Hikaru now somewhat understood why many people disliked going home for New Year.
For many people, it was practically a nightmare.
In his previous life, Hikaru had never experienced being pressured into marriage. He never expected that after transmigrating, although he still had not experienced that, he would instead be pressured into having children.
Most importantly, the pressure was not coming from just one person. Including Senju Shōma, there were now three of them.
Faced with this situation, Hikaru could only feel helpless. He did not know what else to say. All he could do was keep a dark expression and remain silent, hoping the topic would pass quickly.
Speaking of which, Hikaru was also becoming increasingly aware of his own problem.
In his previous life, he had been a pure, genuine LSP.
The reason no one had pressured him to get married back then was that he had too many "parallel jogging partners," so his family simply could not be bothered to lecture him.
Naturally, he could tell that whether it was Ayame or Saya, perhaps because they were both shinobi, they both had perfect physiques.
No matter what posture they took, they could hold it without issue.
Besides that, he himself was also a typical example of someone who could wake up in the middle of the night and realize he stood between two kingdoms at war.
In his eyes, Jiraiya was honestly nothing special.
Hikaru felt that if he picked up a pen and wrote something called Hikaru's Ninja Academy Life Was Not Ideal, he could absolutely make Jiraiya ashamed of himself.
However, after coming to this world, perhaps because he had been focused on surviving early on, and because he had been too young to have such thoughts, he had not cared much.
But after he truly gained power, he was astonished to discover that he still did not have much interest in such things.
Strength and authority occupied most of his mind. His thoughts were basically all about increasing his strength and standing at the peak of power.
Aside from constant "struggle," romance and desire seemed to interest him far less naturally.
"With strength, I can guarantee my own safety and obtain authority through that strength.
"With authority comes wealth, and naturally, women won't be lacking either."
Hikaru's logic was very clear.
However, he did not dare say such logic aloud.
Even if he believed his thoughts were not wrong, he did not want to say them to Hashirama and Tobirama.
He felt Tobirama could probably understand him, but Hashirama absolutely would not agree.
There was really no need to argue with those two over such things.
Especially since Hikaru intended to keep both of them around.
Tobirama's value needed no explanation. Whether in administration, research, or other fields, he could make outstanding contributions.
As for Hashirama, although he might not be able to help Hikaru with governance or experimentation the way his younger brother could, his understanding of Wood Release, Yang Release, and Sage Arts would still help Hikaru greatly.
Therefore, keeping both of them would absolutely bring more benefits than drawbacks.
The only possible downside was that Hashirama might dislike some of Hikaru's more ruthless methods, while Tobirama might dislike Hikaru's attitude toward the Uchiha.
But so what?
As long as Konoha continued to flourish, even if they disliked it, they would endure it.
After all, both of them had admitted one thing: the current Hokage was Hikaru.
"But in that case, all five Hokage of Konoha are gathered together."
Hikaru lay in bed and muttered inwardly.
Strictly speaking, the First and Second were still dead.
But they were conscious dead men. Besides, who said the dead could not be revived?
As for the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hikaru had not killed him either, though he had made the old man suffer terribly.
Not only had Hiruzen lost his wife, but his eldest son, who had served in Root, also seemed to have died.
As a result, that grandson named Konohamaru seemed to be gone as well.
Besides that, almost every one of Hiruzen's old classmates had died before his eyes.
Whether it was Uchiha Kagami, who had died long ago, or Danzō, Koharu, and Homura, they had all been separated from him forever.
The only one still alive was probably Akimichi Torifu.
However, the Akimichi Clan and Nara Clan were one body. They had already pledged themselves to Hikaru.
In other words, aside from the Sarutobi Clan he had developed, Hiruzen now only had one son and Konoha left.
Asuma had not fully returned yet. Who knew where that man was wandering?
In any case, he had no chance with the daimyō anymore. After all, the daimyō had already been reduced to this state through Hikaru and Hiruzen's combined efforts.
If the daimyō truly failed to understand his position and created something like the Twelve Guardian Ninja again, Hikaru could guarantee that the person sitting in the daimyō's position would no longer be the current one.
As long as it was someone of the same bloodline and someone who controlled that wealth, that was enough.
Hikaru truly did not care who sat there.
The current Sarutobi Hiruzen could be considered a useful assistant to Hikaru.
Even though his opinions often differed from Hikaru's, there was no issue with his ability to handle matters.
Hiruzen was alive and well, and so was Namikaze Minato.
The Fourth Hokage was currently recuperating at Mount Myōboku.
