In Nonō Yakushi's understanding, the Hokage was the person with the most authority in the village.
Danzo held an official document from the Hokage—he had the Hokage's approval.
Even Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help her now.
In fact, in her mind, to avoid burdening anyone else, she had already decided to bear it all alone.
So, after some hesitation, Nonō Yakushi still chose not to tell Uchiha Hikaru what had happened.
But it was precisely that hesitation that confirmed Uchiha Hikaru's suspicions—he was almost certain now.
Still, since Nonō Yakushi didn't want to talk about it, Uchiha Hikaru didn't push her.
Root wouldn't just target Nonō Yakushi alone—there had to be other victims.
With the influence of the Senju Clan, it wouldn't be hard to dig up a few.
To be fair, if Danzo were simply recruiting newly graduated ninja, it would be within protocol.
But he was going after the village's children, using coercion and manipulation.
That crossed a line. In every world, children were the bottom line of humanity.
Now that Danzo had made a move, Uchiha Hikaru felt it was time to act—immediately.
Otherwise, the future of Konoha might suffer unnecessary damage.
With that thought, Uchiha Hikaru turned to Tsunade and said:
"Tsunade, I have something urgent to handle. Could you please ask Teacher Toki Chi for leave on my behalf? Thanks."
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Second day of school and you're already asking for leave? Aren't you afraid the teacher's going to hold a grudge?"
Uchiha Hikaru smiled but didn't answer that.
To him, Toki Chi's teaching style wasn't really suited to him anyway.
He was at the academy more to build relationships and connect with classmates.
Once those bonds were strong enough, he might just lead half the class in ditching school.
By then, Toki Chi would definitely find him a pain.
But anyone qualified to be this class's teacher wouldn't be a fool.
Even if Toki Chi didn't like him, as long as Uchiha Hikaru kept up his grades, the man would likely turn a blind eye.
So he wasn't worried about what Tsunade said.
He pointed toward Nonō Yakushi and added:
"Please, this really is important—I need to talk to Grandma Mito. It has to do with Nonō Yakushi."
Tsunade didn't know what exactly Uchiha Hikaru was talking about or how it involved Nonō Yakushi.
But seeing the serious expression on his face, she knew it wasn't something trivial.
So she straightened her posture and agreed to help with the leave.
Once he saw Tsunade nod, Uchiha Hikaru turned and left.
Watching it all from the side, Nonō Yakushi was filled with emotion. But she didn't know how to stop Uchiha Hikaru's actions.
Just as she hesitated, Uchiha Hikaru was already gone.
She quickly stood up to chase after him, trying to stop everything from happening.
But the moment she reached the door, his figure blurred—and vanished in an instant using Body Flicker.
Nonō Yakushi reached out, wanting to say something.
Tsunade walked over and gently reassured her:
"Don't worry. That guy Hikaru doesn't do anything he's not sure of."
"Besides, my grandma's involved now too."
At this point, Nonō Yakushi still wasn't the future priestess. She was as kind as ever, but she hadn't yet grown the strength she would one day possess.
Especially after seeing Uchiha Hikaru decide to step in, she finally couldn't hold back.
She broke down in tears.
Tsunade froze, completely at a loss, before she finally stepped forward and gently hugged her.
After leaving the classroom, Uchiha Hikaru traveled using Body Flicker.
Compared to the slow pace of a ninja's regular run, Body Flicker cost more stamina and chakra—
—but for Uchiha Hikaru, the recovery was faster than the consumption.
And since he wasn't holding back on his speed, he arrived at the Senju estate in no time.
Mito Uzumaki was sitting in a chair, enjoying the sun and sipping tea.
When she saw Uchiha Hikaru return, she was slightly surprised—but not overly so.
She knew Hikaru was a child who acted with intention. He wouldn't come running back for no reason.
Sure enough, the next thing he said made her pupils shrink.
"Grandma Mito, I suspect someone in the village is targeting children."
The moment she heard that, Mito Uzumaki shot up straight.
Those who had survived the Warring States Era knew how brutal those times were.
Hatred and profit were woven into the land. To strike at rival clans and destroy their future hope, assassinating children was commonplace.
In those days, as long as a child could hold a kunai, they'd be sent to the battlefield.
The Uzumaki Clan had no exception. Many of their children were assassinated while still very young.
Parents lived every day in fear.
Worried their child might not live to see the next morning.
Hashirama Senju had founded Konoha precisely so children could grow up in safety—so parents wouldn't live in constant dread.
And now, Uchiha Hikaru was telling her someone had laid hands on the children.
Mito Uzumaki's first reaction was disbelief.
Then came seething rage.
As she stood there with a darkened face, Uchiha Hikaru added:
"There's a girl in our class—she might've been threatened."
After saying that, he said no more.
Mito Uzumaki was a brilliant woman. The more he talked, the more redundant it would become. She would investigate on her own.
And besides, Uchiha Hikaru wasn't falsely accusing Danzo. The man had done this.
Mito quickly shook off her anger, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
Turning to Hikaru, she said:
"I'll look into this. For now, don't make any noise."
"And that girl—bring her here. She'll stay with me for a while."
Uchiha Hikaru had no objections.
He nodded, then said:
"Grandma, I already took the day off. Why don't I come with you? I actually have a few leads."
Mito Uzumaki gave him a puzzled look, not quite understanding why he was so invested.
What she didn't know was—Uchiha Hikaru had long wanted to deal with Danzo.
If you asked him who he disliked most in the entire Naruto world, it would be Danzo, hands down.
And now, he didn't just have the strength—
He had the support of both the Senju and Uchiha clans behind him.
Danzo was practically handing him the sword—how could Hikaru pass up such an opportunity?
Mito had originally wanted to turn him down.
But when she heard he already had leads, she narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, and said:
"Alright. Come with me to the Hokage's office then."