With the Shinigami Mask in hand, Hikaru could finally say his preparations for this stage were complete.
Many of his earlier plans hadn't been built around a single, clear "end goal"—they were largely for self-preservation and to secure his future. But now, everything was moving smoothly. The pieces were falling into place exactly as he'd anticipated.
He had done everything he could think of—and everything he was capable of doing.
"The Shinigami Mask can be used to counter the Reaper Death Seal if Minato uses it. The sealing and release methods I obtained from the elder are meant to be used together with the mask.
The clan is stable now—no risk of them dragging me down, and no risk of them making trouble behind my back.
The Uchiha problem is temporarily resolved, and I already gave Makoto a warning shot—he should know what to do next."
Hikaru had specifically told Uchiha Makoto to seize the chance when Fugaku made a mistake—because Fugaku would make a serious mistake during the Nine-Tails incident.
If Makoto truly understood the situation, he would know what choice to make. Of course, that still depended on Makoto's own initiative.
Hikaru couldn't bluntly tell him, "When the time comes, think about the Hokage." That would sound too fake—and besides, Hikaru himself wasn't necessarily "taking the Hokage's side" either.
It was enough to tell Makoto that Fugaku was prone to errors—because Fugaku truly was.
After that, Hikaru simply waited in silence for the order to assemble, while carefully reviewing the scroll detailing the release method for the Reaper Death Seal.
The technique was shockingly "simple," at least compared to other sealing arts.
And at the same time, it was terrifying.
The creator of this jutsu was a genius—because it didn't require deep mastery of complex sealing principles. All it demanded was one thing:
Use your chakra to connect to the Pure Land.
Let the Shinigami answer that call.
Then, offering your own soul as payment, you drag your target down with you—mutual destruction.
That was the purpose of the jutsu from the very start: a final option when there was no other way out.
But its power was too monstrous—for both caster and victim. And once someone was taken by it, not even Edo Tensei could bring them back.
That was why it had been classified as a forbidden technique—something that must never be learned or used lightly.
For Hikaru, it wasn't an impossible problem. His clan might be fallen, but it had once stood at the top—and it still carried that old inheritance.
"What I don't know," Hikaru mused, rubbing his chin, "is whether Tsutaya Hirosh will be unlucky too when the jutsu starts involving the soul."
Whether Tsutaya lived or died meant nothing to him. And Hikaru had no intention of using the Spirit Transformation Technique to control Tsutaya.
Because nobody could guarantee what would happen if Tsutaya cast the Reaper Death Seal while being controlled: would the "medium" be Tsutaya's soul, or Hikaru's?
Hikaru didn't experiment with unknown dangers unless he had no choice.
Still… in the original records, Orochimaru had suffered no obvious harm simply from releasing the seal—so perhaps the "price" required to undo it was bodily, not spiritual.
"But Tsutaya's life-force leakage isn't exactly reassuring," Hikaru thought. "Who knows if he'll survive."
Hikaru had been watching the slow drain of Tsutaya's vitality for some time. It was a good sign, honestly—because if even the Ōtsutsuki could die, then a zealot from some 'evil god' cult being truly immortal would be absurd.
Maybe "immortality" was possible in theory—but Tsutaya clearly hadn't reached it. His life-force was disappearing, even if the process was slow.
Hikaru stood and stretched hard.
Tsutaya was already practicing the technique repeatedly. With his chakra sealed, he couldn't truly activate it—but that was exactly what Hikaru wanted.
Because if Tsutaya accidentally summoned the Shinigami for real, even Hikaru would feel that something had gone catastrophically wrong.
He walked to the window, looking out—and a status panel suddenly appeared in his vision.
Name: Senju Hikaru
Gender: Male
Birthday: Konoha Calendar Year 34, March 24
Rank: Elite Jōnin (system evaluation with no abilities used) (Kage-level chakra reserves)
Bloodline Development: Intermediate (Senju secret arts, beginner Yang Release secret art)
Seeds: Beginner Wind Release Seed (unplanted), Intermediate Sealing Seed (unplanted)
Fruits: None
Mission: Become the true final boss of the shinobi world (Only) (Progress: 18%)
Hikaru nodded lightly.
His panel had changed again.
Previously, seeds wouldn't even appear unless planted—but now the system could detect them even unplanted, and returned partial feedback accordingly.
It was almost funny—and a little irritating.
When he explored the Uzumaki clan's old estate and obtained the Shinigami Mask, he'd unexpectedly found a new seed near a large tree in the courtyard.
He needed stronger seeds, true. His earlier beginner sealing seed had matured a long time ago.
But he hadn't been actively looking—because the Nine-Tails incident was right in front of him, and he couldn't afford any damage or instability in his strength.
