Upon hearing those words, Jiraiya—though clearly dispirited by the harsh reality—still looked at Hikaru in surprise.
Bloodline Limits—this term in the shinobi world symbolized a special kind of power, one that usually could only be acquired through heredity.
And yet, now, Hikaru was telling him there was a way to train and acquire one. That left Jiraiya genuinely shocked, even a little doubtful.
Jiraiya widened his eyes, staring at Hikaru as if to confirm whether he was serious.
But Hikaru just smiled and said nothing more.
"Deal!"
Jiraiya didn't hesitate in the slightest and immediately nodded.
He knew this was a rare opportunity. If he missed it, he might never get another.
Satisfied with the firm response, Hikaru nodded approvingly.
Just as he turned around to leave, Hashirama's voice suddenly called out to him.
Turning back, he saw Hashirama standing on the stage, smiling and waving at him.
"Hikaru, I'll leave this to you," Hashirama said.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone present.
Facing the sudden attention of the entire crowd, Hikaru didn't falter.
On the contrary, his gaze brimmed with confidence.
He stood tall and walked to Hashirama's side, then spoke in a loud, clear voice:
"Today marks the first large-scale graduation ceremony of the Shinobi Academy. I know exactly what everyone here is waiting for."
He paused slightly, as if allowing time for the audience to process.
Then he continued:
"That's right. I, Uchiha Hikaru, officially graduate today. I will lead Konoha into a new era!"
The moment Hikaru finished, the venue fell into a brief silence.
As though they were still digesting his words, the crowd quietly reflected on each sentence.
And then—cheers and applause erupted like a tidal wave, drowning the hall in celebration.
"Shinobi World's New God!"
"Long live Konoha!"
"I wanna be Lord Hikaru's dog!"
"Herald of a New Era!"
Hearing the surrounding cheers, Hikaru smiled and nodded back at them.
Of course, as for certain feral cries mixed into the crowd—he simply pretended not to hear them.
Tsunade and the others stood among the crowd too, their gazes filled with pride.
But when they heard someone shout, "I wanna be Lord Hikaru's dog!" all their expressions darkened immediately, their death glares shooting toward the speaker.
Only after realizing it was a man did they retract their gazes with a reluctant grumble.
Though Hikaru often interacted with girls, they were certain he had zero interest in men.
Tobirama stood off to the side, looking at Uchiha Hikaru up on stage, feelings churning in his chest.
He had never imagined that a member of the Uchiha Clan could attain such reverence within the village.
It made him begin to question his past judgments and biases.
'Could it be... I was wrong?' he silently asked himself.
Hashirama stepped up beside him, looking at Hikaru on stage and bursting into laughter:
"Even Madara would be happy if he could see this."
As he spoke, a trace of sorrow and regret flickered in his eyes.
"It's all my fault. Otherwise, Madara wouldn't have fallen so far."
Lost in his own world, he completely failed to notice that Mito Uzumaki's hair had begun to float gently behind her.
And just like that, the graduation ceremony ended amid waves of cheers—and the occasional yelp of pain.
After it concluded, Hikaru, along with Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mito, headed to the Hokage's office.
No sooner had they entered than Mito blurted out:
"Little Hikaru, you've graduated and you're an adult now. Time to learn how to be Hokage! I say we pass the seat to you tomorrow."
Her voice was full of expectation and trust, as if she couldn't wait to see Hikaru sitting in the Hokage's chair.
Hikaru gave a helpless smile. He had suspected it, but hadn't expected Mito to be this eager.
Still, he had long prepared a countermeasure.
So he turned his gaze toward Tobirama—whose entire body instantly felt uncomfortable under the stare.
"Why're you looking at me? I've got no objections," Tobirama said coolly.
Although he still had prejudices against the Uchiha, the people's reaction during the ceremony had clearly validated Hikaru's worth.
Besides, he was already dead. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to interfere in the affairs of the living.
So even if he disliked the Uchiha, he wouldn't stand in the way.
Hikaru chuckled lightly at his response and said:
"Even if no one has objections, I believe I still lack the experience."
He glanced meaningfully at Tobirama.
"Besides, Uchiha Madara is still out there. I need to deal with him, so I don't really have time."
His tone carried a clear sense of helplessness, as though he truly had no choice.
"How about letting Lord Tobirama temporarily act as Hokage, while Lord Hashirama and I head out to capture Uchiha Madara?"
Hikaru made the suggestion, which caused Tobirama to pause slightly. But then he understood the intent behind it.
Heh. Me, the Second Hokage, summoned back from the dead to do work? Not a chance.
But before he could speak, Mito actually nodded in agreement:
"Exactly! Tobirama was amazing when he was Hokage. Why not let him take over?"
Her voice was full of confidence, as if she had absolute faith in Tobirama's capabilities.
Hearing this, Tobirama silently muttered to himself: 'You're calling it "capturing Madara"? That's more like you two going on a Shinobi World vacation.'
But of course, he didn't dare say that aloud.
Who knew what Hikaru had done to modify the Edo Tensei, but somehow his reanimated body could now feel pain.
So rather than get beaten over an inevitable outcome, silence truly was golden.
Thus, he nodded and agreed to temporarily take on the Hokage's duties.
Just as Tobirama gave his reluctant approval, Hashirama approached, planning to pat his shoulder in sympathy.
But as he got close, Tobirama shot him a look that clearly said, "You idiot."
The glare made Hashirama take a step back, thoroughly confused.
Tobirama let out a small snort and said:
"Sister-in-law, you're going off with my brother to find Uchiha Madara. Need someone to carry your bags?"
Mito gave a light laugh, her face beaming as she said:
"No need. Just the two of us are more than enough."
As she spoke, she turned to Hashirama, and her smile suddenly grew ominous.
Seeing her expression, a chill ran down Hashirama's spine.
When he looked toward Tobirama again, his brother was standing still, a look that clearly said "You brought this on yourself" flashing in his eyes.
Hashirama gave a bitter smile. He knew his own fate was sealed.
Meanwhile, Hikaru enjoyed the whole spectacle like a melon-eating bystander.
But he had completely forgotten—while he might have dodged the Hokage seat...
The traditional team placement ceremony of Konoha was something he couldn't escape.
Mito had already made all the arrangements—down to the finest detail.