Hiruzen Sarutobi looked into Senju Haruto's eyes—eyes brimming with confidence and unshakable resolve—and finally made up his mind to let Haruto proceed with his plan.
"But promise me this—no matter what happens, you will not harm Uzumaki Naruto."
Hiruzen locked gazes with Haruto, his tone deadly serious. He needed Haruto to swear it to him.
"I will," Haruto replied without the slightest hesitation. Without waiting for further discussion, he stepped past the Third Hokage and left.
Though Yugito had sustained severe injuries during her clash with the Nine-Tails, her status as a jinchūriki granted her formidable regenerative abilities. Thanks to the medical corps' efforts, her consciousness returned quickly. She was then escorted away by ANBU operatives and confined once more in prison.
To prevent any repeat of her earlier escape, her security level was significantly heightened.
Haruto wasted no time—once Yugito was back in her cell, he headed straight there.
"Yugito," Haruto greeted casually as he approached, signaling the guards to open her cell.
His arrival caused a stir almost immediately.
After all, word had already spread that Haruto was the one who had stopped the Nine-Tails rampage—overnight, he had become something of a hero in the village.
Here in the prison, the ANBU guards looked at him with open admiration.
"I just remembered!" one of the ANBU blurted out. Earlier that night, the darkness had obscured Haruto's features, but now, seeing him up close, recognition struck like lightning.
"What did you remember?" others asked curiously.
"That's Senju Haruto," the ninja said, almost gasping. He then began recounting the story of how Haruto, at such a young age, had become an ANBU squad captain—and how he had once accepted simultaneous challenges from Hatake Kakashi, Tenzo, and others.
Almost no one believed he could win.
Yet, facing an entire squad of highly trained ANBU, Haruto hadn't even needed to move. He'd simply stood there, and with genjutsu alone, had brought Kakashi and the others to their knees.
To this day, Kakashi and his team had yet to regain consciousness—explaining why they had been absent during the Nine-Tails' rampage.
The tale only added to Haruto's almost mythical reputation.
In fact, ANBU operatives had often speculated in hushed tones about Haruto's origins.
Now, for some, the pieces finally fell into place.
Around him, the gathered ANBU all inhaled sharply in unison.
"So it's him!"
"You know what's even crazier?" another ninja added. "From what I've heard, Haruto only attended the Ninja Academy for one day before graduating."
"One day? Even Itachi took a year!"
The room filled with murmurs of disbelief. Before Haruto, the fastest graduation on record belonged to Uchiha Itachi—a prodigy everyone agreed was a once-in-a-generation talent.
But compared to Haruto, even Itachi's brilliance seemed to dim.
"Do you think Haruto might become the Fifth Hokage?"
"Why not? Who else could fill the role? He's not only incredibly strong, but also a direct descendant of the Senju clan."
"And at such a young age, he's already an ANBU captain. Today, he saved the entire village."
At that point, another ninja—who had been listening intently—chimed in with a faintly mocking tone.
"ANBU captain? Your information is outdated. From what I've heard, Haruto is now the Commander of the Root Division, taking over Lord Danzō's position."
"What?!"
The room erupted. Every ninja turned to Haruto with shock in their eyes.
The Root Division was a powerhouse within Konoha, responsible for raising a significant portion of ANBU operatives. More than that, Root itself boasted staggering combat strength—its jōnin numbered in the hundreds.
And the man who had built Root from nothing, who had commanded it with an iron fist, was none other than Shimura Danzō—Hiruzen Sarutobi's contemporary, student of the Second Hokage, a veteran of countless battles, a central figure among Konoha's leadership, and an advisor to the Hokage himself.
For such a man to be replaced—quietly—by someone as young as Haruto… and for Danzō himself to raise no objection? The implications were staggering.
"To be honest," one ANBU said suddenly, "after seeing Haruto in action, I'm starting to question whether Kakashi-senpai and Uchiha Itachi were ever truly 'geniuses.'"
The thought unsettled many present. What did the word "genius" even mean, if Haruto existed?
One thing was certain: nearly everyone here was convinced that Senju Haruto might very well become the youngest Kage in history.
Meanwhile, Haruto paid no attention to their shock. He hadn't come here in the dead of night to bask in praise.
"Haruto…" Yugito's voice was low and guarded. Her injuries had mostly healed. "I will not tell you how to become a perfect jinchūriki."
Perhaps Haruto's strength was undeniable—he had bested even the fearsome Nine-Tails—but she was, and always would be, a kunoichi of Kumogakure. No matter the threat, she would not betray her village's greatest secret.
"You heard, then," Haruto said lightly, meeting her wary gaze.
"Yes. Every word. But… you will never learn the method to becoming a perfect jinchūriki from me. Not even genjutsu can break me."
For those like her—perfect jinchūriki—genjutsu posed little threat. With two distinct chakras coexisting within them, they could pull themselves from illusion into reality at will. And with Matatabi's power, her wounds would always heal quickly.
Yugito was certain: even Haruto could not breach her defenses.
"You know what the funniest part is?" Haruto's lips curled into a faint smile.
"What do you mean?" Yugito frowned, puzzled by his tone.
"I'm only here for appearances. As for the method to become a perfect jinchūriki—I don't need it. All I have to do is pay you a visit, exchange a few words, then go back and tell Hiruzen Sarutobi that I've extracted Kumogakure's secret."
Haruto paused… then calmly recited the exact method Kumogakure used to create perfect jinchūriki. Without another glance back, he walked away.
Behind him, Yugito stood frozen, eyes wide, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
How… how could he possibly know that secret?
"Still," Haruto thought as he left, "to be reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku, I'll need to sign a summoning contract first."
And the scroll for that contract was in Jiraiya's possession.