Chapter 49

The instant he turned around, Saitama keenly caught a fleeting gaze. But when he focused and searched, only the rustle of leaves remained in the forest.

Who was it? He pressed his knuckles against his brow. Across the entire ninja world, there were fewer than five people who could hide perfectly from his senses—and someone who would appear at this moment... the answer was already obvious.

Lightning flashed. Before the grass could even tremble, the figure had vanished beyond the end of the winding mountain path.

"Shh—"

A strange, pitcher-plant-like figure slowly seeped out from the grooves of an ancient tree. Its black-and-white face floated in the shadows.

"Madara-sama's descendant has truly terrifying instincts," said a frivolous voice, trembling exaggeratedly.

"Uchiha Saitama's strength is already nearing a critical threshold." The steady voice carried a grave note. "The chakra fluctuation when the spores attached just now nearly exposed us."

A thick branch suddenly gave a faint crack.

"How is that possible?!" Half of White Zetsu's face twisted abruptly. "All spore links have been severed!"

Beside a stream three miles away, shrieking lightning snakes coiled around Saitama's body. Blue-white electricity flowed over his combat uniform, and wisps of scorched smoke rose from the fabric.

"As expected..." He stared at the carbonized fibers on his sleeve. In the original story, Zetsu's Spore Technique could silently parasitize the Five Kage. He had deliberately put some distance between them before washing his entire body with an electric current. It seemed he had bet right.

At the top of the ancient tree, Black Zetsu's pupils were darker than the night. "Inform Madara. The surveillance plan needs to be adjusted." As his voice faded, not even the slightest mark remained on the trunk.

Saitama flung his charred forehead protector into the stream. As he turned, crimson flashed through his eyes. Three tomoe slowly spun in the shadows, reflecting the shattered moonlight on the water.

Saitama no longer dwelled on the matter and maintained his speed as he headed for camp.

At this stage, Zetsu would not reveal himself so easily. He could think of a way to deal with him later.

By the time he reached camp, it was already dusk, and wisps of cooking smoke drifted above Konoha's main encampment.

The entire camp was under strict guard, with everything within five miles under surveillance. Whether it was the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan or the Aburame Clan's Kikaichū, they monitored the camp's surroundings around the clock to ensure the headquarters remained secure.

"Saitama, you're back?" As soon as he entered the Uchiha grounds, several clansmen came up to greet him. Saitama was now regarded as the Uchiha Clan's rising star and a model for the younger generation. His reputation was at its peak.

"Mm." Saitama nodded to them. His gaze swept over their admiring eyes before he quickly departed.

"Look at Saitama! He's still so decisive after completing a mission. Now look at you lot, loafing around all day!"

As he passed a tent, the voice of a jōnin captain berating his subordinates came from behind him. A trace of helplessness flickered in Saitama's eyes, though his expression remained calm.

"Another ordinary day." Seeing the Uchiha Huo brothers standing guard outside his tent, Saitama inexplicably felt a little weary.

"Captain, what happened to your clothes?"

Uchiha Huo stared at Saitama's charred lapels, his face full of confusion.

"Uh..." Saitama hesitated briefly, then quickly made up an excuse. "I tried out a newly developed ninjutsu on the way back and failed to control the power. I've hit a bottleneck lately, so I had to try some ways to break through."

He scratched the back of his head. The excuse he had casually made up somehow sounded perfectly reasonable.

"I see!" Uchiha Huo's eyes immediately filled with admiration.

"By the way, Captain, Mori-sama came looking for you earlier." Uchiha Yan pulled back his younger brother, who still wanted to ask questions, and said seriously, "He told you to see him immediately when you got back."

"Got it. You two get back to work."

Saitama nodded and walked straight toward his tent. He did not want to meet Uchiha Mori dressed in these rags—though that elder was usually stern and reserved, if Saitama showed up looking this sloppy, he would definitely be teased about it for half a year.

"Rustle—"

The moment he lifted the tent flap, Saitama suddenly froze. His formerly messy bed had been tidied perfectly, and he could not help chuckling. "Who's being so thoughtful?"

He could guess who it was without even thinking, but did Shizune really have nothing to do all day? Saitama pursed his lips, plopped down by the bed, and stripped off his dust-covered clothes in no time.

After roughly wiping his face, he put on a spare outfit—still the Uchiha family's signature high-collared black shirt and dark ninja trousers.

