"You were a bit impulsive. Even if your intention was good, Nightingale."
Inside the ANBU Director's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind the desk, looking at Hikaru with a faintly helpless expression.
Hikaru stood quietly where he was, saying nothing.
To the side, Murashima Takumi remained silent as well—so still, so calm, he felt less like a person and more like a machine.
Back when Hikaru and Murashima had faced off—both of them gathering chakra, the situation seconds away from turning violent—Hiruzen had finally arrived.
And the moment he saw what was happening, he had been both shocked and furious.
His pressure exploded outward in one wave.
Only then did Hikaru truly understand something—
Why this aging Third Hokage, who looked mediocre in so many "records" of later years, had once been called the Professor, the Shinobi who stood at the peak.
Hiruzen was strong.
Hikaru never doubted that.
But how strong?
He hadn't been sure—
Until now.
Hiruzen hadn't even moved.
Just the sheer force of his presence made Hikaru feel as if he'd been dropped into hell.
Once that pressure wrapped around him, even breathing became difficult.
It felt exactly like that scene in the old stories—when Naruto and Sasuke first met Orochimaru and were smothered by his killing intent.
Except Hikaru held up far better than those two had.
His strength wasn't in the same category as their early, unawakened selves.
Hiruzen reined it in quickly. He had Owl sent to the medical division, then ordered both Hikaru and Murashima Takumi to the office.
He demanded the full story.
He wanted to hear exactly what kind of answer Hikaru would give.
And the result didn't surprise Hiruzen at all.
Right there, with Murashima standing beside him, Hikaru laid out everything he'd seen, everything he'd heard, and every suspicion he'd formed.
He didn't care that the ANBU Director was listening.
He even said it outright—
"If Owl and the Director have been compromised—if they're spies—then the damage to ANBU would be even worse."
As Hikaru spoke, his eyes weren't only on Hiruzen.
He was also watching Murashima's reaction.
And that… disappointed him.
Murashima Takumi didn't react at all.
He remained cold and statue-still, without even the slightest ripple of emotion.
"Apologies, Hokage-sama." Hikaru bowed.
His voice was gentle again—yet his posture didn't look particularly repentant.
"Takumi, step out for now." Hiruzen glanced at Hikaru, then turned to Murashima. "Don't let anyone approach. And go check on Owl."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Murashima spoke at last.
He didn't even look at Hikaru. He bowed with perfect respect, then turned and left.
No hesitation.
No questions.
Not even a hint of curiosity about why Hiruzen wanted him gone.
That alone made Hikaru frown.
Murashima Takumi…
He was hard to understand.
The man seemed to lack human emotion entirely.
"Isn't it strange?" After Murashima left, Hiruzen spoke as if he'd seen straight through Hikaru. "That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"
"Hokage-sama." Hikaru withdrew his thoughts instantly, lowering his head. "This subordinate no longer feels anything strange."
"Is that so?" Hiruzen studied him with mild interest. "You were suspicious of Takumi and Owl earlier. Why are you no longer suspicious now?"
"Because Hokage-sama trusts them." Hikaru gave the simplest answer possible. "If Hokage-sama trusts them, then this subordinate trusts them as well."
It was blunt.
And it was the kind of answer a "good subordinate" was expected to give.
No unnecessary questions.
No wandering thoughts.
No digging into what didn't belong to you.
That was how an excellent ANBU survived.
But Hikaru's inner thoughts were nothing like his words.
Murashima and Owl had been far too strange.
And now… he felt he finally understood.
This had nothing to do with Shimura Danzō.
If anything, Danzō's biggest "gain" from ANBU had already died—Namuki, the one Hikaru had quietly sent to his grave.
Hikaru's earlier suspicion—that Danzō had infiltrated or controlled Murashima and Owl—came from one fact:
Danzō had once reached into ANBU.
Who could say he hadn't left behind a hidden hand?
But if Murashima and Owl were truly controlled, Hiruzen would never trust them this completely.
