Inside the ANBU Minister’s office, one of Hikaru’s shadow clones sat behind the desk, reading through reports in silence.

If the original body went out to handle matters personally, then leaving a clone behind was only natural.

After all, what Hikaru was doing outside was hardly something clean. Some distance between himself and the matter was still necessary.

Fortunately, there was not much in ANBU at the moment that truly required special handling. And in practical terms, the main difference between the original body and a shadow clone was simply which one could endure more punishment.

Because of that, Hikaru had always trusted this technique greatly.

At times, he even felt that the Shadow Clone Technique was truly the most brilliant and practical invention Senju Tobirama had ever created.

In battle, it could lure the enemy into fatal errors.

In daily work, it allowed a person to truly operate on two fronts at once.

And perhaps, in certain more private aspects of life, it might prove equally useful.

For example, a man saying to his wife, I can handle you and two shadow clones besides.

Of course, apart from shadow clones, the Flying Thunder God Technique also had extraordinary value.

After all, it encompassed attack, retreat, and movement all at once.

At times, Hikaru had even considered whether, once he became Hokage, he should use the Impure World Reincarnation on Tobirama.

That way, Konoha would gain a powerful combat asset, and his research talent—wasted otherwise—could finally be put to proper use.

"Why shouldn’t criminals pay taxes?" Hikaru mused inwardly. "They work, don’t they? They create value and wealth. Give them food and a place to stay, then collect the value of their labor as tax. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable?"

"And if that’s true, then why shouldn’t the dead rise again after death and continue working for me to create value for society? This is the ninja world, after all. The dead can come back."

After thinking that through, Hikaru shook his head.

He truly did feel as though he was drawing closer and closer to a rope and a lamppost.

And that was before he had even become Hokage.

If he truly one day sat in the Fifth Hokage’s seat, even he was not sure what sort of person he might become.

Still, all of that was far off.

Whatever came would be settled once he truly stood in that position.

Casually setting down the report in his hand, the clone turned to look out the window.

What exactly the real Hikaru was doing now, and how far matters had progressed, he did not know in the slightest.

Perhaps the only real weakness of the Shadow Clone Technique—beyond the burden it placed on the mind and the pain reflected back to the original when the clone was destroyed—was the fact that its information could not remain constantly synchronized.

Still, that hardly mattered.

No technique was perfect.

And perhaps once he dragged Tobirama out of the Pure Land and put him to work, even that flaw could be solved.

"Minister!"

At that moment, an anxious voice sounded from outside. The next instant, Pakura hurried into the room.

Ayame and Saya followed right behind her. Their offices were beside Hikaru’s, and as secretaries it was only natural that they remain ready to serve him at any moment.

"No need to rush. Catch your breath first," Hikaru said calmly.

Even so, he already had a vague idea of what this was about.

Most likely Orochimaru had acted.

Or perhaps his real body had already been noticed.

Still, he waited patiently to hear Pakura speak.

"Minister, Orochimaru has made his move." Pakura steadied herself and spoke at once. "According to the report from the Uchiha, this time his target was Uchiha Fugaku himself."

"What?" Saya’s eyes widened. She had clearly not expected that outcome. "The Clan Head?"

"It seems Orochimaru’s ambition is even greater than expected." Hikaru nodded lightly, looking as though he was only mildly surprised. Inside, however, he was completely unmoved.

He already knew the result.

What interested him now was only the shape the matter had taken.

Then, almost at once, his expression shifted slightly, as though he had sensed something.

"Go immediately," he ordered. "Call back the ANBU who are on leave, especially Kakashi, and reinforce the Uchiha compound at once."

"Yes, Minister!"

The three women answered immediately and departed in haste.

Only once they were gone did the shadow clone release a faint breath.

He turned his head toward the window—

and right then, the window opened, and Hikaru himself stepped inside from outside.

The clone had clearly sensed the original’s arrival and used that moment to clear the room.

With a muffled pop, the clone dispersed into smoke.

The memories and information returned to the original body in an instant.

Hikaru now knew everything the clone had observed in his absence, as well as the current state of ANBU.

He nodded in quiet satisfaction.

The matter with Orochimaru had, more or less, reached its final stage.