"What did you want with me?" When Saitama lifted the tent flap, Uchiha Mori was reviewing documents while eating rice balls. As Uchiha Tianming's deputy, handling clan affairs had long become routine for him.

"You're here?" Mori did not even raise his head, his pen scratching across the scroll.

Saitama did not stand on ceremony either. He grabbed a rice ball from the plate and bit into it. "The Sand Village agreed to a truce?" he asked indistinctly, his cheeks stuffed.

"Huh? Who told you?" Mori finally looked up from the pile of documents.

"I guessed." A second rice ball was already in his mouth. He had been summoned right after finishing his mission and had not even had a sip of water. He was starving now.

"Good guess. Tsunade-sama only announced it this morning, so I thought I'd let you know."

"It should've ended long ago. They dragged it out for too long." Saitama leaned against the table and muttered. According to his memories, Konoha had indeed ended the Sand Village campaign in Year 46, though he could not remember the exact date.

"Leave me two! If you want to eat, get some from logistics yourself!" Mori slapped away the hand Saitama reached toward the third rice ball. "Can't you see I have all these documents to deal with?"

"Fine, fine. I'm leaving." Saitama waved as he headed out. The mess hall should still be serving food.

The good news swept across the land like an autumn wind, but that stubborn bunch from Hidden Mist insisted on running headfirst into a wall.

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Bears.

Saitama stood at the forefront of the jōnin ranks, killing intent condensing like frost around the ninjas. Tsunade had not come in person; Uchiha Tianming and Hyuga Shin were commanding together. The leaders of these two rival clans were cooperating remarkably well at the moment.

"Kitada! Hiding like a turtle now? Did we beat you so badly you got scared?" Tianming loudly taunted the Hidden Mist position. The enemy vanguard commander had yet to show himself. As for Mizukage Yagura Karatachi—the time for the decisive battle had not yet come.

Four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had arrived among the Hidden Mist forces. Besides Kurosuki Raiga and Munashi Jinpachi, who had once been badly injured by Saitama, there were also Jūzō Biwa and Fuguki Suikazan, who had inflicted grievous losses on Konoha shortly after joining the battlefield. The former wielded the Executioner's Blade, while the latter carried the strange greatsword Samehada on his back.

"Hmph!" A cold snort came from the Hidden Mist formation, and the crowd automatically parted. A bald, bearded middle-aged man emerged, dressed in blue-and-white armor. He was Hidden Mist's commander, Jirō Kitada.

"This is Uchiha Saitama, the one who injured you? That brat they call the 'Lightning Blade Envoy'?" A hoarse, grating voice sounded. Fuguki Suikazan bared his sharp teeth. His messy orange hair, whisker-like markings on his face, and bandages loosely wrapped around his neck made for a striking sight. The weapon tightly wrapped in bandages on his back was especially conspicuous.

"Don't underestimate him. You may not be his match," Munashi Jinpachi warned darkly, his injuries only just healed.

"I've never feared anyone in close combat!" Fuguki Suikazan casually patted Samehada.

Munashi Jinpachi snorted and said no more. He knew Samehada's special abilities well.

"If we're fighting, hurry up!" Jūzō Biwa urged Kitada with killing intent blazing in his eyes. As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had always looked down on commanders of mediocre strength.

Kitada had long grown used to such disrespect. "Uchiha Tianming, talking is pointless. Let's fight."

"Just what I wanted!" Uchiha Tianming smiled and signaled to the Konoha ninjas.

Saitama met those malicious gazes, his fingertips brushing the ninja blade at his waist as a composed smile curled across his lips.

"Kill—!" A thunderous roar erupted from the Hidden Mist camp as over a thousand ninjas surged forward like a tidal wave.

"Engage!" Uchiha Tianming and Hyuga Shin gave the order at the same time. On a frontal battlefield of this scale, only a direct clash would do!

"Whoosh!" Saitama shot straight toward Fuguki Suikazan like lightning—the other man had clearly regarded him as prey.

"Clang!"

The instant Samehada collided with his ninja blade, the lightning dancing along the weapon was completely devoured by Samehada.

"The legendary Lightning Blade Envoy is nothing special after all," Fuguki Suikazan sneered.

Fuguki Suikazan stared into Saitama's eyes, a cold smile tugging at his lips. He knew full well that Samehada had just devoured the chakra current from his opponent's blade, and he eagerly anticipated Saitama's stunned expression.

Unfortunately for him, things did not go as planned. Saitama understood Samehada's nature perfectly, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

Blade light flashed!

