[send some power stones please]
Kakashi hadn't been wrong—this really was complicated.
Of course, from Hikaru's perspective, it wasn't that complicated.
He wasn't worried that reporting things this way inside ANBU would bring real trouble. In fact, among Konoha's organizations, internal surveillance over ANBU members was comparatively the weakest.
"Weak" was relative—checks still existed, and they were still strict.
But Hikaru didn't care.
First, it wasn't even certain anyone would see him. The spot he chose was hidden enough.
Second—he wanted someone to see.
If word "accidentally" reached the Third Hokage, that wasn't necessarily dangerous. It was useful.
Still, he wouldn't be blatant. If the traces were too obvious, it would look clumsy—and clumsy got you killed.
Since he'd already made an arrangement with Minato, Hikaru was going to prepare proper "materials" for the next meeting—things he'd witnessed inside ANBU.
Like the Root members he and Kakashi ran into after returning from a mission.
And even the existence of that underground facility.
None of those had been reported during the first face-to-face meeting, and Minato hadn't pushed for it either.
Because Minato knew Hikaru was still on duty.
Night patrols weren't only handled by permanent village guards—ANBU ran them too.
And ANBU patrols were nastier and riskier, meant to intercept spies leaking information out of the village—whether or not such efforts truly eliminated espionage.
Every hidden village had spies. Everyone knew that. Sometimes the Kage even used them on purpose.
But "cleanup" still had to happen—especially for those who hadn't been identified before and had managed to secure real intel.
And once you encountered those people, ANBU didn't "capture and question."
They removed the problem.
That was dangerous work.
Letting a target escape was dereliction.
So Minato didn't waste Hikaru's time.
Besides, Minato himself had slipped out in secret. He still needed to go back and be with Kushina.
What Hikaru was doing now was preparation—so that the next time Minato taught him Flying Thunder God, Hikaru could also present his "sincerity."
"Once I learn Flying Thunder God… my strength should jump again. I wonder how my evaluation will change."
He was genuinely curious.
Right now, his overall rating was already "jōnin," mainly because his fundamentals were absurdly high.
Plus, he'd gained two chakra fruits, and he had Earth Release and Water Release techniques. That pushed him into jōnin territory—even if his usable chakra reserve still only matched a chūnin.
Flying Thunder God's chakra cost scaled with distance.
Which meant that if Hikaru used it for close-quarters combat, even a chūnin-level pool could sustain it.
The only issue would be the number of uses.
And the combat value of Flying Thunder God was terrifying.
Hikaru couldn't help wondering if, after mastering it, his overall combat rating would climb to elite jōnin… maybe even Kage level.
Of course, that was speculation. He'd know after learning it.
And even after learning it, he'd probably limit its use to close-range combat at first.
Long-range escape? He could forget that for now—unless he found a better chakra source.
"Speaking of chakra sources… there are options."
A tailed beast was the obvious one, but Hikaru didn't even consider it realistic.
His current strength and position couldn't touch a beast, even if one broke free.
The Nine-Tails incident half a year from now could be an opportunity—if he had sealing skill.
But he didn't dare.
He wasn't planning to flee to Akatsuki, and he wasn't planning to gamble away his future when his sights were already on the Hokage seat.
He was Senju-blooded, "legitimate" by pedigree. If he played things correctly, he believed his odds were strong.
He wasn't about to run off and follow the same path as Uchiha Madara—the man Senju Hashirama had once hammered into the dirt.
So even if Kurama appeared, Hikaru wouldn't touch it.
Other beasts were also a mess:
Some weren't revived yet—like the Three-Tails.
Others were sealed in jinchūriki under heavy guard.
And some roaming jinchūriki? He didn't trust himself to beat them—especially the one from Iwagakure.
And who even knew whether the Four-Tails jinchūriki had already escaped? Villages and powerful shinobi could hide things far better than people assumed.
"Tailed beasts are out. So then…"
Hikaru paused.
Because something clicked.
There were two other potential chakra sources he remembered.
One belonged to the Sky Ninja story—Amaru and the Zero-Tails.
But she likely wasn't even born yet.
And Hikaru didn't know enough details: when Zero-Tails was created, how it was made, what Shinō even did. He only knew it existed.
He remembered a fortress and a few names—that was it.
The other source, though—
That one was clearer.
It also came from "original" material, but it involved something far more interesting: a father and son meeting across time, Minato and Naruto.
Time travel.
Hikaru couldn't forget that, even if he tried.
And because he remembered it so clearly, he also remembered the chakra source tied to it:
The Dragon Vein.
He knew its name.
He knew its nature.
He knew its location.
And most importantly—
He knew that right now, almost nobody would seriously guard it.
Konoha had once cared—Minato had sealed it, and even sealed parts of his own memory, meaning many details were lost.
As for Sunagakure… their sealing skill was hard to praise.
Even if the One-Tails seal was strong, their broader sealing tradition was not.
Just look at Gaara: people said he never truly slept.
"The Dragon Vein hidden in Rōran…"
Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
"Once I've learned sealing… I can find a chance to go see it.
After all—something with no owner…
is exactly the kind of treasure that can change everything for me."
[this is your chance to grab the new year discount on patreon]
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto