Naturally, Hikaru had no reason to refuse Nara Shikaku's request.
After all, this was the first true step in Konoha's external strategy under Hikaru's direction.
This step carried historical meaning, and it also carried immense political significance.
Having someone with strong methods handle it was naturally the best possible outcome for Hikaru.
Although Nara Shikaku always seemed cautious and deferential at Hikaru's side, that was because he respected Hikaru as Hokage.
He treated the Hokage with absolute respect, and he was also friendly toward his Konoha colleagues.
But toward people from other villages?
That was a different matter entirely.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in power, Shikaku had led the ceasefire negotiations with Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
Those two negotiations had left him deeply frustrated, especially the one with Iwagakure, which had been absurd to the extreme.
But those had been Sarutobi Hiruzen's requirements, and Shikaku had been left with no choice.
After Hikaru took office, however, Shikaku had cooperated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in negotiations with Kumogakure, and that was when he truly displayed the bearing he ought to have had.
Kumogakure had been completely controlled by him, and Konoha had gained enormous benefits as a result.
This time, since Nara Shikaku had volunteered, Hikaru naturally supported him.
However, while supporting him, Hikaru also required the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to go with him.
Shikaku was almost all-purpose when it came to administration, but Hikaru could not throw everything onto his shoulders.
Konoha now needed a large number of talented people.
Shikaku could serve as a teacher, helping cultivate talent for the various areas Konoha needed.
That way, in the future, his own pressure would be much lighter, and Hikaru would not need to worry about having no one available.
After Konoha's side was arranged, what remained was to wait for Nagato.
Hikaru did not know how Nagato would make arrangements to avoid Obito and Black Zetsu's surveillance.
However, that was not something he needed to worry too much about.
What he needed to do now was wait—wait for his eyes to pass through their first fetal movement.
He had a feeling that this first fetal movement would not take too long.
When the time came, he would finally be able to properly feel just how strong his newly transformed Jōgan had become.
After work, Hikaru left the office with Ayame and Saya.
Hashirama had gone to find Tobirama. He had not seen his younger brother all day, so he was naturally curious about the progress of Tobirama's research.
Hashirama knew what Tobirama was doing, and he also sincerely hoped Nagato's cursed seal could be removed.
After all, when it came to someone turning back from the wrong path, Hashirama had always had a great deal of goodwill.
Hikaru could not be bothered with him.
That man really knew how to create trouble for him.
Looking at Saya, who silently followed beside them, Hikaru felt a headache coming on.
As for this girl from the Uchiha Clan, if Hikaru claimed he had no favorable feelings toward her, then he would simply be lying to himself.
The Uchiha Clan was truly extreme.
If the men were not careful, they could easily turn into lunatics.
And the more deranged they became, the stronger they were.
The women, however, were completely different. That unique gentleness was truly difficult to refuse.
Of course, there were probably proud and sharp-tongued types too, but at least the one Hikaru had encountered was proud yet gentle.
For Hikaru, that kind of personality was a deadly temptation.
Especially that distinctive long, straight black hair. It struck a very specific preference of his.
There were actually quite a few people with long, straight black hair in Konoha. For example, the Hyūga Clan was like that too.
However, Hikaru had not had much contact with the Hyūga Clan. Even when he did, most of them were men.
On top of that, the Hyūga Clan's unique main-family and branch-family system temporarily made Hikaru uninterested in any particular ideas.
Right now, what gave him a headache was how to settle the issue with Saya.
After all, he had only just taken Ayame.
If he acted again so soon, it would truly be somewhat improper.
Strength brought status.
Power brought desire.
Hikaru lacked neither strength nor power. As long as he took responsibility for what he did, no one would say anything to him, nor would they dare.
In fact, the most likely outcome was that everyone would offer him blessings.
But Hikaru still needed to pay attention to his own conduct.
More importantly, he had to consider Ayame's feelings.
Shaking his head slightly, Hikaru felt that Hashirama had truly dragged him into trouble.
But since things had already reached this point, he could only take one step at a time…
…
In the Land of Water, Black Zetsu silently looked at the moon rising in the sky, his heart filled with complicated emotions.
A thousand years.
He had waited a thousand years, but his goal had never changed.
He was still that boy from long ago.
Not a single trace of him had changed.
Although the road had been filled with trouble, he had, at the very least, managed to control Indra and his descendants.
Most importantly, Uchiha Madara—the man who could be called the closest to Indra, and who had even awakened power belonging to Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—had also been firmly grasped in his hands.
But recently, his days had been far from pleasant.
First, he had discovered that enemies from beyond the stars, beings like his mother, seemed to have arrived in the shinobi world.
Not only had that person come, he had brought a Ten-Tails with him.
Although that Ten-Tails had also been split apart, just thinking about it sent chills through Black Zetsu.
Moreover, those people were extremely mysterious in the shinobi world. Even he could not find any trace of them.
This situation cast a shadow over his heart.
Besides that, Konoha had also produced an uncontrollable factor.
The Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Senju Hikaru!
That man's strength was outrageously powerful.
Judging by Black Zetsu's thousand years of experience, he could be certain that Senju Hikaru had already approached the level of Senju Hashirama at his peak.
Although he was still far from Asura himself, no one could say where his limits truly lay.
Most importantly, this man had awakened a pair of eyes.
Even Black Zetsu could not explain those eyes.
After all, he had never seen them before. Based only on descriptions, those eyes seemed somewhat similar to the Tenseigan.
But Black Zetsu knew very clearly how powerful the Tenseigan was, because his mother's memories had told him so.
He truly could not understand why such a pair of eyes would appear on a Senju.
It was easy to imagine that even if Senju Hikaru did not possess Asura's power, his future achievements would not be low with those eyes alone.
"Sigh. How did the shinobi world become like this?"
Black Zetsu let out a faint sigh.
Senju Hikaru's appearance truly depressed him.
Because it was that damned man who had forced him to help Nagato recover his strength and confidence.
Nagato was a perfect tool.
He had to make Nagato continue onward. Otherwise, what would happen to the Rinnegan?
He would not trust Obito, and he would certainly not hand the Rinnegan to him.
Because he truly could not trust a man whose head was full of a woman.
With another soft sigh, Black Zetsu looked toward the moon once more.
Some time ago, an unimaginable tide of power had erupted from the moon.
That power was terrifying, and at the same time, extremely familiar to Black Zetsu.
From his memories, he knew that this was the power of the Tenseigan!
This left him deeply confused.
He truly did not understand why such power had appeared on the moon.
Could that damned Ōtsutsuki Hamura have gone to the moon?
If that was the case, then the plan to save his mother would once again be shrouded in another layer of darkness.
If Ōtsutsuki Hamura was still alive, then that damned Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo probably would not be so easy to kill either.
And the moon was the place where his mother was sealed.
It was a seal constructed by combining the power of the Rinnegan, the Tenseigan, and Yin-Yang Release.
Breaking it had never been simple.
The only method he could think of was to gather all of his mother's power, then use the chakra inside his own body that belonged to his mother to let her descend into a vessel he had prepared long ago.
Uchiha Madara was clearly the vessel he had carefully selected for his mother's descent.
But now he was truly worried.
If those two were still alive, then once he drew out his mother's power and allowed her to descend, would it draw their attention?
And even more terrifying was the fact that his mother's enemies also seemed to be in the shinobi world now.
If he caused the Ten-Tails to appear, would they take further action and obstruct his plan?
The more Black Zetsu thought, the more his head hurt.
The more he thought, the more tormented he felt.
The current shinobi world felt unfamiliar to him.
And terrifying beyond measure.
He now had to consider the true goal of those who had mastered the tailed beasts.
He also needed to consider whether his two nominal elder brothers were truly still alive.
Besides that, he had to consider whether Senju Hikaru would interfere with his plans.
And whether Nagato was still under control.
All of these required careful thought.
For one moment, he truly felt exhausted.
But the instant that thought emerged, he smothered it completely.
The sole goal and motivation for his existence in this world was to free his mother!
To achieve that goal, he could pay any price.
He could sacrifice anything that could be sacrificed.
Thinking of this, Black Zetsu's gaze grew firm.
Along the thousand-year road he had walked, Black Zetsu had encountered all sorts of unease.
Although this trouble was more terrifying than everything he had faced in the past thousand years combined, he had already reached this point.
He had no reason to retreat.
Now, he could only believe that once his mother escaped the seal, she would be able to deal with all problems.
And he did believe it.
Even though his mother had lost to Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura, that was only because she had been unwilling to be ruthless toward her own children.
His mother was the only god in this world!
…
In some unknown corner of the vast shinobi world, a man dressed like a monk quietly looked up at the moon.
His condition looked strange.
At times, he seemed utterly indifferent, yet with a trace of solemnity.
At times, he seemed terrified, as though worried that something dreadful was about to descend.
At other times, his expression twisted, as though he were enduring unspeakable pain.
This contradictory state, as though his mind were split apart, was truly enough to make one's hair stand on end.
However, that twisted and divided state only appeared occasionally. Most of the time, he remained calm and indifferent.
"Sigh."
After a long while, the man sighed softly, his gaze becoming even more solemn.
"That power is Ōtsutsuki. But who exactly has come?"
If Hikaru were here and heard those words, he would definitely be badly startled.
What did Ōtsutsuki mean?
After a thousand years had passed through the current shinobi world, that name had long been forgotten.
But as a transmigrator, how could Hikaru possibly not know what Ōtsutsuki represented?
The monk's expression remained solemn.
Not long ago, he had felt a terrifying power erupt from the moon.
That power was unfamiliar to him, yet also familiar.
That destructive power belonged to the Ōtsutsuki!
Although he truly did not know who the owner of that power was, he could be certain that this power did not belong to the shinobi world.
He had stayed in the shinobi world for more than a thousand years.
Although he had spent most of that millennium asleep, the Ōtsutsuki was the one asleep.
The monk had remained active, collecting countless pieces of intelligence in this world.
He knew very well what had happened in the shinobi world.
He also understood the current strength of this world.
The only pity was that during the years when Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had been sealed, neither he nor the monk had dared show themselves.
He and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya could be called mortal enemies.
If not for Kaguya's actions back then, how could he have fallen to such a state?
To prevent Kaguya from discovering his existence, he had controlled the monk and hidden very, very far away to ensure he would not be found.
Because of that, he was not especially familiar with Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura's powers.
Otherwise, he probably would have recognized the truth immediately.
"Still, I must be careful with this power."
After thinking for a long time, the monk finally spoke slowly.
His voice was indifferent, yet solemn.
"According to memory, the moon is the product of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's seal.
"For this power to erupt from the moon, it is hard to say it has nothing to do with that woman.
"Damn it. If only my body could be fully revived, I would not be so passive."
At that moment, the monk's eyes filled with killing intent.
A violent surge of chakra erupted from his body.
However, as that chakra erupted, the monk's body suddenly began to show signs of collapse.
Blood continuously flowed from his body, and dense cracks appeared across his skin.
Even within his body came crisp snapping sounds.
Those were the sounds of his bones breaking!
Just as his body was about to completely collapse, that vast and powerful chakra vanished without a trace.
The monk collapsed painfully to the ground, curling up and trembling constantly.
Tears even appeared in his eyes.
But as a faint green chakra wrapped around him, his body gradually stopped trembling.
"What a useless thing."
At that moment, a voice emerged in his mind.
"If not for the lack of a suitable body, I would never have chosen you!
"You should feel honored. If not for me, you would have turned into a pile of yellow earth long ago."
That voice was indifferent and cruel.
The monk, however, acted as though he heard nothing. He remained collapsed on the ground, trembling.
And that voice gradually disappeared, as though it had never appeared at all…
…
In the depths of the boundless starry sky, two streaks of light were flying at terrifying speed.
At first glance, they looked like two shooting stars.
But upon closer inspection, one would discover that those two streaks of light were actually humanlike figures wrapped in chakra!
The two figures looked very different from ordinary humans. Both had horns growing from their foreheads.
Surging chakra condensed into the clothing on their bodies, making them seem both mysterious and noble.
At this moment, however, the two figures suddenly came to a halt from their meteor-like speed.
They silently stared into deep space, as though thinking about something.
"Did you feel that, Kinshiki?"
Among the two, the shorter one spoke coldly.
That icy tone was almost comparable to the voice in the monk's mind.
Within that coldness, there was also an unconcealed arrogance.
"I felt it, Momoshiki-sama."
A tall and burly man bowed respectfully.
"It is Ōtsutsuki power. Although I do not know whose it is, and although the power is very unfamiliar, I do not believe I am mistaken."
Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki.
Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki.
If Hikaru were here, he would immediately recognize who these two were!
These two were the powerful enemies who would invade the shinobi world more than a decade after Naruto's story ended, when Boruto was twelve or thirteen years old.
They had even fought Sasuke, then successively captured Killer B and Naruto, which was enough to show how terrifying their strength was.
Although Naruto had needed to protect the village at that time, and his special power from Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had already been taken back, it was still an undeniable fact that Naruto had been badly beaten.
Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki silently looked toward the distant end of space.
He had not activated his Byakugan, yet seemed capable of seeing through the barrier of stars.
After a long while, he suddenly revealed a disdainful smile.
Then he turned and flew directly toward the place where that power had erupted.
The power was not especially clear, but it was enough for him to remember the direction it came from.
"Momoshiki-sama, we…" Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki quickly followed, asking with curiosity and great respect.
