Hikaru probably never imagined that, in other people’s eyes, he looked every bit like some grand mastermind lurking behind the scenes.

Granted, he really did have the identity of a ruthless villain hidden away in the shadows. But within Konoha, he had always presented himself as warm, steady, and upright.

So he truly couldn’t understand it.

He hadn’t even done anything yet, and the Uchiha were already acting as though he were plotting against them.

Even if he was planning something, shouldn’t the Uchiha first prove they were worth plotting over?

To worry before offering any value at all—put kindly, that was vigilance in times of peace. Put less kindly, it was a pack of fools panicking over nothing.

Of course, Hikaru knew none of that at the moment.

Right now, he was with Kakashi, dealing with the Root shinobi they had captured.

Truth be told, that Root ninja had been both lucky and terribly unlucky.

The order Hikaru had issued was simple: if they resisted, kill them immediately without hesitation.

But the order had only just gone out. Kakashi and the others likely hadn’t yet received the formal command, which was why this man had survived by sheer chance.

Still, surviving wasn’t always a blessing.

Especially when you had intelligence in your head and ended up in ANBU custody.

That was less "fortunate" and more outright tragic.

And this Root shinobi clearly belonged to the latter category.

He was still alive, yes—but Kakashi was not the sort of man who played nicely, especially once he decided someone had useful information to give.

"Minister, what brings you here?" Kakashi asked, looking mildly puzzled.

Then again, the entire ANBU belonged to Hikaru. Strictly speaking, there was nowhere inside it that he wouldn’t appear.

"I came to see that brat Hidan," Hikaru said with a casual shrug. "Didn’t expect to run into you here too. Any results?"

"I just started. How could there already be results?" Kakashi shook his head helplessly, then added in a more serious tone, "Though I was planning to use the Sharingan. They’re basically another black-ops branch, after all."

Using the Sharingan to extract intelligence was indeed an excellent method.

Genjutsu-assisted interrogation was especially effective.

But Hikaru remembered something important: Root operatives typically carried curse marks on their tongues.

If you simply forced them to speak or write out information, the seal would likely activate on the spot and kill them before they revealed anything useful.

In that case, the interrogation would end in total failure.

Not that Hikaru was especially interested in whatever secrets this man held.

Still, since Kakashi had already captured him, it would be a waste not to make use of him if possible.

With that thought, Hikaru stepped forward.

Under Kakashi’s slightly puzzled gaze, he grabbed the Root shinobi by the face and forced his mouth open.

In an instant, Kakashi’s expression changed.

Because there, plainly visible on the man’s tongue, was a curse seal.

"This is...?"

Kakashi sounded genuinely startled.

He had checked for suicide poison. He had checked for a brain seal. He had sealed off the man’s chakra.

But he hadn’t thought to inspect the tongue.

He simply didn’t have much firsthand experience dealing with Root.

"One of Root’s signatures," Hikaru said, shaking his head lightly.

He released the man, then struck him at the neck with a sharp chop.

The Root shinobi immediately slumped unconscious.

Only then did Hikaru turn back to Kakashi.

"So don’t rush it. At the very least, wait until the Torture and Interrogation Unit removes the seal from his tongue."

Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. "Looks like there’s no other choice."

He had wanted intelligence—something to make his investigation easier.

After all, this matter involved the Uchiha.

And Kakashi, by nature, carried a lingering sense of guilt toward them.

That was why he had thrown himself into the matter so eagerly.

In truth, that guilt was exactly why Hikaru had chosen to hand the investigation to him.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, this time he would come away empty-handed.

"Enough of that face," Hikaru said with a smile. "I have a new mission for you."

He turned and walked toward Hidan’s cell.

Kakashi naturally followed.

There was no point staying with the Root prisoner now, and if Hikaru had a new assignment, Kakashi wanted to hear it immediately.

"What mission, Minister?"

"Relax. I know you care about the Uchiha situation, so this task will still keep you close to it."

By then, the two of them had arrived outside Hidan’s cell.

"And there’s a new standing order as well. It should’ve come to you through Saya or Ayame, but since I’ve run into you personally, I’ll tell you myself."

Hikaru’s tone sharpened slightly.

"From now on, if you encounter Root operatives, capture them alive if possible. If not, kill them on the spot. Understood?"

