Every person's heart was fragile in some way.
Or rather, everyone carried some kind of obsession deep inside them.
As long as one grasped that key obsession and the right information, using "Talk-no-Jutsu" to change someone's mind was not actually that difficult.
The reason Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu was so powerful was because, every time he used it, he somehow managed to strike directly at the weakness hidden in the other person's heart.
Then, with nothing but words, he made their heart create the corresponding illusion and completed the final reversal.
Of course, the most important part of Talk-no-Jutsu was that the other person had to cooperate.
The people in the Naruto world who could be swayed by Talk-no-Jutsu were, in truth, not truly evil people.
When Hikaru watched Naruto in his previous life, he could clearly feel that even if those people destroyed villages or wiped out clans, they were still defined as pitiful people "filled with love and longing for peace."
Judging from their deeds, Hikaru could somewhat understand that interpretation.
But in his previous life, there was also another saying.
Pitiful people always had hateful sides.
The reverse was also true.
According to Hikaru's own thoughts, he actually looked down on those people somewhat.
If they were going to do something, they might as well be like Uchiha Madara and do it thoroughly.
Perhaps that was why they were all pitiful wretches, while Uchiha Madara was a true overlord of his era.
Of course, that was only Hikaru's own view.
After all, everyone thought differently.
Perhaps it also depended on where one stood.
Take Uchiha Itachi, for example.
From the perspective of the Uchiha Clan, that kid was a villain who deserved to be cut to pieces.
Sometimes Hikaru wondered what he would do if he were unlucky enough to transmigrate into the Uchiha Clan.
How would he prevent himself from being killed by the plot through Uchiha Itachi?
After thinking it over, he felt he would probably follow Itachi when the kid was four or five years old, after he attended that Konoha funeral and ran to the cliff to ponder the meaning of life.
Then, when Itachi fell off the cliff, Hikaru would decisively follow up and throw a few kunai down after him.
He would not stop until Itachi was completely dead.
But from Hikaru's own perspective, what Itachi did had nothing to do with him.
And after learning about Itachi's later story of bearing humiliation and hardship, Hikaru might even think that guy was not bad.
To put it plainly, Itachi had nothing to do with Hikaru.
No matter how foolish his actions were, Hikaru would not learn from him.
He might even admire Itachi's incredibly cool fighting style.
After all, Itachi was the first person in the original story to display the Mangekyō Sharingan.
In his previous life, Hikaru had even called him "Itachi God."
There would never be a shortage of spectators.
Hikaru was one of them.
And from the perspective of Konoha's upper levels, Itachi was a great person.
After all, he had eliminated one of Konoha's unstable factors.
Thus, when one viewed the same matter from different angles, the conclusions would naturally be completely different.
A thousand people had a thousand Hamlets.
Hikaru would not force others to accept his views.
Naturally, he would not interfere with other people's views either.
Besides, he was currently feeling rather pleased with himself.
After all, his Talk-no-Jutsu had always been average.
Successfully convincing Hatake Sakumo to live made him quite happy.
Of course, he also knew that deep down, Sakumo might have wanted to live.
No one truly wished to die, especially when they still had attachments in their heart.
Moreover, Konoha had now entered a new era.
Sakumo's desire to return to the Pure Land was not that strong.
As Hidan completed his hand seals and placed one hand on Hatake Sakumo's body, the vast life force inside him began to surge rapidly into Sakumo.
At that moment, Hikaru also activated his Jōgan.
He needed to carefully observe both Hidan and Hatake Sakumo's conditions.
After all, this experiment was completely based on Hikaru's own hypothesis.
He did not know the exact result either, so he had to handle it with caution.
Through the Jōgan, he could see more subtle details.
Only then could he determine what parts of the technique were still worth modifying and what areas needed adjustment.
Of course, he also needed to monitor Hidan's condition.
After all, Hidan's value had already been developed by him.
Hikaru did not want anything unexpected to happen to him.
The myth that faith in the Evil God could create an immortal body had already been broken by Hikaru.
Otherwise, how could Hidan's teacher have died so miserably?
Hikaru did not know the exact principles involved, but he remembered very clearly that when Hidan's teacher used Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Release, the Shinigami he summoned had seemed unusually disgusted by him.
In the end, that man's ability collapsed directly because of the technique.
Hikaru never even got the chance to keep him alive for research.
That matter had also allowed Hikaru to roughly understand that the greatest counter to this kind of immortality was likely backlash involving the soul.
Or perhaps once an existence like the Shinigami became involved, they simply could not keep jumping around anymore.
After all, the so-called Evil God's actions were basically stealing business from the so-called Shinigami.