And yet the system practically dropped an intermediate sealing seed into his lap.
Hikaru didn't hesitate. He already had an unplanted beginner wind seed. If he couldn't plant them now, he'd simply store them.
Still, being forced to stare at power he couldn't use was frustrating.
But frustration didn't change reality.
Only after the coming storm was settled would he have the time and the chance to plant them.
"After this is over…" Hikaru stared toward the Hokage Rock outside, thinking quietly, "maybe I should finally visit the Valley of the End."
That was the place where Madara and Hashirama had split—where everything had broken.
Hikaru had passed near it many times on missions, but never had the freedom to stop.
He could feel the system vibrating whenever he moved through that region. He'd even touched trees there—yet received nothing in return.
Back then, he'd assumed his strength was too low to trigger the system's extraction.
"But now," he thought, eyes narrowing, "I should be strong enough."
After the Nine-Tails incident, he would go there—no matter what—and search thoroughly.
Uchiha Obito sat in silence inside a dim cavern, staring at files spread before him.
The moment he watched Kakashi kill Rin with his own hands, Obito's heart had fallen into the abyss.
He would inherit Madara's will. He would build a dream world—
because this world was fake.
After dealing with the Akatsuki and taking control of the Fourth Mizukage through Madara's legacy, Obito began returning to Konoha from time to time.
Partly to "mourn" Rin—the girl who once gave him warmth, yet also became the blade that drove him into despair.
And partly to gather intelligence.
Konoha's secrets mattered—for the things he would do.
Like the Nine-Tails.
Like destroying Konoha.
His luck, however, had been unusually good.
When he went to "visit" Rin, he unexpectedly ran into Kakashi—that damned man.
And even more unexpectedly, he learned a classified truth from Kakashi's own mouth:
Kushina was pregnant.
As Minato's former student—and now the inheritor of Madara's name—Obito knew exactly who Kushina was.
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
One of his targets.
Madara's title had brought him not only strength, but information—far beyond what most shinobi could dream of. He had studied jinchūriki extensively.
He knew how they relied on seals to suppress their beasts.
And he knew the fatal flaw:
A female jinchūriki's seal was weakest during childbirth.
If he seized that moment, he could free the tailed beast in a single strike.
And Black Zetsu—while teaching him Yin–Yang Release—had also taught him how to control the Nine-Tails through ocular power.
According to Zetsu, controlling the Nine-Tails wasn't difficult. The Nine-Tails was a mass of enormous chakra.
And the Sharingan was the embodiment of Yin Release—specialized in manipulating chakra.
In other words, the Nine-Tails was naturally vulnerable to it.
Obito hadn't tested it yet, but he believed he could do it—especially while the beast was freshly released and raging.
Now that Kushina was due, this was the perfect opening.
He wouldn't miss it.
The documents he read were the latest intelligence organized by the White Zetsu—Obito was building a detailed operational plan.
"…This Nightingale—what is that about?"
In the dark, lit only by firelight, Obito read a particular report carefully. His mask hid his expression, but the heaviness in his posture was unmistakable.
"He really has that kind of strength… wiping out over a hundred Sand shinobi at once?"
Obito hadn't expected that while he was hidden away, something like this had happened.
At the time, he'd been in Kirigakure handling his own matters. By the time Hikaru finished all that chaos, Obito was already crossing the sea.
After returning, he still didn't focus on ANBU—he focused on "visiting" Rin.
His target had never been ANBU, so he'd ignored it again and again.
"That happened months ago," White Zetsu's strange voice said beside him. "But you were either busy or simply didn't care—so you kept overlooking it."
"I see," Obito murmured. "Do we have more detailed intel on him?"
"He's very skilled with the Flying Thunder God," White Zetsu replied after thinking. "And his chakra reserves are huge. Also…"
White Zetsu paused, then added casually:
"He was your classmate."
"Classmate?" Obito frowned. "Which classmate of mine could reach that level?"
He genuinely didn't remember anyone like that.
Back then, the most talented in their class had been Kakashi—also the earliest to graduate.
After that, many classmates had left for war for various reasons. Obito didn't know their endings.
But he assumed most hadn't fared well.
Now, suddenly, such a person appeared. Of course it felt strange—and the name didn't even ring clearly.
"His real name is Hikaru," White Zetsu said, answering his doubt directly.
"Hikaru…"
Obito searched his memory. Something stirred—distant, blurry.
Then it clicked.
"I don't remember clearly… but our class really did have someone like that." Obito's brows tightened. "Wait—wasn't he Uchiha Saya's deskmate?"
"That's right," White Zetsu said. "And you got along with him pretty well back then. Also, from what we've gathered… he doesn't seem to be a civilian-born ninja."
