"Lord Hokage, why are you here?"
Kakashi, who had been reading through documents, suddenly sensed movement.
When he raised his head and saw Hikaru, he could not help asking with a smile.
Kakashi had grown increasingly familiar with ANBU affairs.
With the help of his newly promoted secretaries, his work was no longer as difficult as when he had first taken over.
Although he still faced pressure here and there, judging by his current condition, he was doing quite well.
After all, his two secretaries and ANBU's own Government Affairs Office blocked many unimportant matters for him.
That allowed him to focus more energy on truly important work.
Compared to when he first took over last year, he looked much better now.
"Am I not allowed to come?"
Hikaru smiled and spread his hands.
"No matter what, I was once ANBU Commander. Isn't it only natural for me to come take a look?"
"That's true. Do you need me to show you ANBU's latest documents?"
Kakashi stood up and handed over the documents in his hand.
"Are you joking? That is your job."
Hikaru rolled his eyes and directly rejected the files.
"I'm already busy enough as Hokage. Besides, do you think I don't know what ANBU's situation is?"
ANBU was the Hokage's most important direct organization.
There was no way Hikaru would not know what was going on inside.
Moreover, Kakashi was far more honest as ANBU Commander than Hikaru had been.
He basically submitted a short report every two weeks.
Every month, there was also a monthly summary.
At the end of the year, there was an annual report.
This was practically an open declaration to everyone in the know that ANBU always followed the Hokage's steps and would never break away from the Hokage's jurisdiction.
Most importantly, Hikaru had not even demanded any of this.
Kakashi had done it after listening to the suggestion of his newly appointed secretary.
His approach had also been learned by the other major departments that knew about it, and they began trying to do the same.
In a sense, Kakashi had single-handedly and inexplicably increased Hikaru's workload.
But this method did indeed give Hikaru a deeper understanding of the departments under him.
Even Hiruzen had praised Hikaru's control over the various departments.
Naturally, Hikaru knew ANBU's current situation very clearly.
After Kakashi took office, the position of Third Division Captain that he vacated had naturally been handed to Pakura.
However, Hikaru heard that Pakura was thinking of leaving ANBU and looking for an opportunity to join Hikaru's Hokage Guard.
Hikaru had specifically asked Pakura about this.
They already lived close to each other, and after that invitation, whenever Hikaru ran into Pakura after work, he would invite her to his home as a guest.
Pakura was frank about the matter.
She truly wanted to join Hikaru's Hokage Guard.
The only problem was that Hikaru still had no intention of forming his own Hokage Guard yet.
For Hikaru, whether the Hokage Guard existed was not a major issue.
In the shinobi world, if he could not handle something, could anyone else really handle it?
At least in terms of combat.
So the matter had been temporarily shelved.
Even though many name lists had already been delivered to him, he had not selected anyone.
But the future was hard to say.
After all, the Hokage Guard's existence was not necessarily limited to combat.
Sometimes, it also served as a symbol of prestige.
And it was not as if Hikaru could personally handle every combat-related issue.
He still needed people to help him solve some problems.
For the moment, however, the hidden ANBU following him were more than enough.
"By the way, Lord Hokage, why did you come this time?"
Seeing that Hikaru had no interest in the documents, Kakashi could only put them back on the desk.
Then he asked curiously.
"I came because I need to tell you something."
Hikaru casually walked to the sofa and sat down.
His gaze fixed on Kakashi, and he suddenly smiled.
"Do you still remember the experiment I asked you to start back then?"
Hearing this, Kakashi's expression immediately turned serious.
Of course he knew what Hikaru was referring to.
That experiment was the study of a technique capable of resurrecting a person.
If that technique succeeded, its importance to Konoha was unimaginable.
And for Kakashi, that technique was equally important.
Because he desperately hoped it could bring back the most important people in his life.
However, the research on that technique had never gone especially smoothly.
He had simply continued following the steps Hikaru had set back then.
At first, Hikaru had wanted everyone to adapt to Hidan's existence, so they began by researching medical substances.
Kakashi had also been deeply shocked that Hikaru had found someone like Hidan.
That man actually possessed an immortal body.
Out of curiosity regarding Hidan's background, Kakashi had reviewed old mission intelligence after becoming ANBU Commander.
Through that, he came to understand what kind of situation Hidan had once been in.
It had to be said that after becoming ANBU Commander, Kakashi's perspective had indeed broadened.
Although Hidan's ability came from an extremely evil source, and although his teacher had absolutely deserved death, Hidan's existence was still beneficial to Konoha.
