"Hokage-sama."
On the street leading toward ANBU Headquarters, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked at an unhurried pace.
He looked relaxed—gentle, even—like an old man savoring the leisure of retirement.
But then, an ANBU operative suddenly appeared at his side and dropped to one knee.
The interruption shattered the quiet mood.
Hiruzen frowned slightly. He didn't like being disturbed at times like this… yet he didn't scold the ANBU.
"Get up," he said with a mild voice, shaking his head. "What is it? You're in a hurry—this isn't the posture an ANBU should have."
"Hokage-sama, it's Captain Nightingale." The ANBU rose quickly and spoke in a low, urgent whisper. "Captain Nightingale is at headquarters… and he's fighting Owl."
"…Fighting?" Hiruzen's brows knit.
Hikaru going to headquarters was something Hiruzen knew very well.
In fact, the moment Hikaru stepped onto this street, Hiruzen had already been aware of his movements.
He hadn't shown himself immediately because he understood what Hikaru intended—
Hikaru was going to use this trip to headquarters to deliver something to him.
That was why Hiruzen had started moving only after Hikaru entered ANBU HQ.
With Takumi and Owl inside, there shouldn't have been any accidents.
If an accident did occur, it would most likely be Hikaru clashing with Murashima Takumi—
Given Takumi's personality…
Of course, even if there was friction, it wouldn't be a big deal. Takumi was the Director, after all.
Hikaru was a smart boy. He wouldn't choose to make an enemy of his direct superior.
And besides—wasn't Owl there?
Yet reality slapped Hiruzen in the face.
Hikaru hadn't clashed with Takumi.
He'd clashed with Owl.
What in the world was going on?
"What happened?" Hiruzen asked immediately. "Why would those two fight?"
"This subordinate doesn't know." The ANBU shook his head. "Only that Captain Nightingale met with the Director, then Owl stopped him afterward. Owl brought Captain Nightingale to an office to 'talk'… and not long after, noise came from inside."
Hiruzen walked forward while thinking rapidly.
Hikaru was smart—there was no question of that.
And Hikaru showing up today meant he had made a choice—at least, he had moved in the direction Hiruzen wanted.
Of course, Hiruzen would never fully trust him. No one could be sure Hikaru wasn't playing both sides.
Loyalty required time.
But for a smart person to suddenly attack in ANBU headquarters…
Something had to be wrong.
Unless—
The problem was Owl.
Or rather—
Owl and Takumi had triggered Hikaru's suspicion.
Hiruzen's mind found the key almost instantly.
Hikaru's identity was sensitive. He would be sensitive to everything around him.
Takumi's behavior certainly didn't resemble a "normal" Director in this context.
And Owl meeting Hikaru also involved information that couldn't be revealed casually.
Put those three together, and Hikaru choosing to act… became almost inevitable.
And the reason for acting?
To draw Hiruzen out.
Whether it was for self-preservation, suspicion toward Takumi and Owl, or even using the chaos to show "loyalty"—
Hikaru's move was clever.
Hiruzen shook his head faintly.
This boy really was sharp.
"…But sometimes, being too clever makes people uneasy."
Especially when you're Senju.
"Let me borrow your hand for a moment."
Inside an office at ANBU Headquarters, Hikaru spoke gently—almost softly.
But the words sent a pulse of unease through Owl's chest.
Hikaru's right hand snapped up.
His ninja blade hooked Owl's kunai away—
And the motion carried so far that Hikaru's own blade was flung out as well.
In the next instant, Hikaru's fist drove toward Owl's chest.
At the same time, his left hand loosened slightly—
Then locked onto Owl's fingers.
A twist.
Owl's kunai slipped from his left hand and dropped.
Hikaru immediately followed, kicking toward the kunai's grip.
Owl raised his arm and blocked the punch—
But the kunai flying straight toward his face forced him to throw his upper body backward.
Barely.
The kunai grazed past Owl's mask and shot into the ceiling—
Clanged off Hikaru's falling blade—
Then spun wildly and dropped again.
Owl's expression didn't improve in the slightest.
Because his left hand was still trapped in Hikaru's control.
And what made it worse—
Hikaru had used that grip to force Owl's hand through a hand seal.
"You—!" Owl roared.
Hikaru ignored him.
As Owl's balance wavered, Hikaru bent his right arm and drove an elbow into Owl's chest.
"Guh—!"
Pain exploded through Owl's ribs.
An elbow strike was one of the most brutal weapons a human body could produce.
In Hikaru's previous life, deaths from elbow strikes weren't rare at all.
Many competitions—even boxing and certain fighting sports—banned elbow strikes entirely.
Owl was a shinobi with strong endurance, but even he couldn't swallow an elbow like that cleanly.
And the worst part—
While Owl reeled, Hikaru controlled Owl's left hand again.
Two more seals.
Owl knew he had to counter.
If this continued, he'd be in real trouble.
He forced his body stable and threw a punch toward Hikaru's throat.
But Hikaru's reaction was too fast.
He caught Owl's wrist—
And his left hand twisted hard.
Crack!
The sound of bone splitting rang in the cramped office.
Then Hikaru's foot slammed into Owl's stomach.
Owl's insides churned violently.
And in that moment—
Hikaru finished the final hand seal.
Hikaru suddenly released him.
At the same time, Hikaru leapt.
The spinning kunai fell perfectly into his line—
Hikaru tracked its rotation with a single glance, twisted in midair, and kicked.
