Hikaru's answer had satisfied both Hokage.
That alone was a small achievement.
As for what Sarutobi Hiruzen had said—he wouldn't oppose Hikaru, and he would let Hikaru judge for himself—Hikaru also understood the Third Hokage's stance clearly.
He won't oppose you… but he'll watch what you do.
Up to now, both Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato had acted as if they "didn't really know" the Senju's current situation, or the true weight of Hikaru's identity.
Whether that ignorance was real or an act didn't matter.
As long as everyone pretended to believe it, the game continued.
So if Hikaru truly chose zero Senju members, that would be the easiest way to invite trouble.
But if he let it run out of control—if he brought in the wrong people without restraint—his life would be miserable too.
ANBU wasn't his ANBU.
Hiruzen letting him decide wasn't only because he "temporarily trusted" Hikaru's reports.
It was also a test.
A way to see exactly what Hikaru would do with power.
"At least now I can give the clan an answer."
In the ANBU lounge, Hikaru and Kakashi sat in a corner. Hikaru rested his chin on one hand, thinking through it all.
Promise. Charity. Covering traces. Whatever.
None of that mattered.
What mattered was that Hikaru could go back and answer Elder Senju Shōma. He hadn't forgotten what he'd said that night.
I'll do what I can.
That phrase always carried uncertainty—success or failure.
But Hikaru still wanted to make it work.
Now he had a reasonable response in hand. It eased his mind.
Still, another headache remained:
Who should he actually choose to bring into his future division?
To be honest, Hikaru had never been especially close with most of the clan's children.
He didn't even know where many of them lived now, or what their circumstances were. He only saw them during certain occasions.
But the persona Hikaru had built over the years ensured his relationships weren't bad either.
At worst, they were acquaintances—people who could nod and exchange greetings if they happened to meet.
His "warm and gentle" mask had always been useful.
Even if someone didn't like him, they usually didn't dislike him either.
First impressions mattered.
And Hikaru had long since mastered the truth behind an old saying:
You don't slap a smiling face.
"I just hope the ones assigned to me are smart."
Hikaru rubbed his chin, annoyed at how little he remembered about the kids he'd technically grown up with.
But it wasn't entirely his fault.
The Senju were scattered now. Some didn't even think like clan members anymore—at least not in the old sense.
Hikaru hadn't interacted with them much as a child.
Hard to bond with people you barely ever meet.
After he entered ANBU, it only got worse. He was always busy, and Shōma had deliberately hidden details to prevent Hikaru from revealing anything during inspections.
So even if he worried, there wasn't much he could do.
"Captain," Kakashi said quietly beside him. "You look… restless. Is it because the results come out today?"
"Hm?" Hikaru came back to himself and gave a small, amused shake of his head. "No. I'm thinking about something else."
"Something else?" Kakashi stared. "You're not nervous?"
"Nervous…?" Hikaru tilted his head, genuinely considering it.
Not nervous would be abnormal.
But knowing the likely outcome made it hard to truly feel tense.
Hiruzen wasn't trustworthy—but Hikaru didn't believe the Third Hokage would pull something inappropriate here.
If an "accident" happened now, Hikaru's trust would drop to zero.
And it would also cut off whatever useful information Hikaru had been "sharing."
Not that Hikaru ever trusted Hiruzen in the first place.
And not that his information was ever completely "authentic," either.
At best, it was… castrated. Filtered. Safe.
With that precedent, Hikaru could afford to look calm.
"I'm not that nervous," he said with an easy smile to Kakashi. "I have some confidence."
"If I fail, then it means I'm not qualified to be Division Commander."
"And if I succeed, then it means my preparation was enough. It's what I deserve."
"I'll be grateful to the Hokage-sama for giving me this chance, and I'll use it properly—serving Konoha."
"I'll repay Hokage-sama's recognition. I'll fulfill the duty of a Division Commander."
"Because to me, the position isn't only an honor… it's also a responsibility."
Hikaru spoke quickly, smoothly—every phrase clean and airtight.
And everyone in the lounge heard it.
The other ANBU weren't deaf. Even though Hikaru's voice wasn't loud, they'd been paying attention to him for a while now—this "future Division Commander."
When they heard those words, several pairs of eyes turned toward him with genuine respect.
That level of resolve…
No wonder he succeeded.
No wonder the Fourth Hokage recommended him.
Some of them didn't even process the "if I fail" part.
In their minds, Hikaru's success felt inevitable.
The First Division Commander also heard it.
He'd just stepped out after receiving a notice—and walked straight into that declaration.
He hadn't expected it.
ANBU Division Commander wasn't just glory.
It was duty. Obligation.
ANBU existed to serve the Hokage, to protect Konoha, to safeguard their home.
Hikaru was only a squad captain, yet he already understood that clearly—and seemed to carry the same belief.
The Division Commander's opinion of Hikaru rose sharply.
The Kakuzu incident wasn't our division's loss. And Kakashi joining ANBU wasn't something Hikaru could control.
With that in mind, he walked toward Hikaru.
The moment he moved, everyone in the lounge stood automatically.
"Commander."
The ANBU greeted him in unison.
He nodded lightly and stopped in front of Hikaru.
Kakashi tensed. There were only two reasons for the commander to show up:
Either he was assigning a mission…
Or he was announcing the result.
What Kakashi didn't expect was that the commander slowly raised a hand and removed his mask.
His face was so ordinary it was almost forgettable—cold, too, in the way ANBU faces often were.
And yet, in this moment, he actually smiled.
