Knock, knock, knock!
The door was pounded heavily.
"Come in."
Click!
The door swung open.
A medium-sized mass of chakra slowly appeared before Hikari.
"Jiji-sama!"
Naruto bounced up excitedly.
"Lie back down! You're so badly hurt. Does the wound still hurt?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen wheeled himself into the hospital room, a kind smile spreading across his face as he checked on Naruto, exuding a warmth that felt more approachable than a retired old man running a roadside stall.
Hypocritical.
You've been watching Naruto for so long—don't you know how strong his recovery is?
Hikari narrowed her eyes, scanning for emotional glimmers.
Unlike Naruto, who was all carefree and loud, Sarutobi Hiruzen's emotional glimmers were faint, almost blurry in their hues—a guy who was really good at hiding his feelings.
After closer inspection, to her surprise, the first glimmer she caught wasn't murky hypocrisy but confusion, followed by a hint of astonishment.
Huh?
Hikari froze for a second.
It wasn't until she saw those emotional glimmers drifting toward her that it clicked: Kurama's malice detection could only pick up emotions directed at itself, not some mind-reading jutsu like she'd imagined.
Those glimmers weren't about anyone else—they were Sarutobi Hiruzen's emotions toward her.
"I'm all good, Jiji-sama!"
"That's great to hear."
Sarutobi and Naruto's voices echoed in the room, but Hikari clearly saw emotions continuously bubbling up from the top of Sarutobi's head.
"Where's Sasuke? I heard from the doctor you're still having headaches. Feeling any better?"
"Thanks for your concern, Hokage-sama. It's much better now."
So that little dot full of negative emotions was Sasuke! Hikari finally figured out who was quietly lurking nearby, radiating envy, jealousy, fear, and even a tiny bit of admiration and respect toward her.
He dares to be jealous of me?
Looks like I went too easy on him before.
Hikari decided she'd "look after" Sasuke a bit more in the future, make sure he knew who was boss, so he'd stop daydreaming about nonsense.
Sarutobi Hiruzen made a show of walking around the room, finally turning to Hikari in the middle.
"I picked this up on the battlefield. This is yours, right?" He pulled a black cloth strip from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Thanks."
Hikari tied the reclaimed black cloth behind her head.
A surge of fresh purple chakra flooded into her eyes.
Her Tenseigan glowed faintly.
The world before her became crystal clear.
Sunlight streamed through the window, leaving beams of dusty light in the air.
Two boys, one on each side, curiously glanced her way. Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly studied her face, his wrinkled, age-spotted cheeks showing every detail—she could even see the dryness of his skin.
Her Byakugan seemed to have gotten stronger.
Was this the effect of Kurama's chakra?
Hikari wondered to herself.
The surging Tenseigan power flowed outward from her pupils, giving her a 360-degree view, like the world was a sliced-open dango, its filling laid bare for her to see.
"How's the injury?"
"It's fine."
She looked inward at her chest.
The flesh under the bandages hadn't fully healed yet. Purple chakra pulsed through her veins, stitching together torn muscle fibers like a needle and thread.
After absorbing Kurama's chakra, her own chakra had gained healing properties.
Her Shikotsumyaku and the newfound chakra worked in perfect harmony. Last night's fatal piercing wound, after consuming that chakra, had turned into a massive crater. Now it looked nearly filled in.
Maybe in just two days, the wound on her chest would be fully healed.
"How about we find a quiet spot to talk?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen patted the wheelchair in front of him, gesturing for Hikari to sit.
Ignoring his seemingly kind gesture, Hikari looked straight at the top of his head: friendliness, warmth, a touch of vague negative emotion—but no killing intent or malice.
"I can walk myself."
"Sit down! You're Konoha's little hero now."
"Hero?"
"You took down an elite jonin from another village, directly or indirectly saving so many students. If you're not a hero, who is?" Sarutobi teased with a chuckle.
Letting foreign ninja into Konoha, who then attacked the kids who should've been the safest?
Even claiming credit for killing Yozuki Yuo couldn't erase his failure. After all, protecting them was his duty as Hokage.
He couldn't escape the blame.
Add to that the recent destruction of the Uchiha clan—one of Konoha's founding pillars—causing some unrest. And now, an attack by foreign ninja? They needed an uplifting story to rally the people and shift their focus.