From the attack itself, to the spread of rumors, to the pressure and veiled threats, to the unexpected acquisition of a Mangekyō Sharingan, and finally to the quiet understanding he had reached with Orochimaru on certain matters—

all of it had gone remarkably smoothly.

"Though Orochimaru really is cautious," Hikaru thought. "Or perhaps he’s simply been driven too hard by me, and that is what forced him into such an arrangement."

Orochimaru had stepped forward and bargained with him directly. That had indeed surprised Hikaru, though it had not been so shocking as to be unacceptable.

In the end, the two of them still reached an agreement.

And in later additions to that agreement, Hikaru had even promised something more: if Orochimaru needed subjects for experiments, he could have them.

Of course, Hikaru had his limits.

Anyone outside the Land of Fire was fair game as experimental material.

But within the Land of Fire, Orochimaru was forbidden to touch a single person.

Beyond that, Orochimaru was not to target civilians.

Though in truth, Orochimaru himself probably had little interest in such people.

A civilian might occasionally possess extraordinary talent, yes—but no matter how gifted, they could not compare to someone who had already become a shinobi.

Rather than use such people directly, it was far more useful to cultivate them into shinobi first and only then do as one pleased.

Beyond the matter of experimentation, Hikaru had also placed a boy at Orochimaru’s side.

Kabuto Yakushi.

The boy’s role was to watch Orochimaru.

Orochimaru, in turn, would train him.

It was a transaction. A warning. And also a necessary link between the two sides.

Orochimaru did not understand why Hikaru had specifically chosen a child, but that hardly mattered.

He had already agreed to the greater part of the arrangement. This little addition was insignificant by comparison.

"Hey, Kakashi, do you think we should try a hot spring?"

On one of Konoha’s busy streets, Guy, Kakashi, Aoba Yamashiro, and Raidō Namiashi were walking together.

When Kakashi took leave, he liked to spend time with his old classmates.

That had been Hikaru’s advice to him, though it also happened to align with Kakashi’s own wishes.

When he was with them, he felt light.

He did not have to think about ANBU.

He did not have to think about missions, secrecy, or pressure.

Of course, while Kakashi was growing, his old classmates were growing as well. Many had already joined various departments, while others had become field shinobi and now traveled with their own teams.

That meant they rarely all had time at once.

Sometimes Kakashi’s leave lined up with one group, sometimes another.

This time, it was these three.

As they walked along the lively street, Guy glanced toward a bathhouse and suddenly spoke.

"A hot spring?"

Aoba’s eyes lit up a little.

"That actually sounds good. I don’t think I’ve ever been to one."

"Should we give it a try?" Raidō looked around curiously, then nodded. "None of us have before, right? Maybe..."

"Uh, well..." Kakashi’s eyes also drifted toward the building, though he looked somewhat uncertain.

To be honest, he had never done anything of the sort either.

He had read vague descriptions of such places in certain books, but his understanding was... incomplete.

He seemed to have somehow confused hot spring inns with establishments meant for entirely different adult pursuits.

And although Kakashi had recently begun dabbling in literature of a questionable kind, he had no actual experience to go with it.

That made him curious.

Very curious.

Though he knew that sort of curiosity probably said something rather embarrassing about him.

"Maybe... we should go take a look?"

After some hesitation, Kakashi finally said it aloud.

"Sure!" Guy clapped him on the shoulder. "I’ve never tried one either. Let’s go!"

The four boys turned as one and began heading toward the bathhouse.

Then Kakashi stopped.

His brow furrowed as he looked to the side.

The sudden pause left the others thoroughly confused.

But in the next moment, something happened that stunned all three of them.

Several ANBU appeared in an instant.

Then, before the boys and the surrounding crowd alike, they dropped to one knee.

The sight froze everyone.

The people on the street all knew these boys at least by face, especially Kakashi.

After all, he had been publicly praised in Konoha as the "hero with the Sharingan."

That silver hair and ever-hidden face were not difficult to recognize.

But why would ANBU kneel before him?

Could he possibly hold some other identity?

The answer came in the next breath.

"minister," one of the ANBU said urgently, "the Minister’s order—your leave is over. The target has made his move."

The operative was clearly too pressed for time to care about appearances or secrecy.

Anyone with sense would understand what a matter like this meant for Konoha.

This was no time to care about public exposure.

What mattered was conveying the mission and acting on it.

