Chapter 224: Senju Hikaru, the Kind of Man Others Fear(bonus)

Late at night, Hikaru walked quietly through the streets of Konoha.

As he moved, he occasionally paused to inspect the trees around him.

The feeling was strangely familiar.

It almost reminded him of his life more than ten years ago.

His system had an odd habit:

once it had already analyzed a seed he had obtained before, it would no longer automatically identify that same type again—unless it belonged to the most basic attributes.

But at Hikaru’s current stage, he had little need for low-level elemental seeds.

It was not that he no longer wished to grow stronger.

It was that his body had reached its present limit.

He had already arrived at the edge of one stage of growth. Until his age and body advanced into the next, he simply could not continue adding more.

If he forced it, it would only damage him.

And Hikaru had no intention of doing something so foolish.

"If the system still gave me a prompt every time I touched one of these, I wouldn’t need to prod every tree with Senju techniques like this."

He grumbled inwardly as his palm rested on a tree trunk.

Green chakra coiled around his hand, and the tree trembled faintly in response.

A moment later, it gave him feedback.

Hikaru’s brow rose.

"A mid-grade chakra seed?"

Pulling back his hand, he looked at the seed now in his palm and nodded slightly.

Tonight’s harvest was not bad at all.

He had already found two mid-grade Fire seeds, one Earth seed, one Lightning seed, and now this chakra seed as well.

That alone was more than enough to satisfy him.

He had not uncovered a single high-grade seed, but that did not trouble him in the least.

After all, he had never planned to cultivate high-grade seeds for others in the first place. The cost in chakra and time would have been too great, even for him.

"This should be enough. I’ll keep the Lightning seed for now—maybe I can use it myself later. The chakra seed can go to Kakashi. The Fire seeds can go to Pakura and Saya. The Earth seed can go to Rinlang. That works out nicely."

He tucked the seed away, then glanced up.

The moon had already climbed high into the sky.

The village was quiet.

Beyond the occasional bark of a dog or the cry of an infant, almost no sound remained.

Hikaru liked this kind of stillness.

Silence was good for thought.

But it was no longer a time for lingering outside in contemplation.

Tightening his fingers around the seeds, he let chakra gather faintly within him—

then abruptly stopped.

His gaze swept sideways.

A small white snake was watching him from the shadows, tongue flicking in and out.

Hikaru’s brow lifted again.

He knew very well what that snake signified.

There was only one man who would use something like that to summon him.

Orochimaru.

Which made it all the more interesting.

Why was Orochimaru seeking him out in person?

No matter how one looked at it, the two of them stood on opposing sides.

Especially now, when the rumors spreading through Konoha—and the pressure tightening around Orochimaru—were all being driven by ANBU.

Hikaru did not believe for a second that Orochimaru was unaware of that.

Even if he did not know every detail, he would certainly have guessed enough.

And yet despite standing at odds so openly, he still chose to come.

"What an interesting turn."

Tilting his head slightly, Hikaru put the seed away and began walking toward the snake.

Whatever Orochimaru wanted, Hikaru could at least grant one of Konoha’s Legendary Sannin the courtesy of a meeting.

The snake slithered off at once, leading him toward a wooded area on the edge of the village.

It moved quickly, though not nearly quickly enough to matter to Hikaru.

Fortunately, Hikaru was in no hurry.

He could afford to follow at his own pace.

Part of him was even curious whether Orochimaru might attempt something reckless.

After some time, the snake led him to a quiet corner of Konoha that saw almost no traffic.

A park.

Or rather, what was left of one.

It had long since fallen into neglect and was already marked for future renovation.

It was exactly the sort of place no one paid much attention to.

ANBU patrols would not focus on it, and ordinary people had no reason to be there at this hour.

A perfect blind spot.

And it served as a useful reminder.

Places like this, Hikaru thought, needed to be watched more carefully in the future.

The darker the space beneath the lamp, the more easily trouble nested there.

Moving deeper into the park, he soon fixed his senses on a single presence.

