Hikaru sat on the ruins, panting heavily.
His eyes remained fixed on Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, who lay motionless not far away.
His expression was full of vigilance.
An Ōtsutsuki.
The person Hikaru had killed was a real Ōtsutsuki, one who possessed a Kekkei Mōra.
Although, just as he had said himself, Hikaru did not feel especially proud.
After all, Urashiki really had been far too poor in actual combat.
But killing someone like that still made Hikaru happy.
At the same time, he had no choice but to remain extremely cautious.
The Ōtsutsuki were true gods in this world.
They possessed nearly endless lifespans and unimaginable strength.
More importantly, through his earlier conversation with Urashiki, Hikaru had guessed that they seemed to possess a technique that allowed them to revive after accidental death.
Now that an Ōtsutsuki corpse was lying before him, Hikaru had to be careful.
Even though he had used a Truth-Seeking Orb, Yin-Yang Release, senjutsu, and tailed-beast chakra—all powers that could truly injure an Ōtsutsuki—he still did not know whether his guess about Karma was correct.
Nor did he know the logic and method behind Karma's use.
If this corpse were not so useful to him, and if he did not suspect that ordinary Fire Release would be difficult to use against an Ōtsutsuki body, Hikaru would have thrown a fire technique at him without hesitation.
Burning him to ash would have been the safest choice.
"But his heart was pierced through, and I kept my distance while watching his movements and chakra the entire time. He should not have been able to leave any backup method."
After learning that there was a technique capable of transforming a person's constitution and power into that of an Ōtsutsuki—and very likely serving as the key to resurrection—Hikaru had remained alert the entire time.
He did not want to finally defeat the enemy, only to suddenly discover that he himself was about to become the enemy.
Or rather, that his body would become the enemy's "vessel."
That would be a tragedy beyond ordinary misfortune.
Fortunately, for now, Hikaru seemed fine.
Nothing extra had appeared on his body.
No strange chakra product had covered him.
Urashiki had also completely collapsed on the ground without moving.
From the looks of it, Hikaru had truly won this desperate battle.
"Hikaru!"
At that moment, two voices suddenly rang out behind him.
When Hikaru heard them, he relaxed a little more.
The ones who had arrived were Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju.
They were truly on his side.
Hikaru trusted the two of them more than most.
"Lord Hashirama. Lord Tobirama."
Hikaru turned his head slightly.
Even his voice was very soft now.
It was obvious that he was truly exhausted.
"Are you all right?"
Hashirama quickly came to Hikaru's side.
He himself looked extremely battered, but he was still clearly more concerned about Hikaru's condition.
Tobirama also looked at Hikaru with concern.
However, after confirming Hikaru's situation, his gaze shifted toward Urashiki's body not far away.
He had personally witnessed Hikaru fight and defeat his elder brother.
He had some understanding of Hikaru's strength.
But now, he realized he might still have underestimated Hikaru.
Based on the records they had read on the moon, Hikaru had just killed a godlike existence.
Had Hikaru's strength already reached this level?
Could he actually kill a being comparable to the Sage of Six Paths?
And what exactly was this so-called god?
Tobirama did not doubt Urashiki's power. He had already witnessed it.
He was simply curious about what kind of life-form this god was.
He was curious about every secret hidden inside this god's body.
"I'm fine. I just used up too much chakra. Thank you for worrying."
Hikaru spoke weakly.
After a brief pause, he continued, "How is Konoha? Were there any major problems?"
"Konoha is all right. We evacuated in time, and you protected it at the final moment. Nothing too serious happened.
"But there should still be some casualties. The aftershocks were too strong, and the range was too wide."
Hashirama did not mention his own contribution.
To him, protecting Konoha was something he should naturally do.
As the First Hokage, it was not worth boasting about.
However, he truly did not know the exact casualties inside Konoha.
After everything ended, he had rushed here immediately.
Still, he believed the casualties would not be too great.
After all, both he and Hikaru had protected Konoha well.
But expecting no casualties at all was impossible.
Even with the best protection, under that kind of aftershock, some unavoidable tragedies would still occur.
Hashirama did not want such things to happen.
But he remained rational.
He had lived through the most chaotic era in the shinobi world.
The number of people who had died by his hands was beyond counting.
He would not be naive about such matters.
"We'll wait for the final report after we return."
Hikaru shook his head helplessly.
This result was already very good.
The civilians had been evacuated early.
The shinobi who wanted to join the fight had been stopped by Hashirama's barrier.
And most of the battle's aftershocks had been blocked by Hikaru and Hashirama together.
That outcome was already excellent.
Look at the regions that had not been protected.
Look at the miserable scene now.