With Namuki dead, Danzō had no foothold left in ANBU.
Minato and Hiruzen would never give him one.
So there was only one explanation.
Everything Hikaru had sensed—
All the "wrongness"—
It had been arranged by Hiruzen himself.
Murashima Takumi was simply too rigid, too mechanical—a puppet that only moved according to orders.
Every decision he made originated from Hiruzen.
But a puppet like that couldn't run ANBU alone.
He needed someone to prevent mistakes.
Someone to assist him.
Someone who could do it without drawing attention.
Which meant Owl's existence was… necessary.
Owl answers to Hiruzen directly. He links Hiruzen and Murashima. He supports Murashima from behind… and keeps the machine running.
The thought made Hikaru's skin crawl.
No wonder the ANBU Director always stood behind Hiruzen, no matter the era.
No wonder Murashima supported the Third Hokage even under the Fourth Hokage's reign.
Because Murashima wasn't a true leader.
He was a puppet.
People had desires.
Everyone did.
And when someone controlled a department as powerful as ANBU, desire naturally grew—spreading roots, reaching out.
But if the person in charge was merely a puppet—
A shinobi without personal ambition, without personal desire, who executed orders perfectly—
Then there would be no "problem."
Hiruzen looked at Hikaru for a long moment, then shook his head, as if unwilling to care whether Hikaru's "trust" was genuine or just a performance.
To him, it didn't matter.
ANBU was his.
No one's thoughts could change that fact.
"Anyway." Hiruzen steepled his fingers under his chin. "Nightingale… what did you want with me?"
"I heard you were looking for me. Now you've seen me."
"Hokage-sama, I have something to submit." Hikaru immediately produced the file he'd prepared. "Please review it."
"Oh?" Hiruzen raised a brow. "And what is it?"
"A report on my interactions with the Fourth Hokage… and my insights into Flying Thunder God."
Hiruzen hadn't expected this.
The materials were… far too detailed.
Not just records of Hikaru's meetings with Minato—what was discussed, what Minato taught him—
But also Hikaru's own reflections and practical notes on using Flying Thunder God.
Even last night's sparring session was included.
Hikaru directly framed it as "following the Third Hokage's requirements," building a "deeper" connection with Minato.
And honestly, Hikaru didn't believe ANBU or the sensory division could have missed a fight that intense.
Rather than waiting for Hiruzen to ask, Hikaru had chosen to put it on paper first.
Just as Hikaru expected, Hiruzen only nodded after reading. No extra praise, no extra judgment.
But that nod was enough.
Hiruzen was satisfied.
He knew some things about Minato and Hikaru's relationship, but not enough.
The people assigned to watch them couldn't get close.
Special techniques couldn't be used recklessly either.
Both Minato and Hikaru were too strong—especially Hikaru, who had sharp sensory perception.
If surveillance was discovered, it wouldn't be "a minor issue."
And of course, Hiruzen wasn't foolish enough to fully trust a report written by Hikaru.
Who knew what might have been omitted?
But what delighted him was something else—
Hikaru had handed over relatively complete notes on Flying Thunder God.
For shinobi, personal understanding of a technique was not something shared lightly.
At most, you poured everything into a disciple.
And even that was reserved for a true, most-valued personal student.
To everyone else?
Never.
Those insights were a shinobi's private weapon.
Even the Hokage couldn't normally demand them.
Because once they were exposed, it wasn't only about whether someone could learn the technique and turn it against you—
It was about analysis.
About others reading the notes, dissecting the mechanics, understanding strengths and weaknesses, and eventually finding ways to counter it—or even kill you using that knowledge.
By submitting this, Hikaru had drastically reduced Flying Thunder God's "mystery" in Hiruzen's hands.
Hiruzen could now experiment, compare, test.
How could he not be pleased?
Minato had submitted some materials before—but after passing through Jiraiya's hands, certain things had naturally been concealed.
