"Is that… Wood Release?"
When Minato Namikaze returned to the village, what he saw was beyond anything he'd expected.
In his mind, the Nine-Tails should have been rampaging freely, tearing Konoha apart without restraint.
And yes—the Nine-Tails had caused massive destruction.
But now, that destruction looked… contained, as if something had put a leash on it.
A colossal tree had erupted within Konoha, continuously spreading vines and branches that lashed out at the Nine-Tails.
And the Nine-Tails… seemed wary of it.
More importantly, Minato sensed something else:
The Nine-Tails was actually injured.
Its chakra flow was also off—unnaturally unstable.
Minato could clearly feel that the giant tree was drinking in the Nine-Tails' chakra, growing stronger as it fed.
That scene matched a technique from his memory.
And then he saw it—
Hikaru standing atop a massive lizard summon.
It was like turning his head and discovering that the same Hikaru who always said "I'm not that strong" was currently beating the Nine-Tails into the ground.
Minato threw a special kunai—
And in an instant, flashed to Hikaru's side.
"Fourth Hokage?"
Hikaru had noticed the kunai flying in long before it arrived.
But he also sensed the Flying Thunder God marker on it, so he didn't react.
Otherwise, a kunai like that would never have come anywhere near him—Hikaru valued his own life far too much.
"Hikaru." Minato's face was lit with genuine excitement. "You… you learned Wood Release?"
"Yes. I learned Wood Release." Hikaru nodded lightly. "But my Wood Release isn't enough on its own. I have to combine it with senjutsu to make it effective. You should be able to tell, Hokage-sama."
He had no reason to hide it from Minato.
Minato could use senjutsu too—trying to conceal it would be meaningless.
And besides…
Knowing his "intel" wouldn't let anyone easily deal with him anyway.
Hashirama's information was known throughout the shinobi world.
So was Madara's.
So were Tobirama's… and Minato's.
People knew—and still couldn't handle them.
"Terrifying power." Minato's eyes gleamed. "With a technique like this supporting us, we can safely seal the Nine-Tails back into Kushina!"
Minato truly didn't care about Hikaru's identity or what Wood Release implied.
All he saw was a path to saving Kushina and the village.
"Can you restrain it completely? If you can, I can try sealing it right away."
"I think I can," Hikaru answered after a brief pause. "But I don't have many Wood Release techniques yet. There weren't that many left in my family's records."
It was a clean, reasonable answer—
And also, complete nonsense.
Hikaru's family had plenty of techniques—possibly even more complete than what had been handed to Konoha.
But "crying poor" was useful.
And it also set up what he needed for what came next.
He'd already decided:
Minato must not be allowed to rule Konoha too smoothly in the future.
Otherwise, Hikaru would be forced to wait decades.
But he also couldn't let Minato die.
If Minato died, Hikaru would be tied to Hiruzen completely—and Hikaru had never intended to bind himself to Hiruzen.
He'd only moved closer to Hiruzen because of one thing:
ANBU.
Minato had made it clear he wouldn't let Hikaru "use connections" to climb into ANBU leadership.
So Hikaru had found another route.
Now he'd reached the point he wanted—
Even ANBU's Minister was already dead.
So he also had to prepare the "exit" cleanly.
Whether the method for breaking the Reaper Death Seal could truly return a soul into a still-living body quickly…
Hikaru wasn't 100% sure.
But based on the technique's theory, it should work.
And if it didn't—
He could still attempt other methods, including techniques he'd acquired from Sunagakure.
He hadn't forgotten he still "owed" Queen Sara money either.
If he had to return to the Land of Wind anyway, he could always do something even more extreme there.
In short:
Leaving himself a retreat path was necessary.
If things went too smoothly, he could always claim his technique wasn't mature enough… or that his chakra was spent.
After all, he'd already fought the Nine-Tails head-on.
No one would be able to pick holes in his "exhaustion."
"Then do your best to hold it," Minato said firmly. "I'll handle the rest."
"Thank you, Hikaru. After this is over, I'll give you every Wood Release technique I have access to."
"But tonight—I'm counting on you."
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I'll cooperate fully." Hikaru nodded, then asked, "Are we sealing it here?"
"No." Minato answered without hesitation. "Inside the village, anything could go wrong."
"We'll take it outside."
"Find a chance to place a marker on it. I'll immediately teleport it to a safe location."
"Then I'll bring Kushina out."
"Until then—you must keep it under control."
"I'll do my best," Hikaru said seriously, eyes shifting toward the Nine-Tails.