"The target has moved?" Kakashi had initially been irritated at the public display, but the moment he heard the words, he understood.

And judging by the urgency in the ANBU’s tone, Orochimaru had likely caused a disaster far greater than expected.

Kakashi nodded at once, prepared to leave immediately.

Then he seemed to remember his companions and turned back.

"Sorry. I can’t stay with you this time. It’s... complicated."

"It’s fine..." the three replied stiffly.

Only after Kakashi had left with the ANBU did they slowly come back to themselves.

ANBU?

minister?

Kakashi was an ANBU minister?

That single revelation was enough to leave them speechless.

None of them had ever imagined their classmate had already climbed so high.

No wonder he had never spoken clearly about his work.

No wonder he had always seemed so distant, so hard to grasp.

"So that’s how it is," Raidō said at length with a sigh.

"Yeah." Aoba also looked full of feeling. "I never imagined Kakashi had already reached that sort of position."

"Damn it," Guy suddenly clenched his fists. He looked a little deflated—but his eyes burned with determination. "That guy’s already left all of us behind. I’ve decided. I’m going to train until I catch up to him—and then surpass him!"

"That, I don’t know," Aoba said with a helpless shake of his head. "But there’s no question he’s far ahead of us now."

Then he suddenly stiffened.

A horrifying realization crossed his mind.

"What is it?" Raidō asked. "Why are you making that face?"

"It’s just..." Aoba swallowed. "We now know Kakashi is in ANBU. And not just that—he’s a minister."

"Yes, so?" Guy asked, still distracted.

Aoba’s expression turned even stranger.

"But do you remember? Kakashi always called someone else minister."

"Kakashi’s minister?" Guy blinked. Then the answer came. "That would be Hikaru. So that means he’s... wait..."

All three fell silent.

If Kakashi was already an ANBU minister, then what sort of rank did Hikaru hold—the one Kakashi addressed as "minister" all this time?

The answer sat there between them, heavy and obvious.

For the first time, they all truly felt it.

They knew almost nothing at all about their old classmates anymore.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage’s office, carefully reading reports.

For him, this monotonous, vaguely dull routine was actually ideal.

If nothing went wrong in Konoha, then that in itself was the best possible state of affairs.

The thing he dreaded most was precisely the opposite—

that at a time like this, the village might produce yet another major crisis.

After all, Konoha’s situation was hardly stable.

Though the wider shinobi world seemed to be drifting toward peace, the undercurrents beneath that calm had not vanished in the slightest.

And whether it was the internal state of Konoha or the external state of the world, Hiruzen now had to devote even more effort to both.

He had to be cautious.

Patient.

Careful to the point of suffocation.

And the root cause of all of that was clear:

ANBU had been torn from his hands.

For a Hokage, ANBU was not merely a blunt instrument of force.

It was also one of the most critical intelligence-gathering bodies in the entire village.

Without it, Hiruzen’s position had become immeasurably more difficult.

Worse, Root was now sputtering as well due to Danzō’s removal. He simply did not have the energy to simultaneously uphold the Hokage’s authority and personally rebuild Root as well.

With a weary sigh, Hiruzen forced those thoughts aside.

There was nothing he could do about them now.

"Hokage-sama."

A voice suddenly sounded within the office.

Hiruzen’s body stiffened at once.

He recognized that voice instantly.

Senju Hikaru.

The young man who had pried ANBU from his grasp.

The one who held Danzō’s greatest secret.

The one whose strength had already reached a level that made even Hiruzen wary.

Truthfully, Hiruzen had thought about it many times.

How had Senju Hikaru’s power become so terrifying?

The Flying Thunder God Technique. Wood Release.

He had mastered them both.

In some ways, it was as though Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had been fused into one being.

Beyond that, the boy carried himself outwardly with something of Hashirama’s warmth.

But his methods and depth of thought were pure Tobirama.

A person like that was suffocatingly difficult to handle.

Even Hiruzen had to admit that in front of Hikaru, he often felt truly old.

"Minister Nightingale," Hiruzen said at last, his voice carefully controlled. "To what do I owe this visit? Entering like this seems rather inappropriate, does it not?"

"True enough. Since Hokage-sama is my direct superior, using a technique to come in unannounced is not ideal."

