Chapter 3: A War Between Women
On the bustling street, the two walked side by side, each harboring their own thoughts, neither speaking.
Kinoshita Hikaru was thinking about how to kill him—preferably tearing him into pieces.
Shimura Danzō was thinking about how to subdue him in a single move, then implant dozens—no, hundreds—of curse seals, turning him into a proper weapon.
Yet for now, neither had torn off the mask. On the surface, they maintained a veneer of civility.
Danzō was puzzled.
I've been teaching you since you were three—giving you lessons, sending supplies, checking in on your daily life. Maybe not perfect care, but certainly more attentive than that old fox .
And now you choose him instead of me?
Why?
Is it just because I'm not the Hokage?
"Little Hikaru, do you have any dreams?"
Dreams? Does killing you count?
Hikaru pointed at the happy villagers along the street.
"To become Hokage and protect the village—that's my dream."
Have you ever pretended to like something for so long that you can't tell whether it's real anymore?
That was Hikaru.
At first, he wanted to become Hokage so people would notice him.
But after repeating the same line—protecting the village, protecting companions—over and over again, he could no longer tell what he truly wanted.
Only one thing was certain.
He would become Hokage.
As for why… he'd figure that out after getting there.
"Then join Root. Only Root can fully bring out your talent."
Root?
"You don't know?" Hikaru asked, surprised. Is this old bastard pretending, or does he actually not know?
The former would make sense.
The latter would be pathetic.
"Know what?"
Danzō genuinely didn't know.
Root was extremely busy—overwhelmingly so. Konoha was simultaneously at war with the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, and manpower was severely lacking.
He hadn't even attended Hikaru's battle evaluation earlier—he simply didn't have the time.
Besides, in his view, Hikaru should have failed. Three jōnin—how could they possibly lose to a group of children?
"We formed the Miracle Squad. We now report directly to the Hokage."
Hikaru felt speechless.
So you came here expecting me to fail, planning to recruit me afterward?
Well, that's unfortunate.
He had succeeded.
"What? You defeated three jōnin?"
That's it? And you still call yourself Konoha's intelligence chief?
Something this big and you didn't even know?
"…Yes."
A flicker of killing intent flashed through Danzō's eyes—then vanished.
Originally, he intended to take Hikaru by force.
But now, things had changed.
He couldn't push too far at this moment.
Still, as a top-tier ninja, he wouldn't reveal anything so easily.
"In that case, little Hikaru, work hard. With your talent, you can definitely become Hokage. I have matters to attend to—the mobilization assembly is tomorrow."
Since he couldn't recruit him, there was no reason to stay.
He left swiftly.
Hikaru secretly let out a breath.
Facing someone like that—a top-tier ninja—was no small pressure.
But what surprised him most was that Danzō hadn't lashed out, instead preserving a final shred of dignity.
Which only made Hikaru more cautious.
That man was like a venomous snake, lurking in the shadows.
This was the kind of person that, once encountered, left you uneasy unless eliminated.
He had to find an opportunity to get rid of him.
"I'm back."
Hikaru stepped into the entryway, slipped off his shoes, and flopped onto the floor.
Home really was the most comfortable place.
Only here could he truly relax.
"Idiot! How many times have I told you not to lie on the floor? You look like a wild monkey. You weren't like this as a kid—you used to be so well-behaved."
Every time, it was the same.
Being an older brother was exhausting.
But only at home did his little brother act like a child.
Who would have thought that the shy boy from back then would become this lively?
Hikaru rolled his eyes.
Of course—he wasn't actually a child. What, did they expect him to wet the bed and play with mud all day?
At first, when he was three, he had planned to cling to his parents and train in ninjutsu.
Then they died in the line of duty.
After that, he was targeted by traffickers.
He had spent every day on edge.
Danzō… give me back my childhood.
"A compass can draw a perfect circle because its center remains still while its legs move. So no matter how much I change, no matter what I do—I am still me… and right now, I'm hungry."
Kinoshita Muraichi: "..."
You're right.
You've always been a bottomless pit.
"If you're hungry, why are you telling me? I'm not the one who cooks. Go find Minato."
Hikaru thought about it.
That… actually made sense.
Minato was the cook—especially when it came to sashimi. His knife skills were incredible.
Unfortunately—
"Minato's out on a date."
Or rather, learning how to date.
Or more accurately… being a simp.
Hikaru couldn't understand it.
Wasn't it said that saving Kushina would make her fall for Minato?
But right now, she barely paid him any attention.
Could it be that with too many people involved, the "hero saving the beauty" effect got diluted?
Minato… sorry, brother.
"Who is it? Tell me carefully. Is it Kushina or Uchiha Mikoto? This could be troublesome. Kushina's fine, but if it's an Uchiha girl, you'd have to marry into their family."
Kinoshita Muraichi instantly switched into full parent mode, worrying over nothing.
...
Elsewhere.
"Kushina, try this—it's really good."
Minato smiled warmly, like sunshine itself, attentively placing food into a bowl.
But Kushina didn't seem very interested.
It felt like something was missing.
"Thanks. You should eat too, Minato. By the way, where's Hikaru?"
She preferred having more people around—especially when Hikaru stood in the middle, telling jokes and making everyone laugh.
"He went home. Said he was tired."
Went home? Tired?
Then he probably hasn't eaten yet.
"Waiter—pack this up."
Kushina quickly filled a takeout box.
"Minato, let's go eat at Hikaru's place. Otherwise, he'll go hungry."
It wasn't that Minato didn't want to treat Hikaru—
He simply couldn't afford it.
Minato followed behind, visibly deflated.
...
"This is so good, Mikoto—you're amazing."
Hikaru ate while praising the cooking.
Truly worthy of being Konoha's number one beauty—graceful in public, skilled in the kitchen.
What should he do?
Her cooking was so good he felt like he couldn't live without it.
Thinking about it, Mikoto seemed perfect—wealthy, beautiful, and a great cook.
The only downside…
She was still too young.
"I'm glad you like it, Hikaru-kun."
Mikoto rested her chin in her hand, quietly watching him eat, her eyes shining.
He looks so handsome—even when eating…
"Aren't you going to eat?"
Hikaru felt a bit uneasy under her gaze and invited her.
Food was meant to be shared.
Otherwise, Muraichi would devour everything.
Beside them, Muraichi was too busy eating to talk, taking advantage of Hikaru speaking to grab two more chicken legs.
"Mikoto, you're here too."
Kushina entered, carrying a food box. The moment she saw Mikoto, something seemed to ignite in her eyes.
So she came here…
How sneaky—bringing food to Hikaru in secret.
"Kushina, Minato, come eat. Mikoto's cooking is amazing."
"Oh? Then I have to try it."
Kushina snatched Hikaru's chopsticks and took a big bite.
"…This is really good. But why does it taste different from before?"
Everyone had known each other for two years—they had eaten Mikoto's cooking before.
But this time, it was on a completely different level.
Now that she mentioned it, Hikaru realized—
It really did taste exceptionally good today.
Mikoto's face flushed slightly.
In the Uchiha household, dishes prepared for guests and for family were different.
It was a secret technique her mother had taught her—
To win a man's heart through his stomach.
"…There shouldn't be any difference, right? Ha… haha…"