There was no doubt.

It was Orochimaru.

Though the man’s chakra felt... off.

"Minister Hikaru. It has been some time."

By the time Hikaru stepped into view, Orochimaru had already turned to face him, smiling faintly as he licked his lips.

"It has," Hikaru said, wearing the same warm smile he used so often, though his words carried no warmth at all. "And yet it does not seem you were especially eager to see me."

He let his gaze travel over Orochimaru once.

"Using only a clone to meet me. I wonder what that says about your intentions."

That was right.

Hikaru had recognized the flaw in the man’s presence immediately.

At first glance there was nothing visibly wrong, but chakra never lied.

And Hikaru’s senses, sharpened as they now were, had become frighteningly precise.

He could tell without difficulty that this was not Orochimaru’s true body.

If he wished, he could even judge where the real one was.

But he had no particular interest in a game of chase tonight.

What interested him more was why Orochimaru had chosen to come at all.

"A precaution against uncertainty," Orochimaru replied, his expression as eerie as ever. "You above all people should understand that our relationship has not been a particularly harmonious one, especially after certain rumors began circulating."

"Rumors?"

Hikaru arched a brow. His smile only grew gentler.

"Are they truly rumors? I think you and I both know better."

Orochimaru let out a quiet, amused breath.

"Just so. Minister Hikaru is not an ordinary man, after all."

Then his expression gradually turned serious.

"But whether they are rumors or not need not matter. From the standpoint of interests, there is a far better choice available to you."

"Oh?"

Hikaru regarded him calmly.

"And what remarkable insight do you mean to offer me tonight, Orochimaru?"

"What do you think of Danzō?"

The name made Hikaru’s expression turn stranger still.

Danzō... sold out by Orochimaru? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

That was not a development he had expected.

The whole thing felt absurd.

Yet the more absurd a turn was, the more Hikaru wanted to understand it.

What possible gain could Orochimaru obtain by handing Danzō over?

After all, Hikaru’s purpose had never changed. Orochimaru would still have to leave Konoha in the end.

Whether or not Danzō was exposed changed nothing fundamental there.

And Orochimaru was too clever not to know that.

So why come?

Why now?

Hikaru said nothing.

He simply watched Orochimaru, waiting.

Eventually Orochimaru sighed softly.

"The reason is very simple. Danzō intends to carry out something that places me in a difficult position."

He glanced at Hikaru and clearly understood that without a proper answer, the man opposite him would not yield an inch.

Still, Orochimaru did not mind.

He had come prepared to say this much.

He had not intended to keep it hidden.

Coming here tonight had already been a decision in itself.

He could not be sure how Hikaru would respond—not least because Danzō’s plan happened to align with several things Hikaru himself might have wanted.

But whatever Hikaru chose, Orochimaru’s own need remained unchanged.

He did want to help Hiruzen a little, in his own way.

More importantly, he wanted protection.

The shadow of that masked figure who wielded Nine-Tails chakra still hung over him heavily.

The last thing he wanted was to leave Konoha only to find himself hunted immediately afterward.

So Orochimaru explained everything.

Danzō’s plan.

The intended target.

His own reading of what would follow.

Hikaru listened to it all in silence, his mind filling steadily with questions.

Danzō intended to move against Uchiha Fugaku.

And not merely for experimental value, but to force political collapse.

In that instant, Hikaru almost felt as if Danzō had seen through him.

The old man’s design ran dangerously close to Hikaru’s own style of planning.

Danzō truly was formidable.

Idiotic at times to the point of disbelief, yes—but when it came to intrigue and political maneuvering, something sharp and ugly inside him seemed to awaken.

He had found a way to use Orochimaru, the Uchiha, Hiruzen, and even Hikaru all at once.

If the clash played out, the result would be clear enough:

The rift between Konoha and the Uchiha would worsen again.

Orochimaru would be forced out.

Hiruzen’s prestige would suffer.

And under the resulting pressure, Danzō would likely be restored to greater influence—perhaps even Root.