His expression was calm—
But inside, his mind wasn't.
Minato's plan meant things had shifted more than he expected.
In the original timeline, Minato had brought Naruto to the battlefield.
Hikaru never understood what Minato was thinking when he did that.
But one thing was undeniable—
Naruto's later achievements were deeply tied to the Nine-Tails.
Without the Nine-Tails… could Naruto truly reach that future?
Hikaru shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
No matter what, Naruto's ceiling was still high.
He was Asura's reincarnation.
And more than that—
Even in a life that resembled hell, Naruto could hold onto his truest self.
Pure to an almost impossible degree.
Like he'd been hit by Kotoamatsukami.
And if Hikaru's plan succeeded…
Naruto likely wouldn't become the "Boruto-era" version either.
Because he was Uzumaki Naruto.
A deep breath.
"I already left a marker on the Nine-Tails while using Wood Release," Hikaru said. "You can start at any time, Hokage-sama."
Minato nodded once, smiling. "Then… let's begin."
And he vanished.
A heartbeat later—
The mountain-sized Nine-Tails vanished with him, disappearing from Konoha.
In a forest within the Land of Fire, some distance from Konoha—
Space twisted.
A black-cloaked figure appeared, missing an arm.
He landed, breathing heavily, then looked toward Konoha.
His expression was complicated.
After a long moment, he looked down at his arm.
It was damaged—partly melted from the intensity of battle.
He understood why:
His body still wasn't perfectly compatible with that power.
But he didn't care too much.
He could always replace an arm.
What he cared about was Konoha:
How much destruction had the Nine-Tails caused?
This operation was, in many ways, a failure.
But not a complete one.
He had achieved plenty—
Konoha had been attacked.
Konoha had been thrown into crisis.
Even if he lost to the Fourth Hokage, those "results" proved his strength.
Now the only question was Kushina.
Uzumaki vitality was monstrous…
But a jinchūriki who loses their tailed beast does not survive.
Kushina should be near death by now.
After thinking a moment, Obito spoke coldly:
"Come out."
A black-and-white creature slowly rose from the ground.
"Not bad," it rasped. "Obito."
"Save the commentary." Obito walked over, then chopped off the white half's arm and attached it to himself.
"Tell me what's happening in Konoha."
"The crisis isn't as bad as you expected," Black Zetsu said casually. "Because they have someone who can use Wood Release."
Black Zetsu's words were calm, but inside he was deeply unsettled.
He didn't know why a Wood Release user had appeared.
And that boy's Wood Release wasn't weak.
Even the Nine-Tails was struggling under it.
Could he be Asura's reincarnation?
But that didn't make sense.
Indra and Asura's reincarnations usually occur in tandem.
Madara's death wasn't that long ago.
How could Asura's chakra reincarnate early?
Yet the Wood Release carried an abnormally strong Yang nature—
Not "perfect," but far beyond ordinary Yang Release users.
Black Zetsu didn't reveal these thoughts.
Some things required careful probing.
After all—
He was only "Madara's will."
"Wood Release?" Obito stiffened. "The legendary Wood Release? Konoha's experiments succeeded?"
"It doesn't look like an experiment," Black Zetsu said, pretending ignorance. "That kid should be Senju."
"I was observing the Nine-Tails in Konoha. After he stepped in and used Wood Release, I investigated."
"He's ANBU, so I got close to the higher-ups to learn more."
"And I found out… he really is Senju."
"And you know him."
"…Know him?" Obito paused. "Who is he?"
"Nightingale—the ANBU who caused massive destruction in the Land of Wind." Black Zetsu chuckled.
"And his name… should be familiar."
"Fukami Hikaru…"
"No—Senju Hikaru."
Hikaru.
Obito froze.
He knew that name too well.
Back then, he'd known him as Fukami Hikaru.
But now…
It seemed that "friend" had hidden far more than Obito ever imagined.
After inheriting the name "Madara," Obito had read plenty of Madara's history.
He understood Madara's view of Wood Release.
He understood the twisted, love-hate weight Senju carried for Uchiha.
For a thousand years, Senju had been Uchiha's greatest enemy.
They had fought endlessly.
They had sometimes cooperated to crush other clans—
But mostly, they had tried to erase each other.
The most famous cooperation was the one that ended the era:
Madara and Hashirama building Konoha.
Now, Obito's gaze turned back toward Konoha again, sharper than before.
"A Senju with Wood Release…"
"And I carry Madara's name…"
"Hikaru, my former friend, is Senju… and also has Wood Release."