Saitama twisted aside to evade the sweeping Samehada, flicked his wrist, and thrust his long blade straight at his opponent like a striking viper.

"Tricks!"

Fuguki Suikazan remained unhurried. He raised Samehada horizontally before his chest, and its broad blade easily blocked the strike.

Bang!

Saitama suddenly raised his leg and drove a lightning-wreathed kick hard into Samehada. Its bandages immediately blackened.

"Shriek—"

Caught off guard, Samehada let out a piercing scream.

Fuguki Suikazan glanced at **, but his assault only intensified.

Whoosh!

Saitama tapped off the ground and vanished like a phantom, moving so fast his opponent had no time to react.

A cold gleam flashed!

His long blade carved a bloody gash across the enemy's back, but Samehada struck toward his face at the same time.

Thud!

Saitama used the momentum to leap backward, his soles scraping two long tracks across the ground.

"Hiss—"

Fuguki Suikazan touched the wound on his back. It was not deep, but his face darkened, and a savage gleam appeared in his eyes.

"You're courting death!"

With an angry shout, he raised Samehada and began forming hand seals.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

With a roar, a lifelike water dragon bared its fangs and claws as it lunged at Saitama.

Saitama's pupils narrowed as he darted away. But the water dragon's attack covered too wide an area to evade completely.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

Though he knew water countered fire, he was confident his chakra reserves could overcome the elemental disadvantage.

Boom!

The enormous fireball collided with the water dragon, and steaming mist instantly engulfed the battlefield.

The watching ninjas hastily retreated, fearing they would be caught in the blast.

"Hmph!"

Fuguki Suikazan burst through the mist, ignoring the scalding steam as he charged straight at Saitama.

"Interesting."

The three tomoe spun in Saitama's eyes, allowing him to easily predict his opponent's movements. His lightning-wreathed blade slashed down without mercy.

Clang!

The instant the blade touched Samehada, all the lightning was absorbed, and the scales along the sword's body abruptly stood erect.

"Shhk!"

Saitama let his guard down for a moment, and the scales cut his arm, leaving fine wounds across his right hand.

"Crackle!"

Lightning gathered in his left hand. Seizing an opening, he thrust forward, and Fuguki Suikazan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Slash!

This time, Samehada failed to block the attack. Saitama traded a minor injury for the chance to severely wound his enemy.

"Whoosh!" The two pulled apart.

His crimson eyes locked onto the half-kneeling enemy. Saitama was certain Chidori had pierced through his abdomen.

"Whoosh!"

Giving him no chance to catch his breath, Saitama flashed before him and brought his long blade down from above.

Whoosh!

The Executioner's Blade swept in from the side, carrying a fierce gale.

"Hm?" The Sharingan spun slightly as Saitama ducked under Jūzō Biwa's surprise attack, then flipped backward to retreat.

"What an ugly sight." Jūzō Biwa shot his companion a sidelong glance.

"I was only careless!" Fuguki Suikazan actually staggered back to his feet, the bloody hole in his abdomen horrifying to behold.

"The Lightning Release brat?" With the Executioner's Blade resting on his shoulder, Jūzō Biwa narrowed his eyes.

"Jūzō Biwa!" Saitama instantly recognized the ninja swordsman.

Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!

His hand seals were as fast as illusions.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough! Saitama had already prepared for it, and a violent gust instantly dispersed the thick mist.

"Splash—"

Jūzō Biwa's sneer did not fade as he held his blade across his chest. "Can you still move?"

"I'm at my limit." Fuguki Suikazan's face was deathly pale.

"Whoosh!" Kurosuki Raiga broke through the encirclement and arrived.

"You all right?" Aburame Shibi and Uchiha Mori landed at Saitama's side.

"I'm fine."

His three tomoe remained fixed on the three enemies.

"When we move, you two find a chance to finish Fuguki Suikazan. I'll hold the other two back."

Saitama gripped his ninja blade and spoke quietly to his companions.

Before his words had even faded, he stomped off the ground and shot forward like a bolt of lightning, so fast it seemed he could tear through the battlefield itself!

"Whoosh!" The moment Saitama moved, Kurosuki Raiga immediately tensed, his tall, lean body snapping into a defensive stance.

"He's coming!" Jūzō Biwa narrowed his eyes and watched ahead warily, no longer seeming as relaxed as his words suggested.

Clang!

The lightning-wreathed ninja blade crashed heavily against the greatsword. Saitama drew back with the force of the impact, then leaped to the right.