Chapter 18 - Chapter 18

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**Early Morning, Outside Konoha Hospital**

Root operatives, tasked with surveillance, were hidden among the thick trees, keeping a close eye on Haruto's movements through the hospital windows.

Before long, a black-clad ninja wearing a green-patterned mask appeared behind them.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the Root members immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "Captain Terai! You're here."

The ninja known as Terai nodded. "Yes. How is it? Is Haruto still inside?"

"He's still waiting outside Room 4 of the delivery ward with a group of women, seemingly awaiting the birth of the Inuzuka clan woman's child."

"It's been this long, and the birth hasn't happened yet?"

"According to our intel, the Inuzuka woman has a physical condition that puts her at risk of a difficult labor."

Terai cursed under his breath. "Damn, what a waste of time! If she has complications all night, Haruto will stay in that hospital all night!"

The hospital, being a public space with constant foot traffic, wasn't an ideal location for an assassination. Terai had planned to carry out the mission after Haruto left the hospital and headed back to the Uchiha compound. But as time dragged on...

The door of Room 4 remained closed.

Frustrated, Terai glanced at the brightening sky and made a decisive call. "We can't wait any longer! You stay here. I'm going in to kill Haruto now! Once the mission is done, we'll head straight to the Uchiha clan to snatch the child. We must complete Danzo's orders before dawn!"

The other members were visibly concerned.

"Captain Terai, the hospital is packed with people. We'll be discovered for sure!"

"Let them find out! Haruto's skill level is barely Genin, and those with him are just civilians. I can kill him with a single kunai! Even if we're seen, no one will be able to catch me."

With that, Terai erased all signs of his connection to Konoha, even switching his mask to a different one, hiding his identity as a member of Root. Ignoring his subordinates' protests, he disappeared into the night...

---

**Outside Room 4, Konoha Hospital**

Haruto was drenched in sweat, pacing anxiously in the corridor.

It had been too long!

Nearly two hours had passed, and still no word from the delivery room. Haruto wasn't worried about the child anymore—his only concern was for Inuzuka Akimi's safety.

A difficult birth was not the end of the world; there would be other chances for children. But if Akimi didn't survive, nothing else would matter.

The wives, who were also waiting, tried to comfort him:

"Husband, don't worry. Sister Akimi will be alright!"

"Yes, she's in great health and is an elite jonin, not to mention the head of Konoha's Advanced Technology Research Institute. With her well-planned, nutritious diet, nothing will happen to her!"

"Sisters, I know what you're saying is right, but I can't help but worry. Two hours and still nothing? This isn't normal!"

"Husband, do you think Sister Akimi will make it? I'm scared..."

These women, who were the closest to Akimi, tried to reassure one another, but deep down, they were all worried about her situation.

Haruto sighed and looked towards the delivery room door when suddenly, a kunai crashed through the window, aimed directly at his heart.

"!!!"

Haruto quickly dodged the incoming weapon.

It was an assassination attempt!

In an instant, Haruto understood—someone was trying to kill him.

In the past, he might have fled in panic, begging for his life. But things were different now. Haruto had gained strength—strength he could finally rely on.

No more fear.

"Everyone, hide quickly! I'll handle the assassin. Look after Akimi!"

Haruto's wives were civilians, completely unprepared for such an attack. They clung to the nurses passing by, hiding in the corner in terror.

"Help! Someone's broken into the hospital! Get a ninja!"

Alarms blared soon after.

Terai, who had been lurking outside, was taken aback. He had hoped to finish the job in one strike. He never expected Haruto—a supposed weakling—to evade his attack.

Realizing his failure, Terai decided to retreat for now and wait for the commotion to die down before trying again.

"Who are you? Don't run!"

Haruto spotted him through the window and immediately gave chase.

He couldn't let this assassin escape—it would be like letting a tiger return to the wild. He needed to capture him and uncover the plot behind this attack.

Haruto was eager for a fight. This was his chance to test the skills he had been honing, making his real-life debut since crossing into this world of ninjas.

For over six months, he hadn't just been tending to domestic matters. Every day, Haruto trained with Sasuke for an hour, gradually growing stronger and preparing to master his future powers.

"Stop! You can't get away!"

Haruto sprinted across rooftops, hot on Terai's heels.

Meanwhile, Terai, frustrated by his failed assassination, was now amused. Haruto was chasing after him?

"Hah, this fool is following me! Perfect. I'll lure him somewhere deserted and finish him off there!"

Terai knew Haruto's reputation—he was a member of the powerful Uchiha clan but had never learned even basic ninjutsu. A weakling, better suited for dealing with women. It would only take a single finger to crush him.

In Terai's mind, the kunai's earlier failure was due to the window obstructing its path. There was no way Haruto had dodged it on purpose.

Now, nearing the outskirts of the village, Terai grinned. "Good, Haruto. Just a little further and you're mine."

But Haruto had his own suspicions. "Is he deliberately slowing down? Interesting… I need to figure out why he's trying to kill me."

Not caring where they were in the village, as long as it wasn't near the Uchiha clan, Haruto decided to act. He swiftly formed hand seals, gathered chakra in his throat, and unleashed a fireball at Terai—a fireball that grew larger and larger.

"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"

Perhaps due to it being his first time using Fire Release, or maybe because his chakra reserves had grown far beyond what he could control, the fireball was absurdly massive!

It wasn't just a fireball—it was like a small meteorite blazing through the sky, illuminating a quarter of Konoha.

"Holy...!"

Terai had never seen anything like it. He stood frozen, forgetting to even run.

What was this?

A fireball? No, this was a meteor!

There was no escape. Even if he had ten lives, he wouldn't be able to dodge it.

Haruto was equally shocked. He knew the power of a jutsu depended on the user's chakra level, but this was beyond his expectations.

Could it be that his chakra reserves had become this enormous?

Indeed... In the past few weeks, his chakra had multiplied several times over, as though he'd taken the "Hero Water" from Takigakure on more than one occasion. A small chakra reserve at this point would have been more surprising!

"Water Release: Water Wall!" ×N

"Water Release Scroll, open!" ×N

As the massive fireball neared Terai and threatened the village, over thirty Root ninjas appeared, those who could use Water Release scrambling to extinguish the flames with all their might.

"Finally…"

Once the last embers died out, the Root ninjas sighed in relief. No matter their daily duties, they were still Konoha ninjas, and protecting the village was instinctive.

But they knew trouble was looming. Such a large disturbance couldn't go unnoticed. The Third Hokage, the ANBU, and all the high-ranking and mid-level ninjas would be arriving within seconds.

"Forgive us, Danzo-sama..."

Terai's face was filled with despair. But worse than his failure was the realization of Haruto's true strength.

"No… it's impossible. This... this can't be real!"

"Haruto, how are you this strong?!"

"Was the image of you as a weak pervert all just a disguise?"

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