Senju Hikaru had no idea that, in Nagato's eyes, he had already become a godlike existence.
He knew even less that Nagato was now pretending to be foolish while playing a double game with Black Zetsu.
All Hikaru could say was that the world had become far too absurd after his arrival.
Of course, even if he knew, he probably would not care too much.
Or rather, he would not care about Nagato's thoughts. What he would care about was Nagato's change.
Hikaru knew very well how terrifying Nagato would become once his body recovered.
After all, he had seen the original story.
A fully recovered Nagato could use all of the Rinnegan's basic abilities by himself, and that alone was already an enormous change.
The Rinnegan was not an eye ordinary people could imagine. Even its "basic" abilities were terrifying.
That Super Shinra Tensei that had flattened Konoha still lingered vividly in Hikaru's mind.
And back then, Nagato had attacked Konoha using corpses as proxies.
Those bodies had a natural disadvantage when receiving chakra.
Even with the black receivers formed from Yin-Yang Release, chakra transmission would still suffer losses.
Yet even under those conditions, he had flattened the entire village.
If his real body had gone there, he might truly have been able to wipe out the hundreds of thousands of people in Konoha single-handedly.
It would not have been like the original story, where so many people survived without serious harm.
After discussing the experiment's progress with Orochimaru and chatting for a while, Hikaru left the secret base.
Of course, he did not forget to encourage Kabuto properly.
What surprised him, however, was Kabuto's reaction.
Hikaru had originally thought Kabuto would fear him.
At the very least, he had expected Kabuto to show him no pleasant expression.
After all, Hikaru had replaced Danzo and disrupted Kabuto's peaceful life.
But to his surprise, Kabuto looked at him almost like he was seeing an idol.
That left Hikaru somewhat amused.
Still, as long as Kabuto behaved obediently, Hikaru was naturally happy.
Kabuto's potential and talent were both exceptional.
After all, he was someone who had once fought the two Uchiha brothers by himself.
He had also learned Sage Mode, and relying on Orochimaru's legacy, he became one of the greatest hidden bosses in the shinobi world.
In this world, Kabuto probably would not reach the same heights.
But Hikaru had no intention of letting him go to waste.
If this boy was trained properly, he would absolutely become a top-tier asset.
After meeting Orochimaru, Hikaru returned to Konoha and peacefully resumed his life as a shut-in.
He did not need to worry too much about the Hokage issue.
His current reputation was already extremely high, and he still controlled the newspaper.
Moreover, Nara Shikaku's full alignment with him meant Hikaru no longer needed to personally manage many things.
Even though Hikaru had not ordered the newspaper to cooperate with Shikaku, some things would naturally begin on their own.
After all, Nara Shikashiro was still working at the newspaper.
Ever since Shikashiro handled Ōnoki, Hikaru had entrusted him with even more responsibilities.
The boy had not been willing at first, but in the end, he obediently took over some of the work.
He and Nara Shikaku were clan members, so information exchange between them was naturally much more convenient.
Their cooperation was also more advantageous for Hikaru.
Of course, it would only go that far.
Hikaru would not continue giving Shikashiro more authority beyond that.
Even after becoming Hokage, he would not allow Nara Shikashiro and Nara Shikaku to coordinate too easily.
That was a matter of restricting and balancing power.
Of course, that was for later.
Still, thinking ahead was never a bad thing.
"It should be soon. For now, let the bullet fly a little longer."
Hikaru stretched lazily.
Looking at the blazing sun outside the window, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Although there were still many matters to deal with after the war, most of them did not fall within his personal workload.
Negotiations between Konoha and Kumo had already begun in an orderly manner.
However, Konoha had no intention of showing Kumo any pleasant expression.
Kumo no longer had any confidence to reject negotiations with Konoha.
In fact, if Konoha refused to negotiate at all, Kumo would only become even more terrified.
Of course, Kumo's decline was now an undeniable fact.
After losing so many shinobi at once, that decline was visible to the naked eye.
But weakened or not, Kumo was not a village just anyone could bully.
After disappearing for about a week, Killer B returned to Kumogakure.
That was a powerful shot of confidence for Kumo.
On top of that, Kumo still had the Two-Tails.
With two tailed beasts in hand, they did not need to fear trouble from small villages.
However, if they wanted to recover, they would need at least ten years.
That was why they now desperately wanted a peace treaty.
Once Konoha negotiated with them, Iwagakure would negotiate as well.
Only after settling all of that could they find a way to rebuild themselves.
"Still, it seems they're beginning to select the Fifth Raikage. And that person seems to be Killer B?"
Recalling the intelligence ANBU had submitted, Hikaru could not help finding it amusing.
The Fourth Raikage still had not been found.
Neither alive nor dead.
After being missing for so long, Hikaru felt the chances of him being dead were higher.
But if he died, so be it.
If not for his ambition being unworthy of his strength, if not for Hikaru having the power to stop everything, Konoha might really have walked the same old path as in the original story.
There were not many good people among those who became Kage.
After all, aside from Naruto, a purely good person simply could not become a qualified Kage.
"Let's keep dragging it out. After all, the things I want from Kumo still need to be negotiated properly."
Hikaru silently considered this.
He had already planted the Lightning Release seeds.
After personally witnessing the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he naturally had some ideas.
In truth, Hikaru knew very well that Lightning Release Chakra Mode was basically useless to him.
It was something he could take or leave.
But his mentality was simple.
It was like his game library in his previous life.
Whenever he saw a huge discount, he could not resist buying.
And whenever a game was free, he never cared whether he would actually play it. He claimed it first.
His logic was simple.
He might not play it. He might not use it.
But he could not not have it.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode was the same.
He might not use it.
It might be redundant.
It might even gather dust in his jutsu library.
But useless did not mean he could allow himself to lack it.
Besides, Lightning Release Chakra Mode was still a type of chakra mode. He could study it properly.
Hikaru had already mastered three chakra modes.
Sage Mode.
Jōgan Chakra Mode.
And Tailed Beast Chakra Mode.
Although the effects of these chakra modes were completely different, Hikaru could still study them carefully.
Who could say whether he might discover some kind of pattern through that research?
Perhaps afterward, he could even develop more chakra modes.
"After all, I'm going to fuse all chakra eventually. I can't afford to miss anything..."
...
"It seems Hikaru really is about to succeed completely."
In Mount Myōboku, Minato Namikaze leaned back in his chair, reading the newspaper in his hands while enjoying the warm sunlight.
Behind him, Kushina was playing with Naruto.
The scene looked peaceful and harmonious.
Minato enjoyed his life now.
To put it bluntly, this was the life he had dreamed of most.
Still, he remembered that he was the Fourth Hokage.
He had never stopped caring about Konoha, even if he knew very well that he had not been a particularly good Hokage.
But in his eyes, even if he was not a qualified Hokage, he was still a Konoha shinobi.
As a Konoha shinobi, caring about Konoha was only natural.
After all, Konoha was his home.
So even though Minato knew his time as Hokage was basically over, he still asked Kakashi to keep him informed about Konoha's situation.
Kakashi was clever.
Or perhaps he was simply too busy.
So he chose the easiest method.
Every day, he summoned a Mount Myōboku toad and had it deliver that day's newspaper to Minato.
Minato had never seen something as novel as a newspaper before.
But after reading it for the first time, he was completely drawn in.
At first, he was worried that publishing such a thing might negatively affect Konoha.
After all, it involved quite a few of Konoha's secrets.
However, once Kakashi told him that the newspaper had been created by Hikaru, he stopped worrying.
Hikaru was Konoha's ANBU Commander.
How could he do something harmful to Konoha?
And Minato also noticed just how terrifyingly useful newspapers were in controlling public opinion.
They could even guide public opinion outside the village.
Thinking of this, Minato felt reassured and began reading the newspaper quietly.
The contents were initially acceptable.
Although they involved some power struggles, had Konoha not always been like this?
During Minato's own time as Hokage, he had been tightly restrained by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Now, it was the Third Hokage and his group who had fallen into passivity.
Minato was not especially interested in those things.
Especially since he already understood some of them.
What concerned him more were the lives of the villagers and the movements of other villages.
Kumo, in particular, was the issue that troubled him most.
"Kumo never signed a ceasefire agreement. And from the look of things, they've been preparing for war. This may become troublesome."
Minato had always been worried about this.
Unfortunately, his worry became reality.
Kumo sent people to sign an agreement, but those people secretly entered the Hyūga compound at night and kidnapped Hinata Hyūga.
Although the culprit eventually died inside the Hyūga Clan, the matter became the fuse for war.
According to the newspaper, Hiruzen Sarutobi had intended to sacrifice the Hyūga Clan in exchange for so-called peace.
That news made Minato furious.
Since when had Konoha fallen so low that it needed to sell out its own people to obtain a false peace?
How many hearts would such an act chill?
How many people would be disappointed in Konoha because of this concession?
And this concession completely violated the purpose for which Konoha had been founded.
Minato probably did not even notice that he had already been subtly changed by the fragmented information scattered throughout the newspapers.