Besides, Hikaru had already killed his teacher completely.
Hidan, in a sense, had integrated into Konoha.
With Hidan, Konoha's medical research had advanced rapidly.
After all, such a large margin for trial and error was invaluable.
But progress in that other area had not been ideal.
Kakashi sighed softly and said helplessly, "The research on that technique has made some progress, but it has been very slow. After all, those people's research focus—"
"I know. You have reported these things before."
Hikaru shook his head lightly.
"But I am not talking about them. Or rather, I never placed too much hope in them."
"Lord Hokage?"
Kakashi could not help frowning when he heard this.
"You mean you had another preparation?"
"Of course."
Hikaru smiled.
Then he stood and said to Kakashi, "Come. Today, we are going to conduct an experiment."
"An experiment?"
Kakashi's eyes lit up.
He seemed to realize something.
"Lord Hokage, you really…"
"Yes. Although it involves cooperating with an unlucky bastard who is also a Konoha missing-nin, you will understand why in the future."
Hikaru still smiled, but he gave Kakashi a warning in advance.
"Also, go to your father's grave.
"Although this is only an experiment, I have admired Senior Sakumo for a very long time."
…
Kakashi followed Hikaru to his father's grave in a daze.
Then, dumbfounded, he watched Hikaru dig up his father's grave.
Even now, Kakashi did not know what Hikaru intended to do.
Nor did he know who the unlucky Konoha missing-nin Hikaru had mentioned was.
His mind was a complete mess.
All he knew was that Hikaru seemed to have completed the resurrection technique.
And Hikaru seemed to intend to resurrect his father.
Kakashi glanced around and sighed softly.
His father had chosen suicide under the burden of public condemnation.
The place where he was buried was not inside Konoha's official cemetery.
This place was extremely remote.
So remote that almost no one came here normally.
Under such circumstances, his and Hikaru's grave-digging naturally went unnoticed.
But Kakashi still had doubts in his heart.
His father had been dead for so many years.
How exactly did Hikaru intend to revive someone like that?
And it was not only his father.
Rin's body had also been brought back and buried many years ago.
If her grave were opened now, perhaps only a pile of bones would remain.
This was something Kakashi did not want to see.
Even more so, he did not want to think about it.
But that was the truth.
Before the technique had been completed, Kakashi could force himself not to consider these things.
They had been too distant back then, and there was no need to think too deeply.
Now, however, the situation was different.
Hikaru had told him everything was ready.
Could this technique truly turn white bones back into living people?
"All right. Let's go back."
Just as Kakashi was deep in thought, Hikaru suddenly spoke.
Hearing his voice, Kakashi immediately looked up.
He saw Hikaru holding a piece of bone before beginning to form seals with one hand.
As the earth shifted continuously, his father's grave was once again buried by the ground.
The exposed coffin and remains disappeared quietly beneath the moving earth.
"Only one bone is needed?"
Kakashi's voice was somewhat low.
"Lord Hokage, what exactly…"
"I have already informed Hidan. I will explain later."
Hikaru did not say much.
He placed one hand on Kakashi's shoulder while gathering chakra.
"Also, in the future, you may need to sign quite a few execution notices for death-row prisoners."
After saying that, Hikaru did not wait for Kakashi to react.
He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique directly.
When they appeared again, they were already in a forest within Konoha.
Hidan had already brought a death-row prisoner here and was waiting.
He looked somewhat impatient.
Kakashi knew that Hidan seemed to be on leave today.
And since he had made quite a few friends in Konoha, it was only natural that being dragged over to work on a day off would make him unhappy.
But when Hidan saw Hikaru and Kakashi appear, he immediately restrained his attitude and obediently bowed to them.
"Enough. I know you're dissatisfied."
Hikaru spoke directly to Hidan.
"After this is over, I'll give you a month of leave. How does that sound?"
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Kakashi, as if seeking his opinion.
After all, Kakashi was the ANBU Commander.
Even though Hikaru could control everything, it was better to ask Hidan's current superior about something like this.
Kakashi was reasonable and nodded in agreement.
Then he silently watched Hikaru and Hidan.
He was still full of confusion.
He wanted to see exactly what Hikaru intended to do.
"In truth, I have been thinking about how to handle resurrection for a long time.
"For example, what if the person I want to resurrect has already been reduced to bones, or even only has hair left?"
Since everything was ready, Hikaru began.
As he formed seals, he also explained.
"Facing such a situation, after thinking it over, I could only come up with one method.
"That method is Impure World Reincarnation."
As he spoke, Hikaru's chakra had already fully gathered.
