"That's essentially everything. That concludes my report."
Inside the Hokage's office, Hikaru stood straight and composed, calmly recounting the entire mission in detail before Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He knew very well that everyone in this room had likely already received intelligence reports—some of them probably even knew more than he did.
After all, once he made his move, he withdrew immediately. He didn't stay behind to count bodies or assess the full extent of the damage.
But intelligence was never meant to stand alone.
Especially for people in positions of power—no matter how reliable a report seemed, they would never rely on a single source. Even if they believed it, they would still want corroboration. More detail. More context.
So Hikaru explained everything thoroughly.
How he eliminated six Sand ANBU right at the start when facing Ebizō.
How he deliberately misled the pursuing forces during the breakout, drawing them in the wrong direction and wiping out two additional squads in the process.
How he hid near an oasis to slowly grind down Sunagakure's patience.
And finally, how he used Flying Thunder God in coordination with Lizardmaru to break through the encirclement completely.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he also mentioned destroying the Sand sealing unit, as well as Chiyo's pursuit afterward.
But just as he had carefully concealed certain truths earlier, he still avoided sensitive details now.
He said nothing about the small lizards.
Nothing about Lōran.
Nothing about the sudden leap in his strength.
And nothing about the transactions he'd made with Chiyo.
In his account, Chiyo had tracked him only because he had accidentally located and wiped out the sealing unit, leaving traces behind.
As for the end—he described it as prolonged skirmishing, whittling down her puppets with Flying Thunder God until Chiyo became overly cautious, at which point he seized the chance to escape.
"…I didn't expect you to have wiped out Sunagakure's sealing unit as well," Minato finally said after a long pause, letting out a quiet sigh. "That really was a harrowing journey."
It truly was.
Even Hiruzen and the others—who had already seen fragments of the intelligence—felt the weight of it after hearing the complete version.
What Hikaru had faced could only be described as extreme.
Surrounded on all sides, hunted by overwhelming numbers—any other shinobi would have frozen in despair.
But Hikaru hadn't.
He stayed calm.
He stayed sharp.
He used everything he had learned to its fullest, dancing with Sunagakure like a ghost, waiting for the right moment to strike.
In the end, he left behind more than a hundred corpses—and walked back alive.
His strength, and more importantly his mindset, made even Hiruzen quietly wonder whether he truly had grown old.
"Oh, right," Hiruzen said after a moment. "I've heard you also brought back a woman. Who is she?"
"That would be Pakura," Hikaru replied without hesitation. "During the mission to escort Yaksha-maru back, she suddenly attacked us. I recognized her identity, so we captured her."
"Scorch Release—Pakura?"
Hiruzen froze.
That name was impossible to ignore.
Whether during the war or in the subsequent clashes against Kirigakure's retaliation, this woman had performed exceptionally well.
And her Scorch Release, a Kekkei Genkai, was powerful enough to make any village salivate.
If Konoha could secure her…
Compared to Hiruzen's visible surprise, Minato looked far calmer. He had already known about this.
"Yes," Hikaru nodded. "And I've obtained some information. Because of that, I have a proposal."
"What kind of information?" Minato asked, curious. "Did you uncover anything else?"
"Yes. Please take a look."
Hikaru immediately produced the letter taken from Viper's body and handed it over.
Hiruzen accepted it and unfolded it together with Minato.
The letter was written entirely in Sunagakure's cipher.
But what shocked them both was this—
A complete decrypted translation was attached.
They looked up at Hikaru simultaneously.
They understood exactly what that meant.
"The decryption came from an ANBU operative," Hikaru explained calmly. "The letter itself was taken from Viper's body."
"Unfortunately, I didn't know what I had found at the time. And under the circumstances, I didn't have the luxury of destroying evidence."
"I see."
Both Hiruzen and Minato sighed lightly.
They were disappointed—but not at Hikaru.