Kakashi had also told him that Hikaru was looking forward to Minato returning to take charge of the ANBU.
Although Hikaru had not received a definite answer, Minato had asked Kakashi to bring him a message.
He hoped Hikaru would take good care of Naruto, who was about to return.
Hikaru had already discussed this matter with Minato during their last meeting. Bringing it up now clearly did not mean Minato distrusted Hikaru.
Rather, it was a relatively positive response, one Hikaru was fairly satisfied with.
"Does this count as five generations under one roof in a strange way?"
As Hikaru thought about it, this phrase suddenly appeared in his mind.
But very quickly, he shook his head violently.
He clearly hated that description.
After all, he was the Fifth Hokage. If this really counted as five generations under one roof, he would be the youngest one.
"Hm?"
Hikaru had just closed his eyes and was preparing to rest when he quickly opened them again and turned toward the door.
At that moment, the door was gently pushed open, and a graceful figure slowly walked in.
The figure moved very slowly and very lightly.
Hikaru already knew who it was, so he simply pretended to be asleep.
However, he soon discovered that he could not continue pretending, because that figure had already slipped into his bedding.
"Isn't this a bit much?"
Hikaru helplessly opened his eyes. Looking at the person beside him, and at the faint blush on her usually cool face, he could not help shaking his head.
"Did those two old bastards talk to you?"
"Don't… don't call the First and Second that."
Ayame shook her head. Her voice trembled slightly, which was very different from her usual style.
She seemed to notice that change herself. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"I am your fiancée. Before, you said we were still young. But now we are both adults. I think it should be time."
It was indeed time.
But the problem was that he did not want children!
Hikaru muttered this silently, but he did not dare say it aloud.
After thinking for a moment, Hikaru suddenly leaned close to Ayame's ear and asked softly,
"Can you use the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"I can. Why?"
Ayame was somewhat confused, but still nodded.
"Good."
Hikaru nodded slowly.
Knowing Shadow Clone Technique was a good thing.
Although he was not entirely certain whether it would burst apart, it was still much better than letting this little girl—whose actual combat experience in this area was zero—face him alone.
…
Early the next morning, Hikaru rose refreshed and went to eat breakfast.
Although he had indeed been somewhat exhausted the previous night, and although he would have to find someone to buy him a new bed today.
It was not that the previous bed was too small—though that was part of it.
More importantly, that bed had already fulfilled its historical mission.
Perhaps this was what it meant to be a shinobi. After discovering a good frame, Hikaru had fully displayed his physical quality.
The result was naturally somewhat tragic.
Fortunately, Hikaru was not short on money.
What puzzled Hikaru slightly was that he had originally been rather uninterested in such matters.
But judging by his performance last night, it seemed he was not that uninterested after all.
After all, he had not slept the entire night.
Rubbing his chin, Hikaru was still thinking about what exactly was going on with him when Hashirama and Tobirama suddenly walked up to him.
Their appearance brought Hikaru back to his senses.
However, he did not give them a good expression. He even asked directly,
"Want breakfast?"
"…"
Hashirama and Tobirama's faces darkened.
Edo Tensei eating breakfast?
What use would that have?
Was that not pure waste?
They could naturally tell that Hikaru was deliberately disgusting them.
As for why he was doing it, they really did not know.
But not knowing did not matter.
Neither of them would obediently accept it.
Interestingly enough, perhaps because of their strength, or perhaps because Hikaru was also Hokage, their relationship with him had changed.
They clearly knew Hikaru was their junior, but when interacting with him, they treated him more like a peer.
One could even say without exaggeration that they treated Hikaru as a friend.
Becoming their friend was no easy matter.
And this was not an ordinary friend, but a true one.
Even someone as easygoing as Hashirama had his own pride.
The closest friend in his life had only been Uchiha Madara.
Although Hikaru had not reached that level, he had still become someone of significant weight.
In simple terms, Hikaru had gained the recognition of both of them in every aspect.
"We'll pass. As Edo Tensei, eating would only be a waste."
Hashirama slowly sat down. He glanced at Hikaru, then smiled.
"You, on the other hand, should eat more. After all, you were busy from last night until this morning. No matter how good your body is, you still need to replenish yourself."
"???"
Hearing this, Hikaru froze.
Then his expression shifted slightly.
He had clearly set up a soundproof barrier. How could these two still hear anything?
Could they have used sensory perception to investigate?
If so, these two had gone too far.
"You really should replenish yourself properly. Although you used a soundproof barrier, your room kept shaking."
Tobirama also sighed from the side before speaking slowly.