"Yes, Minister!"

Kakashi didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

He had no goodwill whatsoever toward Root.

"And for this operation, take Pakura with you."

"I understand. I won’t disappoint you, Minister."

Kakashi caught the meaning at once.

Back then, Pakura had nearly been taken by Root. If Hikaru hadn’t arrived in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Because of that, neither of them would show even the slightest mercy when dealing with Root. They wouldn’t care whether those people were technically Konoha shinobi or not.

Still, a flicker of concern passed through Kakashi’s mind.

Would this provoke the Third Hokage’s displeasure?

But the thought only circled briefly before he crushed it.

He was ANBU.

His duty was to trust ANBU orders and ANBU missions.

And this matter involved the Uchiha. No matter what, Kakashi intended to uncover the truth.

Seeing Kakashi’s expression, Hikaru gave a satisfied nod.

Then his gaze shifted to Hidan.

The boy had been locked up for a long time.

He didn’t look physically miserable, but mentally he was in poor shape.

He seemed to sense someone approaching, though at first he barely cared.

But the moment he saw Hikaru, his entire body trembled.

Clearly, Hikaru had left a deep impression on him.

"Long time no see, brat."

Hikaru stood before the cell door with his arms folded.

Kakashi remained half a step behind him, silent and still.

"Y-you..." Hidan swallowed hard, fear obvious in his eyes. "What do you want now...?"

Hikaru ignored the fear in his voice and asked leisurely, "Let me ask you something, brat. Do you want freedom?"

He paused, then added softly:

"Even if that freedom comes with certain restrictions?"

Freedom was precious to anyone.

But for someone who had been deprived of it for a long time, it became something close to obsession.

Hidan was still young, but after spending so long shut inside that cramped cell, he had begun craving freedom with an intensity that bordered on madness.

So after Hikaru laid out his conditions, the boy agreed without the slightest hesitation.

He didn’t even ask where his teacher had gone.

Maybe the man had been released. After all, Hidan had overheard the negotiation between his teacher and Hikaru back then.

Or maybe he had died.

Hidan didn’t trust Hikaru enough to believe he would genuinely let an enemy walk free.

But none of that mattered.

Other people’s freedom was their own affair.

He still had none.

Watching the boy agree so readily, Hikaru was thoroughly satisfied.

He knew Hidan wasn’t truly obedient—but ANBU was the kind of place where disobedience wasn’t frightening.

ANBU had plenty of ways to teach stubborn people how to follow orders.

Once they left the prison and other ANBU personnel led Hidan away, Kakashi glanced at Hikaru in confusion.

"Minister... why release that kid?"

He remembered clearly that Hikaru had brought Hidan back personally.

And that Hidan had apparently had a teacher—one who escaped during the chaos of the Nine-Tails’ attack.

There had been rumors about it within ANBU.

At the time, though, everyone had been consumed by the upheaval inside the organization itself.

After all, the minister had died—or so they believed.

Compared to that, no one had paid much attention to the escaped prisoner, much less to Hidan’s situation.

Kakashi did, however, remember hearing that both the boy and his teacher possessed abilities close to immortality.

That was top-level classified intelligence inside ANBU.

Kakashi had only been allowed to see it because of how close he was to Hikaru.

But he also knew the boy’s mastery was nowhere near his teacher’s. He was far from complete.

Which was exactly why Kakashi didn’t understand why Hikaru was bringing him out now.

"He’s useless for now," Hikaru said, looking toward Hidan’s departing figure and then at the now-empty cell. "That doesn’t mean he’ll stay useless forever. And besides, all of his teacher’s data is already in my hands."

"All of it?" Kakashi blinked, then his expression turned strange. "Wait... does that mean that man..."

"He didn’t escape," Hikaru said calmly. "He died."

Then he turned to Kakashi.

"In other words, he died by my hand."

That only made Kakashi’s expression more complicated.

It wasn’t that he cared about Hikaru killing a criminal.

War had long since ground meaningless compassion out of him.

To Kakashi, protecting the village and protecting comrades mattered more than anything else.

What unsettled him was something else entirely.

That man was supposed to be nearly impossible to kill.

So how had Hikaru done it?

