Chapter 24 — Sarutobi Hiruzen Is Up to Something
Senju Training Grounds.
Hikaru found Tsunade and, after explaining his purpose, handed the scroll back to her with a proud smile, watching her eyes widen in shock.
He felt a surge of satisfaction. To appear impressive in front of others, one must endure suffering behind the scenes. Countless sleepless days of studying had finally paid off—he had finished all the books.
"You finished them all? Kid, do you know the price of lying to me?"
Tsunade's expression was serious. A slow learner might be excused for lacking talent, but cheating? That's a matter of character. She knew Hikaru well enough to trust him, yet finishing everything in just a month still defied belief.
"Of course. How could I lie to Sister Tsunade?"
"Good. Then I'll test you. I hope you can answer correctly."
A dangerous glint appeared in Tsunade's eyes. If he failed, she would make sure he learned what honesty really meant.
Instead of choosing the chakra meridian diagrams, she opened a book on battlefield medical aid and began questioning him carefully.
Hikaru stayed calm. Under her shocked gaze, he answered every question fluently.
At that moment, Hikaru realized he wasn't much different from a real medical ninja, at least in theory.
He was a theoretical-type medical ninja.
"Slap!"
Tsunade closed the battlefield medical aid book and picked up another to continue questioning him.
As time passed, her shock only grew. By the end, her eyes went blank; she almost wanted to pry open Hikaru's head to see how it was even possible.
He had spent just one month mastering so many books, a feat Tsunade would normally expect to take a year before even starting to teach superhuman strength techniques.
"Kid, how did you learn so fast?"
"I studied. Simple."
Hikaru brushed it off, exuding an invisible confidence that left Tsunade momentarily stunned.
Simple?
She questioned her own life choices but had no choice but to accept the fact. True to her promise, she prepared to teach him superhuman strength techniques.
However, before that, this budding medical ninja could not be ignored.
Tsunade's smile was radiant, her demeanor gentle. "Hikaru-chan, what's your dream?"
"To become Hokage." Hikaru's guard went up. Tsunade actually called him by name instead of "kid"—there had to be a catch.
"What's so great about being Hokage? Always dealing with paperwork… such a hassle." Tsunade looked dismissive but smiled. "Hikaru-chan, how about becoming a medical ninja? You can help your comrades."
"No. I'm going to be Hokage, not a medical ninja." Hikaru's expression was one of disdain as he refused outright.
Yet inwardly, he was secretly pleased. He knew Tsunade was impressed with his talent. Even though he didn't want to be a medical ninja, having this skill on top of his system abilities was useful. Rejecting her now was a tease—playing hard to get.
But he clearly overestimated Tsunade's patience. She immediately delivered a thunderous hit.
"Bam!"
Hikaru saw stars as his head turned red and swelled.
"You little brat! How dare you refuse! Don't be ungrateful! (Angry｀Д´Angry)"
(´;︵;`) Hikaru clutched his head. This woman had no sense of fairness.
There was no chance to refuse—Tsunade had made her decision. "Morning, strength training. Afternoon, medical ninjutsu."
"But I still have school."
"Didn't you learn Shadow Clones? Use them." Tsunade said casually.
Hikaru's expression turned serious. He looked at Tsunade, enunciating each word:
"No. Using Shadow Clones to attend school is disrespectful to teachers and classmates. I absolutely will not do it."
At that moment, his gaze was unwavering, leaving no room for negotiation.
What a joke—constantly being in your presence would be like living in hell.
"Huh?" Tsunade froze. Using Shadow Clones for school? She had done it herself as a child—was it really necessary to be so serious?
However, when Tsunade met Hikaru's gaze, she was shaken to her core. What a pure, untainted look.
Suddenly, she understood why the young heirs of the great clans were drawn to a commoner like him.
Genuine.
Yes, absolute sincerity—treating others with honesty.
Tsunade fell silent. She recalled her own school days, when she had no friends. It wasn't until the time they were divided into genin classes that she had anyone—Orochimaru and Jiraiya. And even then, it wasn't voluntary; the teacher had arranged it.
She let out a wry, resigned smile. All this time, the fault had been hers. She had truly failed, being educated by a mere kid.
"Do as you like. But I'll be checking periodically. If it's not done, you know the consequences." She raised her fist in warning.
"Understood."
"Now, go train. I'll be watching." Tsunade sent him off with a smile.
Watching Hikaru's figure fade into the distance, Tsunade's eyes glimmered with approval. She had recognized him.
At that moment, she truly grasped the Will of Fire.
Where leaves flutter, the fire endures. The flames would continue to illuminate the village and nurture the growth of new leaves.
She had already understood protection and bonds, but now she gained a new insight: "Sincerity." Absolute sincerity naturally draws people in.
In a fleeting vision, she seemed to see her grandfather, Senju Hashirama—the hero who smiled at life and fought alone to protect the world.
Hokage… If it were you, you'd succeed.
Meanwhile…
Uzumaki Mito smiled faintly. As a Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, she had an innate ability to sense good and evil. In Hikaru, she detected no darkness at all—only endless light. And she had only ever seen that same light in one person: Senju Hashirama, her beloved.
Encountering such a person again filled Mito with affection. Handing over the Senju secret techniques to Hikaru, she felt at ease.
Luckily, Hikaru didn't know any of this—otherwise, he would be mortified. He prided himself on not being a bad person, yet he was certainly not that good.
All of this was thanks to the system, which shielded him from being fully scrutinized.
Yes, it was just a beautiful misunderstanding.
ｸﾞｯ!(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
…
Elsewhere.
Hokage's office.
"Ready?"
"Yes, everything's prepared." An Anbu nodded and responded gravely.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long drag from his cigarette, the smoke filling the room. "The operation is set for three days from now. Be extra careful—not leaving any traces, and ensure Uzumaki Kushina's safety."
"Yes, sir!"
"Go."
After dismissing the Anbu, Hiruzen gazed at the Hokage Rock. Three massive faces loomed above: Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and himself.
Uzumaki Mito's health was declining and wouldn't last many more years. Uzumaki Kushina had just arrived in Konoha. Though she trained alongside Hikaru, their bond wasn't strong enough yet. Hiruzen could not afford even the slightest mistake.
As a prospective Jinchūriki, Kushina had to be fully loyal to Konoha. And what better way to instill that loyalty than a classic hero-rescues-damsel scenario?
For this, he had devised a plan: "Rescue Uzumaki Kushina."
The mission would involve a Cloud Ninja spy in a supporting role, while Hikaru and his nine comrades would play the lead roles.
Getting the Cloud spy to act was simple: just accidentally leak some information about Kushina. If Hikaru and the others noticed something amiss, they would naturally infer that Kushina was in danger.
For Hiruzen, orchestrating all this was easy—just a subtle nudge was enough.
"Hikaru, Namikaze Minato… do not let me down."
And with that, the grand stage was set.
The drama begins!
***
Complete Volume 1 is a vailable at P@trèon/(Aki_sensei)
Volume 1 is simply an introduction of the MC background, power, personality which is similar to Luffy. Long story short, it's just the beginning.
Volume 2 is where is truly starts. Haki would be implemented in his technique. Thus, expect a power spike!