With ANBU’s expansion already underway, Root too would benefit from the new structure.

In a single move, Danzō had created a path back for himself.

"He truly is dangerous."

Hikaru gave a low sigh.

In one sense, Danzō had indeed grasped part of Hikaru’s plan.

What he had not grasped was the one advantage Hikaru alone possessed: knowledge of what kind of man Danzō truly was, and where his contempt for rules would inevitably lead him.

Still, clever as the old man was, he remained a problem.

Now that Hikaru understood Danzō’s thinking, he also understood much more clearly what part Orochimaru himself was playing in this.

That was one thing.

Another was what to do with it.

And on that front, Hikaru remained cautious.

He had no belief in gifts falling freely from the heavens.

Nor in gain without cost.

Even his system, miraculous as it was, still demanded effort from him if he wanted to turn raw power into something usable.

"What do you want in exchange for telling me this?"

He asked it plainly, still smiling.

"I do not believe for a moment that you came here out of kindness."

"No," Orochimaru said. "I came because I need something."

He met Hikaru’s gaze.

"I can hand over all of my research. In exchange, I want a guarantee."

"And what guarantee is that?"

"That once I leave Konoha, you will offer me a measure of protection."

That answer genuinely surprised Hikaru.

Protection?

But only for a moment.

The reason became obvious almost immediately.

Orochimaru was not afraid of Konoha’s pursuit.

He had never been the sort to fear that.

No—what concerned him was something else entirely.

The masked figure who wielded Nine-Tails chakra.

Hikaru’s other face.

That was the one who had beaten him badly.

That was the one Orochimaru feared might continue hunting him after he fled the village.

He was not a coward. He would always try to solve his own problems.

But until he had a way to deal with such an enemy, the sensible course was to align himself with someone who could restrain that danger.

By the time Hikaru had traced the thought to its end, he already knew how he wished to respond.

He folded his arms and smiled.

"You want my protection?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"That is asking a great deal. I am not convinced I am powerful enough to protect a man like you."

Then his smile sharpened.

"Besides... I have another idea."

Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed.

"Minister Hikaru, are you saying—"

"I am saying," Hikaru cut in calmly, "that what Danzō wants is not entirely contrary to what I want."

That answer made Orochimaru’s expression shift.

Until now he had noticed Hikaru’s strange calm, but had not fully understood it.

Now he did.

Hikaru had been waiting for exactly this.

He might not know Hikaru’s full purpose, but he understood enough: the head of ANBU had his own design, and Danzō’s move could be used rather than stopped.

"Even so," Hikaru continued, "the information you brought me is useful. Very useful. Which means there may indeed be room for a deeper arrangement between us."

Orochimaru licked his lips again, thoughtful now.

"A deeper arrangement? And what would that require?"

"Simple."

Hikaru did not hesitate.

"I want a Sharingan."

That made Orochimaru still.

"Even if I cannot directly use it, it will serve as a token. Proof that your value to me is real."

"A token," Orochimaru murmured.

He understood at once.

If Hikaru was to grant him protection, then Orochimaru needed to prove himself useful enough to deserve it.

And though Hikaru had not explicitly said whose eye he meant, there was no real ambiguity.

Uchiha Fugaku.

If Orochimaru could bring Hikaru Fugaku’s eyes, then their arrangement would become real.

Until then, it remained words.

Yet that only deepened Orochimaru’s uncertainty.

What did Hikaru actually stand for?

What did he actually want?

"Try not to look so troubled," Hikaru said softly, though his eyes had grown markedly colder. "I know what confuses you. My position. My purpose. What exactly I mean to gain."

"But let me put your mind at ease. Everything Danzō has thought of, I already considered. Everything he intends to do, I already have a way to answer."

He gave a quiet, almost amused breath.

"Danzō is not nearly as difficult to deal with as you are."

"Take tonight as an example. I did not expect you to come to me. That much is true."

"But now that you have, it would be a waste for us not to reach some understanding."