"Young people need restraint. Even if you are Hokage, do not forget the Three Shinobi Taboos.
"As for breakfast, I think you should eat with that girl."
"You two bastards…"
Hikaru could not be bothered to say anything else. He stood up and said casually,
"Leave breakfast for Ayame. I'll go eat ramen. Come with me. We'll head to the office afterward."
Hikaru's expression was calm, but both of them naturally knew the young man before them was probably very displeased.
However, neither of them cared about such a minor matter. They stood up directly and prepared to follow Hikaru out.
Hikaru did not immediately leave.
He turned and went upstairs to check on Ayame.
But Ayame seemed somewhat embarrassed to face him now. She was still on the floor, covering her head and pretending to sleep.
After Hikaru broke the bed last night, they had simply laid out bedding on the floor.
Actually, Hikaru had also slept on the floor before, though back then there had been tatami.
Seeing Ayame like that, Hikaru was still somewhat pleased, and even considered whether he should help this girl—no, this woman—take a day off.
After thinking it over, Hikaru felt it would be better to see what Ayame herself wanted.
If she did not come in, he would give her leave.
If she came in and he had already arranged leave for her, that would be somewhat ridiculous.
Besides, he was Hokage. His secretary was under his command. Arranging leave was not difficult.
"Konoha really is good. Everywhere is full of vitality. Especially now—Konoha is far better than it was in our time."
Walking along the street, Hashirama looked at the people passing by and felt the beauty of the human world. He could not help smiling.
Of course, he was once again using Transformation Technique.
He did not want to become like a monkey in a zoo, surrounded and stared at by everyone.
"It is indeed good. In the past, war never stopped. Now, such peace is rare."
Tobirama nodded.
But very quickly, he said unhappily,
"Speaking of which, the scale of war today is even larger, and the destruction is even more unimaginable.
"Back then, I told you more than once, Big Brother, that if you wanted to truly end the chaos of the shinobi world, you had to unite the entire shinobi world.
"That was one of the rare times I agreed with Uchiha Madara. But you refused to listen.
"And look at things now. After your death, three Shinobi World Wars occurred.
"If we count Hikaru's war against Kumogakure, it would almost be four Shinobi World Wars.
"So when I said your vision was shortsighted back then, I truly was not wrong at all!"
Once this topic came up, Tobirama was truly unhappy.
Hashirama helplessly sighed.
Back then, both Uchiha Madara and his younger brother had hoped to pacify the entire shinobi world.
However, Hashirama believed doing so would cause even more deaths.
At the time, he also had little confidence in the shinobi village system.
Therefore, he chose to stop.
That could be considered one of the triggers that caused him and Uchiha Madara to completely turn against each other.
Back then, Uchiha Madara had indeed seen further.
Because the establishment of shinobi villages would only bring relative peace, followed by larger and more terrifying wars…
…
After Hikaru finished his ramen, he brought the two of them to the Hokage's Office.
Along the way, both of them were very quiet.
It was clear their moods were not particularly good.
Tobirama might have been used to criticizing his elder brother, and his words truly left no mercy.
Hashirama seemed to have also realized that his decision back then had not been good.
Even though he had given the tailed beasts to every village as strategic deterrent weapons in order to prevent war, from the current results, his actions had not ended war at all.
On the contrary, because villages were established, shinobi had better systems for training.
In the past, wars had mostly been fought with clans as the unit. The forces gathered had not been particularly large.
But now, a village gathered the power of many shinobi clans. With a proper training mechanism, even shinobi who did not belong to clans appeared.
This had caused war to become completely uncontrollable and even more destructive.
And the tailed beasts had also gone from strategic deterrent weapons to strategic weapons.
The destruction they brought was truly despairing.
"Was I truly wrong…"
This thought kept circling in Hashirama's mind. Even after they arrived at the Hokage's Office, he still seemed somewhat distracted.
"All right, Hashirama-senpai, don't think too much about it."
Sitting at his desk, Hikaru looked at Hashirama and shook his head.
"What's done is done. Thinking too much won't help.
"And to put it bluntly, a Hokage only needs to do the Hokage's job well.
"As long as we are strong, naturally no one will dare come looking for trouble.
"Besides, don't forget our new foreign strategy plan."
Hearing Hikaru's words, Hashirama's expression finally improved slightly.
He knew Hikaru was probably also dissatisfied with his decision back then.
He could tell this junior was more like his younger brother.
As for why Hikaru did not try to conquer the world now, the reason was very simple.
It was not that Hikaru could not do it.
With Hikaru's strength, Hashirama believed it would not be difficult.