If they never met, that was one thing.
But once they did, it was only natural that the Shinigami would not let him go.
Even if he was just a minor underling.
Hikaru quietly watched everything.
In his eyes, Hidan's life force was flowing away wildly.
And that loss was beginning to change his body.
Almost visibly, Hidan's body began to wither.
It was just like the bandit Orochimaru had captured for his experiment.
"Was this part also modified by Orochimaru?"
Hikaru could not quite understand it.
He remembered that Chiyo had not shown this kind of condition.
Could it really have something to do with the state of the person undergoing the technique?
Hikaru could not figure it out, and he was too lazy to think too deeply about it.
He could tell Hidan's condition was terrible, but his flame of life had no problems at all.
It was as if an invisible force was protecting that flame of life, preventing it from going out.
As Hidan's life force continued to transfer, Hikaru's gaze shifted to Hatake Sakumo.
At this moment, Sakumo's state had become extremely subtle.
In Hikaru's eyes, Sakumo's body began to undergo a bizarre transformation.
The paper from the Pure Land that formed his Impure World Reincarnation body began to dissolve continuously.
The body that originally belonged to the Kirigakure spy was now completely melted by the reincarnation paper.
In Hikaru's eyes, the inside of Hatake Sakumo's body had become like a mass of paste.
There was no human form at all.
However, this state did not last long.
As a flame ignited at the very core of that "paste," the mass began to operate around Hatake Sakumo's soul.
Bones, organs, blood, and muscles began to reconstruct.
His body also released strange smoke.
The smoke constantly rose from within him.
And on the outside, the obvious cracks that marked the appearance of an Impure World Reincarnation body began to disappear.
"Ah!"
Hidan roared.
His life transfer seemed to have reached its limit.
At this moment, he could truly be described as a dried corpse.
Thump.
But at that exact moment, a special chakra belonging to the living spread out along with the beating of Hatake Sakumo's heart.
As the heartbeat grew stronger and stronger, Hatake Sakumo's gray-brown pupils also began to fade.
In the end, they became the normal white of a living human's eyes.
…
Hatake Sakumo stood frozen in place.
He clenched his fist hard.
The sensation from his body told him that everything was real.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Then he began greedily breathing in the fresh air.
"This long-lost fresh air… it truly is intoxicating."
From the moment he had been awakened by Impure World Reincarnation until now, he had possessed almost no sense of touch.
Likewise, he had no sense of smell.
He could not feel the flow of air.
He could not breathe in this fresh air.
Everything had been reminding him that he was nothing more than a dead man.
But now, he could feel all of it.
And all of it was telling him one thing.
He had come back to life.
He was no longer dead.
He had truly and completely become a living person again.
"Father?"
Kakashi watched Hatake Sakumo's condition from the side and could not help asking carefully.
In the next instant, however, Hatake Sakumo turned around and pulled Kakashi into a tight embrace.
At that moment, he could feel his son's body warmth.
At that moment, he could feel the special connection of blood between them.
Being alive truly was wonderful.
Seeing this, Hikaru finally let out a breath of relief.
In truth, even he had not expected the technique's effect to be this good.
But no matter how good the effect was, there were still many things that needed confirmation.
After all, he had only carried out the experiment based on a very immature hypothesis.
He could not determine the exact extent of the results yet.
And right now, Hikaru was more concerned about Hidan.
If resurrecting Hatake Sakumo ended up sacrificing Hidan, then Hikaru would suffer a huge loss.
"Are you all right?"
Hikaru walked to Hidan's side and asked quietly.
Looking at Hidan's miserable appearance, if Hikaru could not still see the flame of life burning inside him, he might have thought the man was dead.
"Not dead yet…"
Hidan's voice was extremely hoarse.
It sounded as if it had come from hell itself, making one's hair stand on end.
Hikaru frowned.
After thinking for a moment, he stretched out his hand.
In an instant, green chakra appeared in his palm.
As his strength continued to improve, especially after he fused Yin-Yang Release, his understanding of these two powers had deepened significantly.
And since he already possessed intermediate-level sealing techniques, he could now attempt to seal some life force inside his body.
This was actually something Hikaru had learned from Tsunade.
However, Hikaru did not possess the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
That technique was something Tsunade had developed herself.
But not having it did not mean Hikaru could not create something simple that suited his own practical needs.
After all, with his current strength, doing something like that was not especially difficult.
When the green chakra filled with life force poured into Hidan's body, Hidan's condition began to improve slightly.
Especially when that life force surged wildly into Hidan's flame of life and made it burn more vigorously, Hidan began mobilizing that power to restore himself.
