Hiruzen Sarutobi's purpose in mobilizing the ANBU was obvious.
He was about to move against certain people.
Hikaru had given him enough time to prepare. He had also repeatedly displayed his strength, confidence, and determination. By this point, Hiruzen no longer had many choices left.
Especially after that meeting with Hikaru and Nara Shikaku, Hiruzen had realized that Hikaru had already patched up nearly every problem that might cause trouble for Konoha afterward.
That was when he truly understood just how deep Hikaru's determination ran.
But those former followers of his only had themselves to blame.
They could have done many things wrong and still survived.
But they absolutely should not have entertained crooked ambitions.
Once they did, no one could save them.
The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse.
Hiruzen stood atop the Hokage Rock, his gaze complicated as he looked down at Konoha, now swallowed by night.
Kakashi was now the ANBU Commander. Hiruzen had already contacted him and obtained his cooperation.
Now, all that remained was the final matter.
The last thing he least wanted to do—
and yet had no choice but to do.
"Haah…"
After a long silence, Hiruzen let out a faint sigh and slowly closed his eyes.
Nominally, he was still a member of the Elder Council.
In truth, he was now little more than Hikaru's adviser.
After tonight, even the Elder Council itself might exist in name only.
But if it disappeared, then so be it.
As Hokage, Hiruzen understood exactly why the Elder Council had existed in the first place.
Its purpose had been to restrain an unwise Hokage from making mistakes that could drag Konoha into the abyss.
But when the Elder Council's ability no longer matched the Hokage's ability, then the council would cease being a restraint and become a burden.
And now, this Elder Council was preparing to do something harmful to Konoha.
That was something Hiruzen could neither accept nor understand.
As for Hikaru's ability, Hiruzen had not taken him seriously at first.
Back then, Hikaru had only been a squad captain.
But after Hikaru seized the position of division commander, Hiruzen began paying attention to that boy from the Senju Clan.
At first, the boy had hidden himself well.
His performance had also been excellent.
But as time passed, Hiruzen gradually realized something.
That boy was extremely difficult to control.
And after Hikaru took full command of the ANBU, Hiruzen finally understood the extent of his methods.
Unfortunately, he understood it too late.
By then, Hikaru was no longer someone he could interfere with or suppress.
Hiruzen had not been unwilling to bring Hikaru to his side.
In fact, he had once extended an olive branch.
And Hikaru had rejected him without hesitation.
At the time, Hiruzen had felt some regret.
Now, however, he could only sigh at how foolish his actions had been.
Someone like Hikaru—ambitious, capable, and powerful—would truly be willing to obey his arrangements and obediently inherit his position?
Obviously not.
In fact, Hiruzen was now somewhat glad Hikaru had not chosen him back then.
If Hikaru had chosen him, he would have walked a much easier path.
And if he had done that, would Hikaru still possess his current edge?
Hiruzen did not know.
But what he did know was that the Hikaru of today had genuinely surprised him.
He was old.
His way of thinking could no longer keep up with young men like Hikaru.
His way of handling matters also lacked the drive and vigor of youth.
But that did not mean he could not see whether Hikaru's policies were good or bad.
It did not mean he could not recognize Hikaru's ability.
Nor did it mean he could not see Hikaru's methods.
Hikaru's policies seemed aggressive to him, but within that aggression, they still accounted for the interests of every side.
That was not something one would expect from a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.
And Hikaru's follow-up policies were all aimed precisely at Konoha's weaknesses.
He had paired reform with Konoha's existing shortcomings and pushed them forward together.
That kind of sharp thinking and political method—
Hiruzen felt that even if he were thirty years younger, he might not have been able to do the same.
Their ways of thinking and understanding had already formed a vast divide.
If this were measured by shinobi strength, it would almost be fair to say they existed in different dimensions.
Hiruzen truly did not understand how Hikaru had developed such a mindset.
The boy was clearly so young.
Yet these methods were not something a young man should have been capable of.
