"Oh? So he refused me after all?"

Seated in his office, Hikaru listened to the report from the ANBU operative standing before him—an operative who was clearly from the Uchiha clan—and shook his head with a faint smile.

He had to admit, Uchiha Shin was a rather interesting man.

Faced with someone as forceful as Hikaru, he had still dared to make a decision of his own.

That took nerve.

Not many people had that kind of courage, especially after everything Hikaru had shown throughout this affair—his ruthlessness, his pressure, his refusal to yield. In the face of that, most people would have fallen to their knees long ago.

But Uchiha Shin—and perhaps the Uchiha as a whole—had never been the sort to bow easily.

Hikaru could see it clearly enough. On the finer points, Shin had indeed gone against his wishes.

But on the larger matter, he had not.

This was resistance, in a sense.

And Shin had shouldered the full burden of it himself.

The fact that he had sent one of the Uchiha ANBU to report this directly made his meaning plain enough: this had been his decision, and his alone. No one else was to be implicated.

It was the same as when Saya had told Hikaru about their discussions beforehand. Back then, Shin had deliberately separated everyone else involved—especially those tied to ANBU—from responsibility in the matter.

He had been protecting them.

"He really does have backbone."

Hikaru leaned back slightly in his chair, relaxed and almost languid.

And yet the ANBU operative in front of him kept his head bowed the entire time, not daring to meet his gaze.

The man was nervous.

More than nervous—afraid.

Hikaru could see it plainly.

To be fair, it was not only this one. Quite a number of people within ANBU feared him now, though Hikaru himself had never fully understood how that had happened.

After all, he had always presented himself as approachable within ANBU.

Even after becoming its head, he had not changed much in his outward manner. He had carried himself much the same way he always had.

If there had ever been one act that might truly have shaken them, it was probably when he killed Murashima Takumi in front of everyone.

As for fighting Owl in ANBU headquarters, that hardly seemed like such a major matter.

Shaking his head, Hikaru chose not to dwell on it.

Fear was not an ideal tool of control—but for now, it was still serviceable.

If he wanted to change it, that would take time.

And he was in no hurry.

As for what Uchiha Shin had done, Hikaru was not particularly angry.

The road had already been laid out before him.

How Shin chose to walk it was his own affair.

Strictly speaking, the broader strategic objective had already been achieved, so Hikaru had no reason to fixate on details.

More importantly, Shin had not chosen to conceal anything.

He had reported it through this ANBU operative, which made his stance clear.

If nothing else, that told Hikaru the man still understood the rules of the game.

At the same time, it also made Hikaru realize that Shin misunderstood him rather deeply.

When Hikaru demanded obedience, it was not because he wanted mindless submission.

What he wanted was an Uchiha clan that could be directed—one that could be managed and guided toward the outcome he desired.

Not a clan emptied of thought.

A clan without independent judgment was no better than a puppet. Worse, it was lifeless.

If they could only lower their heads, carry out orders, and think of nothing else, then what was the point of preserving them at all?

"What I want are capable subordinates. Better yet, subordinates who can eventually become collaborators."

That, more than anything, was what Hikaru wanted.

The same principle had guided his reforms in ANBU. He had severed their ties to the Third Hokage where necessary, but he had not otherwise tried to smother them beneath constant interference.

"You may go. I understand."

He flicked his hand dismissively.

"Yes, Minister."

Only then did the operative raise his head.

He glanced up uneasily, as though he wanted to say something more, but in the end he thought better of it. He lowered his head again and quietly left the office.

Hikaru said nothing else.

There was no need.

To him, that matter was already concluded.

He had no intention of disciplining Uchiha Shin for it either.

Still, not acting did not mean Shin would feel at ease.

Sometimes, silence was a greater warning than punishment.

It said: I know what you did. I let it pass this time. But I have not forgotten. If there is a next time, the old and the new will be settled together.

"So in the end, I really am a decent man."

Once the operative had gone, Hikaru stretched lazily.

That matter was done.

As for what would happen inside the Uchiha clan, he would simply watch.

Watch how Shin moved.

Watch what methods he used.

Watch whether he could truly bring the clan under one banner.

Ordinarily, Shin’s next move should be toward the Police Force.

After all, with the First Elder now "dead," a significant vacuum of authority had been created. If he did not move quickly to take hold of the Police Force, then once Fugaku reacted, the Clan Head could simply use his position to force his own people into place.

