Fugaku Uchiha finally understood what Hikaru's message meant.
And the moment he understood, a bone-deep chill swept through him.
Hikaru's meaning was clear.
You are already finished.
No matter how you struggle, you will never get another chance to recover.
Since that was the case, it was better to step down in the most complete and humiliating way possible, cutting off every connection he should no longer have, instead of leaving with dignity while still clinging to false hope.
Dignity.
That was the only word Fugaku could think of.
Unfortunately, Hikaru had no intention of giving him any.
He clearly had no chance of turning the situation around.
So why would even his final dignity be denied?
Fugaku believed that someone standing so high would never act without reason.
If Hikaru had done this, then there had to be an internal logic behind it.
And since the Fifth Hokage had specifically asked Itachi to deliver the message, there had to be another meaning hidden inside.
So Fugaku began to think carefully.
Especially since Hikaru had also given his son the chance to enter Anbu.
As Fugaku connected everything together, he quickly grasped several key points.
The first meaning was obvious.
By forcing him to step down in such a complete and humiliating way, Hikaru had also given him the bridge he had once dreamed of.
That meant the Hokage's goal was probably this.
At least on the surface.
He had completely cut off Fugaku's hope and told him, You have no chance left.
But by giving Itachi a chance, he was also saying, You have no future, but your descendants may still have one.
Fugaku's thoughts moved quickly.
He felt that the Hokage likely had exactly this plan in mind.
If that was the case, it was not impossible to accept.
In the end, Fugaku was still a man who loved his family.
If he himself had no future, but his branch could still survive and rise again one day, then losing the position of clan head was not unacceptable.
Even if it cost him his life, it might still be worth it.
He still did not understand why the Hokage disliked him so much.
From everything Hikaru had done, the man clearly despised him.
But at least Hikaru had left a path open.
Especially that phrase, an unimaginable reward.
It kept stabbing at Fugaku's heart.
"The Hokage removed me and pushed Uchiha Shin up because Shin was the first to submit to him.
"But after removing me, he still gave my child a chance.
"That means the Hokage has no intention of wiping us out completely."
Thinking of this, Fugaku felt slightly better.
Only slightly.
Because he did not believe Hikaru had gone through all this effort for something so simple.
If that were all, Hikaru could have spoken to him directly.
"Wait. Could it be…"
Suddenly, a thought appeared in Fugaku's mind.
A thought that made his skin crawl.
Itachi had repeatedly emphasized one thing.
He was a Konoha shinobi.
What Konoha shinobi had to protect was the stability of Konoha.
In comparison, they would not care as much about internal clan matters.
Fugaku had been forced down, but there would still be people inside the Uchiha Clan who were dissatisfied.
Even if they seemed obedient now.
Even if there were only a few of them.
No one knew whether they would cause unpredictable trouble in the future.
And the Hokage was absolutely not someone who tolerated even the smallest hidden threat.
After all, Hikaru had openly told Itachi that he had considered acting against Fugaku and Mikoto.
If that was the case, the Hokage might not allow those people to act recklessly.
If they never showed themselves, that was one thing.
But if they caused trouble, the Hokage might truly wipe them out completely.
And when that time came, the task would likely fall on Itachi.
The Hokage needed to preserve his reputation.
He would never carry that kind of stain himself.
So…
"The Hokage wants me to find possible targets myself and explain to them that all of this was arranged by me.
"He wants me to tell them that Itachi entered Anbu because I planned it.
"Because I was guaranteed to lose, I needed to use a special method to secure a path for my descendants.
"Using the most humiliating method to endorse Itachi is the only road I had left.
"In that case, on the surface, Itachi is still my son.
"He is still someone standing on my side.
"But in truth, whether willingly or not, both Itachi and I will already be standing beside Senju Hikaru.
"And if those people show anything suspicious, if I obtain evidence against them, then it will be me ordering Itachi to eliminate them.
"It will have nothing to do with Senju Hikaru!"
Once Fugaku sorted everything out, cold sweat ran down his back.
This was not merely making them take the blame.
This was making them shoulder everything.
This was asking for their lives.
What frightened Fugaku even more was that Hikaru had hidden the choice so subtly and thrown it to him.
Then, through Itachi, he had added: the Hokage once considered acting against you.
