[send power stones please]
At that moment, Jiraiya truly felt as though he had fallen into an ice-cold abyss.
He had never imagined that his entire battle plan would be seen through so completely by this boy.
Worse, he had not understood the countermeasure at all.
Had the boy realized what he was doing beforehand, used a shadow clone to switch places, and then already positioned his real body beside him?
Jiraiya could not figure it out.
But he knew one thing for certain—
if this continued, he would die.
"Bunta!"
Jiraiya suddenly roared, and Gamabunta immediately understood.
With a puff of smoke, the giant toad vanished in midair.
He had no interest in letting some inexplicable brat stand on his head, but shinobi could use chakra to stay balanced.
So right now, the best way to help Jiraiya was simply to disappear.
Once he vanished, both Jiraiya and the boy would lose their footing.
And in the middle of the fall, Jiraiya would have a chance to break free.
As expected, the moment Gamabunta disappeared, Jiraiya used the drop in momentum to widen the distance between them.
Hikaru had not expected Jiraiya to keep struggling.
Under normal circumstances, he would actually have enjoyed continuing the fight.
But the current situation did not allow that kind of fooling around.
Kusagakure's shinobi forces were already on their way.
Hikaru had no intention of making things more complicated for himself.
The bigger the disturbance became, the less benefit there was for him.
Besides, he had already gotten what he came for.
There was no reason to keep tangling with Jiraiya.
On top of that, Jiraiya's Sage Mode was proving even less sustainable than Hikaru remembered.
Thinking about it carefully, though, that was normal enough.
The Jiraiya Hikaru remembered was the Jiraiya from sixteen years later.
Sixteen years was more than enough time to change a great many things.
Right now, Jiraiya had not even summoned Fukasaku and Shima, which likely meant his mastery over Sage Mode had not fully matured yet.
"Even if it's a little disappointing, I've still gotten a taste of the strength of one of this era's Sannin."
Hikaru thought to himself as he twisted in midair, landed lightly on a tree branch, then leaped down to the ground.
Gamabunta's jump had really carried him far.
He had directly pulled away from the blast radius and landed somewhere relatively safe, which let Hikaru descend without difficulty.
Jiraiya, by contrast, looked a bit more ragged.
His chakra expenditure had been far too great.
Though he managed to land on a tree trunk and steady himself, his movements were anything but smooth.
"The drain is too severe. I still need far more practice with Sage Mode."
Jiraiya gritted his teeth and rapidly formed hand seals.
By now, he had already gained a general understanding of his opponent.
The boy was absurdly fast, had perfect control over Sage Mode, and was also skilled in elemental ninjutsu whose power far exceeded his age.
No matter how he looked at it, the kid barely had any obvious weaknesses.
"Maybe overconfidence is one."
That thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind as he finished forming the seals.
In his current state, fleeing with pure speed was impossible.
Fortunately, he still had another option—
Reverse Summoning.
With his own chakra, he could cross space and escape directly to Mount Myōboku.
"Wood Release: Silent Strangling Binding Technique!"
But just as Jiraiya was about to slam both hands to the ground, countless wooden branches suddenly burst out around him and lashed toward his body.
Jiraiya had no time to react.
Or rather, he was so shocked that he froze for an instant.
By the time the wooden restraints wrapped tightly around him, he could already feel the chakra being rapidly drained from his body.
At the same time, one branch locked around his throat, making it impossible for him to speak.
"Wood Release? How is that possible?!"
Jiraiya felt the changes in his body and disbelief filled his heart.
As Tsunade's longtime comrade, there was no way he did not know exactly what Wood Release was.
But after the First Hokage, Wood Release had basically vanished from Konoha.
No—there was still one person.
Could it be...?
"Lord Jiraiya, haven't you made enough trouble already?"
Just then, the silver-haired boy appeared right in front of him like a ghost.
At the same moment, the branch around Jiraiya's throat obediently loosened.
"This Wood Release..."
Jiraiya stared at Hikaru and spoke in a low voice.
"And the way you appeared beside me just now—it wasn't a shadow clone used as bait. You were already there. What you used was Flying Thunder God!"
"Correct."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
He knew that by now, Jiraiya had most likely figured out who he was, so there was no point keeping up appearances.
"Your analytical skills are impressive, Lord Jiraiya. You saw through me so quickly?"
"There is only one person I know of who possesses Flying Thunder God, Wood Release, and Sage Mode all at once."
Jiraiya clenched his teeth and spoke in a low growl.
"The head of Konoha ANBU..."
He raised his head and stared at Hikaru.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, spilling across Hikaru's body.
