Walking out of the Hokage building, Hikari dashed straight toward his home.
As for Tsunade's suggestion that he should go find Shizune—he didn't even need to think about it. That was obviously just her way of brushing him off.
After all, Tsunade never once cared to ask how many documents she had left undone. For her, being able to slack off every day in the Hokage's office was the ideal situation.
Work? A proper Hokage doesn't work!
"Kamizuki-senpai!"
A figure appeared before Hikari. To him, the person looked both unfamiliar and yet very familiar.
Unruly hair, a proud expression—every inch of this person screamed arrogance.
Even while addressing Hikari as "senpai", his gaze remained haughty.
Because this was Uchiha Sasuke.
A peculiar young man who took immense pride in his Uchiha heritage.
"You talking to me?" Hikari pointed at himself. Once he saw Sasuke nodding in confirmation, he straightened his stance.
"Alright, what is it? If it's about borrowing money, don't even bother!"
Two black lines appeared on Sasuke's forehead as he looked at Hikari's carefree attitude. Deep down, he couldn't help but think: 'This senpai is completely unreliable.'
But feelings aside, there were things he had to do.
"Kamizuki-senpai, I want you to guide me in my training!"
One really had to hand it to Sasuke—he always spoke with that unshakable firmness.
Even when asking a favor, it sounded as though he was the one granting Hikari a huge honor.
"Wait, why are you coming to me?"
"Isn't Kakashi teaching you already? Don't tell me Kakashi isn't enough for you? Young man, don't bite off more than you can chew. Kakashi is the pride of Konoha. If you can master what he teaches you, roaming the shinobi world will be no problem at all!" Hikari patiently explained.
When it came to youngsters, he always felt communication was necessary.
After all, if three years already meant a generation gap, then the ten-plus years between Sasuke and him was like a canyon taller than the Hokage Rock.
"Kakashi-senpai is very busy lately, and besides—I've already mastered the Chidori he taught me!" As soon as Sasuke finished, he clapped his hands into a seal.
Startled, Hikari instantly flickered behind him, grabbed him by the collar, and sprinted away.
'Using Chidori right here? Seriously, kid, where's your common sense?!'
Sasuke, now caught, tried to resist, but he realized he couldn't sense his chakra. Aside from basic taijutsu, it was as if his chakra had vanished entirely.
Arriving at Training Ground 10, Hikari casually tossed Sasuke aside.
"You really don't get it, do you? This is inside the village, in broad daylight. You dare use something as destructive as Chidori here? Aren't you afraid they'll toss you in jail for re-education?" Hikari scolded, clearly annoyed.
Sasuke frowned, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded.
"You're right, I overlooked that. But the main reason I used a jutsu is because I want you to see my current progress. If I don't show you, how would you even know where I stand?" Sasuke words were actually quite logical.
Hikari let out a sigh.
He really hadn't expected this. He had been careful enough, wanting to avoid getting involved with these two "sons" of the Sage of Six Paths, yet he had still been caught by one of them.
What bad luck.
"Back to the main point—how did you even know about me?" Hikari asked.
"Konoha has so many shinobi, but only about a hundred are jōnin—so I get why you'd recognize them. But I'm just a chūnin. We've never even spoken before, and suddenly you waltz up asking for training—aren't you worried I'll lead you astray?"
What Hikari really meant was: 'Go back where you came from, kid.'
After all, Sasuke's life was already set on its rails. With his heart consumed by vengeance, he fit perfectly with the chakra of Indra flowing inside him. Apart from a handful of prodigies, his eventual awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan was tied directly to his talent and experiences.
Take the night of the massacre, for example. Watching his parents die, the seven-year-old had awakened his one-tomoe Sharingan out of sheer rage.
And awakening the Sharingan wasn't just about emotions—it depended on physical capacity too. For a seven-year-old, that was already quite impressive. (Of course, you can't compare him to a monster like Itachi!)
"Kamizuki-senpai, I heard about you from Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji. Their skills have been advancing at an incredible pace. If I don't use Chidori, I can't even beat one of them. That's why I came to ask for your guidance!"
Notably, Sasuke didn't ask to become his disciple. Whether that was because he looked down on Hikari, or because he felt Hikari's strength and rank weren't worthy—it was probably a bit of both.
"Guidance, huh... Honestly, I don't have the time. You know how busy I've been lately. If you want to train, you can join Shikamaru's group. I taught them their training regimen—it's all foundational stuff. You can follow along. Even if I trained you myself, it'd just be the same thing." Hikari said.
It was true; without the chakra source Hikari provided, regular shinobi would need years to see results, and even then, the outcome wasn't guaranteed. It was classic high-effort, low-reward work.
Though Hikari spoke earnestly, with clear sincerity, to Sasuke it just sounded like another excuse not to teach him personally.
Looking at Hikari's smile, Sasuke grew irritated.
'I'm an heir of the Uchiha clan. My teacher should be someone like Kakashi, a famous jōnin. Coming to you, a chūnin, for guidance is me doing you a favor. Don't you get that?'
'And you're busy? Don't make me laugh. Everyone knows your reputation—Fifth Hokage's favorite!'
'Tch. Pathetic.'
"Kamizuki-senpai," Sasuke said, forcing down his irritation. "I need power—for revenge. After that, I must restore the Uchiha clan. If you help me, I won't forget this debt."
Though anger simmered inside him, the memory of Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji's sudden improvements made Sasuke certain—Kamizuki Hikari had to be hiding some real secrets.
If even those three "useless" ones could grow so much from Hikari's instruction, then surely he, as an Uchiha heir, could become far stronger. That would bring him one step closer to revenge.
"Sasuke, it's not that I don't want to teach you. It's just that my abilities truly are limited. Your current teacher is Kakashi, so you should continue to follow him diligently. As one of Konoha's genius elite jōnin, Kakashi's talents—like your own—are things someone like me can only look up to. You and he share common ground. If you stick with me, it would only waste your time."
Another rejection.
And this time, after he'd spoken so sincerely, hearing Hikari still refuse pushed Sasuke over the edge.
His dark eyes turned blood-red, two tomoe spinning within them. A chilling aura radiated outward.
"Senpai, I'm being serious! You must teach me!"
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