The problem was that doing so now was impossible.
Back then, the shinobi world had not been integrated, and there was no established concept of villages.
Acting then would naturally have been best. They could have shaped a complete concept of a single village.
But now, villages had already been fully established. After more than fifty years of development, that concept had already formed.
If Hikaru acted now, it would be invasion.
Even someone as simple as Hashirama could imagine what would happen in occupied territory after invasion.
Because people already had the concept of "I am a shinobi of this village" in their minds.
Even if clan identity was placed before the village, the result was still the same.
"Thank you. I've read your foreign plan. It is truly excellent."
Hashirama shook his head and stopped thinking about those troublesome matters.
He forced out a smile, but that smile was sincere.
After all, with Tobirama's explanation, he understood Hikaru's strategic thinking.
To put it plainly, Hikaru intended to expand territory silently—or rather, change the shinobi world in his own way.
Even if he was currently only targeting small nations, who knew what it would become in the future?
"Thank you. By the way, Hashirama-senpai, do you have any plans for the future?"
Hikaru tilted his head and suddenly asked with a smile.
If Nara Shikaku were here, he would definitely be certain Hikaru had some kind of idea.
As for whether that idea was good or bad, that would be hard to say.
"Plans?"
Hashirama frowned. After thinking for quite a while, he slowly said,
"I am not sure. According to my original thoughts, since I have already learned about Konoha's current situation, I no longer have any attachments.
"When the time is right, perhaps I will return to the Pure Land and sleep."
"I see."
Hearing Hashirama's words, Hikaru could not help showing a disappointed expression.
"Then I understand. When Hashirama-senpai wants to leave, tell me. I will release the Edo Tensei for you."
Tobirama raised an eyebrow at Hikaru's words.
To be honest, he truly did not want his elder brother to leave just like this.
Similarly, he believed Hikaru did not want his elder brother to return to the Pure Land either.
But he remained silent.
He wanted to see what Hikaru planned to do.
Or rather, he wanted to see how Hikaru would use the setup Tobirama had given him earlier.
Hashirama and Hikaru had not had many private conversations, but Tobirama could tell they were the same type of person.
He had deliberately brought up his elder brother's old decision again earlier precisely to stimulate Hashirama.
Now that he had done what he needed to do, he was no longer suited to continue speaking.
"Still, it really is a pity."
Suddenly, Hikaru sighed softly. He continued to look at Hashirama with disappointment.
"Hashirama-senpai created this situation. Have you never thought about changing it properly?"
As expected. He truly is the child I value!
Hearing Hikaru's words, Tobirama still kept a cold expression, but inwardly he laughed.
Hashirama looked at Hikaru in confusion.
"Hikaru-kun, what do you mean?"
"I can tell both of you directly. I have plans to revive both of you."
Hikaru withdrew his expression and made himself look much more serious.
"Leaving aside the fact that both of you are Konoha's founders and the people who laid its foundation, and leaving aside the fact that you are former Hokage, and even putting aside the fact that both of you are my clansmen…
"Your strength, knowledge, and experience alone can provide Konoha with immense help.
"Konoha is currently in a stage of rebuilding and renewal. Many projects and systems require people to assist me.
"My original plan was to search for materials to revive both of you while allowing you to make use of your specialties.
"For Tobirama-senpai, I intend to appoint him as my political adviser. At the same time, I plan to establish a Secret Arts Research Division and have him serve concurrently there.
"As for Hashirama-senpai, the position of principal of Konoha's Ninja Academy is currently vacant.
"After the Third stepped down, no one has taken over."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
Looking at the two before him and their different expressions, a smile appeared on his face. His voice grew stronger.
"Revival is an opportunity.
"It is also a chance.
"This chance can give both of you more time to help Konoha grow stronger from a different perspective.
"At the same time, it gives you the chance to change the mistakes of the past and make up for what was lacking.
"Whether it is the handling of the Uchiha or the decision made regarding the shinobi world back then…
"The opportunity is now before both of you.
"Whether we witness Konoha's rise together, or whether you return to the Pure Land with regrets…
"That choice now belongs to you."
…
"Ayame, you're actually late today?"
Inside the secretary office of the Hokage Building, Saya looked at Ayame in surprise.
In her memory, Ayame had never been late before. Likewise, Saya herself had never been late.
After all, both of them were the people Hikaru valued most, and they were also the two highest-ranking secretaries in the secretariat.
In a certain sense, they represented Hikaru. Naturally, they could not embarrass him.
Moreover, they both liked their current work very much.