After quite a while, Hidan's originally shriveled, mummy-like body began regaining vitality.
Before long, he could climb to his feet by himself.
"This immortal body really is incredible. No wonder he could still keep running his mouth after his head was cut off."
Hikaru muttered silently in his heart.
Hidan, meanwhile, bowed slightly to Hikaru with a pale face.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
"I should be the one thanking you. But judging by your condition, one month probably won't be enough for recovery. I'll have Kakashi give you more leave later."
"That's what I was thinking too. I really didn't expect the consumption to be this huge."
Hearing this, Hikaru glanced at Hidan.
Not only had Hidan not expected it, even Hikaru himself had not expected the situation to become like this.
But no matter what, this was still a good result.
Although Hidan clearly would not be able to use the technique again in the short term.
And Hikaru was not entirely clear about Hatake Sakumo's exact condition either.
But a person had truly and completely come back to life.
That alone was a major event and a fortunate one.
"Lord Hokage, thank you."
Just then, Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi walked over together.
Hatake Sakumo bowed slightly to Hikaru again.
Very soon, however, he turned his gaze to Hidan and bowed to him as well.
"And thank you too. Without you, I would not have truly come back to life."
"Have your son give me more leave…"
Hidan subconsciously blurted out.
But he quickly remembered Hikaru was still beside him and immediately forced an awkward smile.
"This was Lord Hokage's promise. Commander, you should agree, right?"
"All right, shut up."
Hikaru spoke directly to Hidan.
Hidan instantly became as obedient as a rabbit and shrank back.
If there was anyone Hidan feared most now, it was undoubtedly Hikaru, the Fifth Hokage.
Even though Kakashi was his direct superior, Hidan at most respected him.
The moment Hikaru spoke, Hidan immediately shut up.
Hikaru did not bother paying him too much attention.
In any case, Hidan no longer had any major issues.
Right now, the most important matter was naturally Hatake Sakumo's condition.
"Senior Sakumo, how do you feel right now?"
After thinking for a moment, Hikaru slowly asked.
"After all, this was only an experiment. And this was our first experiment.
"There are many situations where we need to collect data.
"So I would like to know how Senior Sakumo feels right now.
"Compared to when you were alive, what differences do you notice?"
This was indeed something Hikaru had to clarify.
Only after understanding these issues could he continue with the next experiment.
Hidan clearly needed to rest for some time.
During this gap, Hikaru could decide the future direction of this technique.
If everything was normal with Hatake Sakumo, Hikaru could begin preparing materials for the next experiment.
If there were problems, then he had to find out where they were.
After that, he would have to discuss things properly with Orochimaru.
And even if he did not look for Orochimaru, Hikaru could still try to solve some problems himself.
After all, he had always been thinking about digging the dead back up to work.
It would be unreasonable for Hikaru not to use such a labor force that required no manpower cost.
For example, his predecessor, the Second Hokage, was a research maniac.
…
Hikaru truly had little psychological burden about pulling the Senju Clan's ancestors up to work.
In fact, Hikaru sometimes thought maliciously that maybe Senju Tobirama had created Impure World Reincarnation precisely because he was waiting for someone to wake him up.
After all, he had never told anyone else that Impure World Reincarnation also had a method of release.
The only people who knew about that were himself, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara.
And Madara probably only knew because Hashirama told him.
If that were really the case, then Hikaru awakening him would not necessarily be a bad thing.
And even if that was not the case, Hikaru did not care.
One sentence, "for Konoha," would be enough to deal with him.
In any case, Hikaru did not expect the Impure World Reincarnation he summoned to possess top-tier combat strength.
The version of Impure World Reincarnation he used was still the most primitive version.
When the materials were fairly good and the summoned person was not some "superhuman" level monster, the results were still passable.
But once it involved "superhuman" level monsters, Hikaru felt that restoring fifty or sixty percent of their combat power would already be an excellent outcome.
In the original story, the two Hokage summoned to fight the Third Hokage probably did not even have half their strength.
Even so, Hikaru felt that summoning them once would still allow them to sweep away most shinobi.
"Lord Hokage, my current vital signs seem normal."
After hearing Hikaru's words, Hatake Sakumo immediately closed his eyes and carefully sensed his own condition.
Only after a long while did he open his eyes and speak slowly.
"I have not undergone a formal examination, but I can feel that everything is normal.
"However, I discovered that the nearly endless chakra I possessed after being resurrected in that previous form has disappeared.
"And my current chakra seems lower than before I… took my own life.
"It seems to have dropped to a certain degree.
"Besides that, although my control over my body is still good, my physical strength does not seem to have reached my previous level.