Hikaru smiled as he spoke.

"Would you like me to step outside and come in properly?"

"Do not push your luck, Minister Hikaru."

Hiruzen’s brow creased.

He had no idea what the boy wanted this time.

But one thing was certain—he disliked Hikaru’s attitude intensely.

Even so, he could only bear it.

Danzō’s matter still hung over him like a blade.

"I understand. In truth, I have always respected Hokage-sama."

Hikaru gave a soft sigh and walked toward the desk.

Then he made a small gesture.

In an instant, the ANBU hidden in the office’s darkest corners revealed themselves, appearing behind Hikaru one by one before quietly leaving the room.

Soon only the two of them remained.

The atmosphere became heavy at once.

What Hikaru had just done made Hiruzen’s expression extremely ugly.

On some level, it was a direct challenge.

More than that—it was a reminder.

A reminder that he no longer truly controlled ANBU.

Still, Hiruzen was not someone who lost his head easily.

He chose to interpret the gesture in the most restrained way possible: Hikaru wanted a private conversation.

And so he did not erupt.

"Hokage-sama," Hikaru began calmly, "what is your opinion of Orochimaru?"

Hiruzen’s expression changed again.

What opinion could he possibly have?

He had supported parts of that man’s work early on.

But the matter had long since moved beyond his control.

And now the whole village was awash with rumors.

The situation for Orochimaru was growing worse by the day.

What could Hiruzen even say at this point?

"And what is your view, Minister Hikaru?"

He took a slow breath and answered with a question of his own.

"It’s simple." Hikaru’s smile deepened slightly as he folded his arms and looked down at Hiruzen. "Orochimaru attacked Uchiha Fugaku. I would like to know what Hokage-sama thinks of that."

"That was the Uchiha Clan Head. Quite a remarkable thing for the Third Hokage’s own disciple to do, wouldn’t you say?"

"And more than that," he continued, "the information I have suggests that Fugaku’s son—the little genius, Uchiha Itachi—was also taken."

"Hokage-sama... this has become far more interesting than expected."

"What?!"

Hiruzen’s face darkened at once.

Uchiha Fugaku?

Had Orochimaru truly gone this far?

And Itachi too?

Was the boy meant to become another experiment?

If so, then the earlier disappearance of that other Uchiha child was almost certainly Orochimaru’s doing as well.

At that moment, fury surged through him.

Was the man mad?

He stood at once, eyes fixed on Hikaru.

"Are you certain?" he asked through clenched teeth. "Is this really true?"

"The ANBU intelligence network should be the thing Hokage-sama knows best."

Hikaru smiled faintly.

"It happened only a short while ago. I imagine there is still time."

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Hiruzen stripped off his Hokage’s robes, revealing the combat gear beneath.

Then he rushed out at once.

Inside, he was burning.

Orochimaru was the only disciple he still had in the village.

And now it seemed that even he could no longer be protected.

Inside Orochimaru’s underground laboratory, the man himself moved quickly, gathering some materials and burning others.

What was useful, he would take.

What was not, he would destroy here and now.

Beside him stood a preserved glass chamber filled with nutrient solution.

Inside floated the body of a teenage boy.

His skin was pale.

Lifeless.

He had clearly been dead for quite some time.

This was the Uchiha boy Orochimaru had abducted earlier.

He had not disposed of the corpse.

Something had told him that he would still need it.

That intuition had proven correct.

Now the body would serve one final purpose.

Once he had cleaned away the obvious traces, Orochimaru approached the chamber and looked at the boy within. Then he shook his head softly.

He was leaving Konoha now.

Strangely, that thought carried a trace of reluctance.

But he had always known what path he was on.

The moment he stepped into these experiments, certain things were already decided.

Especially after he targeted the Uchiha, the danger had risen sharply.

Even so, he had no regrets.

After all, to seek Wood Release, to seek truth, he had been willing from the beginning to walk on a blade’s edge.

Now he had paid the price.

So be it.

"The road to truth always demands sacrifice," he murmured. "To you, I may be a demon. But who can say what the future will hold?"

He had kept this body precisely because he had foreseen such a need.

And now it would bear the weight of this entire affair.

Soon he himself would become a missing-nin, and Hikaru would need the story anchored properly.

With that, the matter of blame meant nothing to him anymore.