If that happened, all of Shin’s efforts tonight would be wasted.

And with the First Elder effectively under Shin’s control, using the man’s remaining influence to stabilize the rest of the Police Force should not be especially difficult.

In other words, Shin had already opened the situation wide. More favorably, in fact, than Hikaru had originally expected.

If he could keep firm control over the First Elder, then he would soon be in a position to directly contend with Uchiha Fugaku—and from the stronger footing, no less.

"I’m rather curious to see how that unfolds. But for now, there are more pressing matters."

Setting the Uchiha aside for the moment, Hikaru turned his thoughts toward the pile of other concerns waiting for him.

Orochimaru still needed to be dealt with.

And tied to Orochimaru were the laboratory plans.

Neither of those would be simple.

Then there was the matter of his fruits and seeds. He needed more seeds for the next stage of experimentation.

Then his own strength—his eyes needed further development, the Three-Tails chakra within him needed to grow stronger, and the small Nine-Tails still needed time to mature.

Beyond that were the other tailed beasts.

If he wanted their chakra as well, then sooner or later he would have to set his sights on the remaining jinchūriki.

Other than seeking out jinchūriki, all of those matters were things that would come due in the near future.

"It seems I won’t be living an easy life any time soon."

He shook his head lightly.

And just then, hurried footsteps approached from outside. A knock followed—restrained, but urgent.

"Come in."

The door opened at once.

Hikaru raised a brow in mild surprise.

"Pakura? What is it?"

"Minister..." Pakura took a breath, then spoke quickly. "We found it. We found Orochimaru’s laboratory."

"Oh?"

Hikaru’s brow rose a little higher.

"That really is an unexpected piece of good news."

And it was.

Though if he were being honest, the surprise outweighed the delight.

In the prison below, Hikaru stood beside Pakura and looked down at the man before them.

The prisoner barely resembled a human anymore.

His expression turned more and more peculiar as he stared at the wreck of flesh and bone.

The man had indeed been stubborn.

But once the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had been removed, the last restraint was gone. After that, he had been able to say anything.

And the Torture and Interrogation Unit had not been gentle.

The result stood before them now.

In the end, he had talked.

And what he revealed left Hikaru with mixed feelings.

He had not expected Orochimaru to be so bold.

The last time the Uchiha were targeted, it truly had been Orochimaru.

And now the man had shifted his gaze once more—this time toward Uchiha with fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.

Three-tomoe Uchiha were never easy prey.

Hikaru himself had made dealing with Uchiha Tatsumi look effortless, but that was because the difference in power had been too great.

If one translated the scale properly, Hikaru’s divine Eye Chakra Mode at its initial stage was already comparable to the first stage of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. That was a realm pressing somewhere between the Mangekyō and the Eternal Mangekyō—overwhelmingly beyond what Tatsumi could handle.

On top of that, Hikaru was a Senju. He understood how to deal with Uchiha almost instinctively, as though the answer had been carved into his bloodline.

Put those together, and Tatsumi never had a chance.

But Orochimaru?

How was Orochimaru supposed to quietly deal with a three-tomoe Uchiha inside the village?

If he fought openly himself, there was no question he was strong enough.

But the moment ANBU noticed him, the whole thing would collapse.

To do it cleanly and silently...

Hikaru could only imagine one answer.

Numbers.

Three-tomoe Sharingan were powerful, but not yet at the level of the Mangekyō. Faced with pursuit, ambush, and concentrated pressure from multiple sides, even they could be dragged down.

Unless the eye had already evolved to the Mangekyō, where the wielder could begin ignoring sheer numbers, that sort of battle remained dangerous.

Not everyone could use the Sharingan the way Madara had.

And no matter how skilled a shinobi was, a blade in the back was still a blade in the back.

Which raised another question.

Did Orochimaru even have enough people left to do it?

Danzō had been stripped of office for more than half a year now.

How much of Root still remained in his hands?

Hikaru had already wiped out a portion of them on the trip to the capital of the Land of Fire.

And afterward ANBU had kept a close watch on him. Kakashi and Pakura had even been given standing authority to kill Root operatives on sight if necessary.

By all rights, Danzō should not have had much left.

Hikaru shook his head.

He could not be bothered to think too deeply about how many men Danzō was hiding, or how much money he had buried away somewhere.

No organization of shinobi functioned without money.

Facilities needed upkeep. Training required equipment. There were medicines, supplies, logistics, shelters.