With that warm smile still on his face, he looked almost as bright and open as Minato himself.
And in the next second, Jiraiya finally said the name aloud.
"Senju Hikaru."
"That's right."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"My name is Senju Hikaru. Please take care of me, Lord Jiraiya."
So it really was him.
The moment Hikaru personally confirmed it, Jiraiya felt a strange sense of relief—yet his heart found no peace at all.
He had heard the name Senju Hikaru many times from Minato.
He knew this boy was powerful.
He also knew his mind was frighteningly difficult to fathom.
But after meeting him today, Jiraiya realized "powerful" was far too mild a word.
The only way to describe this boy was monstrous.
Still, Jiraiya had too many questions left unanswered, and those questions kept his eyes locked on Hikaru.
After a long while, he finally asked, "Why? As Konoha's ANBU Minister... why would you do something like this?"
"Why?"
Hikaru tilted his head and smiled.
"Do you mean why I didn't reveal my identity? Or do you mean something else?"
"Don't call me 'Lord.' I'm not worthy of that."
Jiraiya tried to struggle upright, but Hikaru's Wood Release still held him fast.
"Why attack Konoha's own people? And what kind of mission justifies this kind of slaughter?"
"Well, first of all, as ANBU Minister, I am under no obligation to answer that."
Hikaru listened, then nodded lightly, still speaking in his unhurried, courteous tone.
"Even though you're one of the Sannin and the Fourth Hokage's teacher, you still have no authority over ANBU affairs."
He paused briefly, then crouched down until he was looking Jiraiya directly in the eye.
"Second, let me ask you something. If subordinates refuse to obey their superior's orders and, by doing so, obstruct the execution of a mission... do I or do I not have the right to deal with them?"
At that point, Hikaru let the words hang there.
Then he reached out and lightly patted Jiraiya's shoulder.
The branches binding Jiraiya swiftly retreated.
But the moment Hikaru spoke again, Jiraiya's heart turned cold.
"And lastly, I have one more thing I'd like to ask."
Hikaru's eyes remained calm, almost friendly.
"As the disciple of the Third Hokage, why did you take the initiative to attack Konoha's ANBU Minister?"
"What exactly were your intentions?"
"All right. Let's part ways here."
In a small town near Konoha, Jiraiya looked toward the road ahead, then turned to speak to Hikaru.
Hikaru stood behind him.
At his side was a red-haired woman, and in her arms she carried an infant.
They were the true gains of Hikaru's trip—
the Uzumaki mother and daughter he had rescued from the underground lab.
When Hikaru first saw the woman, he had not been completely certain he had found the right person.
But once he noticed the countless scars across her arms—and after conducting a very "careful" examination—he knew he had not made a mistake.
Still, the process had left behind some very obvious aftereffects.
Even now, the woman still looked visibly afraid whenever she looked at Hikaru.
Of course, it was also entirely possible that the sight of Hikaru casually turning the underground laboratory into a living hell had played a role in that fear.
Her name was Uzumaki Kōsai.
And the infant in her arms was Uzumaki Karin.
She was one of the unfortunate ones.
She had once lived quietly in the Land of Grass, but complications during childbirth had exposed her condition.
That attention from Kusagakure shinobi had marked the beginning of her tragedy.
Hikaru had no real interest in learning the full details of her past.
Most likely, it was just another miserable story.
But at the very least, he had pulled her out of hell.
Life had to move forward.
When Jiraiya saw the woman and learned her surname, he too had fallen into a troubled silence.
Clearly, he had already guessed what Hikaru's true mission in the Land of Grass had been.
"So you're not going back to the village, Lord Jiraiya?"
Hikaru turned and asked with a smile.
"You've already come this far. If you go back now, you might even get the chance to see your teacher."
"Hah, go back?"
Jiraiya looked at Hikaru's smiling face, then listened to his words and shook his head helplessly.
"I'd rather not. Going back would only bring trouble, and who knows—you might even throw me in prison."
Jiraiya still had not forgotten the words Hikaru had thrown at him earlier.
That single line had been enough to show him exactly how awkward his position was.
He was the Third Hokage's disciple.
And yet he had attacked Konoha's ANBU Minister.
More importantly, from what Minato had told him, this ANBU Minister was not on good terms with the Third Hokage at all.
That meant if this boy chose to make an issue of it, his teacher would absolutely suffer for it.
Still, much to Jiraiya's own surprise, after several days of traveling with Hikaru, he had begun to see him as a far more complex figure.
These past few days, the three of them had journeyed together.
And during that time, naturally, they had talked.