Did that mean if Fugaku failed to make the choice Hikaru wanted, Hikaru would have Itachi personally bury his entire family?
Thinking of Itachi's firm betrayal the night before, Fugaku was certain that if things truly reached that point, the most tragic outcome might really happen.
"As expected of you, Fifth Hokage."
Fugaku's heart went cold.
The more he thought, the more he guessed, the more terrifying Senju Hikaru became.
That man was only in his early twenties.
Yet his methods, ability, and personal strength were all terrifying.
For the Senju Clan to produce such a Hokage, and one who held such hostility toward him, Fugaku could not help feeling sorrow.
But very soon, he forced himself to calm down.
There was no point thinking about those things anymore.
The Hokage had already placed the question and the answer in front of him.
What came next depended on what Fugaku himself chose to do.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Itachi.
After a long silence, he nodded weakly.
"I understand.
"I understand everything.
"Go work properly in Anbu.
"I know that aside from my pressure, Anbu has always been your dream.
"And remember to tell the Hokage this:
"Fugaku Uchiha understands the Hokage's intention.
"And Fugaku will do everything he can to complete the Hokage's arrangement."
After saying that, Fugaku closed his eye again.
He was exhausted.
Both his body and his heart felt drained.
But at least there was one thing he could take comfort in.
This family still had hope.
…
"So Fugaku Uchiha is fairly smart after all."
After work, Hikaru walked toward Anbu with saya and Ayame.
Itachi was not someone who could hide important information very well.
Although he had not received an explanation, he had received a reply.
So he immediately went to Hikaru's office.
Hikaru was a little surprised.
Fugaku's reaction speed and thinking ability seemed better than he had expected.
In such a short time, Fugaku had already thought through much of the situation and used Itachi to express his loyalty.
That did make Hikaru's opinion of him improve slightly.
But only slightly.
No matter what, Hikaru still did not like Fugaku's indecisive nature, nor the way he gave up when things reached the critical point.
After confirming Fugaku's attitude, Hikaru sent Itachi back.
Of course, he did not forget to have Itachi pass along his approval.
After all, making that choice had not been easy.
But the matter had basically ended there.
The Uchiha had been fully handed to a new master.
At the same time, Itachi had obediently come under Hikaru's command.
This time, Hikaru had won thoroughly.
"He is smart, but he does not have many choices."
Ayame nodded gently beside Hikaru.
After hearing Hikaru explain the matter, she immediately understood.
"He can either die without value, or choose a possible path for his descendants.
"That choice is not exactly difficult."
"Being able to understand everything so quickly already proves he isn't simple."
Hikaru chuckled.
He did not dare hold either of the girls' hands on the street.
It would not be good for appearances.
Of course, even somewhere private, he would not casually do something like that.
He still had to consider their feelings.
"Don't assume the things I did, or the words I asked Itachi to pass on, were easy to understand.
"Look at Hashirama-senpai. He didn't understand at all.
"That proves this really wasn't simple."
"That is only Hashirama-senpai," saya said with a soft smile. "Tobirama-senpai understood what you meant immediately."
After spending so much time around the two previous Hokage, saya had gotten used to calling them "senpai."
She had originally wanted to keep calling them Hokage-sama, but "senpai" sounded closer.
Especially since both of them had a deep relationship with Hikaru.
"I don't think comparing Tobirama-senpai to Hashirama-senpai is fair."
Hikaru shook his head lightly and sighed.
"They are completely different types.
"Hashirama-senpai may simply be too kind.
"They each have their own strengths, don't they?"
Comparing Hashirama and Tobirama in schemes was no different from asking Tobirama to fight Hashirama head-on.
Their specialties were completely different.
Forcing that comparison had no meaning.
However, after Hikaru finished speaking, he noticed both saya and Ayame looking at him.
That made him feel slightly awkward.
Of course they could hear the implication in his words.
Those two could not be compared directly.
But could Hikaru not be compared to them?
In a way, Hikaru could compete with Tobirama in schemes and with Hashirama in personal strength.
With that one sentence, Hikaru had basically praised himself without restraint, implying he was better than both previous Hokage.
But after glancing at him, both girls actually nodded at the same time.
They seemed to agree with that view.
That only made Hikaru even more embarrassed.
"All right, enough about that.
"Kakashi and Pakura are still waiting."
Hikaru shook his head and stopped dwelling on the topic.
