Hokage Building.
*Knock knock knock!*
The sound of knocking rang out. Tsunade, who was in the middle of assigning a mission to Gai and Kakashi, stopped speaking. She looked toward the door with a furrowed brow. "Who is it?"
What were the ANBU outside doing? Didn't they know she was currently briefing a mission?
They should be stopping anyone from interrupting.
"It's me!"
Hikari pushed open the door. "What's the situation with Kusagakure?"
"Why are you here!"
Even though it was Hikari, Tsunade was somewhat displeased.
His unannounced arrival had somewhat undermined her authority as Hokage. Privately between the two of them, anything was fine, but right now Tsunade was in the Hokage's office—she had to maintain her dignity.
"What's the situation with Kusagakure? Is the Akatsuki causing trouble?" Hikari ignored Tsunade's annoyed glare and turned to ask Kakashi and Gai.
Kakashi glanced at Tsunade, then at Hikari, and fell silent.
As for Maito Gai—he simply stayed still.
"If you have something to ask, ask me directly. Why are you asking those two!" Tsunade looked at Hikari unhappily. Ignoring her leadership authority was one thing, but not even asking her about it—what did that mean?
"Then can you tell me what the distress call from Kusa is about?" Hikari asked calmly.
Tsunade shrugged, looking smug. "No!"
Hikari: ???
If you can't, just say so, why the attitude.
"Kakashi, Gai, you two can go!" Seeing Hikari fall silent, Tsunade directly ordered.
"Wait a minute!"
Seeing Kakashi and Gai about to leave, Hikari reached out and grabbed the two of them. "We must clarify the matter with Kusagakure today. Otherwise, you two can't go."
"Hikari, do you even have me, the Hokage, in your eyes?" Seeing Hikari blocking her orders again, Tsunade was truly getting angry.
"This matter is very important. I need to know what the situation is before letting Kakashi and Gai go," Hikari ignored Tsunade's furious gaze. "Kusagakure doesn't have any particularly powerful figures. If it were just an ordinary matter, sending any random jounin would suffice. But something that requires both Kakashi and Gai to be dispatched together must be serious, right?"
Tsunade just stared straight at Hikari. She wanted to see what he could come up with.
"Is it related to Hōzuki Castle?"
*Crack!*
A pen was easily snapped in half by Tsunade. She looked at Hikari in shock. "How do you know that?"
As expected!
Hikari released Kakashi and Gai. "If Hokage-sama wants to send those two to their deaths, then let them go ahead."
After saying that, Hikari obediently sat down in the corner, closed his eyes, and tuned everything out.
Kakashi and Gai exchanged a glance, then looked at Tsunade.
When it came to missions, the two of them never questioned anything—even if it was sending just the two of them to assassinate the Raikage, they wouldn't hesitate. But Hikari's attitude clearly showed he knew something.
This surprised both of them greatly.
"Hikari! How much do you know about Hōzuki Castle?" Tsunade asked irritably.
Hikari's eyelids twitched, then he found a comfortable position, looking like he was preparing to sleep right there.
"Ahem, Hikari, can you tell us what's wrong with our mission?" Kakashi, seeing Tsunade on the verge of exploding, quickly stepped in to mediate.
He really didn't want to see Hikari and Tsunade having a falling out. One was the village's top combat strength, the other its highest leader—discord between general and ruler was a great taboo in the shinobi world.
"Tell me the mission details first," Hikari didn't make things too difficult for Kakashi. He was genuinely afraid Tsunade might not listen to reason and send the two off anyway.
"Kusagakure reported that the warden of Hōzuki Castle, Mui, seems to be researching something. Several Kusa shinobi have already been killed. They came to Konoha for aid, hoping we'd send people to investigate—and if necessary, eliminate Mui."
Hōzuki Castle...
Hikari knew exactly what Kusagakure shinobi were like. They lacked emotion, showed no care even for their own comrades, acting like animals. It was impossible they would seek help just because a few shinobi went missing. There had to be something fishy going on.
"Is there some kind of secret associated with Hōzuki Castle?" Tsunade asked sharply, realizing the key lay there.
If it was something that made even Hikari treat it this seriously, the danger was obvious.
Now she was truly starting to regret it a little.
If something really happened to Kakashi and Maito Gai, Konoha's elite reputation would lose a huge chunk.
"Hōzuki Castle holds an ultimate weapon from the era of the Sage of Six Paths." Hikari revealed the truth.
Sage of Six Paths.
Just these four words made Tsunade and Kakashi's eyes widen. As for Gai, he didn't have much reaction to them.
"Is the Sage of Six Paths real?" Tsunade subconsciously asked.
It wasn't surprising she'd ask that—the Sage of Six Paths was, in her eyes and those of all shinobi, mostly a figure from myths and legends, likely fabricated by predecessors.
"How could the Sage of Six Paths not exist? The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan are direct blood descendants of the Sage of Six Paths." Hikari dropped another bombshell.
"The Senju are also related to the Sage of Six Paths?" Tsunade was astonished by this information. It was like someone telling you one day that your ancestor was a legendary figure—the effect was similar.
Waving his hand, Hikari said, "We'll talk about the Sage of Six Paths later. For now, let's focus on Hōzuki Castle."
"The warden of Hōzuki Castle, Mui, specializes in Fire Release. Combined with the castle's sealing barriers, the Heavenly Prison Technique he uses can imprison shinobi. Because of this, the Five Great Nations regard Hōzuki Castle as an ideal prison."
"These are just the surface details. Deep within Hōzuki Castle lies an ultimate weapon from the Sage of Six Paths era, called the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Legend says this ninja tool can fulfill any human wish, but no one has ever found a way to use it."
'Fulfill any wish?'
'In that case, could I wish for endless money?'
Tsunade's eyes narrowed instantly as she pondered how to get her hands on this Box of Ultimate Bliss.
A treasure like that should only belong to the virtuous.
"If it really has such great power, then this ninja tool must come with a corresponding price, right?" Kakashi analyzed.
As a mature handsome man, Kakashi never believed in pies falling from the sky. A ninja tool that grants wishes sounded completely unrealistic.
Tsunade and Gai also looked curiously at Hikari, wanting to know the hidden secrets behind it.
"I don't know what function this ninja tool had before, but now it only absorbs people's malicious intent. Anyone who tries to make a wish will be devoured and assimilated by it. From the Sage of Six Paths era to now, at least a thousand years have passed—who dares say how many people the Box of Ultimate Bliss has swallowed? I can't even estimate how dangerous it truly is."
"The only thing I know for sure is that once this thing is released, Kusagakure will bear the brunt—they won't even have time to call for help from Konoha."
This time, Kakashi was truly silent.
He had confidence in his own strength.
But confidence didn't mean arrogance. Facing something left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, he really had one question he wanted to ask the Sage.
Sage of Six Paths, were you bored out of your mind? Why do you always leave trouble for us descendants!