Without Konoha’s formal backing, it was hard to imagine Danzō funding such things on the same scale as before.

Still, the revelation about Orochimaru pleased Hikaru more than anything else.

Now he finally understood just how deeply he had influenced the man.

The last time Orochimaru captured an Uchiha, it had not been for the Sharingan itself.

According to this Root operative, Orochimaru was now wholly devoted to breaking through on Wood Release.

And Wood Release was extraordinarily difficult to replicate. Otherwise, Yamato would never have been his only successful test subject.

Yet Orochimaru’s mind truly was terrifying. Whether by deduction or by research from buried records, he seemed to have arrived at one conclusion:

If anything could both restrain and harmonize with Senju blood at the level he needed, then it was the Uchiha.

Hikaru knew that much himself.

If one wished to suppress the explosive instability of Wood Release bloodline material, the Sharingan was likely the only workable answer.

Danzō’s arm in the future was proof enough. Those eyes were not there merely for Izanagi.

They were also there to keep Hashirama’s cells from running wild.

"So that was his aim all along. No wonder he took that Uchiha brat before. Now it’s finally clear."

Hikaru rubbed his chin.

At least now he knew he had not wrongly judged Orochimaru before.

And strangely enough, that led him to an entirely different thought.

Should he help Orochimaru?

Not openly, of course.

If this were anyone else, Hikaru would have gone straight to Hiruzen—coldly, mercilessly, and with just enough pressure to force the old man into hunting his own student down.

Better still, he would have found a quiet corner to watch the entire confrontation between master and disciple unfold, and then preserved the details of Hiruzen letting Orochimaru go.

That would have cut off one of Hiruzen’s arms and left behind a wound that could be reopened in the future.

A neat result on all sides.

But now?

Now Hikaru was not thinking like that.

Orochimaru would still be pushed out in the end—that much was certain.

But that did not mean Hikaru could not extract more value from the process first.

He had been waiting on the Sharingan all this time.

When he killed Tatsumi, there had been no chance to take the eyes.

There had been too many witnesses. Even Hikaru had to care, at times, about how clean his own hands appeared.

But this was different.

Now Orochimaru was stepping forward to take the blame of his own accord.

And if Hikaru did not use that, it would be wasteful.

As long as Orochimaru’s targets were not among Hikaru’s trusted people, there was no reason for Hikaru to concern himself with every step the man took.

"This deserves proper planning."

A smile slowly rose to Hikaru’s lips.

"Orochimaru and Danzō... truly men of remarkable generosity."

Once Hikaru had an idea in mind, he naturally intended to see it through.

An Orochimaru who remained in Konoha was not an ideal Orochimaru.

An Orochimaru cast out from Konoha, however—that was a man who could truly display his brilliance.

For someone like him, who had already strayed toward a path of abandoning the flesh for something beyond it, rules and morality were simply shackles.

Even if he had not yet fully committed to Living Corpse Reincarnation, his research had already crossed every moral boundary.

Of course, Hikaru would never say such things aloud to him.

He had no illusions about his own virtue either. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

His moral boundary shifted according to circumstance.

Even so, there was one line Hikaru still held to: he would not use people of the Land of Fire as test subjects.

That was the restraint he imposed on himself.

Restraint could slow a man’s progress.

But sometimes, it was also the only thing keeping him from sliding entirely into hell.

"When all of this is over, I really will have to thank Orochimaru properly."

Leaving the prison with Pakura at his side, Hikaru could not help but reflect on that.

Orochimaru and Danzō were both, in their own way, exceptionally good men—from Hikaru’s perspective, at least.

Both before and after this, they had brought him gains beyond imagining.

That was something Hikaru never forgot.

Especially Danzō.

He was more grateful to that old schemer than he could easily put into words.

Without him, Hikaru would never have had the foundation of power he stood on now.

His true rise had begun with the Fragment of Asura’s Power.

Without that, there would have been no Wood Release, no Nine-Tails, no raid into Kirigakure to seize Dead Bone Pulse, the Byakugan, and the Three-Tails’ chakra.

As for Orochimaru, Hikaru had originally thought only to use the political weight of his crimes, and perhaps one day exploit his talent in research.

Now, though, the man’s value had clearly risen again.

"Pakura. After you return, investigate their likely targets and prepare a list for me."

He spoke quietly as they walked out into the corridor.

He had no intention of making this matter widely known yet.