The once-lush forest and towering mountains had vanished completely.
Look at the canyon of unknown length, so deep it almost seemed bottomless.
The fact that Konoha still stood safely on this ruined land could already be called a miracle.
"No matter what, it is over. And we achieved a good result, did we not?"
Hikaru rose tiredly.
Then he completely shut down all his chakra modes.
But the moment he did, he almost failed to stand steady.
He was truly too tired.
Hashirama reacted quickly and supported him.
At the same time, he released his own power to help Hikaru recover.
Although he knew his power was only a drop in the bucket for Hikaru's current condition, it was still better than nothing.
"Thank you."
Hikaru smiled faintly and nodded to Hashirama.
Then his gaze shifted toward Urashiki's corpse.
Only now did he begin thinking about how to extract useful things from this body.
Needless to say, with his experience from Ao's Byakugan, Fugaku Uchiha's Sharingan, and White Zetsu's body, Hikaru's targets were obvious.
Urashiki's eyes and flesh.
If he was lucky, those two things could provide unimaginable benefits.
However, planting and harvesting required time.
It was also a gamble that depended heavily on luck.
If luck was good, he could become rich in one wave.
If luck was poor, he would have to slowly grind it out.
If it were just the flesh, everything would be easier.
After all, Urashiki had plenty of flesh.
Hikaru could cut a little each time and feed it to the tree for cultivation.
But this man only had one pair of eyes.
Actually, Hikaru found it strange.
Shouldn't the Ōtsutsuki have three eyes?
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had one on her forehead.
Uchiha Madara had one as well after fully transforming toward the Ōtsutsuki level.
Even Momoshiki had eyes on his palms.
But the man before him really seemed to only have one pair.
That troubled Hikaru.
It meant his margin for error had become smaller.
Even though Urashiki could instantly change his eyes and activate different abilities, what he used was still that original pair of Byakugan.
So Hikaru could only make one decision.
For long-term, stable development, apart from using the system's planting ability to obtain what he wanted, he also needed Tobirama to use his skills.
He needed Tobirama to thoroughly research this man's specific situation.
Putting all one's eggs in one basket was never a good choice.
When conditions allowed, splitting the eggs into different baskets ensured that even if an irreversible problem occurred, he would not be left helpless.
"Hikaru, what do you plan to do with him?"
Whether Tobirama could read minds or not, Hikaru had only just organized his thoughts when Tobirama spoke.
"Why not let us study him properly? His power is far too terrifying.
"And according to the information from those people on the moon, he is of the same race as the world-destroyer and the Sage of Six Paths.
"Perhaps through research, we can understand the secrets inside his body.
"After all, this man came to the shinobi world, and he clearly held no goodwill toward it.
"We also cannot know whether more beings like him will come here in the future.
"That is why I believe we should take the necessary precautions to prevent a possible tragedy."
At this point, Tobirama paused slightly.
Then he looked at Hikaru with extreme seriousness.
"In the shinobi world, only you can deal with such beings. If there is only one, perhaps it is still fine. But if more appear…"
"I agree with your idea, Lord Tobirama."
Hikaru had no reason to object.
Tobirama had basically said what Hikaru himself was thinking, so why would he refuse?
But there was one thing Tobirama had gotten wrong.
And even though saying it might damage their confidence, Hikaru had to raise their morale.
"We do not know whether more will come in the future.
"But this kind of being truly has no goodwill toward any life in the shinobi world.
"So we must prepare properly.
"Only then can we face future crises.
"But Lord Tobirama, you are mistaken about one thing.
"I am not the only one who can deal with him.
"In terms of absolute power, I am actually far inferior to him.
"But I was the one who won in the end. He was the one who died.
"Lord Hashirama, Lord Tobirama, think carefully. Why did that happen?"
Hikaru admitted his lack of strength without hesitation.
Against an Ōtsutsuki like this, admitting he was lacking was not strange.
But even if they were lacking, that did not mean they had no chance.
His current situation proved that.
Hikaru's words made Hashirama and Tobirama pause.
Then both of them began thinking.
One of a shinobi's greatest weapons was the ability to think carefully and analyze every situation in order to obtain the information needed for victory.
Both Hashirama and Tobirama were outstanding in battle.
Their ability to think and analyze was among the best in the shinobi world.
After only a short while, a look of surprise appeared on both their faces.
They seemed unable to believe what they had just thought of.
"You mean…"
Hashirama spoke with some hesitation.
He still seemed unable to accept the conclusion he had reached.
"This man was very strong, but precisely because he was too strong, he fought purely by relying on power. He did not have much technique?"
"You could simply say he had almost no battle experience."