"Surprised?" Hikaru asked, clearly reading his thoughts. "Funny enough, it was thanks to the Hokage."

"My teacher?" Kakashi’s confusion deepened. "What did he do?"

"Do you know why the Fourth Hokage went to Mount Myōboku to recover?" Hikaru asked quietly.

Kakashi’s expression shifted at once.

Very few people knew the truth.

Minato himself had never spoken openly about it.

Almost no one in Konoha knew why the Fourth had been injured so badly.

Kakashi had wanted to ask.

But by the time he could, Minato had already left for Mount Myōboku.

The matter had remained unresolved ever since.

Now, the one man who had fought beside his teacher on the night of the Nine-Tails attack—the man who had helped defeat the beast—was finally willing to explain.

Kakashi could hardly conceal his anticipation.

Especially since he also wanted to know how that near-immortal man had died at Hikaru’s hands.

"It’s simple," Hikaru said softly. "The Fourth Hokage used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal."

Kakashi’s eyes changed instantly.

"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal? That’s impossible!"

The words burst out before he could stop them.

He immediately lowered his voice.

"Could there be some mistake? That jutsu is supposed to be—"

"A technique of mutual death?" Hikaru finished for him, lightly shaking his head. "No technique is truly perfect. If there is a way to cast it, there is naturally a way to undo it."

He paused there.

And when he smiled again, for some reason even Kakashi felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal can be undone. But the method is grotesquely self-destructive."

"The moment I realized the Fourth had used it, I immediately thought of a way to break it."

"So I took the man away and promised him freedom if he followed my instructions."

"He agreed. He did exactly as I said. And I intended to honor the deal."

Hikaru’s voice remained calm and even.

"Unfortunately, I never expected the technique itself to cost him his life."

He slowly told Kakashi the full story.

Kakashi listened with complete focus.

It was the first time he had learned just how much had really happened on the night of the Nine-Tails’ rampage.

And the so-called inescapable Dead Demon Consuming Seal—

it actually had a special method of release.

A method so brutal it sent a chill through the bones.

If Hikaru hadn’t happened to seize the man, Minato would most likely have died.

Even though that man perished in the end anyway, his death had at least proven how dangerous the method of release truly was.

Not even an ability close to immortality could protect against damage to the soul.

Still, in another sense, that was reassuring.

It proved that so-called immortal techniques were not without flaws.

As for why Hikaru knew how to undo the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Kakashi didn’t question it too deeply.

Hikaru was a member of the Senju, after all.

"So you mean to train Hidan now?" Kakashi asked after piecing it all together. "And use his power?"

"Use his power, yes. But not in the way you’re thinking."

Hikaru considered for a moment, then took out a scroll and handed it over.

"This is top secret. Even the Hokage doesn’t know about it. I originally acquired it through coercion, but now... it may finally be time to test it."

"Even my teacher doesn’t know?" Kakashi raised a brow, then opened the scroll.

He only read for a few moments before his expression changed.

Because written inside it was a technique—

a technique capable of bringing the dead back to life.

The moment Kakashi realized what he was looking at, his whole body began to tremble.

He had never dreamed such a jutsu could exist.

And now it was right in front of him.

"This..." Even his voice shook. "What is this?"

"Do you remember our trip to the Land of Wind?" Hikaru asked with a faint smile. "Chiyo really was something. I traded her information on that suspected Sasoriii brat, and this was part of the exchange."

Sasori?

At the mention of the name, Kakashi immediately recalled the figure he and Hikaru had encountered after dealing with Lizardmaru, during the rescue of Kusunoki, minister of the Third Brigade.

That puppet user had left a deep impression on him.

Especially the puppet that seemed to resemble the Third Kazekage.

Was that person really Sasoriii?

Kakashi’s gaze narrowed.

If so, then yes—using that information as leverage against Chiyo could absolutely have yielded something valuable.

After all, Sasori was her grandson.

Still, Kakashi didn’t believe so easily that Chiyo would simply fold.

He knew exactly how hard that old woman was.

Konoha had suffered no small amount because of her over the years.

It was entirely possible the information she gave them was false.

Or perhaps Hikaru had offered her something even more valuable.

Or forced her hand more directly.

But regardless of how he had obtained it, the scroll was now in their possession.