He slammed one hand onto the ground.
In the next instant, summoning marks spread wildly in every direction.
Kakashi listened to Hikaru with a deep frown.
He seemed to have heard of Impure World Reincarnation before, but he truly did not know exactly what the technique did.
After all, he had only taken over ANBU around half a year ago.
There were still many things he had yet to access.
But since Hikaru's expression was so serious, this was undoubtedly an extraordinary technique.
So Kakashi watched very carefully.
"Impure World Reincarnation is a forbidden technique created by the Second Hokage.
"One of its greatest traits is that through certain special materials, it can awaken the dead and allow them to fight again.
"However, in certain ways, this technique does not respect the will of the deceased. It can also forcibly control the dead.
"For that reason, it was ultimately classified as a forbidden technique.
"But precisely because of this forbidden technique, I saw hope.
"The hope of fully resurrecting a person."
At this point, Hikaru's chakra condensed again.
Although this was his first time using Impure World Reincarnation, he did not feel much difficulty.
When the summoning array on the ground began releasing smoke, Kakashi immediately felt that something was wrong.
In an instant, countless scraps of paper began covering the death-row prisoner Hidan had brought.
This prisoner was a Kirigakure spy.
His strength was not bad, and his chakra reserves were decent.
After serious consideration, Hikaru had chosen him as Hatake Sakumo's vessel.
After all, Hatake Sakumo's power did not come from bloodline.
It came from his own training and skill.
So there was no need to make things too troublesome by using a White Zetsu body.
The Kirigakure prisoner let out a miserable scream.
But that scream was soon extinguished.
The paper scraps wrapping around him, as if from the Pure Land itself, quickly enveloped him.
His appearance also began to change drastically.
Kakashi watched everything silently, his brows tightly furrowed.
He felt that what was happening was not quite right.
Although he had killed many people, this was the first time he had seen something like this.
But he had no time to think too much.
Because the prisoner's appearance had completely changed.
In the blink of an eye, an incredibly familiar figure quietly appeared before him.
When Kakashi saw that person, his body began trembling uncontrollably.
Memories of the past surged into his mind.
He had countless times imagined what it would be like to meet his father after his own death.
But in this moment, only the best memories of his father remained in his heart.
When Hatake Sakumo's eyes flickered slightly and finally opened in confusion, Kakashi could no longer hold himself back.
He rushed forward.
But at that moment, Hatake Sakumo's eyes instantly became incomparably sharp.
…
"I say, you father and son really don't need to go this far, do you?"
At some point, Hikaru had appeared between Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi.
One hand blocked Kakashi's chest.
The other had accurately caught Hatake Sakumo's right hand.
Kakashi's body stiffened.
Only now did he realize that his father had seemingly been about to draw a weapon.
Thinking carefully, Kakashi truly had no right to blame his father.
After all, his father had already been dead for so many years.
Being suddenly awakened would certainly leave everything before him unfamiliar.
If someone suddenly approached him at that moment, a powerful shinobi would naturally react.
At this point, Hatake Sakumo also seemed to have fully awakened.
The first thing he did was examine his own condition.
But that examination immediately told him something was wrong.
He felt that his current physical state was extremely good.
Not only that, but his chakra had become tremendous.
Nearly endless chakra constantly spread and coiled through his body.
This state, almost beyond his peak, left Hatake Sakumo somewhat confused.
And in his memory, had he not already taken his own life?
Why had he climbed back up now?
What exactly was going on?
Before he could think further, Hatake Sakumo's gaze quickly landed on Hikaru.
At first, he froze slightly when he saw Hikaru's white hair.
But when he saw Hikaru's clothing, his body trembled involuntarily.
That white-and-red Hokage robe was something he knew very well.
Because that was clothing exclusive to the Hokage.
"Lord… Hokage?"
Hatake Sakumo murmured under his breath.
But he did not quite dare believe it.
Even if the person before him was truly powerful.
In an instant, without him even noticing, the young man had restrained him completely.
Sakumo had encountered only a handful of people with such strength in his lifetime.
Could this young man really be the Hokage?
His gaze shifted slightly.
This time, Hatake Sakumo's entire body froze.
Because now, his gaze was locked completely on Kakashi.
Even though more than ten years had passed, and Kakashi was now an adult, his appearance was not very different from when he was young.
That familiar silver hair.
That mask he had loved wearing since childhood.
Most importantly, as a father, no matter how many years passed, the moment he saw his son, there would always be a special feeling.
"Ka… Kakashi?"