There were still many things to do.
For example, tonight he had a rather interesting gathering.
It was not a sudden whim.
It was a celebration for Guy, who had successfully become a jonin.
Everyone knew how difficult it was to become a jonin now.
And Guy's path had been even harder because he specialized almost entirely in taijutsu.
Fortunately, Hikaru's reforms had changed the system.
Guy specialized in taijutsu, yes, but as long as he passed the other comprehensive assessments, he was not without a chance.
Clearly, he had benefited from Hikaru's reforms.
He had also worked hard enough himself.
He had become the first shinobi after Hikaru, Kakashi, and their group to reach jonin rank.
As Hokage, Hikaru naturally knew the news.
And Guy's promotion had involved some of Hikaru's own intentions.
He needed an example to encourage those "specialized students" and give them something to strive toward.
Guy was also his old classmate, and their relationship was decent.
So Guy naturally became the example.
Of course, outsiders did not know the details.
Hikaru, saya, Kakashi, and the others who knew the inside story would never say anything.
Besides, even though Hikaru had chosen Guy as an example, Guy had still passed the assessment properly.
Hikaru had merely leaned toward Guy under equal conditions.
He had not forced the result.
So after Guy succeeded, Hikaru took the initiative to invite him over to his home.
Not only Guy.
From Hikaru's old class, not many people had survived the Third Shinobi World War.
Because of the war, they had often teamed up with students one grade below them, such as Anko, Ibiki Morino, and Iruka.
So Hikaru invited them as well.
After all, these people had once been his classmates.
They were also Konoha's future pillars.
As Hokage, Hikaru would need many of them to work hard in the future.
Besides, it had been a long time since Hikaru had attended anything like a class gathering.
This gathering had meaning.
As for inviting Pakura, it was also Hikaru's way of telling the woman who had been forced to defect from Sunagakure that even though he was now Hokage, he still valued her.
Ayame and saya both nodded gently.
They both knew about tonight's gathering, and both would attend.
For Ayame, although she had not been Hikaru's classmate, she could attend as the hostess.
As for saya, she had been one of his old classmates.
But Ayame was certain of one thing.
saya would eventually stand in the same position as her.
…
"This place is rather interesting."
In a remote corner of the shinobi world, a white-clad figure stood calmly.
His Byakugan swept over everything around him.
Finally, he revealed a faint smile.
After spending a little more time than expected, he had finally reached this place.
For the Otsutsuki, who possessed extremely long lives, time did not have the same weight it did for ordinary beings.
After arriving here, he did not immediately find the place where that power had erupted.
The small celestial body near this planet did contain a very special power.
But there was no sign of life on it.
That made him lose interest, so he simply ignored it.
However, he had noticed that the small celestial body contained seals and barriers.
And on this larger planet, signs of life were everywhere.
He also discovered that the natives of this planet were using chakra.
More importantly, this chakra seemed to belong to an Otsutsuki.
He would not mistake that.
As a member of the Otsutsuki Clan, Urashiki Otsutsuki might be relatively young, but his knowledge and perception would not be wrong.
He was one hundred percent certain that an Otsutsuki had once come to this place.
And according to tradition, it had definitely not been only one.
When the Otsutsuki went to conquer a planet and harvest its power, they usually acted in pairs or more.
After all, summoning the God Tree required the sacrifice of an Otsutsuki.
That was a necessary condition.
So even in the cold and indifferent Otsutsuki Clan, a relationship existed between guardian and guarded.
The guardian was the lower-ranking member.
The guarded was the higher-ranking member.
For example, Kinshiki and Momoshiki Otsutsuki, whom Urashiki had originally traveled with to learn from.
If Momoshiki found a suitable location and needed to summon the God Tree, Kinshiki would have to give up his life to ensure the process succeeded.
Of course, giving up one's life did not mean true death.
The Otsutsuki Clan possessed unimaginable vitality.
They also had the means to revive themselves.
That method was Karma.
With Karma, they did not need to fear true death, even though actually using it was extremely troublesome.
"There are traces of the Otsutsuki here.
"The people here use chakra.
"There was also the previous eruption of Otsutsuki power.
"And yet this world is still alive.
"Interesting. Truly interesting."
Urashiki muttered to himself.
To him, this world had genuinely caught his interest.
A world invaded by the Otsutsuki but not destroyed.