Tobirama shook his head when he heard Hashirama's words and spoke coldly.
After saying that, he looked at Hikaru, as if seeking confirmation.
Based on the limited information they had, this was the only conclusion they could draw.
If they had fought him personally, perhaps they could have understood more.
Unfortunately, they had not had that chance.
"That is right. Although I cannot say all outsiders like him are the same, at least the one I fought was like this."
Hikaru spoke calmly and slowly.
He explained Urashiki's situation to the two of them in detail.
"This man's technical and tactical skill was basically nonexistent.
"He seemed to rely only on his power to act as he pleased.
"Beyond that, he was extremely arrogant. To put it bluntly, he was arrogant to the point of conceit.
"If he had lowered himself and attacked Konoha directly, perhaps he would not have ended like this.
"But he did not do that.
"Or rather, he disdained doing that.
"He believed his power alone was enough to solve a problem like me.
"That is why he is dead now.
"To say he died by his own hands would not be wrong."
"So that is how it was…"
Hashirama and Tobirama looked at each other.
Then their gazes shifted again to Urashiki, who lay on the ground.
This information was indeed unexpected.
But after thinking carefully, it also made sense.
When one's strength reached that level, ordinary techniques and tactics probably seemed useless.
All he needed to do was maximize his own power.
But there were always exceptions.
If he encountered someone with conviction, persistence, and a certain level of strength, then his personality and his lack of battle experience would become his greatest hidden danger.
Thinking of this, the two of them felt much better.
Even though they knew not every Ōtsutsuki would be like this, at least they now knew such beings could have similar flaws.
That meant they still had a chance to defeat these gods from beyond the sky.
…
After confirming these matters, Hikaru brought Urashiki's corpse back to Konoha with Hashirama and Tobirama.
At this moment, Konoha had fallen into complete frenzy.
After all, such a terrifying event had happened right before their eyes.
How could they possibly remain calm?
When the battle had just ended, they had been extremely anxious.
They truly did not know who had won and who had lost.
Even though they had confidence in their Hokage, after witnessing everything before them, no matter how firm they were, worry still rose in their hearts.
Fortunately, the Hyūga shinobi told them that the victor of the battle was their Hokage.
Only then did many of their worries ease.
The Byakugan could see extremely far.
That was absolutely trustworthy.
And the Hyūga Clan would not lie to them.
The only thing that still prevented them from fully relaxing was that they had not personally seen Hikaru return.
Seeing was believing.
In many situations, that saying held crucial meaning.
Fortunately, Hikaru did not make them wait too long.
Although he looked extremely exhausted, his return still triggered enormous cheers throughout Konoha.
Perhaps today, every shinobi who had stayed in Konoha experienced what it meant to survive a disaster.
And precisely because they had experienced all of this, their respect for Hikaru, the Fifth Hokage, directly reached its peak.
To be blunt, Hikaru's prestige in Konoha at this moment had likely reached the level of Hashirama Senju in the present era.
It might even be stronger.
However, Hikaru did not pay too much attention to that.
Although he was happy about it, since it was related to his mission, he was more willing to focus on Konoha's current situation.
After all, as Hokage, Hikaru had to care about Konoha properly.
He knew very well that in the past, his concern for Konoha had mostly been tied to whether it would improve the progress of his mission.
Even when he had become ANBU Commander, and even after defeating Hiruzen Sarutobi and taking the Hokage's seat, some things were truly difficult to change.
Hikaru himself knew that he was actually a very cold person.
Perhaps it was because he had transmigrated into this world and never truly integrated into it.
Perhaps it was because he had always looked at everything more from the perspective of an observer.
Or perhaps it was because of his age.
Back then, he truly had few friends who could enter his heart.
Everyone had been too young, and he had genuinely felt unable to play along.
But now, things had changed.
Although his deepest personality had not changed much, he was not a truly heartless person.
As the people around him grew up, as he gained more and more bonds in Konoha, and as his mission kept advancing and being completed, his attitude toward Konoha had changed greatly.
He cared about Konoha now.
He cared about the people in Konoha who had close ties to him.
He cared about Konoha's overall development.
He cared about its future changes.
He cared about those who respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
Perhaps he himself understood it too.
He had begun treating Konoha as something that belonged to him.
After all, he had poured so much energy into it.
Even if his original goal had not been pure, everything Konoha had become was connected to him.
Under such circumstances, he truly could not accept Konoha being destroyed.
He could not accept his hard work being ruined.
And he could not accept anything happening to the people connected to him.
As his mindset changed, his actions naturally changed as well.
His attitude toward Konoha had changed too.