Through those conversations, they had developed at least a rough understanding of one another.
In Jiraiya's eyes, Hikaru was knowledgeable, articulate, and outwardly gentle.
At the very least, that was how he seemed.
What mattered more was that Hikaru had even offered him several suggestions about improving Sage Mode.
To Jiraiya, those insights were invaluable.
After witnessing Hikaru's Sage Mode, Jiraiya genuinely felt that his own version was almost a joke by comparison.
It took him far too long to enter the state.
And once inside it, the duration was pathetically short.
By contrast, Hikaru had entered Sage Mode almost instantly.
The strength he displayed in that state was terrifying, and his endurance was on a completely different level.
The fact that Hikaru was willing to help him represented a huge gain.
With that bit of goodwill—and with the time they had spent together—Hikaru's image in Jiraiya's mind had gradually become more complete.
Jiraiya began to feel that Hikaru was someone forced by the burden of reviving his clan, and by the swamp of Konoha's upper circles, into becoming what he was now.
After all, Hikaru had entered ANBU at the age of eight.
It was only natural that his style and way of doing things had been shaped by that environment.
Under the pressure of three overlapping circumstances, anyone would have changed.
And in Jiraiya's eyes, Hikaru's nature itself was not rotten.
Even though Jiraiya knew Hikaru would almost certainly use this incident to strike at Hiruzen once he returned, he still found it difficult to truly resent him.
What he felt most was sadness.
Sadness for what Konoha had become.
And sadness for what Hikaru had become—and for what he had been forced to do in the Land of Grass.
"Maybe. Since you really did interfere with my mission."
Hikaru shrugged casually.
"And throwing you in prison would definitely benefit me, so in all likelihood, I really would do it."
"You really don't bother hiding things, do you?"
Jiraiya sighed and shook his head.
"You're honest, in a way... but it's the kind of honesty that really stings. So no—I'm not going back."
"Very well. I understand."
Hikaru nodded and smiled.
"In that case, all I can do is wish you a safe journey, Lord Jiraiya."
"Hikaru…"
At that moment, Jiraiya suddenly called out to him.
But after the name left his lips, he seemed to hesitate, as though he no longer knew what to say.
Hikaru turned back, puzzled.
He honestly did not know what this so-called teacher of the Child of Prophecy wanted now.
But he said nothing.
He simply waited.
Jiraiya remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a low sigh.
"Hikaru, shinobi aren't supposed to be like this. Konoha wasn't supposed to be like this either. I..."
"I understand what you mean, Lord Jiraiya."
Hikaru interrupted him with a smile.
"But you view the world too beautifully. Too ideally."
"The world was never beautiful to begin with. I don't think that."
Jiraiya shook his head, sounding weary.
"I only wish it could become beautiful. And I've acted on that wish."
"In that case, all I can do is wish you success, Lord Jiraiya."
Hikaru nodded lightly, but then his expression grew more serious.
"But I don't agree with your way of thinking. Or with your methods."
At that, his face grew utterly solemn.
He understood Jiraiya.
And he understood exactly what Jiraiya wanted.
Jiraiya was hoping he would change.
Not just in the way he handled things within Konoha, but outside it as well.
But Hikaru did not agree.
Respect was one thing.
Agreement was another.
"Perhaps one day we'll have time to speak properly, Lord Jiraiya," Hikaru said seriously. "But that time is not now."
"Still, there is one thing you need to understand."
"What thing?" Jiraiya asked, lifting his head with some difficulty.
"I deeply respect your dream and everything you've sacrificed for it," Hikaru said, staring straight at him.
"But…"
His voice sharpened, one word at a time.
"I do not agree with your ideals or your methods.
And I will not change mine.
Not inside Konoha.
And not outside it either."
"For now, you'll live here. I'll settle your identity for you. Understood?"
In a quiet residential district inside Konoha, Hikaru looked at Uzumaki Kōsai and spoke calmly.
"I understand, sir."
Kōsai clutched the infant in her arms tightly and nodded with visible fear.
"I'll do as you say."
Hikaru nodded.
He could clearly see her distrust and fear of him, but he did not pay it much attention.
If anything, that distrust likely stemmed more from the fact that this was Konoha itself.
After all, her childhood exile from Uzushiogakure had happened because of Konoha's failure.
That was not something easily forgotten.
After watching her carry Karin inside, Hikaru turned and walked toward a nearby corner.
Waiting there in the shadows was Senju Shōma.
"Elder."
Hikaru greeted him as he approached.
For Kōsai and her daughter to stay in Konoha, they needed more than just village registration and surveillance.
They also needed a place to live.
