Ever since Hikaru joined ANBU, he had lived by one rule:
Before doing anything, think it through—again and again.
He understood perfectly well that no matter how much he planned, unexpected variables would still appear and derail his original intentions.
But having a plan—and leaving enough room inside that plan to pivot—was the only way to avoid being forced into a corner.
Just like how he never indulged in the naive hope that Konoha's upper echelon didn't know who he really was.
That had already been verified through Minato Namikaze.
And in the same way, he didn't believe for a second that his secret contact with Minato had gone completely unnoticed by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.
Konoha was still, at its core, the village of the Third Hokage's old-guard faction.
Small moves didn't escape their eyes.
And betting on luck was nothing more than refusing to take responsibility for your own life.
Hikaru suspected—no, he was almost certain—that Hiruzen's side knew he had been meeting Minato in secret.
What they didn't know, however, was exactly what had been said, what had been taught, and what had been exchanged.
Minato was Kage-class.
Hiruzen's people couldn't guarantee their surveillance wouldn't be discovered.
And Minato was the current Hokage. Even the old guard had to mind appearances.
If Hikaru rose too quickly under Minato's patronage, Hiruzen's faction would never tolerate it.
ANBU was still one of their most important blades.
"But I've been waiting for the Third Hokage to come knocking."
Hikaru's thoughts remained calm, almost gentle.
If the Third Hokage never moved, how could Hikaru invest on both sides and extract what he needed?
He might be a small-time player, but the clan behind him—judging by history—was anything but simple. In the old guard's eyes, the Senju name still carried weight.
That meant he possessed bargaining chips.
And his goal was simple: maximize those chips' value, and trade them for what he wanted.
"So you don't get to live."
Hikaru's lips still held a pleasant smile—
but his gaze had turned razor-dangerous.
A moment later, he forcibly smoothed it away, burying every trace of malice.
Having malice wasn't a problem. This wasn't late-era Naruto, who could sense the good and evil in a person's heart through the Nine-Tails.
But showing it too openly?
Even an idiot would notice.
And that would ruin the plan.
"Cough… cough—"
Namuki suddenly started hacking again.
A mouthful of pitch-black blood splattered from his lips, and his face grew even paler.
The bandage around his arm began to seep, the blackened blood staining white cloth into a grim, ugly color.
"Are you alright, Captain?" Hikaru asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Can you hold on?"
"Cough… I can," Namuki rasped weakly. "I didn't expect… I underestimated you. With your summon holding him back, we can buy enough distance. And since we're not fighting right now, I can use all my chakra to suppress the poison."
Namuki looked awful, but he was still elite.
His chakra reserves weren't the problem.
With no combat, and with Hikaru carrying him at full speed, he could focus every last drop of chakra on holding the toxins at bay.
He estimated that with their pace, they could return to Konoha within two days.
Even if his chakra was draining rapidly, forcing himself to endure for two days—barely—was still possible.
And once the hope of survival appeared…
No one could pretend they didn't want it.
Not even someone like Namuki.
For the first time, he allowed himself to imagine a future.
Especially after seeing that massive summon.
That tiny spark of hope had already caught fire inside him.
He could make it back.
He could reach the Medical Corps.
Even without Tsunade, the antidote formula she'd once developed to counter Chiyo's poison was still stored there.
In Namuki's mind, if the poison of Sunagakure's greatest puppet master could be neutralized, then any other puppet master's poison should be manageable too.
Hikaru watched him, and his smile only brightened.
How could he not see what Namuki was thinking?
Unfortunately—
Hikaru was petty.
And Sasori's poison wasn't something the Medical Corps could necessarily handle. Even if it was only a chance, Hikaru had no intention of letting that chance exist.
"Let me help you, Captain," Hikaru said warmly, as if speaking to an old comrade. "My chakra reserves aren't large, but I can at least reduce your burden. Isn't that better?"
"Really?" Perhaps the relief of escape had loosened Namuki's guard—or perhaps it was simple trust in a fellow ANBU. He nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, Nightingale. But if it costs you too much—"
"It's fine, Captain," Hikaru replied, still gentle, still friendly. "This level of expenditure is nothing to me."
As he spoke, the hand supporting Namuki subtly gathered chakra—
and then that chakra, tinged with natural energy, flowed into Namuki's body.
Warm. Sunlit. Brimming with a wild, pure vitality.
That was Namuki's first impression.
It felt strangely comfortable—almost soothing.
And the quality of it was terrifyingly high.
In that instant, Namuki realized he had underestimated Hikaru again.
Not just his strength—
but his chakra itself.
This kid was the real thing. A genuine genius.
"How does it feel, Captain?" Hikaru asked, watching Namuki drift into thought. "Want me to increase the output?"
"No. This is good," Namuki said with a faint smile as he snapped back to reality. "I never expected you to be this capable. It seems the entire ANBU has underestimated you…"
He didn't get to finish.
His expression suddenly changed.
Because as Hikaru's chakra continued pouring in, Namuki felt something impossible—
His body was stiffening.
Hardening.
Solidifying.
The transformation hit too fast, too violently, and Namuki had been completely unprepared.
He had raised no defenses.
And because of that, the petrification spread at a horrifying pace.
In the next moment—
he couldn't even speak.
"Yeah," Hikaru said softly, smiling. "You did underestimate a lot of things. Not just my strength… but my mentality."
He looked down at Namuki's widening eyes, calm as still water.
"Captain, you don't need to look at me like that.
"The moment you decided to shove me into a dead end, I stopped having any intention of letting you live.
"And your death is far more valuable to me than your life."
Hikaru stopped running.
He gently lowered Namuki—now rigid and helpless—onto the ground.
Then, with unsettling calm, he placed a hand over Namuki's wound.
Chakra surged again.
"There are two kinds of pain," Hikaru said, voice gentle enough to sound like mercy. "One makes you stronger. The other is worthless—nothing but suffering.
"Captain, I can end this for you.
"Really… you should be thanking me."
Namuki stared at him in disbelief.
And as Hikaru's chakra flared once more, the poison inside Namuki's body began to spread like wildfire.
With his body locked, he couldn't circulate chakra to suppress it.
He couldn't resist.
He couldn't even move.
"Don't worry," Hikaru murmured, almost tender. "You'll be remembered as a hero of Konoha. Giving your life for the village—wasn't that always your dream?"
Hikaru's smile didn't change.
"So…"
He leaned in slightly, voice soft as a lullaby.
"Please rest in peace."
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