When he saw that many Konoha shinobi opposed the decision together, and that Hikaru stepped forward to stop it and ultimately pushed Konoha toward sending troops, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But only halfway.
Because he knew very well that the current Konoha was truly no match for Kumo.
"Damn it. If only I weren't injured..."
Minato truly wanted to return to Konoha.
But his current condition did not allow him to fight.
He hoped his teacher Jiraiya could do something.
Unfortunately, he could not contact Jiraiya at all, nor did he know where Jiraiya currently was.
Amid that worry, Minato made a decision.
If Konoha's situation turned bad, he would immediately return.
He knew returning might anger many people.
He also knew that once he took action, he probably would not be far from death.
But for Konoha, he was willing to gamble.
Yet after he made that decision, what happened next in the war between Konoha and Kumo exceeded his imagination.
First, Hikaru single-handedly annihilated Kumo's hundred-man assault unit.
Then he dealt with the invasion of the thousand-man force personally led by the Fourth Raikage.
During that battle, he even wounded the Fourth Raikage, forcing this old opponent of Minato's to spend a long time recovering.
Seeing that news, Minato finally relaxed slightly.
Konoha was currently suppressing Kumo's attacks.
No matter how one looked at it, that was a good thing.
But Kumo's lineup was still terrifying.
They did not only have the Fourth Raikage.
They also had the Eight-Tails jinchūriki.
With that uneasy feeling, Minato continued to wait silently.
A month was not long, but it was definitely not short either.
After enduring a month of anxiety, Minato finally saw detailed reports from the front again.
This time, he was stunned.
Not only him.
Even Kushina, who had been following the situation with him, was stunned.
Hikaru had actually annihilated the entire Kumo army by himself.
Even the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki had not escaped his attack.
That news was something Minato and Kushina would never forget.
Especially as follow-up reports continued coming in, they finally learned what Hikaru had done.
It was the ultimate Wood Release technique.
The strongest and most terrifying Wood Release technique.
Relying on those horrifying Wood Release techniques, Hikaru wiped out the invading Kumo forces in one strike and made Konoha the victor once again.
At the same time, his actions carried profound significance.
After this battle, probably no one would dare harbor any petty thoughts toward Konoha again.
Konoha was now filled with laughter and celebration.
The newspapers constantly reported the village's changes and all kinds of information from the front.
But what Minato found strange was that none of them mentioned anything about Konoha signing a peace agreement with Kumo.
War never devastated only a village or a country.
It often dragged many people into suffering.
Because of that, Minato truly hoped the war would end quickly.
But for now, there was no such information in the newspapers.
Besides that, Minato also keenly noticed something else.
Guided criticism of Hiruzen Sarutobi in the newspapers was increasing.
At the same time, praise for Hikaru was also increasing.
Not only that, the concept of a new Hokage was beginning to appear.
That immediately made Minato realize that Hikaru was preparing to act completely.
"Hikaru is about to succeed?"
Kushina, who had been teasing Naruto, heard Minato's words and asked curiously.
"As Hokage?"
"Yes. Hokage."
Minato nodded softly.
"His support is very high right now. Everyone thinks he should become Hokage."
Hearing Minato's words, Kushina could not help frowning.
Should become Hokage?
That meant Senju Hikaru, that little brat, intended to become the Fifth Hokage.
But the Fourth Hokage was still alive.
Naturally, the meaning behind that was obvious.
This news made Kushina extremely unhappy.
She knew about Hikaru's ambition, and she acknowledged Hikaru's ability.
But how long had her husband, Minato Namikaze, been Hokage?
Even if he truly could not fulfill the Hokage's duties right now, had he contributed little to Konoha?
Now Hikaru was using this kind of pressure.
How could Kushina be happy about that?
Minato glanced at his wife and instantly understood what she was thinking.
He smiled and shook his head.
"Don't be angry. Although Hikaru's actions have affected me, he has still shown restraint."
"You call this restraint?"
Kushina frowned at Minato.
"I don't see any restraint at all!"
Minato smiled.
Indeed, from the current situation, Hikaru seemed to be pressuring the Third Hokage, but in essence, he was also pressuring Minato.
But Minato was not stupid.
He naturally understood that while the newspapers were making a great deal of noise, Hikaru probably had not actually done anything yet.
And Kakashi was still in Konoha.
No matter how close Kakashi was to Hikaru, as his disciple, there were still some things he would report to Minato.
Since there had been no direct message from Konoha, it meant Hikaru was still waiting.
Waiting for the Third Hokage's reaction.
And waiting for Minato's decision.
Minato knew very well that if he refused this time, Hikaru would not overstep too much.