The first problem was no problem at all.
As ANBU Minister, Hikaru possessed enough authority to handle that.
And bringing Kōsai back had already been tacitly acknowledged by Hiruzen.
On top of that, surveillance itself was ANBU's responsibility anyway.
As for the second issue, that was what Shōma had helped solve.
Konoha could certainly assign housing.
But Hikaru had no intention of using whatever random accommodation the village offered.
Since he had brought this woman back himself, there was no way he would let her fall under anyone else's control.
"That woman… she's from the Uzumaki Clan, isn't she?"
Shōma did not bother with small talk.
"An Uzumaki descendant, right?"
"Yes. An Uzumaki descendant."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"I got the information through ANBU. After everything in the Land of Fire's capital was settled, I went and brought her back."
"Well done!"
Shōma was clearly overjoyed.
"Back then, Hiruzen and the others—"
"Enough, Elder."
Hikaru cut him off before he could continue.
"I know perfectly well what happened to the Uzumaki Clan, and I know how this needs to be handled. Otherwise, I wouldn't have kept her under my own watch."
Shōma heard that and gave a quiet nod, his excitement cooling somewhat.
But even so, it could not extinguish the joy in his eyes.
Back then, Kirigakure had invaded Uzushiogakure, and Konoha had chosen not to intervene directly.
That had led to the destruction of the Senju Clan's greatest ally.
From then on, the Uzumaki had faded into history.
And after Uzumaki Mito's death, the Senju themselves had continued declining until they ended up in their current state.
Konoha still had Uzumaki Kushina, yes.
But Kushina had been raised and guided under Hiruzen's supervision.
In essence, she belonged to Hiruzen's side.
Still, the annihilation of the Uzumaki had left behind one serious consequence:
the selection of future Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Now Hikaru had brought back an Uzumaki woman.
And she even had a child.
If raised carefully, then the future Nine-Tails jinchūriki would be theirs.
"You really have changed the clan beyond recognition."
Shōma let out a faint sigh, then smiled again.
"By the way, what did you gain from going with Hiruzen this time?"
"What did I gain?"
Hikaru tilted his head slightly, and his smile broadened.
"A great deal. More than you could imagine. Though… there are some things I can't really talk about just yet. I hope you understand."
His gains on this trip had truly been enormous.
He and Hiruzen had successfully wrung a massive sum of money out of the daimyō.
He had also obtained leverage over Danzō—as well as that child who was either called Tenzō or Yamato.
After that, he had reclaimed the Dragon Vein, allowing the little Nine-Tails to evolve from beginner to intermediate rank, while also leaving it with a continuing source of growth.
Hikaru himself had even absorbed a portion of the Dragon Vein's chakra. He could not fully control it yet, but it was still more than enough to bluff others with.
Most importantly, he had unlocked Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which effectively meant he now had a second identity—one he could use for the sort of work his main identity was too visible to handle.
At the same time, there were indeed many things he could not explain.
After all, some of it involved the remains of Senju Hashirama himself.
If Shōma learned about any of that, Hikaru could not guarantee the old man would remain calm enough not to ruin his plans.
And Hikaru had no intention of letting anyone ruin his plans.
No matter who they were.
"I understand. Leave those matters to yourself, then."
Shōma seemed to have expected that answer, so he did not press further.
"I trust you, Hikaru. I always have."
"Don't speak so absolutely. Especially when it comes to trust."
Hikaru shook his head lightly, then turned to leave.
"I'll be going now. I need to return to ANBU."
"So soon? You won't rest first?"
"No."
Hikaru smiled faintly.
"There's a much more interesting little guy waiting for me in ANBU."
"Minister, this way."
Inside the prison block of ANBU's Third Division, Pakura led Hikaru deeper into the detention area.
The "more interesting little guy" Hikaru had mentioned was naturally the child he had brought back—
Yamato.
The boy had now been locked up for nearly half a month, and Hikaru was genuinely curious how he was holding up.
"Thank you, Pakura."
Even while still thinking about Yamato, Hikaru nodded warmly to her.
"By the way, you don't need to train today?"
"I do. But right now I'm training while also carrying out missions."
Though her face was hidden behind a mask, there was a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Captain Kakashi is too busy right now, so he's assigned me to participate in missions as well.
He said that training while working would help me integrate faster."
"I see."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"You've all had it rough lately."
Kakashi was under crushing pressure—Hikaru knew that very well.
And Kakashi was far from the only one.
Antelope and Trout were in the same situation.
After all, Hikaru's ANBU expansion plan had been handed directly to them.
Whether out of hunger for power or a desire to repay Hikaru's trust, they were all working seriously.
