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"Killed by Kakuzu?"
When Hikaru heard Kakashi say that, his brain short-circuited for a moment—then his expression turned awkward.
Kakuzu really was petty.
Back then, Hikaru had only chopped off the head Kakuzu wanted to sell for money. If he couldn't find the person to take revenge on, did he really have to vent his anger on other Konoha ANBU?
Hikaru sighed internally. It was annoying, but he couldn't exactly complain.
ANBU members were always among the most high-risk shinobi—especially those in pursuit and assassination units. People who went in with a "succeed or die" mindset were everywhere, and deaths from missions weren't rare at all.
Being killed by Kakuzu… strictly speaking, that was "normal" in this line of work.
And in a way, Kakashi had already avenged them—at least partially.
"Kakashi destroyed one of that guy's Earth-attribute hearts. Not enough to finish Kakuzu, but better than nothing."
The revenge angle made Hikaru uncomfortable, but it didn't really change anything. It wasn't going to become a problem he couldn't handle.
If anything, he should've been alert the moment Shinichi and Yaya were reassigned.
Two people pulled from his squad, clean and precise—there was obviously intent behind it.
At the time, Hikaru had assumed the division commander was trying to pressure Kakashi.
But now it was clear: that commander was reacting to Kakuzu—and also sending Hikaru a quiet warning.
Even if ANBU often got targeted, trouble you "brought home" yourself still earned a reminder.
"It really does connect back to us," Hikaru said with a soft sigh, then returned to his usual warm smile. "But we don't need to obsess over it. We already reported everything ahead of time, didn't we?"
"That's true, but…" Kakashi sighed. "It still feels… hard to swallow. If we had just—"
"Then we'd be the ones dead," Hikaru cut him off. "And we did report it early. That information should've been passed along so everyone stayed alert."
Hikaru knew what Kakashi meant: stay behind, coordinate, try to kill Kakuzu.
Was it possible? Maybe.
Hikaru knew Kakuzu's habits. He also hadn't gone all-out the last time. If he and Kakashi coordinated perfectly, there might have been a chance.
But "a chance" wasn't enough.
For Hikaru, the rule was simple:
Either absolute confidence, or don't do it.
When he fought Kakuzu before, he had confidence he could escape cleanly—so he did it.
But killing Kakuzu? Hikaru didn't even consider it worth the gamble.
"I get it," Kakashi said quietly, then shifted topics. "What about our squad? You're the squad leader, but we're still short on people."
"Two people short? It's not a big deal," Hikaru said casually. "And even if we fill it, bringing in new members is a hassle. Training and syncing takes time. No need to rush."
A squad could be three or four people including the leader. Hikaru's had been the standard four.
ANBU structure didn't change much, so they still had two open slots.
But ANBU also had flexibility: unless the division commander specifically ordered a new addition, a squad could remain undermanned.
The trade-off was obvious:
Short-handed or not, your missions didn't stop.
Hikaru understood that—but he really didn't care. Like he said, bringing in rookies was troublesome.
New people came from the reserve pool, and after joining they needed a proper adjustment period.
That period mattered—but it cost time.
And the true "geniuses" in the reserve pool were usually already claimed. The ones left were… average.
Send those into missions without proper integration, and they'd die fast—often as little more than living shields.
Hikaru had never openly done that.
But he'd thought about it.
The only reason he didn't was because ANBU inspections were brutal. If he came back and someone noticed something "off," the consequences would be worse than the convenience.
ANBU wasn't battlefield infantry.
ANBU oversight was colder, tighter, and far more unforgiving.
"So we'll wait until there's a good opportunity," Hikaru said, patting Kakashi's shoulder with that gentle, harmless-looking smile. "If we bring them in too soon, they'll die on missions because they weren't ready."
"Is that so…" Kakashi nodded. "Understood, Captain. And—about last time, when I used the wrong title… I didn't cause you trouble, did I?"
"Relax. It's fine," Hikaru smiled. "And your follow-up was decent. I don't think it'll become a problem."
Kakashi looked even more awkward.
That wasn't "follow-up."
That was an actual combat sparring match where he got overwhelmed.
But Hikaru interpreting it as "cooperation" made Kakashi feel like he couldn't even laugh properly.
Then Kakashi noticed Hikaru pull out paper and a pen, writing something down.
Kakashi's curiosity rose.
"Captain… what are you—"
"For Hokage-sama," Hikaru said calmly, his voice dropping lower this time. "Some things have to be stated clearly. And this… is part of my assignment."
"An assignment…" Kakashi drew a slow breath, then nodded and didn't ask further.
Whatever task Hikaru had with his teacher—
Whatever link existed between them—
Kakashi didn't know it.
And he didn't intend to ask.
Because he could already tell:
The truth behind it was far more complicated than he could imagine.
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