Hatake Sakumo had indeed heard Hikaru's earlier mention of "father and son."
But he could not simply believe a stranger's words.
Yet at this moment, he felt as if he truly had to believe it.
And now, he truly did believe it.
"It's me, Father…"
Kakashi took a deep breath and suppressed the emotion that had surged up inside him.
"It's been a long time."
"A long time?"
Hatake Sakumo relaxed.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "If I remember correctly, I should be dead. Why am I now…"
"I think Kakashi should be the one to explain this to you."
Hikaru naturally released Hatake Sakumo's hand and smiled at both of them.
"After all, times have changed, and there are many things you do not understand.
"In that case, I won't disturb you father and son."
After saying that, Hikaru looked toward Hidan.
Hidan was still immersed in shock over Hikaru's "turning the dead into the living" technique and was momentarily dazed.
But after noticing Hikaru's gaze, he immediately reacted and quickly ran behind him.
Then he left the area with Hikaru.
Kakashi and his father had not seen each other for at least thirteen years.
Leaving time for the two of them was obviously best.
Before long, Hikaru and Hidan had already walked out of that area.
Only then did Hikaru turn his gaze to Hidan.
"Are you ready?"
Hikaru asked.
"You are the key to this technique. I truly hope nothing goes wrong."
"Don't worry. I've practiced it many times."
Hidan did not dare act carelessly in front of Hikaru.
In the original story, he may have been a lunatic.
But now, perhaps because he had received decent training in ANBU, he could control his emotions quite well.
Even when he was with friends, he did not act too crazily.
At most, he came across as unruly and carefree.
"Good. I am looking forward to your performance."
Hikaru nodded with a smile.
"But there is no need to feel too much pressure. After all, this is only an experiment.
"If it fails, it is not a major problem.
"It only means you will need to work harder in the future."
"I would rather succeed in one try."
Hidan scratched the back of his head.
But very quickly, he swallowed and asked, "Lord Hokage, what was that technique just now? Why did it feel…"
"Didn't I say it already? Impure World Reincarnation."
Hikaru did not mind speaking with Hidan.
He leaned against a tree and smiled.
"This is a forbidden technique.
"But that is only for other people.
"I am the Hokage. If I want to use it, then naturally, I can use it."
"Hah… Lord Hokage really is worthy of being Lord Hokage…"
Hidan awkwardly echoed Hikaru's arrogant statement.
But he felt something was off about his own words, so he immediately changed the topic.
"Lord Hokage, this technique really is powerful. It can actually make the dead stand up again.
"But are you certain our technique can combine with it and truly bring the dead back to life?"
"Otherwise, why would I call it an experiment?"
Hikaru spread his hands indifferently.
He himself was not certain about this matter.
"It is precisely because I do not know the result.
"It is like when we often say, 'If you do this, it will cause unpredictable consequences.'
"It is exactly because the consequences are unpredictable that we say that.
"If we knew the consequences, why would we still call them unpredictable?"
Hidan stared blankly at Hikaru.
He had been thoroughly confused by Hikaru's words.
Weren't unpredictable consequences supposed to mean something was wrong?
Only if something was wrong would there be unpredictable consequences, right?
Why did these words seem to change meaning completely when they came from Lord Hokage?
But Hidan did not dare ask further.
He was worried that the more he asked, the more stupid he would look.
He was even more worried that the more he asked, the more confused he would become.
His brain was nowhere near as useful as Lord Hokage's.
But he did not want to look like an idiot either.
…
Hikaru and Hidan did not wait long for Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo.
Soon, the two walked out of the forest together and approached Hikaru.
This surprised Hikaru somewhat.
In his view, the two should have had many things to say.
He had intended to give them enough time to talk.
Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo had been separated for so many years.
And Sakumo's suicide had left a deep shadow over Kakashi.
For a time, it had even caused Kakashi to become the type of person Danzō would have liked most.
If Obito had not pulled Kakashi back, perhaps Kakashi truly would have fallen into the abyss.
Minato's team and the future Team 7 were actually extremely similar.
Only the roles had been switched.
Kakashi was the future Sasuke.
Obito was more like the future Naruto.
Yet what made the shifting of fate so ironic was that in Minato's team, the "Sasuke" ultimately walked toward the light.
Meanwhile, the "Naruto," who had once been kind to the extreme, fell into the abyss and completely merged with darkness.
To be honest, it was deeply ironic.
But it was also fact.
So Hikaru could fully understand Kakashi's special feelings toward Obito.
It was not simply because Obito gave Kakashi an eye and allowed him to see light again.