It was work that could prove their value. How could they make mistakes?
After carefully looking Ayame over, Saya's expression became even stranger.
First, Ayame's aura seemed to have changed considerably.
Besides that, her legs also seemed somewhat injured.
This surprised Saya.
Had Ayame trained too hard?
Although their current positions basically meant they were away from the battlefield, both of them still continued training themselves.
And because of Hikaru, the two had become quite close. Usually, they trained together.
Had Ayame secretly trained extra by herself?
"Something happened at home, so I came late."
Ayame sat down in her seat and answered softly.
But very quickly, she noticed Saya's gaze, which made her helpless.
Everything she experienced last night had shown her another side of Hikaru.
At the same time, she understood what Hikaru meant when he asked her to use shadow clones.
For the first time, she realized Hikaru could be so beastly… so shameless.
Thinking of what happened last night still had a strong impact on Ayame.
Not only did she feel her legs grow even more sore, she also felt her face begin to heat.
"Is that so?"
Saya was somewhat confused. She truly had not figured out what was going on.
"Should I help you request leave? You can simply go back and rest."
"No need."
Ayame shook her head. She glanced at Saya beside her and thought silently that Saya would probably not be able to escape in the future either.
Ayame had always watched the relationship between Hikaru and Saya silently.
She had even heard Saya talk about the story between the two of them when they were young.
Most importantly, two ancestors had suddenly "come back to life" in their home—and those ancestors were the First Hokage and Second Hokage.
Although one of them was very displeased with the Uchiha, they seemed to have reached agreement on one matter.
They both hoped Hikaru would leave behind enough bloodline and have enough children.
Since Hikaru and Saya had a past, and since Saya clearly liked Hikaru, and since the Uchiha—aside from that clan head—could basically be seen as under Hikaru's control…
With the support of those two ancestors, Saya probably truly could not escape.
As for when it would happen, Ayame did not know.
But she felt that day would come eventually.
"Really no need?"
Saya tilted her head.
Although Ayame had only glanced at her, she could feel that her friend and rival's gaze was strange.
But out of concern, she did not dwell on it and continued asking.
"Really no need. Don't forget we still have a lot of work to handle."
Ayame did not want to be questioned further, so she immediately picked up a file and began reviewing it.
"All right. If anything happens, tell me, understood?"
Seeing Ayame like this, Saya did not ask further. She also had many things to handle.
However, what she did not know was that when she also began processing documents, Ayame quietly looked at her again.
Very quickly, Ayame withdrew her gaze.
Feeling the discomfort in her body, she could not help gently shaking her head.
She hoped that when Saya truly experienced such a thing, she could still maintain this attitude…
…
"So this is Konoha?"
Standing outside Konoha's barrier, a man dressed entirely in a black robe and wearing a bamboo hat muttered to himself.
The breeze blew, and his robe fluttered gently with the wind.
He lifted his hand slightly and raised the brim of his bamboo hat. A pair of pale purple eyes with ripple-like rings appeared.
Clearly, this man was Nagato.
It had already been some time since Nagato decided to meet Hikaru, or to meet those people who had perfectly mastered the power of the tailed beasts.
His first target had naturally been the people who could perfectly control the tailed beasts.
What disappointed him was that he could not find any information about them.
Those people seemed as if they did not exist at all. There were no traces of them anywhere in the shinobi world.
To find them, Nagato had even asked Konan to help, but the result was the same.
After searching for nearly two months, Nagato could only give up and decide to first meet the easiest person to find: the Hokage.
What Nagato would probably never dream of was that the people he wanted to meet were actually the same person.
Moreover, wanting to meet Hikaru was not a simple matter. Nagato understood this very clearly.
Hikaru was a bigger target. After all, he was now the famous Fifth Hokage.
But precisely because he was Hokage, he was even harder to meet.
The Kage of each village truly were not people one could meet simply because one wanted to.
Especially since there was no small conflict between him and Hikaru.
Nagato did not want a conflict.
Although his current strength had increased tremendously, he still could not be certain whether he could defeat this Hokage.
Moreover, he had not come here to fight.
He wanted to confirm some things, and more importantly, resolve some things.
His beliefs had already been shaken.
During this period, he had constantly recalled everything from his past with Yahiko.
He discovered that after Yahiko's death, he had truly changed greatly.
That change made him feel extremely uneasy and uncomfortable.
He truly did not know what kind of demon he would become if this continued.
Deeply sighing, Nagato looked at the barrier before him and slowly reached out.
Today was an opportunity.
An opportunity he had to grasp.
An opportunity he had to face…
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