That said, Hikaru was not in any rush.
In his view, if the expansion was completed within two years, that would already be excellent.
Cultivating talent was never easy.
Even with the huge sum they had extracted from the daimyō, this was not something that could happen overnight.
After some casual talk, Hikaru soon arrived outside Yamato's cell.
Looking at the boy inside—chakra sealed, sitting quietly in place without the slightest attempt to resist—Hikaru gave a small nod.
"Then I won't disturb you any further, Minister," Pakura said tactfully.
"I'll remain outside the prison corridor. If you need anything, just call."
"Thank you."
Hikaru smiled, then watched her leave.
Pakura's changes had become increasingly obvious.
Maybe it was because the betrayal she had suffered had cut too deeply.
Or maybe it was the zeal of a convert.
Either way, she was now working with remarkable seriousness and commitment, and Hikaru was very satisfied with that.
A woman with her talent and strength dying pointlessly in someone else's political scheme had always been a waste.
Turning back, Hikaru once more fixed his eyes on Yamato.
He raised one hand and let chakra ripple through it.
The seals inside Yamato's body instantly adjusted.
As if sensing something, Yamato turned his head—
and saw the man he feared most.
To those from Root, the Minister of ANBU was the opponent they least wanted to face.
And right now, for Yamato personally, he was also the one he most dreaded.
He had gained Wood Release through those experiments.
That power was the reason he had become what he was now.
But when facing Hikaru, he had felt the difference between them as though it were heaven and earth.
His Wood Release was utterly worthless in front of Hikaru's.
"Do you still remember me, kid?"
Hikaru looked at Yamato calmly.
For once, he did not bother maintaining his usual warm and gentle facade.
"Yes."
Yamato hesitated for a moment before answering.
How could he merely "remember" him?
This man was engraved into his bones.
"Then do you remember how you obtained this Wood Release power in the first place?"
Hikaru continued, but then seemed to recall something and added deliberately,
"You'd better tell the truth.
Tell me everything.
That's your only chance to stay alive.
And it's also your only chance to protect certain people standing behind you."
"I…"
Yamato hesitated.
Then he lowered his head and spoke evenly.
"I don't know what you're talking about. If you want to kill me, then just kill me. I—"
"You'll say nothing, is that it?"
Hikaru cut him off and nodded calmly.
"I understand. But unfortunately for you, your resistance is meaningless.
Orochimaru performed the experiment on you, didn't he?
And Danzō took you in and raised you, correct?"
At that, Hikaru paused.
Then, with a meaningful look at the child, he turned and walked out of the cell.
The truth was, he had never expected Yamato to tell him anything.
Because he already knew the answers.
He had only wanted to test Yamato's attitude, so that he could prepare the next stage of his arrangements.
That was why he had said those things.
Why he had guided Yamato's thoughts so deliberately.
And just as expected, the moment Hikaru turned around, he saw a flicker pass through the boy's eyes.
At this stage, the person Yamato most wanted to protect was Danzō.
And Hikaru's words had handed him a convenient possibility.
As if—
as long as everything was blamed on Orochimaru, then Danzō could still be protected.
What he did not realize was that Hikaru wanted him to think exactly that.
Wanted him to act exactly that way.
Hikaru's target really did include Orochimaru.
But it also included Danzō.
And Hiruzen.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen sat with his pipe clenched between his teeth, staring at Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane standing before him.
The office was thick with smoke.
It was obvious he had gone through quite a lot of tobacco.
But that smoky atmosphere only made the room feel more solemn.
More oppressive.
After a long silence, Koharu finally sighed deeply.
"Hiruzen, we just finished dealing with the daimyō's situation. Is it really wise to turn around and deal with Danzō now?"
"He's crossed the line. This mess is my fault in the first place."
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly, his tone weary.
"So let's settle it."
"Danzō definitely went too far this time. That much is true."
Homura finally spoke as well.
"But to refuse to even meet him face-to-face, this…"
"Meet him?"
Hiruzen abruptly opened his eyes.
A massive surge of chakra erupted from him in an instant.
"Then why don't you ask him why he never came to meet me?
I gave him chances. I've always given him chances.
But this time, he has utterly disappointed me. Do you understand?"
Seeing Hiruzen fully unleash the pressure of the so-called Professor, both Koharu and Homura immediately fell silent.
They could tell that this time, Hiruzen was truly furious.
And they understood as well—
this time, Danzō was really finished.
Because the order Hiruzen had given was clear:
Danzō was to be stripped of every one of his positions—Root included.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 150 Power Stones.
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