That alone was unbelievable.
The two Otsutsuki responsible for coming to this world had also vanished without news.
That was even more delightful.
He did not believe anyone in the universe could truly defeat beings like them.
If such a person existed, then they would not have allowed an Otsutsuki to revive and freely unleash their power afterward.
Clearly, something interesting had happened here.
Something unknown.
"Perhaps this is the place Isshiki-senpai and the others came to.
"This world really is worth looking forward to."
Urashiki grinned.
Then his body rose into the air, and he quickly flew toward the central region of the shinobi world.
He could feel the Ten-Tails' power scattered across this world.
Or rather, the Ten-Tails had already been split apart.
Those powers were scattered in several different places within this small region.
Naturally, that caught Urashiki's attention.
Such power could greatly strengthen him.
No Otsutsuki would ignore it.
He was no exception.
However, he still considered the matter of his kin.
For the moment, he had no intention of touching that divided Ten-Tails power.
After all, those powers were sitting right there.
If he wanted them, obtaining them would not be difficult.
But before that, he wanted to understand what had happened on this planet.
He also wanted to know who had awakened that Otsutsuki power.
Only after understanding that could he make his final choice.
Besides, if he wanted to obtain that power, doing it alone would not be enough.
"This world is becoming more and more exciting."
With that thought, Urashiki sped up.
At the same time, he began forming a series of plans.
For now, he needed to reach the most populated area and gather information about this world's past.
He also wanted to understand the overall structure and strength of this world.
After all, this was a planet once visited by the Otsutsuki.
The people here also possessed chakra.
He had to be a little cautious.
He still looked down on these lowly mortals.
But he would control his actions.
No one knew what secrets this world might hide.
Perhaps the two Otsutsuki who had come here before had been defeated by some unknown power.
The probability was extremely small.
But no matter how small the chance, caution was never wrong.
Especially since the person who had exposed that power might be an enemy or an ally.
He still needed to observe.
That said, Urashiki hoped that person would be his enemy.
If they were an enemy, then he could capture them openly.
Then he could rightfully seize a Ten-Tails and the God Tree's fruit.
Urashiki was very confident in his own strength.
In the Otsutsuki Clan, he was indeed a junior.
But he had already reached the level where he could choose his own guardian.
If he had not wanted to learn more, he would not have traveled with Kinshiki and Momoshiki.
He could have acted alone with his own subordinate.
"Momoshiki-senpai and Kinshiki-senpai leaving me behind may not be a bad thing after all.
"If they had not abandoned me, I might not have found this opportunity."
…
Hikaru had not expected an Otsutsuki to enter the shinobi world.
Right now, he was in his own backyard, holding a barbecue gathering with his old classmates and friends.
The Third Shinobi World War had killed many people.
Even among Hikaru's own class and the class below them, the casualties had been terrible.
From this alone, one could see how hateful Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisions had been.
Even Hashirama and Tobirama had made their attitude toward it very clear.
During the Third War, Konoha had almost been fighting on four fronts.
Its manpower had indeed been stretched to the limit.
Before that, it had already endured the Second Shinobi World War, along with its own internal exhaustion.
The number of elite shinobi had also decreased significantly.
Even so, that was no reason for Hiruzen to send children to the battlefield.
One of the original purposes behind Hashirama and Madara founding Konoha had been to protect children.
To keep them from experiencing the cruel reality of war at such a young age, the way they once had.
Hiruzen's actions had essentially dragged history backward.
To put it bluntly, it enraged both Hashirama and Tobirama.
Added to everything else Hiruzen had done, their impression of him fell rapidly.
Hiruzen was helpless about it, but he did not defend himself.
He knew what he had done would anger his two teachers.
He also knew that his actions had gone against Konoha's founding purpose.
Now that both of his former teachers disliked him, and he had lost almost everything in Konoha, what could he say?
The only reasons he could still remain among Konoha's upper ranks were his former position as Hokage, his experience, and his ability.
So all he could do now was work hard.
After all, he could see that while Hikaru disliked him and targeted him, he did not target his son.
It was Hikaru's silent message.
You have no future, but that does not mean your son has none.
Do what you should, and your son can still have a bright future.
Hiruzen did exactly that.
Hikaru did the same.
Asuma had returned to Konoha more than two years ago, and he was now a chunin.