He would simply completely suppress the Third Hokage and seize the authority of Acting Hokage for himself.
After all, Hikaru had always acted under Minato's banner.
Because of that, he would not make any overly radical moves.
But if that happened, a crack would inevitably appear in Minato and Hikaru's relationship.
Strictly speaking, their previous relationship could only be described as cooperative and supportive.
One could even say that Hikaru had quietly led everything from the shadows.
Minato had long believed that Hikaru would be a suitable Hokage.
He had even long wondered whether he himself was not suited to be Hokage at all.
Because of that, Minato did not want his relationship with Hikaru to sour.
Nor did he intend to let it sour.
He had indeed planned to discuss this matter with Hikaru when the time came, to tell Hikaru his thoughts and decision.
In fact, Minato even had a feeling that Konoha's lack of negotiations with Kumo was also a form of pressure from Hikaru.
If the Hokage issue was not settled, they simply would not negotiate with Kumo.
In any case, Konoha held every advantage, and with Hikaru present, they had no fear of trouble.
Of course, he was only thinking this.
But given Hikaru's temperament, he might really be capable of doing something like that.
Still, whether it was true or not, Minato would not dwell on it.
He truly admired Hikaru.
And now, he was willing to help push Hikaru through the final step.
"So that's how it is..."
After Minato explained some of his deductions to Kushina, she fell silent and sighed softly.
"Have you really decided?"
"Yes. I've decided."
Minato gently picked up Naruto and smiled.
"In truth, I decided long ago.
Compared to Hikaru, I really am not a qualified Hokage."
"But Hikaru, that brat..."
Kushina wanted to say Hikaru was far too black-hearted.
But she could not quite say it.
No matter Hikaru's purpose, Minato's life had been saved by him.
Speaking of him that way did not feel right.
But Kushina could not help feeling upset.
After all, becoming Hokage had been both her and Minato's dream.
Now that dream had been achieved, yet because of various reasons, it had to be given up.
It was truly difficult for her to accept.
"That's enough, Kushina."
Minato stroked the back of Naruto's head.
Seeing the little boy smile happily, Minato also smiled.
"Actually, this is fine.
I can feel that under his leadership, Konoha will become better and stronger.
And that boy has put in no small amount of effort to become Hokage. That is also undeniable.
Since I am inferior to him, and since the general trend is moving toward him, why shouldn't I help him achieve it?"
At this point, Minato raised his head slightly and looked toward the sun.
The sunlight was not glaring.
It was gentle.
Falling on his body, it felt especially comfortable.
A faint smile appeared on his face, and he said softly:
"The current Hikaru is like the sun in the sky.
He is destined to stand above the clouds.
In truth, he already stands there now.
He still looks gentle, but once he begins to shine and burn, probably no one will be able to bear it.
I believe in him.
I believe he will be a good choice.
No, the best choice.
With him around, nothing will happen to Konoha.
Someone like him would never allow Konoha to have problems.
Besides..."
At this point, Minato paused slightly.
His gaze turned tender as he looked at Kushina, and then he smiled.
"Besides, I have something he does not.
And I truly enjoy everything I have now.
You and Naruto are what I treasure most."
...
Hikaru had no idea what Minato was thinking.
At the moment, he was holding a meeting with Nara Shikaku and the others in an office inside ANBU.
Ever since the war between Kumo and Konoha ended, many of Konoha's meetings no longer went through the Hokage's office.
Instead, they were held here with Hikaru.
This situation made Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado furious.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi had remained strangely silent, almost as if he had tacitly accepted it.
Hikaru could roughly guess Hiruzen's intentions now.
He simply had not made his final decision yet.
After all, Hiruzen was probably in a difficult position.
Back then, in order to control Konoha, he had created a large number of interest groups.
Now, if he wanted to step down, it would not necessarily be easy.
The bonds between interest groups were always the most terrifying thing.
And as the representative of those interest groups, one often had no control over oneself.
It was like certain jokes Hikaru had heard in his previous life.
For example, someone transmigrated and led an army to sweep away all enemies, almost saving a collapsing dynasty.
To save that dynasty, he made connections with countless heroes and commanded countless troops.
But once he truly cleared everything away, he would discover that he could no longer withdraw.
With military power in his hands, would the dynasty he protected really trust him?
Would it trust all the factions bound to him by various interests?
Obviously not.
And when things reached that point, his subordinates might very well press a blade to his neck and force him to wear the yellow robe.
Simply put, it was somewhat like the legendary Chenqiao Mutiny.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not exactly in that situation, but he was similarly being pulled by various interest groups.
Even if he wanted to move, it would not be easy.