He almost wanted to laugh.
"Interesting."
Very.
"He's helping Minato seal the Nine-Tails?" Obito asked, voice low.
"Yes." Black Zetsu smiled faintly. "And the Nine-Tails is in bad shape."
"If this continues, it'll be sealed soon."
"Oh—and the Nine-Tails has already been moved outside Konoha."
Obito nodded once.
"Then I'll go take a look."
"The Nine-Tails can be sealed—but it can't be sealed that simply."
"And I want to see how strong this so-called Wood Release really is."
His body distorted.
And he vanished.
Black Zetsu sank back into the earth, smiling.
Back in Konoha, Hikaru watched the Nine-Tails disappear.
Then he patted Lizardmaru's head.
He could still sense the Nine-Tails' new location.
He needed to move too.
Truthfully, Lizardmaru hadn't shown huge combat value tonight.
The battle hadn't lasted long.
And once Hikaru used Wood Release, Lizardmaru had no reason to push in close.
But Hikaru wasn't going to dismiss him uselessly.
Even if he wasn't needed for sealing, Lizardmaru still had enormous utility elsewhere.
"Lizardmaru," Hikaru said, "you probably won't be needed for the next phase. It's sealing, not crushing the Nine-Tails."
"But don't rush back."
"Have the small lizards come out and join the rescue work."
"Find as many people buried under the rubble as possible."
"I understand," Lizardmaru rumbled. "Dead or alive, right?"
Then he sighed.
"I didn't expect you to be a Wood Release user. No wonder you have two names."
Hikaru's voice turned faintly distant.
"Humans are more complex than animals. That's one of the biggest differences."
"Maybe you'll understand. Maybe you'll disdain understanding."
"But human nature has always been the most terrifying… and the most complicated thing."
"I don't want to understand humans," Lizardmaru said bluntly. "You're too complicated."
"We're simple. The strongest becomes boss."
He nodded.
"I'll handle it. If you run into trouble over there, summon me."
Hikaru smiled and nodded back.
It seemed that after tonight, Lizardmaru finally acknowledged him.
Animals were simpler than humans.
They judged strength directly.
But in the shinobi world, strength alone wasn't enough—
You needed a mind, you needed planning, and sometimes you needed ruthlessness.
Strength kept you from being crushed head-on.
A mind told you how to grow.
And necessary ruthlessness let you control subordinates… and remove obstacles.
Hikaru patted Lizardmaru's head once more, then locked onto Hiruzen's position.
A flicker—
And he appeared beside the Third Hokage.
"Hokage-sama," Hikaru said quietly. "The Nine-Tails has left the village."
"I'm going to assist the Fourth Hokage with sealing it."
"I'll leave Lizardmaru here to help dig out civilians buried in the ruins."
"…Good work, Nightingale," Hiruzen said, but his expression was complicated.
Then his face hardened.
"I have a question."
"Where are Owl and Murashima Takumi? I haven't seen them."
"They…" Hikaru's eyelids lifted slightly. His tone shifted into practiced regret.
"Owl died when he and I were rushing to ANBU. The Nine-Tails came straight at us, and…"
Hiruzen's expression darkened instantly.
He didn't need Hikaru to finish.
Owl had died to the Nine-Tails.
But was that really the truth?
Owl wasn't exceptionally powerful, but he wasn't stupid either.
He wouldn't be so careless that he couldn't even avoid the Nine-Tails.
And if Owl was dead…
Then Murashima Takumi likely wasn't far behind.
Because the written order had been with Owl.
"And Minister Takumi?" Hikaru continued, as if guessing what Hiruzen was thinking.
"The order was lost, so he refused to mobilize ANBU."
"He said he needed me to find you for a new authorization."
"But the situation was too urgent. I couldn't find you in time, and I couldn't…"
"Enough!" Hiruzen snapped.
His eyes bore into Hikaru.
"So you killed him. You found your chance and eliminated him. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Hikaru nodded calmly.
"Please mourn him. The circumstances forced my hand."
"I'll take full responsibility."
Hiruzen stared at him for a long time.
His jaw clenched.
And in the end…
He nodded—painfully.
"…I understand."
"Then I'll have to rely on you again, ANBU Captain Nightingale."
His words carried rage—
But his choice was compromise.
Because Hikaru had done it in full view of everyone:
He revealed Wood Release.
He displayed overwhelming power.
And tonight's contribution to Konoha was impossible to deny.
Anything "unfortunate" around him would be conveniently erased.
