evidence proving that he had been avoiding the Hidden Leaf's reconnaissance teams. Even Hiruzen himself was beginning to doubt his initial judgment.
Haruto Saito was the only one who knew the exact whereabouts of the Uzumaki treasure.
If he was merely being greedy for the treasure, there was no need for him to remain in hiding for so long—after all, that was not a sustainable plan. And even if he had other thoughts, as long as he hadn't defected, he should have reached out to the Hidden Leaf to explain the situation.
Yet, he said nothing. He simply stayed hidden, which was undeniably suspicious.
"That doesn't necessarily mean he's a traitor," Hiruzen finally spoke. "Just a few days ago, we received intelligence that he had been eliminating Hidden Mist reconnaissance squads. He is still carrying out the mission I assigned to him, which means he remains in the Land of Whirlpools and has not joined the Hidden Mist. He has no reason to betray me!"
"Then why is he hiding? Why is he deliberately avoiding your orders?" Danzo retorted.