"Perhaps… that is what genius truly means."
Hiruzen took a deep breath. A faint surge of chakra moved through his body.
He had thought long enough.
Now, it was time to act.
Although Hiruzen was old, his chakra had only grown more refined with age.
Even ten years later, he would still be able to fight Orochimaru fiercely.
And now, he had not yet declined to that point.
His strength still remained.
Even if he was no longer the Shinobi Professor of his prime, he was still not someone others could look down upon.
He moved swiftly through the night.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, Hiruzen slipped silently into Homura Mitokado's residence.
According to the ANBU investigation, his two old classmates would meet here tonight.
All he needed to do was wait.
Avoiding every guard, and only after confirming that the ANBU had all taken their positions, Hiruzen slowly entered the house he knew so well.
Homura Mitokado was his old friend.
His old classmate.
Hiruzen had visited this place countless times.
He knew almost everything here.
At that moment, there was no one in the reception room.
The house was dark. Only moonlight slowly spilled inside.
Hiruzen walked to the seat and sat down.
The pale moonlight fell upon him, making him look both lonely and cold.
Here, he could not help but recall the past.
Everything they had once experienced together.
Because he knew very well—
after tonight, his old classmates might no longer exist.
In coming here, he had also come to see them off.
Tap… tap… tap…
The crisp sound of wooden sandals striking the floor snapped Hiruzen out of his memories.
He knew his two old friends had returned.
Sure enough, as the door slowly opened, both immediately noticed someone in the room.
They instantly assumed defensive postures.
But when they saw clearly through the cold moonlight who was sitting inside, both of them froze in shock.
"Hiruzen? Why are you…"
Koharu Utatane asked in astonishment.
But her expression soon changed.
"You came here because…"
"Yes. I think you have already guessed."
Hiruzen sighed softly. His eyes were filled with loneliness.
"I'm sorry. I can't do anything. I can't change anything either."
"This is betrayal!"
Homura Mitokado nearly shouted through gritted teeth, clearly trying to raise his voice enough to alert others.
"You are betraying your own position as the Third Hokage! Betraying all of Konoha!"
"I have been trying."
Hiruzen slowly shook his head and stood up. His voice was low, heavy, and desolate.
"I have been trying to make him stop."
"But you…"
"You should not have done this."
"You truly should not have."
"Did you expect us to simply surrender without resistance?"
Homura's voice sharpened.
"Stop dreaming, Sarutobi! You and your clan have already found a way out! You were Hokage, so he doesn't dare do too much to you. But we are different!"
Different?
Did being different justify stirring unrest inside Konoha?
Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes.
At that moment, he no longer wished to say anything more.
Because now, he had completely made up his mind.
Before this, he had been forced by Hikaru.
But now—
he was choosing this willingly.
He was alone now.
His friends were dead.
His wife was dead.
And all he had left…
was Konoha.
…
For Konoha's ordinary shinobi and civilians, that night was no different from any other.
But for Konoha itself, it was a night of great significance.
Hiruzen chose his timing with extreme precision.
He moved when his old classmates had begun preparing, but before their preparations were complete.
As a result, Konoha not only obtained the evidence it needed, but also swept every hidden danger into the trash heap of history.
The next day, after Hikaru received the report, he personally burned it to ash.
After all, that report recorded the disappearance of more than a thousand lives.
Hikaru also heard that when the ANBU and Police Force went together to deal with the bodies, it took a tremendous amount of effort to finish the work.
More than a thousand corpses was no small number.
And naturally, the incident caused no small disturbance within Konoha.
It had to be said—
now that Hikaru controlled ANBU, Root, and the newspaper office together, his control over Konoha's public opinion had reached its peak.
In the past, he had only been able to use ANBU and the newspaper office to target Hiruzen because Hiruzen had merely been acting Hokage.
In the eyes of the public, Hikaru had belonged to the Fourth Hokage's faction.