"There are not many Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan. ANBU should have records. Sorry to burden you."

"It’s no trouble, Minister."

Pakura shook her head at once, her voice steady.

"I won’t disappoint you."

"There’s no need to be so stiff. If you can’t find it, that’s fine too. At worst, I’ll keep an eye on Orochimaru personally."

He waved that off with ease, then glanced sideways at her with a faint smile.

"By the way, how have things been recently? Have you grown used to life in Konoha?"

From the time Pakura was brought back to Konoha until now, nearly a year had passed.

At first Hikaru had taken care to look after her. He had been the one to bring her back, after all. If he wanted her to take root in Konoha, he had needed to make it easier for her to settle in.

But after seizing control of ANBU, his own affairs had become too numerous, and the attention he could spare her naturally lessened.

So the truth was, he no longer had a clear sense of how she was getting on.

She had continued through ANBU training. She had been sent on missions. Beyond that, he knew very little.

"It’s been good," Pakura answered softly. "With your help in the beginning, fitting into Konoha wasn’t too difficult. Neither in the village itself nor within ANBU."

"That’s good."

Hikaru nodded, then smiled a little wider.

"It’s rather funny. You still live just a short distance from me, but it feels as though we almost never run into each other."

Pakura still lived in the same small house near Hikaru’s own.

And yet they hardly crossed paths.

Which was only natural.

Hikaru was busy to the point of absurdity, and Pakura was hardly idle herself.

ANBU work was no joke. When things became hectic, it was not unusual to go a month without returning home.

Hikaru had lived that life himself, so he knew it well.

Beyond that, there was also the matter of rank.

The gap between their positions naturally meant fewer opportunities to interact.

And since Hikaru often relied on the Flying Thunder God Technique to move about Konoha, not seeing each other was hardly surprising.

"The Minister has far more matters to handle than the rest of us," Pakura said quietly. "We simply carry out missions. You have to think through and direct everything. That is a much heavier burden."

"Perhaps."

Her answer made Hikaru feel faintly embarrassed, though he hid it well.

Then he shook his head.

"In any case, go do what you need to. Once this matter with Orochimaru is over, come by my place."

Pakura stopped short.

"Minister...?"

"We’re friends, aren’t we?"

Hikaru cut her off gently with a smile, then waved and turned away.

"Remember it. And do your best."

Pakura stood rooted where she was, staring after him long after he had disappeared from view.

Only when he was completely gone did she quietly leave as well.

His words had been light.

Almost casual.

But perhaps that was why they felt so warm.

That was the Hikaru she remembered—the one from a year ago, the one who had brought her back to Konoha.

A friend.

It was not a word Pakura had ever dared hope for.

She knew far too well how great the distance was between them.

And yet after a year in Konoha, she had slowly grown used to this place.

More than that—she had come to like it.

Everything in Konoha was different from Sunagakure.

Or rather, everything here was more inviting. Easier to belong to.

"For the sake of living well in Konoha... for the Minister who brought me here and gave me a new life... I have to work even harder."

"So. Have you chosen the target yet?"

In Root’s underground laboratory, Danzō stood watching as Orochimaru arranged data and quietly asked his question.

"We have several possible targets. But you know as well as I do—since you lost your position in Root, this sort of thing isn’t so easy anymore."

Orochimaru stood to the side, calmly sorting prepared fluids as he spoke.

He had no concern at all for whether Danzō would be angered by his tone.

And what he said was the truth.

Danzō simply could no longer provide the support he once did.

Ever since being stripped of office, all he could really do was continue to funnel enough resources to keep Orochimaru’s research alive.

Beyond that, he could only maintain control over a dwindling number of Root shinobi through increasingly brutal methods.

In Orochimaru’s eyes, it was an ugly way to cling to relevance.

If Danzō still had not possessed some remaining value—and if Orochimaru had not still needed to verify his own theory—he would likely have abandoned this alliance long ago.

A man like Danzō offered no future worth trusting.

Danzō’s expression darkened at once, but he did not lash back.

His thoughts were fixed on only two names:

Senju Hikaru.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

In his mind, if Hiruzen had not reclaimed the Hokage’s authority—

if Hikaru had not intervened for money and blocked his plans—

then the seat of Hokage would already be his.

Yes, he had since learned the truth of why Hikaru had accompanied Hiruzen to the capital of the Land of Fire.

It had been for money.

To wring more of it from the daimyō and from Hiruzen alike.