Obito's mental image sharpened.
"Fukami Hikaru…"
Yes—he remembered.
They'd been friends, at least in the way kids could be friends in the academy. But around age eight, that boy left school. Obito never learned where he went.
After that, Hikaru became "busy," and they saw each other less and less. And Hikaru's deskmate had been the granddaughter of some Uchiha elder.
"So you chose ANBU," Obito murmured. "And now you've reached this level."
He stood, staring into the distance as if he could see through the world and into Konoha itself.
"Hikaru… After all these years, I wonder what you're really like now."
His voice lowered.
"You're not the same person you were back then. And I'm no longer the Obito of the past either."
Minato read the report in his hands and smiled.
He was genuinely happy.
One reason was obvious: his child was about to be born—his and Kushina's love made real.
The other reason was less personal, but no less satisfying:
Danzō had lost control over Root.
Minato learned this afterward. He hadn't expected that after the meeting with Danzō was interrupted by the Third Hokage, events would escalate into something this significant.
He had always wanted to deal with Root—but he'd been careful. Root was an entrenched power structure, shielded by Hiruzen and built over decades. Even with Hiruzen in office, it could only be restricted in limited ways.
Minato had just become Hokage.
He couldn't afford to grab a tiger by the whiskers too early.
But Hiruzen's tolerance had limits.
This time, it was Hiruzen who struck.
"It looks like Danzō truly angered the Third," Minato thought quietly. "Or he wouldn't have done this."
Autumn was deepening.
In the Hokage's office, Minato set the report down. Danzō's setback made him glad—but he couldn't become complacent.
Hiruzen siding with him here was about Konoha's interest, not Minato personally.
Minato understood clearly now:
His "conflict" with Hiruzen was fundamentally a conflict about Konoha's future—different visions of development.
When Konoha's safety was at stake, they could stand together.
But when it came to internal reforms—clan issues, departmental interests, the path Konoha should take—they would often clash.
For example, personnel reshuffles in many departments would be difficult.
And on the Uchiha issue, Hiruzen's side would not compromise easily.
Minato exhaled and opened the next document—one submitted by the Konoha Police Force.
It involved a dispute between Uchiha and other shinobi.
The recommended judgment made Minato frown.
This case was not a big deal, but the Uchiha were clearly at fault.
Yet in the report, blame was pushed onto the other party, and the Police Force requested a sentence of six months' imprisonment—awaiting Minato's signature.
Minato fell silent.
He knew the Uchiha had problems. And he also knew why this report had been pushed upward.
If this were the Minato of the past, he would have rejected it outright—summoned the Uchiha, reprimanded them, demanded the rest of the related reports, and investigated the Police Force's behavior systematically.
But after nearly a year as Hokage, he understood how different Konoha truly was.
There were things hidden in darkness that even his mission life had never exposed.
He also understood the reality of the clans' relationship with the Hokage—the compromises, the stalemates, the quiet wars between factions.
And the Uchiha…
They were a barrier every Hokage had struggled with. Even the First and Second could not "solve" them cleanly.
Minato's dream was to resolve it anyway.
Difficult or not—he had to try.
"Thankfully… Hikaru provided information about internal cracks within the Uchiha," Minato thought, "and also suggested the 'dogs biting dogs' plan."
He hated that plan.
But unless something changed, the Uchiha would never quiet down.
After ten minutes of thought, Minato finally sighed and wrote:
Approved.
He had no choice but to approve this one—because he, too, had grown deeply irritated by certain arrogant Uchiha within the Police Force.
He looked out at the blue sky beyond the window, and an exhausted helplessness rose in his chest.
He knew that helplessness would follow him for a long time—until he truly became a Hokage worthy of the title.
Minato returned to his paperwork. As the sun sank and the sky dimmed, his mood slowly steadied.
Time passed quickly.
After sealing another file, he stood.
Normally, he would keep working late—but not now.
Kushina was close to her due date.
He needed to spend more time with her.
Just thinking about it made a warm smile spread across his face.
And there was another important matter too.
"Sensei Jiraiya is leaving again…"
Jiraiya had returned to Konoha about a month ago—secretly. Even Hiruzen didn't know his student had come back.
Jiraiya only met Minato and Kushina—so only the two of them knew the truth.
Now Jiraiya was leaving again, claiming it was for "inspiration," but Minato understood: his teacher was chasing his own dream, and he likely disliked Konoha's current internal atmosphere as well.
Minato sighed quietly. He couldn't judge it.
All he could do was handle what lay within his control.
"I should go back," he decided. "Have one last meal with Sensei… and say goodbye properly."
With that thought, Minato vanished from the Hokage's office.
October arrived.
Nearly a year into his term as Hokage, Minato sat at his desk—rarely unable to focus.
