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Hikaru had been thinking for a long time about how to make contact with the Uchiha.
A "talent market" that large was something he couldn't bear to ignore.
Especially now—because in just a few months, the event that would shake the Uchiha clan and Konoha itself was likely going to happen.
If he didn't establish real contact before that, doing it afterward would become far more troublesome.
That wasn't an exaggeration—if anything, it was simply reality.
If Minato Namikaze were still alive, many things would be easier to handle.
But Minato was dead.
And once that happened, everything became painfully difficult.
"At the end of the day… Minato's death changes too much," Hikaru sighed. "So much it's enough to make you despair."
He raised a hand in a small gesture.
At once, the ANBU following him scattered and vanished into the area around him.
Hikaru paused, thinking carefully—then his figure flickered.
Like a ghost, he disappeared from where he stood.
When he appeared again, he was already inside the Third Division branch headquarters.
"Captain!"
Trout was in the middle of handling paperwork. The instant he noticed the sudden figure in the office, he froze—then bowed deeply.
"Get up. No need to be so formal."
Hikaru nodded, then asked directly, "Is Kakashi here? And the person I ordered him to bring back—what's her status?"
"Captain Kakashi is training right now. As for the prisoner he brought back—she's being held in the deep cells. Per your instructions, we haven't mistreated her."
Trout sounded honest and reported everything he knew at once.
"Good work," Hikaru said with a faint smile. "I have a task for you. Go inform the Third Hokage that I'll visit him this afternoon."
"The Third Hokage…?"
Trout blinked, then immediately nodded.
"Understood. I'll go at once."
He left the office at once, moving with obvious motivation.
As for where that motivation came from, Hikaru didn't care, and couldn't be bothered to think about it.
ANBU was deep water.
Hikaru was already wading in it.
He might be able to keep himself from drowning—but he still had to watch the people around him carefully.
With his current strength, as long as he stayed cautious, there were very few people in this era who could defeat him head-on.
Even if someone did defeat him, if he didn't want to die, he could still escape.
The Flying Thunder God wasn't terrifying only because of its offensive power—its ability to run away was even more valuable.
Even in the past, with nothing but early Sage Mode and mastery of Body Flicker, Hikaru had already been hard to catch.
Now, he had become even more slippery.
If he couldn't win, he ran.
And with his chakra reserves still intact, there weren't many people who could truly corner him.
But that was his situation.
The Senju clan—who had raised him—couldn't do the same.
"Forget it," Hikaru said to himself, stretching. "Focus on what matters. Handle my own problems first."
He headed straight for the prison wing.
The Third Division branch had its own cells—built to ANBU standards. They weren't comparable to the ordinary Konoha prison under the Military Police.
ANBU prisoners were rarely simple targets. While they waited for interrogation, preventing escape required a far stricter facility.
Hikaru walked through the halls and quickly reached the deepest section—where Pakura was confined.
She looked utterly miserable.
Her entire body was locked in shackles layered with sealing formulas, one after another.
Her mouth was covered by a mask-like restraint—clearly meant to stop her from speaking.
At this point, she seemed to have only her vision left.
Everything else had been tightly suppressed.
"Captain," the guard on duty bowed slightly when he saw Hikaru.
Hikaru nodded.
"Leave us. I'll speak with her alone."
"Yes, Captain."
The guard withdrew without hesitation.
Hikaru looked at Pakura through the bars. Her eyes were packed with hatred.
His lips curved into a faint smile.
That gaze cut like a blade.
But unfortunately for her, she wasn't an Uchiha.
A glare like that couldn't kill.
Hikaru ignored her and drew a kunai.
As his chakra flowed, strange markings on the kunai lit up with a pale sheen.
Pakura's eyes shifted with confusion. She didn't understand what the ANBU who had captured her was about to do.
Then—her eyes widened.
Because the Fourth Hokage appeared in the cell block.
This damned man…
He was connected to the Fourth Hokage?
Why was the Hokage here?
What was going on?
Pakura had no idea.
With everything but sight sealed, she was blind to the world in every meaningful sense.
But she understood one thing:
If these two were meeting here, it wasn't for something ordinary.
"Hokage-sama," Hikaru said, bowing respectfully the moment Minato appeared.
"Hikaru-kun… why meet in a place like this?"
Minato looked around, frowning.
"Does Pakura have some hidden complication?"
"No, Hokage-sama," Hikaru replied calmly. "This place is safer. With Pakura as cover, certain matters are easier to discuss."
Minato's eyes narrowed slightly, curious—but he didn't interrupt. He waited for Hikaru to speak.
"About Pakura—we already discussed that last time."
Hikaru smiled lightly as he continued.
"I intend to assign Kakashi a mission. He may depart soon.
Also… today, someone named Uchiha Makoto met with me."