Naruto, seen as the embodiment of the Kyubi, was shunned and unsuitable for the spotlight. So, no matter what, the one who killed the enemy had to be Hikari.
Hikari Tsukihi.
A prodigy who fought to the death to save her comrades, defeating an elite Kumo jonin at such a young age, perfectly embodying the Will of Fire.
Hikari's existence was meant to tell the people: Even without the Uchiha, Konoha remains strong under my leadership. Super geniuses keep emerging, and Kumo's elite jonin are nothing but fodder for our ninja school students.
This way, the people would get an inspiring story, something new to talk about, and soon forget the Uchiha incident. Though Sarutobi would still bear responsibility for the attack, the low death toll and his "discovery" of a genius like Hikari would make up for it.
The only issue now was Hikari Tsukihi herself.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze grew deeper.
Yozuki Yuo's brain was relatively intact. The corpse disposal team worked through the night and finally extracted its intel.
Let's just say the information was… interesting.
Interesting enough that the Yamanaka clan member who probed Yozuki's brain, after compiling the intel, wisely used a secret jutsu to erase their own memory of it.
"Come on, let's talk outside."
Observing Sarutobi's expression and emotions, Hikari realized he likely knew something.
Last night, her injuries were too severe, and she'd used up all her chakra to survive, leaving no chance to clean up the aftermath. The Yamanaka clan's secret jutsu wasn't to be underestimated either.
Her mind raced, organizing her words.
She obediently stood and sat in the wheelchair, which creaked loudly under her weight.
After absorbing Kurama's chakra last night, her weight seemed to have increased again. Hikari carefully leaned back, trying not to break the fragile wheelchair.
Whoosh!
Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped the wheelchair's handles tightly, pushing Hikari out of the room.
Click!
The door closed.
In the empty hospital room, the two boys were left staring at each other across the bed. Naruto started to say hi, but Sasuke scoffed and turned away.
Clenching his teeth, Naruto, not one to back down, turned around too, pointing his butt at Sasuke.
The two lay on their sides, glaring at each other like two tattered rags.
"Good morning, Sandaime-sama!"
"Good morning."
Sarutobi nodded and smiled at the greeting nurses, pushing the wheelchair down the hospital corridor, his muscled arms filling out his wide sleeves.
Hikari, blindfolded, sat obediently in the wheelchair, afraid to move too much and break it.
To the hospital's doctors and nurses, the two looked like a retired grandpa taking his disabled granddaughter for a stroll.
"Hey, isn't that the genius who killed the Kumo ninja?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"She's so cute, like a little doll!"
A middle-aged nurse in uniform clutched her cheeks, radiating "adoration" glimmers that popped out like bubbles.
Hikari brushed back her messy hair, tidying her appearance a bit.
After last night's battle, she looked a bit rough, but seeing the flood of pink emotional glimmers, she realized these people had a huge filter when it came to her.
An abnormally huge one.
The news had spread too fast.
It was like overnight, everyone in Konoha Hospital knew she'd taken down a Kumo elite jonin.
Even some patients were radiating emotional glimmers.
This wasn't normal.
"Nervous? You're the big star of Konoha Hospital now," Sarutobi said softly, noticing Hikari fidgeting with her hair, a sly smile on his face.
"Did you do this on purpose, Hokage-sama?"
"What do you mean?"
"We could've just put up a barrier and talked in the room, but you're pushing me around the whole hospital."
"A genius deserves a genius's treatment."
Sarutobi chuckled softly, pushing Hikari toward the stairs.
Along the way, they ran into parents of ninja school students.
"Hey, isn't that Tsukihi Hikari? The Sandaime's personally pushing her wheelchair!"
"What do you know? I heard she was mentored by the Sandaime himself and used a secret jutsu he taught her to take down that Kumo jonin."
"So it's the Sandaime who's the real deal!"
"Of course!"
Hearing what were obviously planted comments, Hikari awkwardly licked her back teeth, finally understanding why they'd taken this big detour.
First, they hyped up her insane feat to cover up the political stain of a ninja attack and the deaths of ninja school students. After drawing everyone's attention, they tied her achievement to Sarutobi, redirecting the glory back to him.
A perfect move.
The stain became a highlight.
The students were saved because of the Hokage's wise leadership and talent cultivation.
As for why Kumo ninja attacked? Don't ask.