And that alone made it worth attempting.

"I understand, Minister," Kakashi said after taking a deep breath. His eyes had become darker, steadier. "I’ll keep this as secret as possible..."

"Not ’as possible.’ Absolutely."

Hikaru shook his head and looked directly at him.

"Kakashi, I trust you, because you’re one of my closest friends."

"So I want you to trust me too."

"Before I decide otherwise, this document does not leave your hands, and no one else learns of it."

Then he asked, in a voice softer than before:

"Have you ever thought about bringing back those who already sleep in the Pure Land?"

The words were gentle.

Almost tender.

But the instant they reached Kakashi’s ears, his entire body stiffened.

Bring back the dead from the Pure Land?

In that instant, Kakashi’s body began to tremble.

His eyes reddened.

Now he understood.

Even before this, he had already begun to suspect where Hikaru was heading.

But hearing him say it aloud shattered what little control Kakashi still had over his emotions.

How could he not want it?

Rin and Obito—

both had died because of him.

Or by his own hand.

He wanted desperately to atone.

To take it all back.

To save what had been lost.

But he had never possessed that kind of power.

And now...

After a long breath, Kakashi forced his expression back under control.

He was a shinobi.

No matter when, no matter where, no matter what he heard—he had to remain calm.

"Minister," Kakashi said hoarsely, "it’s an unbelievably tempting idea. But there’s one very serious problem..."

"I know," Hikaru cut in before he could continue. "Rin’s body was brought back to Konoha, but too much time has passed. This technique may not work on bones alone."

"Second, Obito’s body was never recovered, let alone preserved in any usable state."

"And third..." Hikaru looked at him calmly. "We can’t be certain this technique is real. Is that what you were going to say?"

Kakashi fell silent, then nodded.

Hikaru had already considered every major obstacle.

Clearly, this wasn’t some half-formed fantasy.

He had thought it through.

All Kakashi could do was listen to what came next.

Because something buried deep inside him had already begun to stir.

Even if it defied the natural order.

Even if it was morally wrong.

Every human being carried desire somewhere in their heart.

And Kakashi had that desire too. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Now Hikaru had dragged it fully into the light.

"There is a solution," Hikaru said at last. "And the key lies with Orochimaru."

His gaze fixed on Kakashi, utterly serious.

"I know Orochimaru has been working on a certain technology. It hasn’t matured yet, but I know what it is."

"Cloning."

The world of shinobi really was bizarre when you thought about it.

Their technology tree had advanced in utterly chaotic directions.

They already had electricity. Communications. Even a degree of biotechnology.

And yet on the battlefield, kunai still ruled.

But whatever strange path their civilization had taken, Hikaru knew one thing for certain:

ANBU Intelligence had recorded an official report from Orochimaru on a cloning project.

"Cloning means using a person’s genetic material to artificially create a body almost identical to the original," Hikaru explained slowly. "Of course, there are limitations. The stronger the genetic template, the harder it probably is to clone successfully."

That was the only explanation that made sense to him.

Otherwise, why hadn’t Orochimaru simply mass-produced the First Hokage’s body?

Though, in fairness, Madara had already done something not so far removed from that.

Whether that counted as true cloning was another question entirely.

"So you mean Rin and Obito’s genes wouldn’t be too difficult to work with," Kakashi said quickly, catching on, "and a new body could be made for them?"

He frowned even as he spoke.

"But that still wouldn’t be their original bodies. Whether the technique in your hand could bring them back into those vessels... that’s hard to say."

"Which is why we’d need another jutsu to assist."

Hikaru smiled faintly before continuing.

"Impure World Reincarnation."

"We summon the soul with precision, then find a way to preserve it."

"For example, the Spirit Transformation Technique. If they can remain in a spiritualized state and enter the new body that way..."

"Then we use One’s Own Life Reincarnation and its unique connection to the soul to leave behind an imprint—an anchor—and complete the return."

The truly terrifying thing about One’s Own Life Reincarnation was not simply that it turned chakra into life force.

That alone was extraordinary, of course, since it clearly involved an advanced application of Yang Release.

But its greatest value lay in its ability to establish a direct connection with the soul itself.

There had to be some special bond between body and soul.