That understanding had only deepened Danzō’s hatred.

He hated those two men to the marrow.

But he also knew that, for the moment, he could do nothing.

He had lost too much.

"Hmph."

He gave a cold snort and looked at Orochimaru grimly.

"Even if I’m not what I once was, without me, you would accomplish nothing."

"Yes, yes. Of course."

Orochimaru had no interest in bickering.

He continued with his preparations as he spoke.

"I’ve never denied that. Otherwise I wouldn’t still be here, would I?"

That answer eased Danzō’s expression slightly.

It was true enough.

As his power declined, fewer and fewer people had remained near him.

Some he had to hold by force.

Orochimaru was not one of them.

Danzō knew he could not control that man.

And yet Orochimaru had not left.

Even if the bond between them was only mutual utility, it was still preferable to being abandoned altogether.

It let Danzō save a little face.

"We don’t have many confirmed targets."

He no longer wished to linger on that line of thought and spoke bluntly instead.

"Even within the Uchiha, three-tomoe Sharingan are rare and precious."

"So?"

Orochimaru turned and looked at him.

He had finished handling the solution in his hands.

"Which one have you chosen?"

"I have an idea."

Danzō’s voice dropped, dark and carefully measured—so much so that even Orochimaru frowned slightly when he heard it.

"What do you think of Uchiha Fugaku?"

For a brief instant, Orochimaru’s first reaction was that Danzō had finally gone mad.

Uchiha Fugaku was the Clan Head.

Abducting or attacking him was not merely difficult.

The political consequences would be explosive.

But just as quickly, Orochimaru calmed.

He began to think.

And the more he thought, the clearer it became.

Danzō had already decided to discard him.

Attacking Fugaku would trigger tremendous fallout. He was not some ordinary Uchiha—he was the head of the clan itself.

And Orochimaru was already standing at the center of far too many whispers. Every rumor in Konoha now bent toward him.

If Fugaku became his target, then everything that was currently simmering would ignite at once.

The Uchiha would never accept it quietly.

They would inevitably clash with Hiruzen.

Any fragile improvement in the relationship between the clan and the village—whatever Uchiha Shin had managed to build—would collapse, perhaps even worse than before.

And if Hiruzen could not withstand the pressure, then he would be forced to personally pursue Orochimaru.

At that point, exposure would be certain. Orochimaru would have no choice but to leave Konoha.

At the same time, Hiruzen’s reputation would suffer badly.

And under those conditions, Danzō would once again have room to move.

"And that’s not even the deepest layer of it..."

Orochimaru smiled faintly, looking almost pleased with the plan.

But inwardly he was already tracing the rest.

ANBU had been involved in everything from beginning to end.

If Orochimaru was forced out and Hiruzen’s prestige took another blow, then ANBU would only continue to grow in influence.

Faced with that, Hiruzen might resist all he liked, but eventually he would still need Root restored in order to balance it.

After all, the only thing that could truly check ANBU was Root.

Especially now that Hikaru had opened the door to a much larger operational structure.

Once Hikaru abandoned the old small-team model and expanded ANBU into a more formalized force, Root would naturally benefit from the same principle.

And Danzō, as its old master, knew that structure better than anyone.

His chances of reclaiming Root would rise enormously.

By the time he had followed all those lines through, Orochimaru had already seen the heart of Danzō’s plan.

It was enough to make him sigh inwardly.

Such a sharp mind—and yet he spent it all on things like this.

Still, Orochimaru did not expose him.

Instead, his smile widened.

"Uchiha Fugaku would certainly be troublesome. But the value he offers should be extraordinary."

"That is my thinking as well."

Danzō nodded coldly, as though he were speaking only for the sake of the experiment.

"If we are to test such things, then naturally we should use the best specimen available."

"Then I will leave the arrangements to you, Danzō."

Orochimaru turned back around, his tone almost casual.

"Inform me once everything is in place. I’ll cooperate."

"Of course."

Danzō’s voice remained as dark as ever.

"This is not something I can accomplish without you."

Naturally not.

Orochimaru sneered inwardly as he began walking out of the laboratory.

But by then, another thought had already taken root in him.

"It seems these experiments can no longer continue peacefully. And I can no longer remain in Konoha much longer either."

"In that case... it is time to secure some protection."

With that thought, Orochimaru lifted his head and looked toward the distance.

In that direction...

stood ANBU headquarters.

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