"Congratulations, Captain Nightingale."
Hikaru blinked, then let a flicker of "surprise" show on his face. "Commander… you mean—?"
"Yes," the man said calmly.
"Division Commander Nightingale."
With the commander's acknowledgment, and the formal appointment letter in hand, Hikaru was now—officially—a Division Commander.
For many, it was a reason to celebrate.
Especially for the First Division.
Having a Division Commander come out of their ranks was something to be proud of—
Even if Hikaru was transferring to lead the Third Division.
Kakashi was genuinely happy for him.
Hikaru mattered to him—more than he could easily explain.
When Kakashi was drowning in darkness, Hikaru had pulled him back.
When Kakashi was lost, unsure what "future" even meant, Hikaru had dragged him toward something that resembled direction.
Kakashi still remembered every sentence Hikaru spoke in the Heroes' Memorial Cemetery.
Especially:
"There is only one true kind of heroism—seeing the truth of life, and still loving it."
And:
"Carry their will. Guard their dreams. Live on for them."
They were classmates.
And somewhere along the way, Kakashi had started treating Hikaru as a target he needed to catch up to.
Now Hikaru had gone even farther—becoming one of the most authoritative Division Commanders in ANBU, second only to the Director.
But Kakashi didn't feel envy.
No bitterness.
Only sincere congratulations—and a quiet joy he couldn't properly put into words.
Hikaru accepted everyone's toasts with visible happiness.
But he knew the truth.
He was happy—because this pushed him closer to his real goal.
And right after happiness came the weight of work.
He had to reorganize his division.
The Third Division had nine squads.
Each squad's limit was four members.
That meant he could command at least thirty-six shinobi.
But Namuki's operation had been a disaster—Sasori had effectively wiped out three squads.
Hikaru hadn't even checked the survivors' conditions yet.
Beyond that, he needed to learn his subordinates, build control, and turn them into his people.
None of that was simple.
And Hikaru hadn't forgotten his plans, either.
Even back when he was only a squad captain, he'd been eyeing the Dragon Vein sealed by Minato.
Back then, he lacked autonomy. Even leaving the village was troublesome.
Becoming a Division Commander didn't make leaving Konoha "easy"—but it gave him something he'd never had before:
Choice.
Aside from missions directly assigned from above, he could now select many tasks.
Some could be delegated.
Some—depending on importance—could be handled personally.
That meant space.
Freedom.
Room to move.
He could finally arrange a mission that justified leaving the village… and do what he needed outside.
Even if he had to bring subordinates, he could choose who to bring.
"I need to get Kakashi transferred over," Hikaru thought as he walked alone away from the tavern after the celebration.
That old commander probably doesn't want to keep Kakashi as a burning hot potato either.
Hikaru couldn't refuse the celebration. Publicly, he got along well with his colleagues. Rejecting congratulations would damage his image.
"Maybe… one day, they'll become my people too."
A night breeze moved through the streets. Moonlight stretched his shadow long and thin.
It was late, and his neighborhood was quiet—only cat calls and distant dog barks.
Hikaru walked calmly, almost blending into the darkness, thinking about the ANBU who had toasted him.
They weren't his people yet.
ANBU's core was still under the Third Hokage's control. And with those people controlling the upper structure, shaping doctrine from top to bottom, plus decades of indoctrination…
ANBU was still Hiruzen's one-man hall.
Hikaru understood something else too:
Even if Minato had forced the issue with Hokage authority and placed Hikaru in the role directly, it wouldn't have scared Hiruzen.
When your subordinates don't truly belong to you, that isn't power—it's poison.
And Hikaru couldn't purge everyone at once.
Doing so wouldn't just shake ANBU. It would shake Konoha's high-level balance.
It would be a public sign that the Third and Fourth Hokage had fully split.
Hikaru wouldn't dare.
And Minato would never allow it.
"So this is the worst part," Hikaru sighed. "But you take steps one at a time. Handle things one at a time."
"And… if I'm lucky, maybe some people will 'disappear' in a reasonable way."
Hikaru knew the future. He knew opportunities would come.
But right now, he only had rough ideas. He still needed planning.
As he neared home, he slowed—then changed direction.
Toward Senju Shōma's residence.
He decided he should report.
"Besides restructuring ANBU… my own strength needs thought too."
He had decent power now—yet awkwardly, it was power built on overall balance.
Still, he had plans.
The Dragon Vein was one.
There were others.
Like the sealing seed he'd acquired and the method he'd derived from it—he wanted to test it soon.
And then there was that thing he'd hidden away:
Hashirama's flesh.
He'd kept it buried, sealed, and concealed.
He didn't dare bring it out—worried it might be detected by a "dog nose," a Byakugan, or a swarm of insects.
If he found a mission that conveniently sent him out of the village—preferably toward the Land of Wind—he intended to start researching it properly.
He wouldn't do something insane like Madara—cut himself open and stitch it into his body.
But burying it somewhere and watering it?
Seeing if it sprouted?
Or, if his idea proved correct… embedding it inside a tree—
Maybe he could even extract a Wood Release seed.
Lost in these thoughts, Hikaru arrived at Shōma's door.
After giving a discreet signal to the guard, he entered alone.
Shōma was still awake. Or perhaps he simply couldn't sleep.
He sat at the table, sipping tea.
The moment he saw Hikaru, he asked urgently:
"Well? How did it go?"
"Elder." Hikaru bowed lightly, his usual warm smile in place.
"I'm Division Commander now."
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