Hard.
The kunai shot forward like lightning.
BANG!
The office door was kicked open.
Three ANBU reinforcements rushed in.
And in that exact instant, Hikaru's chakra surged violently.
Hands clasped—
No hesitation.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Faced with a pincer-like assault, Owl—already battered—still managed to evade.
He twisted aside with difficulty, dodging the kunai.
Then he dropped low, braced a hand on the floor, and rolled backward—
Barely escaping the water dragon's direct impact.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The reinforcements didn't hold back—especially since Hikaru had already begun using ninjutsu.
The water dragon alone made their scalps tighten. If they didn't counter it immediately, they'd be overwhelmed.
Water and fire collided.
Steam exploded outward.
And Owl seized that single moment to slip out of the office.
Terrifying.
It was truly terrifying.
Yes, Owl had lost the initiative, and the office was too cramped to weave seals properly.
Yes, he'd been forced into taijutsu and desperate maneuvers.
But—
How old was Nightingale?
Thirteen? Fourteen?
Owl, an adult, had been suppressed into this state by a child's taijutsu alone.
That fact said everything.
And the boy's creativity… was unreal.
Fighting while controlling an enemy's hand to assist with hand seals—
Owl had never seen anything like it.
In his mind, only the Uchiha psychopaths could do something that "unreasonable."
And only the ones with Sharingan.
"You alright? What the hell happened? You and Captain Nightingale—?"
Outside the steam-choked office, an ANBU rushed to Owl, staring at his battered state.
They were reinforcements, but they still didn't know what had actually occurred.
"Hah… hah…" Owl panted twice, then glanced at the ANBU. "A misunderstanding. But I can't explain."
"Why not?" another ANBU asked, confused. "What happened? Captain Nightingale just met the Director—what did you do?"
"Stop asking." Owl cut him off sharply. "Deal with the current mess. And notify the Director—now."
Owl didn't want to answer.
Especially not when he heard them call Hikaru "Captain" with that level of respect.
Calling Division Commanders "Captain" was one thing.
But Hikaru was only a squad leader—was this really necessary?
Of course, Owl didn't dare question it out loud.
Not after Hikaru had taught him a lesson like that.
The respect came from strength.
And from Flying Thunder God.
If Hikaru hadn't shown those things, Owl himself would've gladly called him "Captain Nightingale" too.
But being driven into this kind of miserable corner—
And being unable to explain—
It left a bitterness Owl couldn't swallow.
Steam rolled outward.
More and more ANBU gathered.
Many stationed here weren't frontline combat personnel—some were reserves, administrative, intelligence, logistics.
But they were still shinobi.
They couldn't ignore what was happening.
"What happened here?"
"No idea—someone attacked."
"Who starts a fight inside ANBU HQ? And where's the Director?"
"I saw someone go notify him—he should be here soon."
Whispers spread through the crowd. Some drew weapons, preparing to intervene.
A fight at ANBU HQ was no small matter.
Curiosity came later.
First priority was stopping it.
Then—
A figure appeared behind Owl like a ghost.
No warning.
No buildup.
Owl's body stiffened.
He felt it—he sensed the presence—
But sensing and reacting were two different things.
That was Flying Thunder God's terror.
Owl was strong enough to detect it at least.
Most shinobi wouldn't even notice Minato's Flying Thunder God until they were already dead.
BANG!
A kick slammed into Owl's back.
He flew.
And only then did the nearby ANBU react—
But Hikaru didn't give them time.
This time, he wasn't as vicious as he had been with Owl.
The instant Owl was launched away, Hikaru's leg hadn't even fully retracted before his hand snapped out and seized an ANBU's wrist.
He yanked, twisted, and flung the man aside like a sack.
Then, as his leg came down, Hikaru used Body Flicker and slid to the flank of two others.
A kick.
One ANBU crashed into the other.
In a breath—
Four shinobi were down.
Flying Thunder God was monstrous.
Because you never knew when the enemy would appear at your side.
Even if you somehow knew—
You still couldn't defend.
Not everyone was Uchiha Madara.
Even the Fourth Raikage—at the pinnacle of speed with Lightning Release Chakra Mode—had suffered again and again against Flying Thunder God.
The surrounding ANBU stared, stunned.
They had been ready to step in and suppress the incident—
But when they saw who was fighting, they froze.
It was Captain Nightingale.
And the technique he was using—
Was Flying Thunder God.
What in the world was going on?
The same thought rose in their minds as it had for the reinforcements earlier.
Why was Hikaru attacking ANBU personnel?
For a moment, no one knew whether they should act.
In that hesitation and confusion—
Murashima Takumi finally arrived.
"Stop!"
With a Body Flicker, he landed in the center and separated Hikaru from Owl and the others, his gaze cold as ice.
"Apologies, Director-sama." Hikaru did not lower his guard. He had stopped moving, but he remained in a combat-ready stance.
Takumi's eyes hardened. "What do you think you're doing?"
Hikaru shook his head lightly, chakra already gathering again. "I have my reasons, Director-sama. Once I'm finished, I'll submit a full report."
Hikaru's words darkened Takumi's face.
Takumi's chakra began to rise as well.
He looked ready to strike.
The atmosphere tightened to a breaking point.
Every ANBU present felt lost.
And then—
A voice cut through the tension.
"What are you doing?"
The tone was calm, but it carried authority like a blade.
"Are you trying to ruin the entire ANBU?"
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