The reason was simple:
Kushina's due date had arrived.
But when Hikaru and the others entered the Hokage's office one by one, Minato forced himself into full concentration.
These ANBU were selected by the Third to protect him and Kushina. Minato wasn't familiar with most of them.
Only one had been specifically requested by him:
Hikaru.
Even so, it was enough.
More ANBU wouldn't truly change much—Minato's own strength could handle most threats. He didn't like consuming public resources for personal reasons.
But Kushina was not only his wife.
She was also Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
There could be no mistakes.
Having Hikaru on the team eased Minato's mind.
Hikaru's strength was exceptional—Minato even believed it might not be inferior to his own.
"I believe everyone here understands the mission," Minato said firmly. "So I'm asking you all—please."
"Uzumaki Kushina is not only my wife. She is also Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
"I will not allow any incident."
"This operation is in your hands. Stay focused. Eliminate every threat before it can act. Understood?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the ANBU responded in unison.
Minato nodded, then looked toward Hiruzen and his wife.
This operation involved more than ANBU. Hiruzen's wife, Biwako Sarutobi, would assist with Kushina's delivery—she had experience, and had trained specifically for situations like this.
They all knew the core danger:
During childbirth, the jinchūriki's seal was at its weakest.
One mistake—and the Nine-Tails could break free.
Minato couldn't afford even a fraction of carelessness.
"Third Hokage-sama… Biwako-sama," Minato said, bowing slightly, sincere and respectful. "Thank you. I'm relying on you as well."
"Don't worry, Fourth-sama," Biwako replied calmly. "We won't let anything happen to Kushina."
Hiruzen nodded.
This mattered more than any internal disagreement. No matter what he thought of Minato's direction, he would never permit anyone to endanger the village at a time like this.
Even if it were Danzō—Hiruzen would act.
Kushina's delivery was Konoha's greatest test right now.
He would do everything necessary to prevent disaster.
And to keep Minato steady, he would make sure the village stayed quiet—no political games, no hidden moves.
That was the unspoken agreement between the two Hokage: there were times for conflict, and times when conflict must stop.
"I'll handle everything while you're away," Hiruzen said slowly. "I won't leave you any trouble. That is my promise."
Minato understood the meaning: no distractions, no backstabs, no internal mess while Kushina was giving birth.
Minato nodded.
With a small gesture, the ANBU vanished from the office—disappearing into shadows.
Minato and Hiruzen set out.
They soon arrived at Minato's home.
Kushina was already waiting at the door, supported by an older woman.
"Kushina," Hiruzen said, voice stern. "I know I've explained this many times—but today I must repeat it."
"When the child is born, the Nine-Tails' seal is at its weakest. This happened even with your predecessor—Uzumaki Mito-sama."
"Her seal nearly collapsed. We were one step from catastrophe."
"So to prevent any accident, you must deliver the child inside a barrier far from the village."
Kushina nodded seriously. She already knew—and she had prepared herself.
As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she understood things most people never would.
She knew exactly how dangerous this day could be.
"I'll be with you the whole time," Minato said gently, drawing her close. "You won't be alone."
Kushina glanced at him, cheeks reddening slightly, and nodded.
Hiruzen pretended not to notice. He continued evenly:
"Minato has arranged the ANBU. They're elite—capable of handling most complications. Maintain secrecy at all costs."
"As long as the child is born safely, everything will be settled."
"Third-sama, please rest assured," Minato replied firmly. "I have a plan."
Hiruzen nodded once and looked at the sky.
"Then we should depart."
They moved together toward the village outskirts.
Kushina's condition wasn't suitable for Flying Thunder God. Minato wanted to use it, but he couldn't risk anything—not for their child.
And as they departed—
Far beneath the earth in a hidden cavern somewhere in the Land of Fire, space itself rippled.
Obito's figure emerged from distortion.
"White Zetsu," he called immediately. "What's the situation in Konoha?"
"They've departed," White Zetsu answered slowly, rising from the ground. "But I can tell their defenses are strong."
Then White Zetsu tilted its head.
"Are you sure you want to do this alone? The Rinnegan is in the Rain Country now, and they've joined us. Don't you want them to move too?"
Obito snorted.
"No," he said coldly. "They're not ready yet. And we need to demonstrate our power."
His gaze shifted toward the cave entrance, where moonlight spilled like silver.
"And he isn't truly obedient. He doesn't truly trust us."
"So we start with the strongest—the Nine-Tails."
"Let him see what it means."
He turned slightly, looking back at White Zetsu.
Behind the swirling mask, the three tomoe in his eyes glowed—demonic, eerie, and merciless.
…And the beginning of the Nine-Tails' disaster quietly arrived.
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