The room was heavy with silence.
Aged, bony fingers tapped rhythmically on the wooden desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed up at his disciple, who suddenly felt like a stranger. It was jarring. Just days ago, she was a soft-spoken little thing, but now she towered over him, her gentle warmth replaced by a deep, almost abyss-like presence.
The overwhelming gray light, the winds of change sweeping through the ninja world from Konoha, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy—it all seemed clear now.
Hikari, without a doubt, was the central figure driving the transformation of the ninja world.
"You're not one to go looking for trouble," Hiruzen said, locking eyes with the dark gaze beneath Hikari's mask, his own eyes sharp as a blade. "So what's your real goal? Just spit it out."
He knew his student's personality well. Hikari volunteering to handle troublesome tasks like greeting foreign ninjas was anything but altruistic.
Whatever she was planning, whatever changes she'd bring to the ninja world, Hiruzen didn't care much about personally. He was half in the grave already; any major upheaval would likely pass him by. What he truly wanted to know was whether Hikari's actions would threaten Konoha's fragile peace.
"The lead Jonin for Mist's exam team is Ao," Hikari said, her lips curling into a cold smile as she named the visitor.
Her ultimate technique had just reached fruition, and now her enemy was delivering himself to her doorstep. Could there be anything more fortunate?
"Ao?" Hiruzen paused, the name vaguely familiar. After a moment, it clicked.
Ao, a veteran elite Jonin from the Hidden Mist. Infamous during the Third Great Ninja War for killing a Hyuga clan head and stealing the Byakugan—a bloodline never before lost in a thousand years. The moniker "Byakugan Slayer" had made him notorious.
Whoever coined that title was a genius. It highlighted Ao's possession of the Byakugan and his assassination skills while brutally mocking Konoha and the Hyuga clan. He'd climbed to infamy by stepping on their faces.
Ao was on Konoha's golden wanted list, with a combined bounty from the black market and Konoha exceeding one hundred million ryo.
Realizing the grudge between Hikari and Ao, Hiruzen finally understood why she insisted on handling the foreign ninja reception.
"It's the Five Nations' joint Chunin Exams. If you make a move against him—"
"Teacher," Hikari cut him off softly but firmly, meeting his aged gaze with unwavering resolve. "This is non-negotiable."
Her words hung in the air.
The room fell deathly quiet. Hiruzen and Hikari stared each other down, while Jiraiya, who'd been watching from the sidelines, flicked his eyes between them.
The scene felt eerily familiar, like countless moments in this office where a cold, shadowy old man once stood. Now, a tall, mysterious woman had taken his place.
Who is she? Jiraiya wondered. That gray light was her doing? Is she the Child of Prophecy? When did the old man take on a new disciple? What about me? Wasn't I supposed to guide the Child of Prophecy? Did the Great Toad Sage's prophecy get it wrong?
Questions swirled in Jiraiya's mind. He wanted to ask, but the heavy atmosphere was clearly not the time for answers. His emotions bubbled like boiling water in a pot, his head practically steaming.
Click.
Hiruzen stared at Hikari for a long moment, wordless, taking a drag from his pipe. He exhaled the smoke before it even reached his lungs.
He didn't want to clash with Hikari over a Mist fugitive.
Ao had stolen Hinata Tenkui's Byakugan, and Hikari seeking vengeance for her mother was entirely justified. But with the Five Nations' Chunin Exams looming, attacking a team's lead instructor could have consequences. What would the other nations think? Who'd dare attend Konoha's exams in the future?
On one hand, Konoha's hard-earned reputation. On the other, a disciple he'd mentored for years. His indecisive nature took over, leaving him torn.
No wonder Danzo always said Hiruzen wasn't fit to be Hokage.
Hikari found her other teacher's harshness less extreme now. A dove like Hiruzen, always seeking stability, could be maddening. Whether he opposed or supported her, either choice would be defensible from his perspective. But this hesitation? That was the most disappointing.
A flicker of ashen light passed through her eyes.
Creak!
Without warning, a stone platform shot up from the office floor, startling both Jiraiya and Hiruzen.
Their eyes snapped to it. The platform was a perfect cylinder, its surface a mix of gray and white concrete, embedded with thumb-thick rebar.
Unlike typical Earth Release, which rose slowly, this platform surged upward like a spring snapping back from compression. It stopped abruptly at the perfect height, shifting from extreme motion to eerie stillness, as if it had bypassed space itself. The effect was both dangerous and unsettling.
Crack.
Facing Hiruzen's indecision, Hikari propped her elbow on the platform, her pale, delicate fingers splaying like petals. "If you can't decide, let's settle it the ninja way. Arm wrestling."
What a childish solution! Jiraiya thought, barely stifling a laugh.
He didn't know why this mysterious woman wanted to target Ao, but it could clearly damage Konoha's reputation, spark a diplomatic crisis, or even ignite a war if mishandled. Settling it with arm wrestling? Ridiculous.
"Alright," Hiruzen said, ignoring Jiraiya's shocked expression. A faint smile crossed his face as he stepped forward, planting his elbow on the platform opposite Hikari.
One hand pale and delicate, the other aged and sturdy, they clasped hands, their eyes locking. A terrifying chakra ripple pulsed through the air.
"Wait, hold on!" Jiraiya, relegated to a bystander for too long, stomped a foot and raised his arms, halting the bizarre match. "Who are you?"
Though Hikari knew exactly who the Toad Sage was, she feigned ignorance.
Hiruzen was about to introduce Jiraiya when her question triggered something in him. Like a rehearsed routine, Jiraiya struck a pose—one arm forward, one back, red geta sandals raised, his face brimming with pride. "No need to hide it! I'm the invincible Sannin, known far and wide, the white-haired Toad Sage, the dashing hero who silences crying children—"
Click, click!