Because of that, Hiruzen had no proper justification to move against him.
But now, Hikaru was the legitimate Hokage, selected and confirmed through official procedures.
These institutions naturally fell under his command.
So, through the combined efforts of all three sides, even though many of the people purged had lived in densely populated areas, very little information spread.
Only the thick scent of blood lingered for a long time, as if proving they had once existed.
Other than that, only a small number of shinobi knew what had happened.
And they were shocked by what Hikaru had done.
To be honest, even if Hikaru had allowed the matter to spread openly, it would not have caused a major problem.
After all, he had already prepared in advance.
Konoha's residents had at least some understanding of what those suddenly vanished people had been planning.
Still, after that night, Hiruzen requested a one-week leave from Hikaru.
He did not say what he intended to do.
Hikaru did not ask.
He simply approved it, giving the old man time to rest and recover.
Hikaru understood very well that Hiruzen truly had nothing left now.
More accurately, very few of his friends from the same generation remained.
Hikaru knew one of Hiruzen's sons had already died, and his other son, Asuma, was certainly not easy to deal with either.
Only Hiruzen himself knew the loneliness in his heart.
So Hikaru had no intention of making things harder for him.
After all, Hiruzen was under immense pressure already.
Not only had he carried out a ruthless purge of Konoha's unstable elements, he would also continue bearing infamy afterward.
As the newspaper reports increased, especially regarding the issue of special jōnin, more and more details began surfacing with Hikaru's tacit approval.
Naturally, the special jōnin grew increasingly furious with Hiruzen.
Based on what had been exposed, they were far more likely to be demoted to chūnin than promoted to full jōnin.
Originally, they had thought that since jōnin benefits had been greatly improved, they as special jōnin might also gain some advantages.
But now that this matter had been revealed, they realized they would receive nothing at all.
Worse—
they might even be pushed back down to chūnin.
How could they not be angry?
However, that anger was not directed at Hikaru.
It was directed at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, Hikaru had just dealt with more than a thousand people.
Even if his actions were justified and supported by evidence, people still instinctively felt awe toward him.
Of course, respect outweighed fear.
That was exactly the result Hikaru wanted.
Besides, Hikaru was vigorously promoting jōnin welfare reforms, and reports had already shown that he also intended to advance welfare reforms for shinobi of every rank.
Because of that, they were even less likely to curse Hikaru.
If they wanted to hate someone, that person could only be Hiruzen.
"How does it feel after resting for a week?"
No matter how fierce the storm outside grew, it could not affect the decision-makers at the top.
On the last day of Hiruzen's week-long leave, Hikaru personally visited his home.
"It's acceptable."
Hiruzen personally brewed a pot of tea. As he slowly poured a cup for Hikaru, he spoke in an unhurried tone.
"I'm old, after all. Old people always like recalling the past."
"Being old does not mean useless."
Hikaru lifted the cup of tea Hiruzen had poured and smiled faintly as the fragrance rose from within.
"As the saying goes, an old person in the family is like a treasure. Facts have proven that you can still be very valuable sometimes."
"When it comes to carrying blame for you, I am indeed quite valuable, yes?"
Hiruzen sighed softly. After taking a sip of tea, he looked at Hikaru seriously.
"I am willing to bear this kind of thing. I can continue bearing it, just like Danzō once did."
"But I have only one request."
"In my lifetime, I want to see Konoha stand at the peak of the shinobi world."
"You must achieve that."
"I can promise you that."
Hikaru was very confident about this.
"You will see it."
No matter what, this was connected to his system mission.
And now that he had truly become Hokage, Hikaru felt it would be wrong not to do something.
After all, everything from his previous life was deeply engraved into his very being.
Hikaru might not necessarily be able to unify the entire shinobi world.
But creating a multilateral community of shared interests?
That did not seem impossible.
After all, Naruto had nearly done something similar in the original future.
"By the way, find time to call Asuma back."
