An extremely well-hidden underground facility.
A group that acted strangely—bold enough to obstruct ANBU, even seeming ready to attack—yet dangerous enough that a veteran like Hikaru treated them with real caution.
And even reporting it required extra care.
As Minato Namikaze read those lines, his expression shifted.
He already knew who it had to be.
In Konoha, there weren't many groups arrogant enough to behave like that—but there was one organization with roots deep enough to get away with it.
An organization with no bottom line and no hesitation.
A force that was both the darkest part of Konoha… and, in a twisted way, one of its "necessary" parts.
Root. Konoha's Root.
Blacker than ANBU. Bloodier than ANBU.
The "roots" that made the entire village uneasy.
Only they would dare to block ANBU so openly—and even look like they might strike.
"…But this feels unprofessional. Wait…"
Minato suddenly recalled something:
A certain Root "secret operation" that had been so classified, even he—as Hokage—hadn't been able to learn the details.
And after that operation… it seemed only Danzō returned.
Soon afterward, Root began aggressively recruiting new members.
Had that incident caused catastrophic losses, forcing Root into reconstruction?
If so, it would explain the clumsy behavior.
Root wouldn't normally lock onto targets with chakra so blatantly, nor would they casually risk friction with ANBU.
But even after he pieced it together, Minato's face didn't relax.
It darkened.
Because that kind of overreaction meant one thing:
Whatever was in that underground facility was important—important enough to trigger inexperienced Root operatives into near panic.
So what was hidden down there?
"Human experimentation…"
Minato's mind jumped to a rumor that had circulated before he became Hokage—whispers about Orochimaru.
And in a casual conversation with Nara Shikaku, Minato had heard something else:
When the Fire Daimyō's court was selecting the Hokage, Danzō had supported Orochimaru completely.
That support had been suppressed by the Third Hokage, with a stated reason that Orochimaru had "grown an unacceptable ambition."
Was that "ambition" the experiments?
Did the Third Hokage know?
And worse—was Root still working with Orochimaru on it now?
Minato's interest in that underground facility sharpened into something colder.
"I have to find out," he decided silently. "Even if it's troublesome—this must be clarified."
Then he set that thought aside and looked up from the scroll.
"Putting that aside… Hikaru really surprised me."
Minato's eyes went to Kakashi, still kneeling in front of him.
When Kakashi had arrived today, Minato had already sensed it:
Kakashi's overall presence—his state of mind—had changed noticeably.
At first, Minato hadn't understood why.
But after reading the latter part of the report—especially the part where Kakashi and Hikaru went to the Heroes' Cemetery—Minato finally did.
"'Failure is the main melody of life'… It sounds extremely pessimistic at first."
Minato shook his head slightly.
"But once you see what he meant… the core of it is surprisingly hopeful."
Hikaru hadn't been dragging Kakashi into despair.
He'd been guiding him out of it—by reframing the entire way Kakashi looked at "success," "failure," and what it meant to keep living.
Minato couldn't deny it:
Those words were wise.
And the boy behind them was sharp—and gentle.
"And… he wants to study sealing techniques?"
Minato's thoughts turned. He was already forming an idea.
Perhaps he should meet this young ANBU.
Out of gratitude—or for other reasons.
Minato lifted his gaze and spoke to Kakashi.
"It seems I should properly thank Hikaru as well. Don't you agree, Kakashi?"
"Hokage-sama…" Kakashi lowered his head even further.
"Alright. You can go," Minato said with a casual wave. "Today is your rest day. Go rest properly."
"After your break ends—bring Hikaru to see me."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded firmly.
Minato wanting to meet Hikaru didn't surprise Kakashi.
Hikaru knew too much—and Minato clearly wanted to understand more.
And Kakashi could also tell Minato had no intention of letting certain matters leak out.
Otherwise, he wouldn't phrase it as "thanking" Hikaru.
It was a pretext.
Kakashi stood, turned, and left the Hokage's office.
For him, today's report was complete.
What came next wasn't his concern.
But one thing was:
"I should tell the captain."
So Kakashi headed straight toward Hikaru's residence.
As his captain, Hikaru was someone Kakashi had started to observe more carefully.
Interestingly, Might Guy and the others seemed fairly familiar with Hikaru.
They knew his temperament, his habits—even where he lived.
They just didn't know what he did.
Which only reinforced Kakashi's growing impression:
That warmth Hikaru carried wasn't an act. It followed him everywhere.
And yet Kakashi still couldn't help wondering—
Why would someone like that choose ANBU?
From Kakashi's perspective, ANBU wasn't a place that suited him at all.
He'd only been in ANBU a short time, but he already understood enough of what it really was.
While thinking all this, Kakashi arrived—
only to find Hikaru wasn't home.
A neighbor told him Hikaru had gone out early, likely to a nearby training ground.
Kakashi didn't hesitate.
He went straight there.
"Captain really is disciplined," Kakashi thought.
"Even on break, he still trains."
That kind of consistency deserved respect.
And now Kakashi understood something else:
Why "average academy Hikaru" had become terrifyingly strong.
Kakashi had seen Hikaru's speed firsthand.
And he knew the uncomfortable truth:
If Hikaru fought seriously, Kakashi might lose—even with the Sharingan.
Seeing movement wasn't the same as keeping up with it.
Not long after, Kakashi reached the training ground.
He quickly found Hikaru near the far inside.
Without overthinking it—perhaps because he'd begun to trust him—Kakashi walked up and called out:
"Captain…"
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