"So you must prove yourself. Conveniently enough, you are already planning to strike at Uchiha Fugaku."

"Then let it be Fugaku."

"Bring me his eyes."

"Once you leave Konoha, so long as you remain within the Land of Fire, I will ensure you are protected."

His tone never rose.

"But afterward, you will also help me with certain things."

Hikaru’s voice remained soft throughout.

Yet when those words reached Orochimaru’s ears, they made him frown more deeply than before.

He had always known this young ANBU Minister was clever.

Deep.

Dangerously composed.

But now he realized that even his highest estimate had still fallen short.

It made him curious.

Very curious.

How, exactly, did Hikaru intend to deal with Danzō?

And what work did he expect Orochimaru to do afterward?

In the end, Orochimaru gave a small nod.

To deal with someone as forceful and guarded as Hikaru was certainly dangerous.

But there was also a certain thrill in it.

"Very well. I will do what I can to bring you Uchiha Fugaku’s eyes."

His expression had grown serious now.

"And if we proceed further, I will also assist you in researching what you require."

Then he paused.

"There is one thing I wish to know. How do you intend to deal with Danzō?"

That was the question Orochimaru wanted answered most.

If he knew Hikaru’s plan, he could better judge what sort of future danger he himself might face.

Orochimaru never simply waited to be cornered. If there was danger, he would always think of a way around it.

If he understood Hikaru better, then even if he could not oppose him, he would at least be less blind.

"A fair question. However..."

Hikaru closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened them again, they had become a brilliant blue.

The transformation put Orochimaru on guard at once.

And for the first time, true shock crossed his face.

A Senju with eyes like those?

How?

But he had no time to think.

Because in the next instant Hikaru turned his gaze sharply toward a distant point. Chakra stirred faintly within him, and he vanished.

At that same moment, Orochimaru’s true body—hidden elsewhere—suddenly found Hikaru standing directly before him like a ghost.

Those blue eyes.

That crushing pressure.

The mere presence of it seemed to lock Orochimaru in place.

It was not simply physical pressure.

It felt as though it pressed against the soul itself.

Breathing became difficult.

Then Hikaru raised a hand and touched his finger lightly against Orochimaru’s body.

In that instant, a Flying Thunder God mark was carved deeply into him.

"This sort of question is best discussed face to face, don’t you think?"

His voice was calm.

Hikaru withdrew his hand.

"Do not let me discover that you have escaped my mark with your substitution methods. Not while we are cooperating."

"As for Danzō... the answer is simple."

"I only need to use his nature against him."

Then his gaze sharpened.

"And you—watch carefully. Work well. Prove your value."

"That is all."

Sometimes events turned in directions so absurd that even Hikaru could not have predicted them.

This matter had bent around Orochimaru and returned to him in an entirely unexpected form.

But no matter how strange it was, it worked to his benefit.

And that was what mattered.

He did not fear Orochimaru turning on him later.

Even if Orochimaru spoke of their conversation, what proof did he truly have?

At most, a criminal’s desperate accusations.

As long as Hikaru denied everything firmly, little would come of it.

After leaving the park, he did not return home immediately.

Instead, he withdrew to the edge of his observational range and used the full extent of his eye’s vision to watch Orochimaru for a time.

He had marked him for a reason.

He wanted to see what the man would do first.

Orochimaru was displeased—very clearly so—but after a period of hesitation, he ultimately chose to leave.

He did not strip away the mark with one of his stranger techniques.

At least, not for now.

And for Hikaru, that was enough.

For the moment, Orochimaru remained transparent to him.

At least as far as this cooperation was concerned.

Only then did Hikaru use the Flying Thunder God Technique to return home.

And though he kept his expression calm, inwardly he was in excellent spirits.

"So he came to me on his own."

It really did seem that the masked identity he had used before had left a very lasting impression.

Using that other face to attack Orochimaru had originally been little more than a precaution.

But the chain of benefits that had followed from it were greater than even Hikaru had imagined.