"Konoha is short on talent now. He carries the identity of a Konoha shinobi but does nothing for the village. That is neither reasonable nor proper."
"Indeed. That child should return."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"Also, do you need me to call Tsunade and Jiraiya back?"
"Hmph. Konoha was at war with Kumogakure, and neither of them returned."
"The only reason I tolerate them is because they are members of the Sannin—and one of them is from the Senju line."
"It seems you truly have a strong opinion of them."
Hiruzen looked at him.
"But what if they return in the future?"
"Jiraiya already came back once."
"I gave him a long-term mission to track Orochimaru."
"As for Tsunade… we'll discuss that when the time comes."
…
Hikaru truly did not care much about whether Tsunade and Jiraiya returned.
Their return would certainly raise Konoha's morale and strengthen its overall power.
But they had been gone for so long.
And when Konoha was in its most dangerous period, neither had shown any intention of returning.
In that case, from Hikaru's perspective, if they did not want to return, they could simply stay away.
Konoha had Hikaru holding it up now.
At present, there was no one in the shinobi world who dared cause real trouble for Konoha.
Hikaru knew they had their reasons for staying away.
But if they would not come back even when Konoha was in danger, did they truly regard Konoha as home?
Perhaps they had returned secretly and would have acted depending on the circumstances.
Given their personalities, they might genuinely have done that.
But Hikaru had not seen it.
So it did not count.
The mission he gave Jiraiya carried precisely that meaning.
It was a clear signal.
He was telling Jiraiya—and through him, Tsunade—that if they did not wish to return, Konoha would not necessarily welcome them back either.
Hikaru was an unquestionably strong Hokage.
And he did not believe there was anything wrong with a Hokage being forceful.
After all, the Hokage represented the village's attitude.
Hikaru was not the current aging Hiruzen.
The Hiruzen Sarutobi of his youth had also been an extremely forceful man.
As for calling Asuma back, the meaning was very clear.
Hikaru was giving the Sarutobi Clan a proper successor.
Hiruzen's cooperation had helped Hikaru greatly, and the Sarutobi Clan had developed well during Hiruzen's time as Hokage.
Their speed in aligning with Hikaru had also been fairly quick.
Most importantly, they had not participated in the previous chaos.
Since that was the case, allowing the clan some space to develop was also a kind of political messaging.
It told everyone:
Look. Even the Sarutobi Clan, a clan that displeased me, can still develop under me.
Follow me, and you will not be mistreated.
Of course, Hikaru would still place a ceiling on the Sarutobi Clan's development.
If necessary, he would also make them spit out some of what they had eaten.
After all, the cake they had taken back then had not been small.
Time passed quickly.
In the following days, Hikaru had Shikaku monitor the progress of the jōnin reforms while also preparing for negotiations with Kumogakure.
The jōnin reforms were progressing smoothly.
However, Hikaru did not continue pressing the major clans to contribute their privately held ninjutsu collections.
It was not that the clans were unwilling.
Nor had Hikaru forgotten.
It was simply no longer necessary.
After Hikaru wiped out the families that had once followed Hiruzen, he had feasted well.
The ninjutsu seized from those clans, combined with Konoha's existing ninjutsu archives, was more than enough for the jōnin to use.
There was one interesting matter, though.
The Sarutobi Clan voluntarily contributed a large number of ninjutsu.
Hikaru naturally did not refuse.
The foundation of the Sarutobi Clan had always been its vast collection of techniques.
By offering so much now, they were making a clear declaration of loyalty.
Since they were willing to offer more in order to prove themselves, Hikaru had no reason to refuse.
With these enormous resources, plus the ninjutsu that Kumogakure was about to deliver, Konoha's jōnin situation was looking excellent.
According to Shikaku's assessment, Konoha would soon be ready to begin experimenting with chūnin welfare reforms.
For Hikaru, that was undoubtedly good news.
The most difficult hurdle had already been crossed.
Everything afterward would be relatively easier.