Interest groups could push a person up, and naturally, they could also drag him down and prevent him from leaving.
Hiruzen was probably dealing with those groups right now.
Otherwise, things would become even more troublesome.
But Hikaru had no intention of paying attention to those matters.
Interests could drive people mad and make them do even crazier things.
But before they went mad, Hikaru had plenty of ways to deal with them.
ANBU was in his hands.
And the Police Force was also following him.
Why would he fear those people making trouble?
If they really caused a disturbance, Hikaru did not mind learning from that emperor who started with only a bowl, or from a certain mustached fatherly figure who was very good at making lists.
After all, it was only dealing with traitors.
As long as they were defined as traitors, any method used against them would be acceptable.
As for whether it would affect Konoha, Hikaru was not too worried.
After all, Konoha had his strength as its ultimate guarantee.
"Hikaru-sama, these are the compensation demands we have listed for Kumo's defeat. Please review them."
Nara Shikaku placed a document in front of Hikaru and spoke softly.
The ceasefire agreement between Konoha and Kumo had yet to begin.
Konoha naturally did not care, but Kumo could no longer wait.
They had already sent their precious diplomatic personnel over.
This left Nara Shikaku helpless, so he could only make preparations ahead of time.
"The proposal isn't bad. The necessary compensation is enough, but..."
Hikaru glanced at the document in his hand, then placed it aside.
Then he smiled and continued:
"I think Kumo should fully withdraw from the Land of Hot Water.
In addition, we need Kumo to provide us with a large number of ninjutsu."
"Ninjutsu and Konoha's interests in the Land of Hot Water?"
Nara Shikaku nodded.
Then he immediately took out a notebook and began recording.
"Indeed. The Land of Hot Water has not been living well under Kumo's pressure.
Liberating the Land of Hot Water would also be a good thing."
"Other than the Land of Hot Water, I think we should protect Iwagakure's interests in the Land of Iron."
Seeing Shikaku's actions, Hikaru found it rather amusing.
For some reason, Nara Shikaku gave him a very strong sense of déjà vu.
"Iwagakure's interests in the Land of Iron?"
Hearing Hikaru's words, Nara Shikaku paused slightly.
Then he seriously recorded it while nodding.
"Indeed. Iwagakure is closer to the Land of Iron, and in terms of mineral export share, Iwagakure accounts for more.
This time, they also assisted us in dealing with Kumo's war of aggression.
It is only natural, reasonable, and justified for Konoha to protect their interests."
After writing this down, Nara Shikaku paused again.
Then, as if he had remembered something, he raised his head and asked:
"By the way, Hikaru-sama, how far do you think we should go in dealing with Kumogakure?"
"I think this is about enough. Of course, going a step further is also possible."
Hikaru answered without hesitation.
In any case, they were too lazy to bother with Hiruzen's side now.
Hikaru simply placed himself into the role of Hokage.
"I think we can appropriately protect Kumogakure's own interests..."
"Of course. Kumo is one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. We should indeed protect its interests.
But Hikaru-sama, how do you think we should protect them?"
Nara Shikaku looked curious.
In truth, he was testing Hikaru's ability.
Of course, this test was mainly to see how Hikaru would handle this matter.
If his approach was improper, Shikaku had a duty to help him clean it up.
He also had a duty to remind Hikaru where the limits of such matters lay.
Beyond that, Shikaku wanted to see Hikaru's bottom line.
A new Hokage's bottom line in external strategy was extremely important.
This would also make it easier for Shikaku to adjust the direction of his own work.
"Station troops."
Hikaru gave a direct answer.
"We can send our defensive forces into the Land of Lightning. That way, we can—"
"Cough, cough..."
Before Hikaru could finish, Nara Shikaku coughed softly.
"Stationing troops in the Land of Lightning is a very good suggestion.
After all, Kumogakure has suffered such heavy losses. They have a duty to accept our help, correct?"
"Yes."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
He had originally wanted to say "guard against them," but since Nara Shikaku cared so much about appearances, Hikaru cooperated.
"Very well. I understand."
After recording everything, Nara Shikaku continued:
"Then the matter of Kumogakure will be temporarily settled like this.
Once their envoys arrive, we can have a proper negotiation with them.
But before that, Hikaru-sama, when do you think we should begin the final action?
After all, the Third Hokage-sama's current state is not suitable for such negotiations."
"Before they arrive, of course."
Hikaru gave a firm answer.
With a smile, he took out a letter and placed it on the table.
"The Fourth Hokage-sama has invited me to meet him.
I believe this meeting will have a good result.
And today, there are also some matters we need to discuss further..."
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