Asuma had never expected the most ordinary-looking classmate from back then to become Hokage.
Hiruzen had also privately discussed the current situation with Asuma.
That helped Asuma understand many things.
The current Asuma was still somewhat rebellious, just like in the original timeline.
But he had not developed that strange idea of the Hokage and daimyo being two competing kings.
Perhaps it was because Hikaru and Hiruzen had acted early and broken the daimyo's hand, making him too afraid to entertain improper thoughts.
Asuma had left Konoha simply to pursue his own value.
There was even reliable intelligence showing that during the war between Konoha and Kumogakure, he had returned to Konoha and hoped to join the fight.
But after the war ended, and after hearing about Hikaru's achievements, he left again to continue improving himself.
At that time, he truly had not known that the Anbu commander who had led Konoha to victory was Hikaru.
Even later, when he heard the Fifth Hokage was a man named Senju Hikaru, he did not immediately connect the name to his old classmate.
After all, Asuma had been away from Konoha for a long time.
Back then, Hikaru had still been called Fukami Hikaru, and he had seemed painfully ordinary.
It was normal for Asuma not to make the connection.
Only after he was recalled to Konoha did he realize how ridiculous his old assumptions had been.
His former classmate was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
After Asuma returned, his performance was fairly good.
Especially after Hikaru learned that Asuma's behavior during the war had been different from Tsunade and Jiraiya's, he became willing to give the man a chance.
Partly, it was a way to draw Asuma in.
Partly, it was a way to give Hiruzen hope, so the old man would work even harder.
Asuma had also come to this gathering.
Counting him, more than thirty people attended.
Back then, a class had usually contained thirty to fifty people.
Now, after combining Hikaru's class, students from the same year who had teamed with them, and even students from the year below—along with people like Ayame and Pakura—they could only gather this many.
It showed just how terrifying the sacrifices had been.
But with more than thirty people attending, Hikaru's house was not large enough to comfortably hold everyone.
So he simply chose to hold a barbecue outside.
"This relaxed feeling really brings back memories."
Hikaru sat casually on the ground.
At this moment, he was not the Hokage.
He was not Senju Hikaru.
Before the gathering began, he had already said it clearly.
There was no Hokage here tonight.
Only Fukami Hikaru, the classmate who had once studied alongside them.
His words did help everyone relax a little.
But truly forgetting that he was Hokage was not so easy.
"Relaxing like this is nice. Everyone likes it. That is also because you have governed Konoha well, Hikaru."
Guy sat across from Hikaru and flashed a bright smile.
His white teeth practically sparkled.
Many times, Hikaru had wanted to ask him what toothpaste he used to get that shining effect.
Guy was also one of the people who could let himself relax more easily.
Even so, he could not truly forget that Hikaru was Hokage.
"You…"
Kakashi rolled his eye and nudged Guy with his elbow.
"There is no Hokage here tonight. If you keep bringing it up, are you also reminding me that I cannot forget I'm the Anbu commander?"
"No, no!"
Guy shook his head decisively.
Even if that was exactly what he had been thinking, he would never admit it now.
Seeing the two of them bicker again, Hikaru smiled helplessly.
Still, he liked this atmosphere.
Turning his head, his gaze fell on Pakura, who was sitting not far from him.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked quietly, "You've been in Anbu for almost ten years now, haven't you?"
"It will be ten years in a little over a year, Hoka—Hikaru."
Pakura froze slightly when she heard him, then nodded quickly.
It was true.
She had been captured and brought back by Hikaru before the Nine-Tails incident.
From then until now, she had already spent nearly ten years in Konoha's Anbu.
Ten years was a long time for anyone.
For an Anbu shinobi, it was even harder.
Before she realized it, Pakura had stayed in Anbu for that long.
And she had never complained.
Hikaru could not pretend not to see that.
After thinking briefly, he smiled and asked, "Then have you ever thought about leaving Anbu and becoming an ordinary shinobi?"
"Leaving… Anbu?"
Pakura was startled by Hikaru's words.
For a moment, she did not know how to answer.
Hikaru chuckled softly, then continued slowly.
"Yes.
"Leave Anbu and become a normal shinobi.
"In the past, because of certain circumstances, you could only stay in Anbu.
"But things are different now.
"In my heart, you have long since become a qualified Konoha shinobi."
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