But Shikaku was exhausted.
Successful reform was a good thing, but every following problem still required him to handle it.
Not only did he have to oversee that side, but he also had to coordinate Konoha's various government affairs.
Most importantly, he had to work with the Foreign Affairs Department on negotiations with Kumogakure.
Although the Foreign Affairs Department was officially responsible for the negotiations, its members were still new and lacked confidence, so Shikaku had to assist.
As for all the other messy issues, the Government Affairs Department had to deal with those as well.
The pressure on Shikaku was enormous, and his workload was rising at a terrifying rate.
He knew this was only temporary, but with Konoha's current speed of development, the Government Affairs Department—being the central hub—would only grow busier in the future.
So Hikaru naturally recommended the secretariat system to him.
After all, Hikaru intended to expand the Secretariat into a full department.
Shikaku had long heard of the unique secretariat Hikaru had created inside ANBU.
He also knew Hikaru had relied on that department to reduce his workload.
However, Shikaku was worried that if such a department grew too powerful, it might eventually hollow out the minister's authority.
From Hikaru's explanation, he knew secretaries had no actual power.
But they did have the power to propose.
More importantly, all written documents passed through them before being submitted.
In silence, they could influence the decision-maker's preferences.
It had to be said—
Shikaku was truly sharp.
The reason Sir Humphrey could manipulate ministers and even prime ministers in his palm was precisely because he controlled the submission of documents.
Of course, that was not all.
He also controlled meeting schedules and the decision-maker's itinerary, making it easy to arrange many things.
For example, if the most important proposal was brought out right before lunch or the end of the workday, how much time would those decision-makers have to discuss it?
Besides, ministers and prime ministers could not remain in their positions forever.
Naturally, they could not outplay lifelong bureaucrats.
But this world was different.
Here, there was no strict limit on how long someone could remain in office.
Perhaps Shikaku understood that point, because he eventually accepted Hikaru's suggestion.
This could be considered Hikaru's first step toward expanding the Secretariat.
Afterward, Hikaru did not pay much further attention to the matter.
He left a shadow clone behind and quietly departed Konoha.
…
In a dense forest within the Land of Fire, Hikaru appeared silently, then quickly walked forward.
This place was Orochimaru's base inside the Land of Fire.
Hikaru had only met Orochimaru here a few months ago, so he had not expected Orochimaru to summon him again so soon.
But Hikaru knew Orochimaru would never disturb him without reason.
Especially now that Hikaru had become Hokage, his workload was naturally much heavier.
Moreover, Konoha's reforms were not being hidden from anyone.
They were being displayed openly before the entire village.
Given that, Orochimaru would naturally understand that Hikaru was extremely busy right now.
If there were no real reason, he would not have contacted Hikaru.
Moving swiftly through the maze-like underground passages Orochimaru had built, Hikaru soon arrived in the laboratory.
Orochimaru's face was filled with excitement.
He looked especially eerie.
But that expression made the corner of Hikaru's eye twitch slightly.
He seemed to realize why Orochimaru had called him here.
"Lord Hokage, you've arrived."
Orochimaru had sensed Hikaru's arrival long ago.
After all, this was his territory.
He turned with a smile and bowed slightly to Hikaru.
"It seems my teacher truly lost. But losing to Lord Hokage is only natural. After all, he really is old now."
"Thank you for the congratulations, but I doubt you called me here just to say something so boring."
Hikaru looked calmly at Orochimaru, the corners of his lips lifting into a gentle smile.
"Judging by your expression, Lord Orochimaru, you must have discovered something new. Is that why you called me here?"
"Correct. There has indeed been a new discovery."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes shining with excitement.
"After Minister Hikaru became the Fifth Hokage, the resources at your disposal became far greater than before."
"If I failed to demonstrate more value, I might eventually be abandoned by Lord Hokage."
"But it seems fortune favored me this time. I truly have made several delightful discoveries."
Hikaru nodded lightly.