Even Murashima Takumi's death could be pinned on Murashima himself.
Hiruzen couldn't move against Hikaru.
If he tried and it backfired, Konoha would collapse.
Because Hikaru was Senju.
Because Hikaru had Wood Release.
Hiruzen had spent years reducing Tobirama's political shadow—
Partly to continue Tobirama's policies in the post-Hashirama era.
Partly to stabilize his own rule, because Senju influence had once been turbulent.
He'd done well.
But now?
A Senju had reappeared with Wood Release—
And he was ambitious.
A "Tobirama with Hashirama's power."
Not at that level yet, perhaps.
But Hikaru was only fourteen.
Hiruzen watched Hikaru vanish, then closed his eyes—only to open them again.
The village needed rescue first.
Konoha came before everything.
But the Nine-Tails…
He still needed to watch carefully.
He could not allow Hikaru to interfere and claim it.
Never.
"ANBU reserves, Uchiha Police Force, and wounded shinobi—coordinate with the lizards," Hiruzen commanded.
"Everyone else…"
He raised a fist, staring toward the distant silhouette of the Nine-Tails.
"Move out."
"We're sealing the Nine-Tails!"
"Yes!"
Hikaru flashed through space, arriving near the Nine-Tails' location.
Thinking back on what just happened, he shook his head slightly.
Hiruzen really wasn't easy to fool.
But Hikaru had never expected the truth to stay buried forever.
And after everything he'd done tonight—
Hiruzen wouldn't dare move openly against him.
Hikaru focused on the Nine-Tails ahead.
It was still violently raging.
Its eyes snapped toward him the moment he appeared—
It remembered him.
But Hikaru didn't care.
His chakra was recovering rapidly.
Asura's power—even in a damaged state—was still absurd.
"I'm nearly recovered."
"But Sage Mode won't last much longer."
"Even with my intermediate Sage Mode's recovery speed, it'll take about ten minutes to fully replenish."
If Jiraiya heard that, he'd probably collapse in tears.
Ten minutes to recover Sage chakra?
Jiraiya couldn't even dream of that.
Even Naruto would need time to gather senjutsu chakra later.
But Hikaru could recover while fighting—without even using shadow clones.
That was the difference between a "cheat" and a true talent.
"ROAR!"
The Nine-Tails suddenly charged, nine massive tails whipping behind it.
The earth shook.
Trees were erased in a single sweep.
In the distance, Hiruzen and the others hesitated, afraid to approach.
At this range, rushing in recklessly really would mean death.
But they could see the Nine-Tails clearly now.
It was impossibly huge.
"It's angry…" Hikaru raised his head, chakra surging again.
"Then—"
"Sage Art: Wood Release — Wood Dragon Technique!"
Wood Dragon was the strongest technique Hikaru could afford right now without emptying himself completely.
Not because he couldn't pour all his chakra into a single jutsu—
But because that would be idiotic.
He needed power left over for anything else that might happen.
Even with fast recovery, he refused to gamble like that.
His chakra rippled outward.
The ground trembled again—stacking on the Nine-Tails' earlier shockwaves until it felt like a real earthquake.
Then—
The earth around Hikaru shattered.
A dragon made of Wood Release and senjutsu chakra erupted upward, roaring as it rose.
Under Hikaru's control, it smashed directly into the Nine-Tails.
BOOM!
The collision sent invisible shockwaves exploding outward.
Trees that had been standing fine at a distance were instantly shredded—
Some collapsed.
Some were cut clean in half.
Hikaru formed seals rapidly, raising a thick earth wall with five lizard heads—
And even that wall was pulverized as the shockwave hit it.
The force was monstrous.
"What the—?!" Obito had just arrived.
He hadn't even fully stabilized when the shockwave blasted him away.
If he hadn't reacted fast enough to phase, he would've been torn apart.
Hiruzen and the others fared slightly better—
But only slightly.
The quake-like shaking plus the shockwave knocked many shinobi flat.
Even without injuries, they looked pathetic and battered.
"That is… Wood Dragon Technique," Hiruzen muttered, eyes fixed on the battered dragon that had wrapped around the Nine-Tails—
Absorbing chakra to regenerate itself.
That was a high-level Wood Release technique—
One of Hashirama Senju's specialties.
He never imagined Hikaru had mastered even Wood Dragon—
And could use it against the Nine-Tails.
But then Hiruzen's face changed again.
Because the Nine-Tails howled—
And once more, chakra began gathering at its mouth…
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