During this period, people who felt the same way as Ōnoki were far from rare.
More and more of them were beginning to realize just how much destruction someone like Hikaru could bring to a village.
Kirigakure, perhaps, was still manageable. The distance was great, and even though they harbored deep hatred toward Konoha, they currently had no intention of taking direct action. They had their own problems to deal with. Though shocked and irritated, they didn't focus too much attention on this matter.
Kumogakure, however, was a different story entirely.
Especially after the Fourth Raikage saw Hikaru's battle record, his brow furrowed deeply.
Like Ōnoki, he felt conflicted.
On one hand, Kumogakure had never formally signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha. The war had merely paused—there was no treaty guaranteeing peace. Back then, Konoha had been under siege and unwilling to create more enemies, while the Third Raikage had fallen after being worn down by Iwagakure's thirty thousand shinobi. The Fourth Raikage himself had no desire to tangle excessively with Konoha.
Strictly speaking, they were still in a state of war.
If Konoha truly decided to act—if they dispatched that man to Kumogakure—it would be an outright catastrophe.
That was something he absolutely did not want to see happen.
And yet…
On the other hand, the Fourth Raikage desperately wanted to fight this man.
Ever since the day he and his younger brother—the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B—had been held to a draw by Minato Namikaze in a one-versus-two battle, he had wanted to reclaim that humiliation.
Reality, however, was harsher than ideals.
He never had the chance.
And he couldn't afford to be reckless—he was the Raikage now. Every impulsive decision could bring danger to his village.
Besides, so much time had passed. He had grown stronger. He no longer believed he would be the same man facing Minato again.
And now, a new monster had appeared—someone whose performance was even more outrageous than Minato's.
How could he not be interested?
"Konoha really is fertile soil," the Raikage muttered.
"A land that breeds monsters."
"Interesting… really interesting."
While the other Kage were still reeling from Hikaru's deeds, Hikaru himself walked out of his new house wearing a puzzled expression.
To avoid exposing the truth of Wood Release, his previous residence had already been "destroyed in an accidental fire."
Naturally, Senju Shōma had arranged a brand-new home for him.
Both the size and location were far superior to his old place.
Though it was still some distance from Konoha's most prosperous districts, it was a massive upgrade.
Simply put—he'd gone from the outskirts to inside the ring road.
Hikaru didn't care much about such things, but better living conditions were still welcome.
What left him unsure how to react, however, was something else entirely.
He was no longer living alone.
The moment he awakened Wood Release, Hikaru had already guessed this would happen sooner or later.
This wasn't surveillance—he was sure of that.
Given the potential and power he had displayed, Senju Shōma wouldn't act rashly. Especially with the faint, instinctive fear the elder occasionally revealed, Hikaru understood his mindset well.
Honestly, Hikaru felt the elder was overthinking things.
With the influence of his past life's cultural education, he wasn't the type to repay kindness with betrayal. Unless Shōma genuinely intended to harm him, Hikaru would never act first.
Later, he realized the truth.
Different cultural upbringings shaped different kinds of humanity.
So even if he found the elder's caution faintly amusing, Hikaru said nothing.
Fear could sometimes act as a talisman—it protected both the elder and Hikaru himself.
"Still… this so-called cohabitation isn't bad."
At least now, he finally knew who had been quietly cleaning his house all this time.
As he walked through the streets, Hikaru reflected.
Senju Shōma would never assign a blatant watcher—though he'd considered it.
Instead, he chose someone unlikely to provoke Hikaru's dislike.
Someone honest, reserved, who quietly handled household chores and never overstepped boundaries.
Even without affection, there would be no resentment.
Especially after the explanation: this person was someone meant to walk alongside Hikaru in the future.
That alone eased much of his resistance.
Yes.
Senju Shōma had arranged a woman.
When he spoke of "continuing the Wood Release bloodline," he hadn't been joking.
Even a fallen great clan still followed old traditions—arranged marriages among them.
Strictly speaking, Hikaru's marriage had been decided long ago. Shōma simply hadn't told him. Perhaps he had other plans.