Then his eyes moved to Uchiha Itachi, who still lay unconscious nearby.

A part of him truly wanted to take the boy.

But he knew that was impossible.

That had been part of the agreement.

"Bang!"

The laboratory doors burst open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi entered at the head of several shinobi, and the first thing his eyes landed on was the boy floating in the chamber.

"Orochimaru!"

His roar was thick with too many emotions at once—rage, sorrow, disappointment, grief.

And when he also saw Itachi lying nearby, the heaviness in his heart deepened even further.

At that moment, he knew there was no saving Orochimaru now.

Orochimaru turned calmly.

Fresh blood still stained his body, though none of it belonged to him.

He looked at Hiruzen and gave a faint smile.

"Sensei. You came."

There was no fear in his voice.

No panic.

No remorse.

To Hiruzen, that made it worse.

"Why?" Hiruzen demanded, his voice shaking as his fists clenched. "Why do this? What possible good does it bring you?"

Orochimaru glanced first at the corpse in the chamber, then at the unconscious Itachi on the floor.

He licked his lips and smiled indifferently.

"Perhaps... for the sake of truth."

"Truth?"

Hiruzen’s teeth ground together.

"What a grotesque excuse."

His hands flashed through seals.

"Summoning Technique!"

A massive impact erupted inside the underground facility. The explosion of force and smoke carried far beyond the laboratory, echoing through Konoha itself.

From the cloud of smoke, a dark figure burst out and fled toward the edge of the village.

"Hah... hah..."

Somewhere in the forests of the Land of Fire, Orochimaru moved step by step, breathing low.

One hand covered his left shoulder, where blood continued to seep through his fingers.

His pace was not especially fast.

Every few steps, he paused to erase signs of passage.

He did not dare use the Orochimaru-style Body Replacement Technique.

If he did, Hikaru’s mark might disappear along with it.

And Hikaru still needed to find him.

His escape from Konoha had been anything but smooth.

Ever since the Nine-Tails incident, the village’s defenses had only grown tighter.

He had run into obstacle after obstacle on the way out.

And because he had taken Itachi with him, Hiruzen’s pursuit had become even more relentless.

He had suffered serious injuries during the breakout.

Against Hiruzen alone, he might have held his own.

His teacher was old, and Orochimaru in his current state was not without means.

But inside Konoha, what he faced was not merely the Third Hokage.

It was the entire village.

Against that, he had focused only on escape.

So the cost had been severe.

Still, he had made it out.

Though ANBU were still pursuing him from behind, he believed he could shake them eventually.

"It’s a pity I couldn’t destroy all the records."

Orochimaru glanced around, ensuring the immediate area was clear, then gave a faint shake of his head.

Hiruzen had come too quickly.

And once he acted, he had acted without hesitation.

So some things had been left behind, unable to be burned in time.

Fortunately, Orochimaru had foreseen the possibility of such a day years ago.

Much of what truly mattered had long since been moved elsewhere.

"It doesn’t matter now. Leaving the Land of Fire is what matters."

Even as he thought that, he had already noticed something.

Hiruzen had stopped pursuing him directly.

In a sense, the old man had let him go.

In truth, Hiruzen’s choice made a great deal of sense.

The trouble Orochimaru had caused this time was simply too great.

He had attacked the Uchiha.

At a moment like this, the most ruthless course would in fact have been the most reasonable.

But excessive ruthlessness—especially toward one’s own disciple—would also leave behind an ugly impression.

So Hiruzen chose mercy.

Or at least, the appearance of mercy.

By letting Orochimaru go, he could still preserve the image of a warm-hearted, sentimental Hokage.

For a retired Hokage now living in the shadow of a younger successor, that sort of image was useful. It gathered sympathy.

Hiruzen likely disliked having to do things this way.

But the pressure from Hikaru and from Minato had become too great.

He had no choice but to make compromises.

As for that Uchiha prodigy—

at most, Hiruzen could only sigh.

Or perhaps he had chosen it deliberately.

After all, the pursuit of Orochimaru belonged, in principle, to ANBU.

And if ANBU had not been mobilized properly in time, then that failure might well be laid at ANBU’s feet.

What Hiruzen did not know—

what he could not possibly know—

was that Hikaru had already arrived at Orochimaru’s side.

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