Hikaru didn’t fully understand its nature, but he had seen the phenomenon with his own eyes.

When he saved Minato, the soul had instinctively found its way back to its body.

And Orochimaru’s Living Corpse Reincarnation showed equally fierce rejection when a body resisted a foreign soul.

These were all examples of the mysterious resonance between flesh and spirit.

He didn’t know whether a cloned body would reject a returning soul.

But that was precisely the sort of problem that could be studied.

In his view, rejection likely happened because the body already possessed a resident soul—or at least some spiritual imprint left behind by one.

That imprint rejected outsiders.

At the same time, it guided its rightful owner home.

So long as the cloned body was truly blank—an empty vessel with no consciousness at all—then in theory, the process should work.

Like building a house with no owner’s name yet written on the deed.

Only after someone claimed it and inscribed their name would it truly become theirs.

Kakashi listened carefully.

By now, he understood the outline of Hikaru’s thinking.

And the more he understood, the more his heart wavered.

Because if Hikaru was serious...

then that meant cooperating with Orochimaru.

But how could they possibly cooperate with Orochimaru in the state things were in now?

"So what are we supposed to do about Orochimaru...?" Kakashi asked quietly.

To be honest, his heart was in turmoil.

The possibility of bringing back Obito and Rin was something he could not bear to abandon.

But Orochimaru’s crimes had already endangered the village.

Worse, they now involved the Uchiha as well.

If Hikaru intended to spare Orochimaru, Kakashi honestly didn’t know what choice he could make.

The conflict twisted inside him like a blade.

So he probed carefully, wanting to see what his closest friend would say.

"Orochimaru committed unforgivable crimes in Konoha," Hikaru said flatly. "As ANBU, how could we possibly let him go?"

Then he raised a brow, clearly having seen through Kakashi’s hesitation.

"Even if the Fourth Hokage were standing here himself, he wouldn’t spare Orochimaru."

Hikaru placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder.

"But have you considered this? With Orochimaru alone, how could he possibly have accomplished all this?"

Kakashi’s eyes lit up slightly.

He glanced toward the hallway.

"Tenzō said he was born in one of Orochimaru’s laboratories... and then Danzō took him in..."

"Exactly," Hikaru said, his smile deepening. "So why Danzō? Why not someone else?"

Then he lowered his voice until it was nearly a whisper beside Kakashi’s ear.

"And even Danzō may not have been enough on his own. I strongly suspect the Third was involved as well."

He paused.

"But that part must not spread. Understood?"

"Yes, Minister." Kakashi’s gaze turned grave at once. "But the Third..."

"He may have been deceived," Hikaru said evenly. "A lot of things still can’t be confirmed."

There were some lines even Hikaru couldn’t cross too openly.

The Hokage’s prestige was not something to be casually shredded.

If the office itself became stained, the damage would be catastrophic.

Especially with Hiruzen’s carefully built image of warmth, wisdom, and selfless devotion to the village—and with Minato projecting much the same ideal.

If that image collapsed, it wouldn’t just damage one man.

It would destroy faith in the title of Hokage itself.

And Hikaru had no intention of inheriting a throne buried under that kind of rot.

After giving Kakashi a long look, he lowered his voice again.

"But remember this. We have a great deal to do."

"Orochimaru cannot be allowed to remain in Konoha. He must leave. Even if he acted with Danzō’s support, his crimes are too severe for him to stay."

"Once he’s outside the village, what experiments he conducts are his own affair—as long as he doesn’t target Konoha or the people of the Land of Fire."

"Beyond that, he can also serve as a shadow asset. Someone who can quietly remove the people and problems we cannot touch directly."

"And finally, we need our own laboratory. One built by people we can trust."

Hikaru’s gaze dropped briefly to the scroll.

"There are still too many uncertainties in this technique. We need verification. Repeated testing. Careful experimentation."

"And Hidan needs time to mature as well. He’s another key part of this entire plan."

"Our burden is heavy, Kakashi. Very heavy."

His eyes rose again.

"But if we succeed..."

"It won’t only mean Rin and Obito."

"It could mean countless Konoha shinobi."

He held Kakashi’s gaze.

"Do you understand?"

◇ One bonus Chapter will be released for every 150 Power Stones.

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