Hiruzen hadn't blamed Jiraiya then.
Back then, his relationship with Minato wasn't as strained, and he even approved of the concealment.
But now—
When interests were touched, everything changed.
When Hiruzen was pleased, many things became easier.
Many things became… different.
"These materials are very good. I'm satisfied," Hiruzen said mildly. "I've heard your relationship with Kakashi is quite close."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"When the appointment for Third Division Commander comes down, you'll be allowed to choose your own team members."
"…This…" Hikaru's expression shifted just slightly, then he bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
On the surface, it sounded like a generous reward.
But inside, Hikaru only sneered.
The right to select team members was already a Division Commander's authority.
Not everyone could exercise it freely, and it did require reporting upward—
But ordinarily, the Director didn't veto reasonable picks.
If the Director constantly vetoed, then Shinichi and Masaya wouldn't have been reassigned so easily before.
Hiruzen specifically bringing up Kakashi…
That was the real point.
Kakashi was Minato's only direct disciple.
Pulling Kakashi into Hikaru's hands was Hiruzen's reminder—
Whether Hiruzen trusted Hikaru or not, Hikaru was expected to become a piece placed beside the Fourth Hokage.
If Hikaru disobeyed?
Then even if Hikaru was discarded later, Hiruzen could still use Kakashi to disgust Minato one last time.
And beyond that, this was a test.
Hikaru still had the Senju behind him.
Granting him selection authority was likely Hiruzen watching—
What would Hikaru do once he held real power?
"What an old fox."
With that thought, Hikaru left ANBU headquarters obediently.
He still had missions to handle.
He couldn't stay here.
But Hiruzen didn't move.
He remained seated behind the desk, eyes fixed on Hikaru's report.
Not long after, the door was knocked.
A man wrapped in bandages stepped inside.
Shimura Danzō.
"Hiruzen." Danzō walked up without ceremony, face cold. "I heard the Senju brat caused trouble in ANBU. That kid's got too much nerve."
"It was only a misunderstanding." Hiruzen shook his head calmly, then looked up at Danzō. "Your information travels quickly."
"Hmph." Danzō snorted and said nothing more.
He knew that wasn't praise.
But he also had no intention of explaining himself.
And he believed Hiruzen wouldn't press the point.
As expected, Hiruzen didn't argue with him over it.
Danzō's existence was too useful.
Many of the things Danzō did… were things Hiruzen wanted done, but could not do himself.
Danzō was his shadow.
Even if that shadow had its own thoughts—its own ambitions—and even if it sometimes crossed the line…
Its value was undeniable.
And Hiruzen's personal relationship with Danzō was deep enough that he could still tolerate it.
"Do you truly trust that brat?" Danzō finally asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. "I heard you're really going to make him Division Commander."
"Yes—and no." Hiruzen nodded calmly. "I don't trust him. But I do intend to give him the position. More than that, I granted him the authority to select his own team."
"Hmph." Danzō shook his head, unimpressed. "That authority belongs to a Division Commander anyway. You're testing him."
"Who knows?" Hiruzen chuckled, then slid Hikaru's file across the desk. "Read this."
Danzō frowned, took the file, and began reading.
He read quickly.
But after only a short while, his expression changed.
When he finished, for a brief moment he truly wanted to keep the papers for himself.
But he suppressed the impulse and placed them back on the desk.
"…Looks like he paid a heavy price," Danzō said quietly. His voice remained flat, but there was a ripple underneath it.
"Yes." Hiruzen nodded. "A very heavy price. Interesting kid, isn't he?"
Danzō didn't answer.
His eyes stayed on the file.
Hiruzen watched him and smiled silently.
He knew the value of those notes.
How could Danzō not?
What neither of them knew—
What neither of them could possibly know—
Was that this "detailed" file was actually a trap.
Everything in it was written based on techniques Hikaru had learned through the System.
Meaning—
If anyone else wanted to learn it…
They'd need a System too.
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