He struck a dramatic pose, like something out of a comic, and bellowed, "The one and only Jiraiya!"
A breeze drifted through the window, scattering his white ponytail. The room grew even quieter.
Hikari stared at the eccentric Toad Sage, thinking how he, Hashirama, and Naruto seemed so out of place in the brutal ninja world. Yet they were all absurdly strong, masters of Sage Mode. Was it their childlike hearts that let them tap into the unity of man and nature?
Hiruzen, about to introduce Jiraiya, licked his lips and swallowed his words. No way I'm admitting this guy's my student. Too embarrassing.
"Oh, you're one of Teacher's disciples too? I saw your file in the database," Hikari said, unwilling to acknowledge Jiraiya as her senior. Glancing at Hiruzen's faintly flushed face, she asked, "What's the problem?"
"There's a huge problem!" Jiraiya puffed out his chest, suddenly serious. "I don't know what you two are arguing about, but attacking a foreign ninja is a serious political issue. How can you settle it with something as silly as arm wrestling?"
You're lucky you're not Hokage with that brain, Hikari thought.
Did she and Hiruzen not know how absurd arm wrestling was? There was a reason they'd chosen it.
Hikari knew herself well. Her moral compass wasn't exactly pristine—she'd done her share of burning, killing, and plundering. Her only redeeming trait was her sense of loyalty and grudges. Hiruzen's original reasons for taking her as a student didn't matter. He'd never betrayed her, teaching her ninjutsu with dedication and helping treat her Kaguya clan blood disease.
She owed him for that.
But gratitude aside, her vendetta against Mist and Ao, her ties to the Hyuga clan, and her plans to seize the tailed beasts put her at odds with Hiruzen. With her strength, little in the ninja world could stop her. But against those who'd helped her—like Guy or Hiruzen—she refused to resort to pure violence. She'd never even considered using Kotoamatsukami on those close to her.
That was one of her few lines in the sand.
Seeing Hiruzen's indecision, she proposed arm wrestling to settle it. As taijutsu specialists, a single clash would reveal their respective strengths without bloodshed or bad blood. The winner would take the lead in Konoha's future decisions, establishing a clear hierarchy.
This bloodless solution was exactly what the dovish Hiruzen wanted, and he'd tacitly understood her intent, agreeing to the seemingly absurd contest.
"Ignore him," Hiruzen said, his eyes brimming with confidence. Hikari's solution suited him perfectly. Konoha's stability and reputation were crucial, but so was keeping Hikari from leaving due to escalating tensions. If he could best her in taijutsu, everything would resolve neatly.
Lose? He didn't think he would. In pure wrist strength, taijutsu was his forte. Even if he lost, it would mean the gap between them was vast. A student surpassing the master was no shame—handing Konoha's future to a stronger successor was the whole point of training Hikari, wasn't it?
With that resolve, Hiruzen gripped Hikari's jade-like hand tightly, his calloused fingers, honed from years of staff training, locking in place. "Jiraiya, you're the referee."
"Uh… fine," Jiraiya sighed, accepting his fate. He stepped between them, eyeing the stark contrast between Hiruzen's sturdy arm and Hikari's slender one, already certain of the outcome.
"Three!" Jiraiya raised his hand like a blade, poised to signal the start.
Boom!
Hiruzen unleashed his chakra, his withered arm swelling with muscle, straining the sleeves of his tight shirt. The room's tension skyrocketed.
Hikari remained expressionless, her delicate hand soft as a willow leaf. Jiraiya shook his head, unconvinced.
Hiruzen lacked bloodline limits or Tsunade's strength-enhancing techniques, but he carried the Monkey Clan's legacy and had eaten the sacred peaches of Mount Huaguo, rivaling the Nine-Tails in raw power. Even in Sage Mode with tenfold strength, Jiraiya had never bested him. Age might've dulled Hiruzen's edge, but this frail-looking girl couldn't possibly match him.
"Two!" Jiraiya's voice carried a hint of excitement. It had been years since he'd seen his teacher unleash his strength, and he couldn't help but anticipate the spectacle.
Crack, crack!
Hiruzen's expression grew solemn. A sound like freezing ice came from his arm as Earth-Release chakra climbed his forearm, encasing his wrist and hand. Human strength came from muscle and structural integrity—those with naturally robust bones could exert greater force.
Knowing Hikari's Kaguya clan Bone Pulse gave her deceptive strength, Hiruzen used Earth Release to bolster his body's durability, ensuring victory. As one of the ninja world's rare all-rounders, proficient in the five elements, taijutsu, and sealing, his confidence lay in Earth Release and taijutsu.
He was giving it his all.
"One!" Jiraiya, seeing Hiruzen ready and Hikari unmoving, called the final count with a trace of pity.
Swish!
His hand sliced down, and Hiruzen's back arched like a bear's, his arm muscles bulging further. Jiraiya could already picture Hiruzen pinning Hikari's hand to the platform in a second.
Was this the Great Toad Sage's prophecy?
As Jiraiya prepared to declare the winner, he noticed the two arms on the platform hadn't budged—like stone statues locked in place.
Creak, creak!
The reinforced concrete groaned under their elbows. Hiruzen's muscles bulged, his body trembling as if electrified from the effort.
Hikari, meanwhile, stood calm, her arm extended without a trace of ninjutsu enhancement or chakra surge. She barely seemed to exert herself.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. Hikari's effortless poise contrasted sharply with Hiruzen's quivering frame.
Teacher's losing in pure strength?
Though Hikari hadn't pinned Hiruzen's arm, Jiraiya, as an impartial and sharp-eyed referee, knew the winner was obvious.