"Naturally, we will go and take a look." Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki spoke arrogantly. "Although I do not know who it is, whoever it may be has nothing to do with me. We will know once we go and see."
"I understand, Momoshiki-sama." Kinshiki nodded respectfully. "Then should we notify the others?"
"That depends on whether their lives are good enough."
Momoshiki shook his head disdainfully.
He had no intention of notifying anyone else.
A strange Ōtsutsuki had appeared.
Did that mean the person had revived through Karma?
Or had another Ōtsutsuki given birth to them and allowed them to awaken their power?
No matter which possibility it was, there were benefits to be gained!
When the Ōtsutsuki carried out missions, their goal was usually simple and direct: plant the Divine Tree and obtain the fruit.
These fruits were key to improving their strength.
If there was an opportunity, no Ōtsutsuki would let it pass.
After all, true members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan had extremely cold relationships.
Within their clan, there were no unnecessary emotions.
Family affection, love, friendship—these feelings, so precious to mortals, were nothing but burdens to them.
They were born noble.
Time left very few traces on their bodies.
Moreover, emotions were too extravagant for them. That extravagance gradually made them indifferent.
Among those who interacted with them, only their own clan members could follow their footsteps. Everyone else would be swallowed by time.
Because of that, they began to seek other pursuits.
With their long lifespans, the only thing that allowed them to feel truly alive was overwhelming strength.
That was why they treated all living planets in the universe as pastures for planting Divine Trees.
Even if destroying a planet was the price of obtaining a fruit, they did not care.
Under such long-term coldness and distorted growth, they had almost stopped caring about even their own clansmen.
If not for the restraint of the Ōtsutsuki God, which kept them from openly becoming hostile and attacking one another, they likely would have begun fighting over fruits long ago.
One's own power was the only truth.
This was the creed of the Ōtsutsuki!
Under normal circumstances, Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki would not think this way.
But this time, what had appeared was a stranger.
That meant very few people likely knew about this person.
If so, why not try?
Even if there was no fruit to obtain, the body of this unfamiliar Ōtsutsuki would be a perfect vessel for Karma!
Thinking of this, Momoshiki's speed increased.
He did not want something he had his eye on to be taken first…
…
"This aura?"
In another part of the starry sky, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki also sensed a strange power vibrating through the void.
That power was familiar, yet unfamiliar.
And it was very weak.
Although it drifted through the starry sky, it seemed as though it was already about to disperse.
"An unfamiliar Ōtsutsuki junior?"
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki sensed it for quite a while before suddenly revealing a smile.
"How interesting. I did not expect that I would become a senior as well. But this power seems rather weak.
"I wonder if it is because the distance is too great, or if the person is simply like this."
Urashiki thought for a long while, but quickly became too lazy to dwell on it.
That power was not especially far from him.
If he spent some time, he could reach it.
After separating from the seniors Momoshiki and Kinshiki, he had been searching for their mission target on his own.
He truly had not expected to encounter this situation.
But since he had encountered it, he did not intend to miss it.
He was now very curious.
Who exactly had released such power?
Was it a newborn Ōtsutsuki?
Or a senior who had just revived?
…
Hikaru naturally did not know that so many interesting things had occurred in the depths of space.
Right now, he was waiting for news from Nara Shikaku.
After waiting some time for Nagato's preparations, Nagato and Yahiko came to Konoha again.
Hikaru did not ask how they planned to deal with Obito and Black Zetsu's sudden inspections.
Because there was no need.
Everyone was an adult and had to take responsibility for what they did.
Hikaru believed the two of them understood this as well.
After they arrived in Konoha, Nara Shikaku set out with them.
However, this time, Hashirama also traveled with them.
Hashirama had perhaps stayed in Konoha for too long, and because he could not enjoy everything in Konoha like a normal person, he had become extremely depressed.
In the end, he chose to go out for a walk, partly to relax and prevent himself from becoming too uncomfortable.
Hikaru naturally did not object.
Rather than letting this man stay in Konoha and continue sabotaging his peace, it was better to let him go out and have fun.
Besides, Hikaru truly could not rush the matter of reviving Hashirama and Tobirama.
The materials for reviving them were naturally living White Zetsu bodies.
The problem was that Hikaru currently had no way to obtain such things.
Even if he wanted to get them, Hikaru would wait until his Jōgan completed the first stage of fetal movement.
Only then could he act.
In truth, Hikaru had already made preparations and plans for such action.
He had already obtained the power of several tailed beasts, and he naturally intended to test them properly and see how their power differed from the Nine-Tails.