But whatever those plans were, he clearly no longer dared pursue them.
"The one advantage of a great clan," Hikaru mused,
"is never having to worry about finding a wife."
Then his thoughts shifted.
"But that woman…"
She was beautiful—no golden hair like Tsunade's, but long black hair and features faintly reminiscent of her.
Cold, disciplined, obedient. The type who looked like she would never resist anything Hikaru did.
And yet…
Hikaru was sharp.
He could sense that she wasn't as "docile" as she appeared.
They barely spoke—especially after he learned her name.
"Senju Renge?"
Walking down the street, Hikaru couldn't stop strange images from flashing through his mind.
Paired with his own name, it almost felt as if some forgotten legend had already been written.
Lost in thought, he continued forward—
When suddenly, someone stepped into his path.
"You're senju hikaru, right?"
The young man standing before him spoke with a hint of arrogance, though his tone remained restrained.
Hikaru raised his head slightly—and immediately frowned.
"I see… an Uchiha."
As an ANBU, his observational instincts were sharp. The moment he encountered a stranger, he began profiling them.
On the man's sleeve was an embroidered clan crest.
One Hikaru could never mistake.
The Uchiha symbol.
What puzzled him was this—he had very little connection with the Uchiha clan.
One link was Uchiha Obito, now likely the true Mizukage of Kirigakure and the shadow behind Akatsuki.
Clearly irrelevant to Konoha.
The other was his former deskmate—a girl he'd lost contact with after joining ANBU. They'd crossed paths recently, but with his mission schedule, there had been no deeper interaction.
Especially since she planned to join the Medical Corps—an idea Hikaru found naïve, given her clan background.
If it wasn't them… why had an Uchiha sought him out?
Despite the oddity, Hikaru nodded calmly.
"Yes. I'm Hikaru," he said gently.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Not me," the Uchiha replied, shaking his head.
"Come with me and you'll know. Don't keep people waiting."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow, then nodded.
He wasn't afraid.
Among the Uchiha, only Fugaku posed even minor pressure—and that was due to his dual role as clan head and Police Force commander.
As an ANBU captain, Hikaru held enormous authority.
Still, his identity couldn't be exposed openly.
Until one reached the rank of minister, visibility remained restricted to ANBU circles.
If matters escalated, he could always act behind a mask—or have subordinates handle it.
After all, he commanded a full division.
Following the Uchiha, Hikaru entered a teahouse.
Amused, he noticed several ANBU across the street.
They had clearly recognized him.
But they were on mission duty—and Hikaru was officially on leave—so they didn't intervene.
Hikaru casually gave them a tactical hand signal.
They hesitated… then nodded.
That hesitation told him they weren't from the Third Division—but that didn't matter.
ANBU followed rank, not division.
Silently, Hikaru followed the Uchiha to the second floor.
Inside, an elderly Uchiha sat waiting.
"You go on," the escort said quietly.
"Don't cause trouble. I'll be watching."
"Of course," Hikaru smiled mildly.
"I'll cooperate."
And with that, he walked toward the old man.
"Captain… that's Nightingale, right?"
Across the street, hidden in shadow, several ANBU whispered.
"Yes. Captain Nightingale," their squad leader confirmed.
"I've seen his face before. No mistake."
Since becoming a captain, Hikaru rarely wore a mask—but few had seen his true face.
This squad leader had glimpsed it once at headquarters.
He would never forget it.
The selection trials alone had left an unforgettable impression.
Hikaru becoming captain was inevitable.
"Captain, what do we do now?" a teammate asked nervously.
"His order… we can't handle it alone."
"Call reinforcements," the squad leader decided.
"Third Division is nearby. Move quietly—and fast."
"Yes, sir!"
The three vanished instantly.
The squad leader turned back toward the teahouse.
With a hand seal and a burst of chakra, smoke spread—
He split into two.
Then, another seal.
His appearance changed completely.
Calmly, he walked into the teahouse.
Reporting this upward crossed his mind—but in the end, he dismissed it.
This was a captain's matter.
At most, he'd report to his own captain.
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