Hikaru knew that possibility had already been cut off at the root.
As long as he remained in Konoha, the invasion could never happen—especially since Orochimaru was technically still one of his people.
"Though how long Orochimaru will remain cooperative is another question."
The Reverse Summoning Technique carried Hikaru back to Konoha.
Interestingly, he appeared atop the Hokage Rock.
Standing above the carved stone faces, Hikaru gazed across the village below. From this height, he truly felt as though the entire world lay beneath his feet.
It was entirely different from standing atop a Wood Golem and looking down upon his enemies.
Those people had been foes.
Everyone below him now belonged to Konoha.
For the first time, Hikaru understood why the Hokage enjoyed standing here and watching over the village.
From this position, one could see at a glance whether Konoha was prosperous.
Everything below was the result of the Hokage's achievements.
Hikaru stretched lazily and was about to leave when the small Nine-Tails' voice suddenly sounded inside his mind.
"The Nine-Tails inside that man seemed to notice me."
"Oh?"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
The news was somewhat unexpected, but he did not take it too seriously.
"It doesn't matter if it noticed you," Hikaru replied with a careless smile. "What is it going to do, tell Minato?"
"It hasn't fully detected me yet. It probably only sensed that I exist," the small Nine-Tails said again. "And unfortunately, I have something else to tell you.
"He may be like you."
"Like me?"
Hikaru froze for a moment.
Then his expression immediately turned serious.
The little fox's meaning was obvious.
There was only one way Minato could be "like" Hikaru.
He had learned to use the Nine-Tails' power.
The revelation was genuinely difficult for Hikaru to believe.
Minato had indeed mastered the Nine-Tails' chakra in the original story, but that had happened much later.
How had he accomplished it already?
The Nine-Tails had been divided and sealed away by Minato himself. How could he have gained control over its power so quickly?
Had Minato somehow mastered Naruto's Talk no Jutsu?
"Are you certain you didn't sense it incorrectly?" Hikaru asked with a deep frown. "Can he already use your chakra in battle?"
"I'm certain," the small Nine-Tails replied. "I could sense my power within him. He is still training with it, but there is no mistaking it."
"I see."
Hikaru slowly nodded.
This discovery was far more surprising than he had expected.
When he met Minato earlier, he had clearly sensed the abundant senjutsu chakra within the man.
That alone proved Minato had trained with extraordinary diligence during his recovery, raising his mastery of Sage Mode to an impressive level.
Now, he had even begun controlling the Nine-Tails' chakra.
It might not be long before he developed his own Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
For a moment, Hikaru could not help wondering whether Minato had stolen Naruto's original role by sealing the Nine-Tails inside Kushina rather than his son.
"How interesting."
Hikaru shook his head.
At that moment, raindrops began falling from the sky.
He looked up.
"Rain? How fitting."
Late that night, torrential rain poured over Konoha.
Thunder rolled through the village while lightning tore across the sky, perfectly reflecting the tense and oppressive atmosphere hanging over Konoha.
It almost seemed to foreshadow the political storm that would soon descend upon the village.
Of course, the coming storm would affect only a select group of people.
For most of Konoha, clear skies awaited once the rain had passed.
Rumble!
A massive bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and struck somewhere in the distance.
The dark night briefly became as bright as day, the sight both majestic and terrifying.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone inside the Hokage's office.
He remained completely still, silently lost in thought.
None of the lamps had been lit.
The room was submerged in darkness, illuminated only whenever lightning flashed outside.
Each bolt threw Hiruzen's face into sharp relief before plunging it back into shadow.
Light and darkness alternated across his features, making him appear strangely sinister.
A cool breeze entered the room.
The curtains, which had been still until then, suddenly fluttered.
The movement was particularly conspicuous on such a violent night.
The breeze came and vanished just as abruptly.
In that brief instant, a dark figure appeared across from Hiruzen and silently took the seat on the other side of his desk.
Hiruzen acted as though he had not noticed.
He continued staring ahead, absorbed in his thoughts.
The shadow said nothing either.
It merely sat there and waited.
"Perhaps I truly have grown old."
After a long silence, the rain finally began to weaken.
The wind settled, and the thunder gradually faded into the distance.
Hiruzen emerged from his thoughts and sighed, his age suddenly apparent in every line of his face.
"I lose myself in thought far too easily these days."