It was because Obito had truly pulled Kakashi out of the abyss.
Through Obito, Kakashi understood his father.
Naturally, he and Sakumo should have had many things worth discussing.
As for Hatake Sakumo, his situation was even simpler.
He had been dead for so long and knew nothing about the outside world.
Naturally, he needed Kakashi to tell him enough information.
For example, something he could take pride in—
that Kakashi had come to understand him and had now become ANBU Commander.
Talking through all of that should have taken at least an hour.
Yet they had come out in less than half an hour.
That made Hikaru very curious.
"Finished talking?"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
"We only exchanged a simple overview of the current situation, Lord Hokage."
Hatake Sakumo spoke first.
Then he bowed slightly to Hikaru.
"This is our first meeting. I am Hatake Sakumo. I greet Lord Hokage."
"There is no need for such formality, Senior Sakumo. Kakashi is my friend."
Hikaru smiled and shook his head.
"And I saw you once when I was young. After all, Kakashi and I were in the same class."
Hikaru truly had seen Hatake Sakumo when he was a child.
When school had just started, Kakashi had been brought to the academy by Sakumo, while Hikaru had gone with Senju Shōma.
Back then, Hikaru had been extremely curious about this legendary hero of Konoha.
Although he had felt regret knowing that Sakumo would likely commit suicide before long, Hikaru really could not have done anything at the time.
During that meeting, Hikaru had only seen him from afar.
After that, he never saw him again.
Not until the rumors about him spread through Konoha soon afterward.
"Kakashi told me that Lord Hokage was his classmate, and that Lord Hokage once helped him."
Hatake Sakumo still maintained a respectful attitude.
He did not relax simply because Hikaru and Kakashi had once been classmates.
Although his conversation with Kakashi had not been long, he had learned how terrifying this Fifth Hokage was.
Especially after hearing from Kakashi that this Fifth Hokage was not only a descendant of the Senju Clan, but also possessed power no weaker than Senju Hashirama.
During the war between Konoha and Kumogakure, this Fifth Hokage had still been ANBU Commander.
And yet, he had single-handedly wiped out Kumogakure's eight-thousand-strong main force.
That kind of power could only be described as terrifying to the extreme.
No wonder Hikaru had been able to so casually suppress his attack right as he was about to move.
Facing such a person, even if Hikaru had a close relationship with his son, Sakumo would not dare relax at all.
Especially since this person was the Hokage.
"Kakashi becoming ANBU Commander was also because of Lord Hokage's recommendation.
"Without Lord Hokage, my son would never have reached this point."
"Enough, Senior Sakumo. I assume Kakashi has already told you the purpose of awakening you this time?"
Seeing Hatake Sakumo's attitude, Hikaru felt somewhat helpless, but he did not say anything more.
After all, Hatake Sakumo had his own attitude as a shinobi.
Forcing him to change might not work, so it was better to go along with him.
What Hikaru found somewhat strange was that he remembered Hatake Sakumo being fairly easygoing.
Why was he so restrained in front of him?
"I know. But doing this…"
Hatake Sakumo frowned.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
"Is it not somewhat too much of a violation of natural law?
"After all, I am already dead…"
"Breaking natural law is indeed not good, but that is not absolute."
Before Sakumo could finish, Hikaru interrupted him directly.
His voice was calm.
"Because these techniques can be created and used, it means that under the rules of these techniques, natural law is not completely unbreakable.
"And the techniques we use follow the principle of equivalent exchange.
"To awaken you from the Pure Land, the price paid was also one life—a death-row prisoner. I believe you already know that.
"As for fully resurrecting you, the price may be a complete life. But we have already prepared a plan for that.
"Moreover, this time, we define it as an experiment.
"That means even we are not certain whether we can truly succeed.
"Lastly, I have one question for Senior Sakumo."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
His gaze swept across Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi.
Then he smiled.
"When you died, Kakashi was only five years old.
"Do you truly know how he lived through these past ten-plus years?
"Do you truly know how he was back then?
"Now that you have a chance to try making up for everything, are you really unwilling to seize it?
"And even aside from Kakashi, Konoha is currently lacking enough outstanding talent.
"Are you unwilling to continue working for Konoha as well?"
Hikaru's words were calm.
But every sentence struck Hatake Sakumo directly in the heart.
He stood there frozen for a long time.
In the end, he sighed softly.
The next instant, his gaze became incomparably firm.
He raised his head and looked at Hikaru seriously.
Then he knelt on one knee.
"I understand, Lord Hokage. I was too selfish.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage, for giving me this chance!"
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