"—Despite the damages, there were no casualties on our side…" A bored voice was reading through a scroll, standing within the Hokage's Office.
"…" Listening to Kakashi's report on the annihilation of some faction hiding within Konohagakure, Hiruzen exhaled a sigh of relief.
'Good, good…' He thought.
Whoever caused those flames was not an unknown variable.
Instead, it was a former collaborator.
'Hiryu Suguru…'
The Ghost had returned with impeccable timing. Was he interested in being reinstated as a shinobi of Konoha, perhaps?
A small flicker of hope spurred Hiruzen to speak.
"Find a way to contact the Ghost through peaceful means. Do it without letting anyone else know."
It hadn't been that long, and yet the child who had once fled at the first sign of oppression had now returned and could match veteran jounin on the battlefield.
Paired with his academic prowess, yet another powerhouse had joined the fray.
"Let's hope I can rope him in before anything else piques their interest. Otherwise…"
A small headache threatened to drill into Hiruzen's mind just thinking about it.
Suguru was Orochimaru's student. Hiruzen had discovered this only after Danzo's death.
However, it was clear that their natures were similar yet still vastly different.
Both were willing to kill for their goals.
Both had done some unethical experiments throughout their career.
However, one was single-mindedly pursuing immortality. The other was still filled with youthful relentlessness, doing whatever he fancied.
Rumors of a mysterious merchant appearing in Suna and Kumo had long reached the Hokage's ears. Both bore products strikingly resembling the items in a certain laboratory, meticulously hidden in Konoha.
Hiruzen could tell that the Fuinjutsu writing style between those three places had many similarities.
It was incredibly subtle.
Something that Hiruzen had to spend countless sleepless nights studying. He labored through every stroke and every logical symbolism. The different seals bore a quaint playfulness in their ink-black strokes.
When Hiruzen finally understood that point, everything came cascading after.
The realizations hit him:
The Ghost was Hiryu Suguru.
Suguru was a student of Orochimaru.
The supplier behind the merchant Amai was Suguru alone.
Thus.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, the familiar weight of the Hokage's mantle settled onto his shoulders. The details of Suguru's activities swirled in his mind.
He spent several minutes in this meditative state. It was only when a gentle rapping on the door resounded that he broke his reflections.
"Enter."
Kakashi stood motionless in the doorway, his ever-present slack expression replaced by a solemnity he rarely displayed.
"Hokage-sama, Hiryu Suguru says he will be here in—"
—Swish.
Feeling that presence, Hiruzen's lips curved into a knowing smile.
A blur of movement occurred right beside Kakashi, terrifyingly swift and silent.
Suddenly, there was a young shinobi standing in the doorway, with a mockingly innocent bend to his smile.
Shining silver eyes and long silver hair. Exuding the crazed temperance of a mad scholar was a boy no older than eleven or twelve.
"…"
Suguru's smile was, in a way, sardonic. However, it could also be interpreted as gentle and wise. A grinning juxtaposition that created a sense of dissonance in those who could identify the source of their discomfort.
However, once they looked an inch or two above such a Machiavellian smile, the clear, mirror-like gaze of an ever-curious child would meet them. Then, it would all make sense.
Standing before them was what a shinobi scientist would always become.
"Hiruzen-sama. Kakashi-senpai."
Suguru greeted.
"A pleasure. It's been a while."
* * *
The atmosphere in the Hokage's office thickened with anticipation as Suguru settled into the chair across from Hiruzen. Kakashi remained standing, his visible eye carefully tracking Suguru's every movement.
"I assume you've called me here to identify my allegiances, have you not, Hiruzen-sama?" Suguru said, his voice carrying a calm certainty.
Suguru's silver eyes gleamed as he watched Hiruzen nod, folding his hands on the desk. "That is correct, Suguru-kun. The village is a bit understaffed, you see…"
"But what about my research?" Suguru asked, leaning forward slightly. "Would I be allowed to continue my work?"
Kakashi shifted, his stance showing that he had grown a little tense. The Copy Ninja had seen enough of Suguru's capabilities to know that his "research" extended far beyond conventional boundaries.
For one, he wasn't a supporter of what the boy was doing.
Hiruzen met Suguru's empty, curious gaze with a surprising calm.
"…Yes," he replied after a moment's consideration. "Under certain conditions, of course."
"Oh?" Suguru's lips curved into a sly smile, not expecting Hiruzen to allow it so easily. "Such as?"
"You have to share your results with the village," Hiruzen stated firmly. "Knowledge that could benefit the Will of Fire will not be hoarded."
Suguru tilted his head, considering this. It wasn't that big of a deal. The more people used his research, the more chaotic things could get… especially if it fell into the right (wrong) hands.
"And?" Suguru urged.
"And you will have to avoid absolute cruelty in your methods," Hiruzen added, his tone making it clear this point was non-negotiable. "I understand the nature of scientific advancement sometimes requires difficult choices. But there are lines even shinobi should not cross, else the darkness consumes one's heart."
A fleeting glance was directed at the picture frame on Hiruzen's desk.
"…Look at Orochimaru,"
Hearing this, Suguru's fingers drummed lightly against the armrest, his expression thoughtful. It was clear to him now that a lot of his traces had caught up to him since he last showed his face to the world.
Indeed, although many of his secrets were deeply hidden, those pieces that he had set up for others to see had already been discovered.
Therefore.
After a moment, Suguru nodded with a smile. "Well, I guess those terms are reasonable enough. Though I imagine we'll need to discuss the particulars more thoroughly in the coming days."
"We will," Hiruzen agreed. "There's much to consider."
And much to share.
A small hint of ambition flared within Hiruzen's heart. Having studied Suguru's Blaze Battle Body jutsu and adapted it to suit his own battle style and physique, the old man realized a certain byproduct of his actions.
'My body is now flowing with renewed vitality… It's as if the Senju had served me their finest tea leaves.'
Hiruzen felt as if he had been reborn from the ashes ever since he became active with his own Blaze Battle Body form.
A small hint of this revelation had appeared when he repelled Orochimaru. Then, it became crystal clear upon Danzo's reduction to ash.
'There's much to expect from this young boy before me.'
Especially now, when the first thing Suguru did was pull out a certain scroll. A scroll that made Hiruzen raise a brow.
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Small Apology
I've updated chapters 170 to 172 into the proper chapters that I had in my original notes. The old ones were not up to par, having been written at a low point in my life. I forgot to edit the versions on Inkstone after editing them in my documents.
Now, they just barely meet my standards.
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