Having Sunagakure's cipher would have given Konoha an overwhelming advantage. But given Hikaru's situation—being hunted relentlessly—survival had come first.
Pausing to erase traces might have meant never coming back at all.
After a brief silence, they began reading more carefully.
As they did, their expressions slowly changed.
"This…" Minato murmured, stunned by the translated contents.
Hiruzen remained silent.
Rasa's actions weren't admirable—but they were practical.
Sacrificing one life to preserve the village's stability, to buy breathing room against greater threats—it wasn't wrong from a cold, strategic standpoint.
The real problem was that it had been exposed.
If this information spread, Sunagakure would be ruined beyond recovery.
And there was also the possibility that Pakura simply wasn't part of Rasa's faction—making her an expendable liability.
Hiruzen shook his head slightly. It wasn't his concern anymore.
"What do you plan to do," he asked calmly, "about Pakura?"
"She should be detained," Hikaru replied evenly. "Her value is extremely high—especially her Kekkei Genkai. After that, I'd like to attempt to turn her."
"Turning her?"
"Yes. This would be a severe blow to Sunagakure—and a rich source of intelligence for us. I don't think we should pass it up."
After finishing his report and outlining his plan, Hikaru was granted a well-earned leave.
For ANBU, time off itself was already a substantial reward.
And material compensation was never lacking.
ANBU missions were lethal by nature. Their rewards reflected that.
The bounty from this mission alone was nearly a third of Asuma's future bounty.
Hikaru was more than satisfied.
He still owed Sara a significant sum—and now he could finally clear that debt with room to spare.
"With money, a lot of problems disappear," he thought as he left the Hokage Tower. "And a break isn't bad either."
But another thought followed quickly.
"I haven't checked on the Third Squad at all."
Since taking command, Hikaru had barely spent any time with his own unit.
He'd handed training responsibilities to Trout, including both new recruits and the Senju members he'd inserted.
How things were going now—he honestly didn't know.
"During this leave, I should go back and take a look," he mused. "And there's something else I need to deal with."
Pakura.
He intended to see her personally—and talk.
Turning her wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't impossible either.
And with Hiruzen and Minato already informed—and not opposed—there was nothing stopping him.
ANBU ultimately answered to the Hokage.
If Pakura joined ANBU, Hiruzen benefited now—and Minato in the future.
On matters like this, they stood on the same side.
"Still… I need to move quickly."
The longer things dragged on, the more complications could arise.
"Looks like Kakashi's getting overworked again," Hikaru thought wryly. "I'll have him lead some missions—and let him train the Senju kids at the same time."
Kakashi was perfect for it.
He already knew Pakura. He'd guarded her for weeks.
And Hikaru had no intention of handling it personally—nor would Konoha allow that.
A captain running around constantly was unacceptable.
The Third Squad still needed him.
With that decided, Hikaru picked up his pace.
After being gone so long, he wanted nothing more than to go home and rest.
Even if more reports awaited him, they were far better than fighting inside Sunagakure.
"And while I'm at it… maybe I can finally get my hands on some Wood Release资料."
Meanwhile—
Inside Root Headquarters, beneath the Hokage Monument, Danzō Shimura stared at the report and attached photograph in his hand.
"…Scorch Release Pakura."
As the head of Root—and one of Konoha's most powerful intelligence figures—Danzō recognized her instantly.
Hikaru had entered through Konoha's side gate.
That gate wasn't just watched by ANBU.
Root had eyes there too.
This was a recent change.
In the past, Hikaru's returns hadn't drawn Root's attention.
But now?
Root had lost something important.
Very important.
And Danzō hadn't dared report it yet.
He needed answers first.
Which was why Root had begun covertly monitoring everyone entering and leaving.
And now—
He had this photograph.
"This woman… is an excellent candidate."
Danzō's eyes narrowed.
If he knew, then he had to act.
For Root.
For Konoha.
If Pakura was to belong anywhere—
It should be Root.
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