Orochimaru could not yet deal with the Nine-Tails’ power. He also lacked confidence when it came to the Sharingan, which was why he had turned toward Wood Release as a path forward.

But Wood Release had proven far harder than he expected.

Then he saw through Danzō’s intentions.

And so, eventually, he had come to Hikaru.

"The only question now is how he means to continue his Wood Release research. So long as I’m watching, he won’t have many chances to act against the Uchiha."

That much genuinely interested Hikaru.

Then again, if Orochimaru truly needed Uchiha subjects, Hikaru was not without options.

He refused to believe that within the Uchiha clan there were no others who stood firmly with Fugaku and still possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan.

As for Orochimaru trying to unlock the Senju’s secrets, Hikaru did not particularly object.

He would be watching.

That was enough.

And beyond that, his own power had reached the point where he no longer feared Orochimaru producing something unexpected.

Sufficient strength made many dangers manageable.

That was the position Hikaru now occupied.

"Still, for Orochimaru, this is a real test. His target is Uchiha Fugaku."

Fugaku’s identity and strength made him a difficult target for Orochimaru.

And to Hikaru, that difficulty made the whole affair more valuable still.

If the head of the Uchiha clan was attacked by Orochimaru, the blow to Hiruzen’s standing would be almost impossible to measure.

Worse still, the chain reaction would be severe.

If Orochimaru could target Fugaku, then every other clan head in Konoha would begin asking the same question:

Could I be next?

Once every clan felt endangered, once suspicion spread and all confidence in the Hokage’s ability to protect them began to fail, Hiruzen’s position would become almost impossible to maintain.

In that sense, what Orochimaru was about to do went beyond even what Hikaru had expected.

Which only made it more satisfying.

There was another benefit as well.

If Orochimaru and Danzō moved against Uchiha Fugaku, Hikaru would finally have a chance to confirm something that had long lingered in his mind.

Did Fugaku possess the Mangekyō Sharingan or not?

He still remembered the old stories, conflicting as they were.

This was a chance to find out.

And he had no intention of letting it slip by.

If Fugaku truly possessed the Mangekyō, then Hikaru would have to reconsider several things moving forward.

Information mattered.

One could only prepare properly against what one understood.

If Fugaku did not possess the Mangekyō, then the situation was simpler. He would need caution, yes, but not a full shift in priorities.

If Fugaku did possess it, but still lost to Orochimaru, then Hikaru could do everything in his power to take the eyes for himself—and he would at least understand the measure of the man.

If Fugaku possessed it and won, then that would mean Hikaru needed to be far more careful in dealing with him.

Against such opponents, no amount of caution was too much.

"And if I obtain a Mangekyō—if only one eye—then perhaps I can finally try to extract Yin Release from it."

Yin Release had remained one of Hikaru’s greatest frustrations.

Until now, he had never found a proper source for it.

If Fugaku’s eye could yield what he wanted, it would solve one of his longest-standing problems.

Then again, after what had happened with the Byakugan—when he drew out some strange, fundamental eye power instead of what he had actually wanted—Hikaru no longer dared assume the system would always give him the exact result he preferred.

Drawing power from a seed or source felt increasingly like drawing lots from a deck of cards.

Hikaru’s luck was good.

But it was not infallible.

"There’s nothing for it now but to wait and see what Orochimaru does."

Stretching lazily, Hikaru lay down where he was.

He was very much looking forward to the day Orochimaru finally made his move.

Elsewhere, Orochimaru had already returned to his own base.

He looked at the mark left on his body and recalled that terrifying pressure from before—the kind that had nearly made even him struggle to breathe.

In the end, he gave a slow, quiet sigh.

Those blue eyes were too strange.

Too alluring.

The azure light in them felt as though it could draw everything inward.

Even the soul.

"What sort of power was that...?"

He shook his head.

Then, little by little, a smile returned to his lips.

"Senju Hikaru..."

"Your power truly is the kind that makes others fear you."

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