…
"Uchiha Makoto?"
Minato froze at the name.
He knew it.
As someone who had been trying to bring the Uchiha and Konoha back together, Minato naturally understood the internal situation of the clan.
Makoto was an Uchiha elder—one of the rational voices. Someone whose thinking aligned with Minato's ideals.
But unfortunately, Minato had never found the chance to meet him, much less speak with him properly.
Any policy that touched the Uchiha was blocked for one reason or another.
Meanwhile, other voices inside the Uchiha were growing louder—and that wasn't a good sign. ANBU and Root had both confirmed as much.
So Minato simply hadn't had a path to reach them.
And yet—Makoto had reached Hikaru first.
"What exactly happened?" Minato asked immediately, interest sharpening his voice. "How did he confirm who you are? What did you talk about?"
"Why he targeted me specifically… I still need to confirm."
Hikaru shook his head.
"But by his account, he learned of my existence because of Kakashi. That's why he found me. And what he proposed was… interesting."
Hikaru summarized everything quickly:
Makoto's intentions.
Makoto's understanding—accurate or not—of Konoha's current power structure.
And even the fact that Hikaru had ordered ANBU to clear the scene.
Minato listened closely.
But certain parts troubled him—especially Hikaru's uncertainty about whether Makoto understood Konoha's "upper layer" clearly.
Most people assumed the Fourth Hokage and Third Hokage were effectively one unit.
That misconception wasn't harmless.
Once that label stuck, any shinobi who had been outside the Third Hokage's system would find it nearly impossible to approach the Fourth.
But of course, everything had two sides.
The benefit was equally obvious: shinobi already within the Third Hokage's orbit would more readily support the Fourth.
When Hikaru finished, Minato sighed heavily. He thought for a moment, then asked carefully:
"And what is your opinion, Hikaru-kun?"
His tone hesitated.
"He wants to send people into ANBU to create a channel between the clan and the Hokage. Do you think that kind of thing—"
"Hokage-sama," Hikaru cut him off, "this isn't something I'm qualified to advise on."
His smile remained gentle, but his meaning was firm.
"You are the Hokage. You need to make your own decisions—independent decisions."
Hikaru couldn't state his stance openly here.
Even if he had ideas—and he did—his position didn't allow him to get entangled so directly.
He couldn't cross the line.
It would be terrible for his path toward becoming Hokage.
Still, he could offer subtle guidance—like reminding Minato what his own authority should look like.
"I understand," Minato said quietly, then nodded.
"I know what to do. I'll try granting you some discretionary authority. Next time you meet him, you must avoid all eyes. Understood?"
"Understood," Hikaru replied with a bright smile.
"Hokage-sama."
…
"Third Hokage-sama, that is the situation in full."
As the sun fell toward the horizon, Hikaru bowed in the ANBU headquarters office before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After separating from Minato, Hikaru had come to ANBU headquarters—then waited until now for this meeting.
He showed no complaint.
He remained perfectly respectful, as though he weren't the Third Division captain, and as though he weren't the "Nightingale of Konoha" who had given Sunagakure nightmares.
"So that's how it is…"
Hiruzen murmured after hearing everything. Then he put on an apologetic smile.
"Hikaru, you truly don't need to be so formal. You're the Third Division captain—and Konoha's genius."
"No, Hokage-sama," Hikaru lowered his head slightly. "Rank must be respected. You are Hokage-sama, and I am only an ANBU captain. No matter my strength, I won't forget who I am."
"I said you needn't be so formal."
Hiruzen smiled—clearly pleased—then waved it away.
"Enough of that. Tell me what you think."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"After all… the Uchiha were once your Senju clan's old rivals."
He threw the question at Hikaru.
And at the same time, he didn't miss the chance to needle him.
The Senju–Uchiha rivalry was a distant history for many, but Hikaru, as a Senju, couldn't pretend ignorance.
By pushing this onto Hikaru, Hiruzen revealed his own attitude.
He wanted Hikaru to refuse.
And Hikaru was also someone Hiruzen hoped to position near Minato—to shape Minato's thinking without Hiruzen having to confront him directly.
Hikaru understood Hiruzen's intent perfectly.
But he gave an answer Hiruzen didn't expect.
"I think we can try letting some of them in."
"…Hmm?" Hiruzen blinked, then frowned. "Why? Explain your reasoning."
"Hokage-sama," Hikaru's smile grew brighter, "doesn't the Uchiha clan have two voices?"
"If so… why shouldn't we help the voice that benefits us stand taller?"
"You mean…" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he followed the thought. "Seize that voice—then let them deal with themselves…"
"That is Hokage-sama's interpretation," Hikaru replied smoothly, smile unchanged. "Not mine."
"…Is that so?"
Hiruzen stared at him for a moment, then slowly smiled.
"Interesting."
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