Orochimaru's words were somewhat too realistic, but Hikaru understood that the man was an absolute realist.
Now that Hikaru was Hokage, he controlled nearly all of Konoha's resources.
If he increased investment elsewhere, it was hard to say whether Orochimaru would remain indispensable.
Back when Hikaru was still in ANBU, he had already split apart the Medical Department and incorporated part of it into ANBU.
Now that he was Hokage, he still had not restored the Medical Department.
In fact, among the eight major departments, he had not even listed it.
The Medical Department still existed, but Hikaru had downgraded it into a Medical Office directly under the Hokage.
In other words, if Hikaru truly wanted to do something, he could mobilize the entire Medical Office.
Their skill might not match Orochimaru's, but they had manpower and resources.
Orochimaru himself had come from Konoha, so of course he knew how vast Konoha's resources were.
His concern was perfectly normal.
Still, Hikaru had taken no such action.
Even Kakashi, who was now in charge of ANBU, had not rushed things.
Although Kakashi truly wished to try reviving everything he had lost, he also understood that this matter could not take priority over stabilizing Konoha.
So from beginning to end, he had not acted recklessly.
Konoha's own experiments had continued at a slow and steady pace.
Now that Orochimaru had produced results, Hikaru was actually quite pleased.
With this technique, he would gain another trump card.
After all, this was a resurrection technique.
With such a jutsu, Hikaru could win over even more people's hearts.
It could also become a super trump card for himself.
As the saying went, one should always prepare for the unexpected.
With this technique, if Hikaru ever encountered an accident, he could have someone revive him.
"It seems Lord Orochimaru has truly given me a surprise."
Although Hikaru was extremely pleased inwardly, his expression remained restrained.
He still wore that gentle smile.
"I wonder what sort of breakthrough Lord Orochimaru has made."
"And where did you obtain your experimental materials?"
"Relax. Since Lord Hokage is now in power, and since we are cooperating, I naturally would not run wild inside the Land of Fire."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled.
"If anything, Lord Hokage may even need to pay me a commission."
"After all, I cleared out quite a few bandit strongholds inside the Land of Fire."
"Most of those men came from small neighboring countries after losing their footing there. After entering the Land of Fire, they preyed on merchants quite often."
"Besides that, I also captured several enemy shinobi who had fled into the Land of Fire, as well as a few Konoha missing-nin."
Orochimaru had indeed gone through considerable effort to obtain experimental materials.
Since he had reached an agreement with Hikaru, and Hikaru had proven that he could protect him, Orochimaru genuinely had not attacked any ordinary citizens of the Land of Fire.
Everyone he targeted was either a bandit, an enemy shinobi, or even a Konoha traitor.
In a way, he had secretly helped Konoha quite a bit.
Hikaru, however, could not help rolling his eyes.
This bastard actually had the nerve to ask him for a commission?
By privately completing these matters, Orochimaru had prevented Konoha from issuing missions for them.
No missions meant no income for shinobi.
And no income for shinobi meant Konoha had no commission to collect either.
In other words, Orochimaru had quietly cost Konoha a sum of money.
In the shinobi world, acting like a wandering hero had no future.
After all, shinobi villages relied on troublemakers turning into mission quotas.
"As for the breakthrough in the technique…"
Orochimaru did not dwell on the mission payment.
He soon took out a scroll.
When he opened it, the body of a pale-skinned Uchiha shinobi appeared before Hikaru.
Then Orochimaru walked to a prison cell and casually dragged out a man who had already been tortured into a dazed state.
From the man's clothing, Hikaru immediately guessed that he was likely a bandit.
Orochimaru did not hesitate at all.
He quickly formed hand seals.
One hand landed on the bandit's body.
The other rested on the Uchiha corpse, which had clearly been dead for quite some time.
In the next instant, Hikaru distinctly sensed the flow of life force.
And most importantly—
that flowing life force did not belong to Orochimaru.
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