"Both speed and strength have declined rather seriously.
"But I can feel that if I devote myself to training, I should be able to recover quickly."
Hikaru quietly listened to his description.
Although Hatake Sakumo had described it rather tactfully, Hikaru still caught the key issue.
Hatake Sakumo's current strength had likely dropped sharply.
Hatake Sakumo had originally been a swordsman.
What he took pride in most was naturally his speed and strength.
These two things formed the foundation that allowed him to become a top-tier swordsman.
Combined with his reaction speed and countless battle experiences, they had made him the terrifying Konoha's White Fang.
But although Hatake Sakumo had been resurrected, the current Impure World Reincarnation clearly could not reach one hundred percent resurrection precision.
In addition, the material Hikaru had chosen—the Kirigakure spy—probably differed greatly from Sakumo's fighting style.
Or rather, he was simply far inferior to Hatake Sakumo.
This had led to a severe decline in Sakumo's strength.
From Hikaru's observation, his chakra was still decent.
But exactly how much he could bring out was hard to say.
"I understand."
After thinking for a moment, Hikaru finally nodded seriously.
"This may be related to the fact that the material I chose was not fully compatible with you.
"Even though that material was completely melted and reconstructed into a body matching your soul, some aftereffects of its original existence still remain.
"But you can be completely at ease.
"You are still yourself.
"When we return to Konoha later, you can undergo a proper examination.
"And I believe your perception is correct.
"Your current body is your own body.
"The things you have lost can be restored through training.
"Konoha also needs you to recover. Do you understand?"
Hatake Sakumo could not help falling silent when he heard Hikaru's words.
He actually had some confidence in restoring his strength.
After all, his experience was still there.
His control over himself was no different from before.
He even felt that he was full of vitality now.
Under such circumstances, of course he was confident.
After all, he was a swordsman.
His combat strength could be improved through continuous training.
But deep inside, he still had a small doubt.
Whose body exactly was this body of his?
He did not know how Hikaru's technique operated.
Nor did he know more details.
He only knew that he had come back to life using a death-row prisoner.
But after Hikaru explained it this way, he suddenly felt somewhat happy.
He could roughly understand what Hikaru meant by reconstruction.
Most likely, due to the resurrection, the death-row prisoner's body had completely dissolved into energy, then reconstructed into a body that belonged entirely to Sakumo himself.
If that was the case, then that was truly excellent.
He really did not want to come back to life only to discover that he no longer shared blood with his son Kakashi.
Of course, he could actually sense that he was still himself.
After all, earlier, he had felt that blood connection with Kakashi.
"I understand, Lord Hokage."
Hatake Sakumo knelt on one knee again and spoke with utmost seriousness.
"I will work hard on rehabilitation. I absolutely will not disappoint Lord Hokage."
"I naturally believe you, Senior Sakumo."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
Then, after thinking for a moment, he continued.
"As for your identity, it just so happens that my Hokage Guard has not been formed yet.
"You can be the first to join."
"Lord Hokage's guard?"
Hatake Sakumo looked at Hikaru in surprise.
According to what Kakashi had said, Hikaru had already been Hokage for more than half a year.
His Hokage Guard should have been established long ago.
"Yes. My Hokage Guard.
"Think of a name or code name for yourself. Let Kakashi handle these matters.
"And… welcome back, Hatake Sakumo."
After saying this, Hikaru grabbed Hidan and very decisively activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, leaving the place.
He had obtained everything he needed and verified many things.
Now, he intended to go back, record everything properly, and prepare for the next resurrection.
As for letting Hatake Sakumo enter his Hokage Guard, although that was a sudden idea, Hikaru found that it was not a bad one.
Hikaru temporarily had no intention of forming a guard, but he still needed to do what should be done in the future.
Now that Hatake Sakumo had been resurrected, Hikaru could more or less guess how powerful he would be once he returned to his peak.
Moreover, there was indeed an identity issue to consider.
In that case, why not take this opportunity to have him enter the Hokage Guard?
This could conceal his identity while also laying the foundation for Hikaru's Hokage Guard.
Why not?
"Perhaps, in the future, my Hokage Guard will be filled entirely with resurrected people."
Hikaru thought silently.
If that really happened, it would be quite interesting.
…
After resurrecting Hatake Sakumo, Hikaru had a long period of relative free time.
Of course, this "free time" was only relative.
As Hokage, Hikaru still had many things to handle.
For example, advancing Konoha's policies, monitoring Konoha's development in various areas, and adjusting certain diplomatic policies.
The reason he could be relaxed was because he had enough people helping him achieve his goals.
He only needed to think clearly about the correct direction.