Figuring out the game, Hikari suddenly understood why, in the original story, the Sandaime chose to die alongside Orochimaru.
Half of a person's life is about gain, the other half about fame. This old guy cared so much about his public image—daring to call himself the strongest Hokage—that he clearly chased fame.
Using Shiki Fujin to take Orochimaru down with him? That was because Orochimaru was the biggest stain on his life, undeniable.
The two headed upward.
They finally reached the rooftop.
Whoosh!
The wind on the rooftop was strong.
Hikari leaned back in the wheelchair, her hair whipping wildly behind her.
Sarutobi Hiruzen tightened his hat, stepping back to avoid the silver strands flying past his face. "These old bones of mine aren't as tough as Yozuki Yuo."
"You're too modest."
He knows a lot, doesn't he?
Testing how much the Sandaime might know, Hikari tilted her head, tucking her windblown hair into her collar, and changed the subject. "So that guy was called Yozuki Yuo?"
"Yep. A veteran elite jonin from Kumo, made a name for himself even before I did," Sarutobi said, recalling the intel extracted from the brain, gazing down from the rooftop's edge.
"I visited Kumo once, and he was tasked with monitoring our every move. A formidable ninja."
"He was strong. I almost died."
Thinking of Yozuki's ridiculously powerful Ippontsume, Hikari's expression darkened.
If she hadn't predicted his attack path and shifted her heart and lungs to her abdomen, she wouldn't be sitting here chatting so casually.
She'd been this close to death.
"You were lucky," Sarutobi said, glancing at the bandages on Hikari's chest. "That guy wasn't an ordinary jonin. He was one of the contenders for the Third Raikage's position."
"Raikage?"
Hikari raised an eyebrow.
Sarutobi shook his head. "When he was young, he competed with the Third Raikage and got thoroughly beaten, becoming a shadow guard instead. Later, he mastered the Third Raikage's secret jutsu and made a name for himself, barely touching the level of a Kage."
"And then?"
Hikari's curiosity was piqued by Sarutobi's story.
"Nothing much after that. Kumo and Iwa went to war. He got cocky with his Raiton no Yoroi's defense, but Ohnoki—the current Third Tsuchikage—hit him with a sneak attack from his special Kekkei Genkai, damaging his lungs and leaving a permanent weakness. The Third Raikage held off ten thousand ninja alone, and Yozuki barely escaped back to Kumo with his life."
"After that, his body and will were broken. He became obsessed with powerful jutsu, learning anything strong without caring if it suited him, cramming the Third and Fourth Raikage's taijutsu into his arsenal. In the end, he turned himself from a near-Kage-level ninja into a slightly above-average elite jonin."
"He trained himself weaker?"
Hikari was stunned.
She'd never heard of someone getting worse with training, and Yozuki's Ippontsume was undeniably strong.
Sarutobi chuckled. "The Third Raikage focused on attack and defense; the Fourth on speed and agility. Two completely different paths. He tried to combine them, but his Fourth Raikage techniques were mediocre, and he got rusty with the Third's. Turned himself into a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Except for his Raiton no Yoroi, everything else was average. His Ippontsume probably couldn't even match the Third Raikage's Yonhontsume."
"Look at Konoha's secret jutsu clans. Which one hasn't produced top-tier ninja? Which doesn't have powerful techniques? If mastering a few strong jutsu made you a top ninja, Konoha would be overflowing with them."
He turned to Hikari. "Your talent is unmatched, the best in the ninja world. Don't get blinded by so-called 'powerful' jutsu. A true master can make an enemy tremble with just a kunai. A weak ninja hesitates even with an Ippontsume, afraid of missing and getting themselves killed. True strength doesn't rely on external tools!"
"Is this your late lecture?" Hikari smiled, directly calling out the planted comments in the hospital.
Sarutobi's wrinkled face showed no embarrassment. "Just some non-ninja tactics."
"So you dragged me out here early in the morning just to talk about Yozuki Yuo?"
"Of course not."
Pulling a scroll from his robe, Sarutobi tossed it to Hikari. "The corpse disposal team worked overnight and pulled some things from Yozuki's brain. Take a look."
"Sorry, I'm blind."
Sarutobi sighed helplessly, turning to look at the view below the rooftop. "Not a single honest word comes out of your mouth, little girl."