Although the power of those tailed beasts was still driven by the small Nine-Tails, there were still enormous differences within it.
Such a battle would also serve as a good stage for the small Nine-Tails to familiarize itself with the powers of the other tailed beasts.
Besides that, Hikaru also needed more White Zetsu bodies to obtain fusion power.
Although he had to admit that his current strength was already extremely powerful, it was still not enough for someone who had always treated the Kekkei Mōra as his goal.
He had merely fused three chakra natures, along with the power of Yin-Yang Release.
And his Yin-Yang Release was still at an initial level. Although its destructive power was already terrifying enough, it was still not sufficient.
His goal was to raise all chakra natures to the same level and fuse them together!
This was not a simple matter.
But cultivation had never been simple.
Hikaru was lucky. He had the system's help and support, so he could be somewhat more relaxed than others.
But he still needed to keep working hard and moving forward.
After all, the system was only support. Everything still depended on himself.
"I wonder what Obito's situation is now. But overall, he is a good person.
"Still, when Kakashi chooses to revive him in the future and suddenly discovers that he cannot summon him at all, what kind of scene will that be?"
Hikaru read the report in his hand while silently thinking to himself.
Beside him, Saya was helping him sort documents.
Later, she still needed to go to the Administrative Office.
Actually, going to the Administrative Office was Ayame's job.
Unfortunately, after Hikaru had started indulging in that aspect of life in this world, he had truly exhausted Ayame.
Previously, she could still force herself not to ask for leave.
Now, she had no choice but to take time off and rest.
The result was that Saya looked utterly strange, having no idea what had happened, while also being forced to take over Ayame's work while she was away.
During this period, one could say that Saya was truly second only to one person.
But Saya was still Saya.
Especially after Hashirama had pulled her aside and spoken with her alone.
Now, when she was alone with Hikaru, everything was fine if they were in work mode. She remained capable and calm.
But once there was no extra work, she seemed to become a completely different person.
This gave Hikaru another headache.
"Hashirama, you really should hurry up and go out for a while. Stop staying in Konoha and harming people!"
Hikaru's heart was full of resentment.
At this time, however, Hashirama had already disguised himself as an ANBU and was together with Hatake Sakumo in Yugakure of the Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Hot Water was Hidan's hometown, and it was also a village whose military strength had shrunk after the war ended.
In truth, they might not have willingly reduced their military strength.
After all, their village had always been surrounded by Kumogakure and Konoha.
With two great shinobi villages encircling them, they naturally had no mission share left.
Their village development fell into a vicious cycle.
Helplessly weakening was only natural.
The Land of Hot Water itself was also a nation rich in natural resources.
Its pleasant climate was very suitable for crop cultivation.
Besides that, it possessed a certain amount of mineral reserves, and it also had a large number of hot spring resources.
It had decent development potential in both weapons manufacturing and tourism.
One could say that besides lacking Konoha's combat strength, in terms of resources, it was not necessarily much inferior to Konoha.
Back then, Kumogakure had clung tightly to the Land of Hot Water because the Land of Hot Water was too rich—and too weak.
Konoha had also occupied the other half of the Land of Hot Water.
Kumogakure's decision to launch war this time might not have been unrelated to its desire to completely seize the Land of Hot Water.
Unfortunately, they ultimately failed.
For that, they paid a massive and painful price.
Now that the entire Land of Hot Water had fallen into Konoha's hands, one could say that all of the Land of Hot Water's resources, to a certain extent, belonged to Konoha.
What Nara Shikaku needed to do now was follow Hikaru's instructions and completely transform this country.
Or rather, he needed to properly and legitimately place these resources firmly in Konoha's hands.
"Leader, this is Konoha's sincerity."
Facing the leader of Yugakure, Nara Shikaku remained neither servile nor overbearing. He perfectly displayed the bearing a great nation's shinobi village ought to have.
Speaking of which, Yugakure's first leader had been an ordinary married couple.
By some coincidence, they had obtained a partial copy of a scroll.
After decades of research, they developed a unique technique, and from that established Yugakure's special ninja system.
Over the next several decades, this system trained batch after batch of excellent Yugakure shinobi.
However, after their deaths, the leaders of Yugakure had always been ordinary people with high prestige within the village.
And those shinobi remained absolutely loyal to them, never once harboring second thoughts.
After all, it was a small village.
Small villages could do all sorts of strange things.
Moreover, the leader of a small village had no right to call himself a Kage.
At this moment, the person Nara Shikaku faced was an ordinary man.
Even so, he still gave him sufficient respect…
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