During this period, Hatake Sakumo also completed a physical examination.
Although Hikaru had told him "you are still you," it was naturally best to verify what could be verified.
When he and Kakashi concealed his identity and went to ANBU's laboratory, they obtained all the conclusions they wanted in only half a day.
Naturally, this conclusion made them extremely happy.
Hikaru had not lied.
This news excited Hatake Sakumo and made Kakashi feel equally thrilled.
Kakashi had actually been worried about how Rin and Obito would think of themselves after they were resurrected.
Especially Obito.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he had been extremely proud of his clan.
It was difficult to imagine how miserable he would feel if he lost that bloodline.
"And that guy was a dead-last. Without the Sharingan, he really wouldn't be very impressive."
Although the materials used were somewhat bloody, after the annoying worries disappeared, Kakashi relaxed.
However, after learning about Hidan's current state, he also understood that there was no way to resurrect Rin and Obito right now.
So he no longer dwelled on the matter.
After all, a living example was already right in front of him.
He knew all of this was worth waiting for and looking forward to.
During this period, Kakashi also learned something about Hikaru that had not been publicly known.
Hikaru was actually cooperating with Orochimaru.
Although Kakashi had already been mentally prepared for this, since Hikaru had revealed quite a few hints before, he was still shocked when Hikaru truly said Orochimaru's name.
Kakashi knew exactly what kind of person Orochimaru was.
He could be considered Konoha's most vicious missing-nin who was still alive.
Not only had he conducted human experiments in Konoha, but he had also used Konoha's own people.
Even when he left the village, he had gouged out Uchiha Fugaku's eye.
Yet Hikaru was actually involved with someone like that.
For a moment, Kakashi truly did not know what to say.
"Surprised?"
When Hikaru saw Kakashi's gaze, he immediately knew what he was thinking and could not help smiling as he explained.
"There is no need to be surprised.
"You must understand one thing.
"What Orochimaru did may not necessarily have been something he wanted to do.
"And our pursuit of Orochimaru was not truly aimed at his crimes.
"It was simply because someone needed to bear responsibility."
Kakashi was a smart person.
Especially after his father returned and gave him guidance, his perspective had broadened somewhat.
It did not take long for Kakashi to understand many things.
For example, Orochimaru was very likely just a scapegoat.
He had participated, but he might not have been the mastermind.
However, he had indeed done those things.
And because the mastermind's identity was special and difficult to touch, Orochimaru naturally became the abandoned pawn who had to bear responsibility.
That was why he had been forced to leave Konoha.
After figuring this out, Kakashi felt nauseated for the first time at the operations and compromises of Konoha's upper levels.
Hatake Sakumo, however, took it more calmly.
After all, his situation back then had not been much better than Orochimaru's.
The only difference was that Orochimaru had been luckier.
He chose to leave Konoha and escaped intact.
Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo had truly been abandoned by everyone.
"Some things are simply like this. You do not need to overthink them. Just do what you should do."
After understanding the relevant situation, Hatake Sakumo did not forget to guide his son.
Even though they now looked more like brothers.
"You are very lucky.
"The Fourth Hokage is your teacher, and the Fifth Hokage is your classmate.
"Both of them treat you well and trust you.
"But you must never become complacent because of that trust.
"Being close to them does not mean you are the same as them.
"What you need to do is properly handle what you should do, improve your strength, and complete the tasks they give you.
"Do you understand?"
Kakashi naturally nodded to show he understood.
However, he still felt a little frustrated.
So he turned around and sparred properly with Hatake Sakumo.
As for the final result, no one knew.
In any case, what Hikaru knew was that Hatake Sakumo became even more diligent and hardworking after that.
Hikaru was too lazy to concern himself with the father and son's affairs.
Right now, he was sitting in the Hokage's office, waiting for the meeting participants to arrive.
Today, Hikaru still needed to preside over an important meeting.
A meeting related to Konoha's future external development.
According to Hikaru's expectations, if everything went smoothly, he could naturally gain quite a few allies and partners.
If he wanted to complete his system mission, he naturally had to change many, many things.
And this step would be the first step in breaking Hiruzen Sarutobi's foreign policy.
Likewise, it would be a crucial step.
Besides that, Hikaru also wanted to see the current progress of the jōnin reforms.
After all, quite a long time had passed.
If everything was going smoothly, then Hikaru would begin the second step and continue advancing reforms toward chūnin and genin.
For now, all the data Hikaru had received was perfect.
And after so long, that group of special jōnin seemed to have stopped causing trouble.
"In that case, it is naturally time to begin pushing things forward.
"I do not want to miss this timing…"
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