"How are Konoha's losses? Have the statistics come in?"
Sitting tiredly in the Hokage's office, Hikaru recovered his condition while asking Kakashi.
At this moment, Nara Shikaku, Kakashi, and the others had already gathered in the office.
After such a terrifying event, they naturally had to come and understand the situation.
They also believed Hikaru would definitely want to know Konoha's condition.
However, when they looked at Hikaru, they were all somewhat surprised.
This was the first time they had seen him look so exhausted.
But they understood very clearly why he was in this state.
With a battle that intense, no amount of exhaustion would be strange.
In the past, Hikaru had always looked calm, gentle, and refined.
Although those close to him could sense his coldness and cruelty in private, on the surface, his warmth was something all Konoha shinobi recognized.
Many Konoha shinobi had said that meeting Hikaru felt like being bathed in a spring breeze.
Hikaru never denied that he was a two-faced person.
Or rather, who did not wear some kind of mask?
Only a small number of people knew his other side.
On that point, Hikaru had done well.
When Kakashi and the others heard Hikaru's question, Shikaku glanced at the Uchiha representatives, then at Kakashi.
After that, he stepped forward and spoke.
"Lord Hokage, the statistics are still being compiled, but the losses are not severe.
"Many buildings did collapse for various reasons, but casualties are very low."
Shikaku spoke slowly and in detail.
Because time had been too tight, he had not yet been able to complete a full count.
However, both the Police Force and the ANBU had already provided the general situation.
And this time, Konoha's losses truly were not serious.
With such violent tremors, building collapses had been unavoidable.
There was no way to fully prevent that.
As for casualties, there was actually reason to feel relieved.
Because Konoha had survived such a catastrophe with proper defenses, and the number of deaths was very small.
A few unlucky people had been buried beneath collapsed buildings, or had their internal organs shattered by the shockwaves and unfortunately died.
Aside from them, most others were fine.
That was the shinobi side.
As for civilians, the situation was also relatively good.
Civilians were not shinobi.
They did not have chakra to protect them.
Even after hiding underground, some things still could not be avoided.
But overall, the result was acceptable.
This time, civilian deaths numbered around a hundred.
There were far more injured people.
But compared with Konoha's total population of more than a hundred thousand, those hundred or so deaths seemed almost insignificant.
Of course, such a thing was still painful.
And this would further ignite Konoha's hostility toward the invader.
At the same time, it would further deepen the people's respect for Hikaru, the Fifth Hokage who had protected them all.
After hearing Shikaku's report, Hikaru nodded lightly.
This result was already very satisfying.
He knew some losses could not be avoided.
All he could do was reduce those losses as much as possible.
For now, both he and Hashirama had done very well.
Konoha's current losses were already so low that they were almost unbelievable.
Hikaru nodded gently, then spoke slowly.
"That is good. The reconstruction work will depend on all of you.
"Also, have the hospital move quickly. There should be many injured. I do not want them left with aftereffects."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
All the shinobi answered loudly.
Everyone knew that Konoha was now in a troublesome period.
Fortunately, Hikaru was Hokage.
He had already established Konoha's strength through the war against Kumogakure.
Otherwise, this would not be a troublesome period.
It would be a dangerous one.
After suffering such a terrifying disaster, Konoha would have fallen into chaos in the past.
Once chaos began, spies from other villages hiding in Konoha would have started acting wildly.
Whether by secretly causing destruction or transmitting intelligence, they would have inflicted losses on Konoha.
At that time, all departments in Konoha would have become extremely busy.
Now, although Konoha still needed to mobilize, their pressure was not so great overall.
That was definitely good news for everyone.
"As for coordination between departments, handle it yourselves.
"The general coordinator will be Nara Shikaku."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
Then he looked at Shikaku and continued.
"Minister Shikaku, I will need you to work hard during this period."
"No problem, Lord Hokage."
Shikaku nodded seriously.
But soon, he raised his head slightly, his expression somewhat hesitant.
That hesitation did not last long.
Then he asked, "Lord Hokage, who exactly was the enemy this time?
"Such an enemy was far too terrifying.
"You fought him directly. Is there any information you can give us so we can prepare earlier?"
Shikaku's words made everyone look over instinctively.
They were all extremely curious about what had happened this time.
That terrifying power, so great it made their hearts tremble, still left lingering fear.
They knew that against an enemy like that, they might not be able to do anything.
But as shinobi, they still had to prepare as early as possible.
"Them…"
Hikaru was not surprised that Shikaku asked.
After hesitating slightly, he spoke calmly and slowly.
"A group with unimaginable strength, but severe flaws in personality.
"A group of people from beyond the sky."
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