He looked toward the figure opposite him.
"Still, I never expected you to leave this office without a Flying Thunder God marker.
"Were you simply too disdainful to place one here, or are you so certain of victory that you no longer believe it necessary?"
"Perhaps both."
The figure answered in an even voice.
The clouds slowly parted, allowing pale moonlight to fall through the windows.
As the silvery light spread across the room, the figure's features became visible.
It was Hikaru.
He remained silent as he studied the old man across from him.
Looking at Hiruzen's aged appearance, Hikaru felt an inexplicable wave of emotion rise within him.
This was once the legendary Professor—the Shinobi who had dominated an era and stood virtually unchallenged.
Yet without anyone noticing, the passage of time had reduced him to this.
Had the pressure Hikaru placed upon him been too great?
Or was time simply that merciless?
An absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Hikaru's mind.
"Perhaps the First and Second Hokage died at precisely the right time."
They had never been forced to endure the endless erosion of age upon their strength and vitality.
Neither had lived long enough to hear later generations criticize and judge every success and failure of their lives.
They had died during their most glorious years, while still possessing their greatest strength.
History remembered them only at their peak.
Their most powerful and heroic selves had been etched forever into the minds of future generations, transforming them into tragic heroes whose legends would never fade.
They had preserved the dignity and glory of the strong, allowing both to ascend into something even greater.
Their figures would forever stand above the river of history, looking down upon every hero who came after them.
Hikaru gently shook his head and dismissed the thought.
It was merely idle speculation.
If a top-level shinobi could maintain their peak condition forever, naturally they would never need to experience the decline that followed it.
Unfortunately, those capable of such a thing could no longer truly be called human.
They belonged to the Otsutsuki Clan.
Hiruzen had no idea what Hikaru was thinking.
He inhaled deeply and straightened his aged body.
For some reason, the frailty surrounding him seemed to disappear in that single movement.
It was as though all the strength lost to time had suddenly returned.
For one brief moment, he once again resembled the Shinobi Professor Hikaru remembered.
"So you believe your victory is assured?"
A deep and powerful voice emerged from a body that looked far too thin and withered to produce it.
A heavy pressure swept toward Hikaru.
Yet the presence that had once made it difficult for Hikaru to breathe could no longer affect him.
It was not even enough to make him pay closer attention.
Hikaru shook his head.
"Is the pressure finally becoming too much?
"Or did your negotiations with the people behind you collapse?"
"Perhaps they did."
Hiruzen did not relax in response to Hikaru's calm attitude.
Instead, his emotions seemed to grow even more intense.
"And you should know that if those negotiations truly failed, I would have no choice but to kill you.
"If you take power, you will destroy every balance Konoha has painstakingly maintained.
"I will not allow the stability we worked so hard to create to be buried overnight because of you!"
Hikaru calmly watched the Third Hokage's unwavering expression.
The old man spoke as though he had already resolved himself to die.
Hikaru could not help smiling.
He had roughly guessed Hiruzen's true objective.
He also understood what he needed to do.
"You truly have grown old, Lord Third."
Hikaru gently shook his head.
For once, a cold expression appeared on his face.
"Does saying any of this still have meaning between us?
"Whatever you think and however firmly you oppose me, this has already become an unstoppable tide.
"You no longer possess the ability to prevent it.
"Neither does the Konoha of today.
"I am already standing above the clouds, looking down upon all of you.
"What qualification do you have left to resist me?"
"Perhaps you are right."
Hiruzen spoke each word slowly and distinctly.
A startling fighting spirit burned within his eyes.
His body tensed slightly, prepared to unleash a lethal strike at any moment.
"But you should never underestimate the human heart."
"So this is your attempt to gain one final concession for the interest groups standing behind you."
Hikaru shook his head and rose from his chair.
In an instant, his aura erupted.
The walls of the Hokage's office began trembling.
Spiderweb cracks spread across the windows, glass cabinets, and every other fragile surface in the room.
The fractures continued expanding.
A few breaths later, every pane of glass shattered simultaneously.
Fragments rained onto the floor with a sharp, continuous clatter.
Silence followed.
The office became oppressively still.
Hikaru and Hiruzen stared directly at one another.
Both understood that Hiruzen had completely lost this contest of presence.
Hiruzen felt deeply emotional.
The pressure emanating from the young man before him had already reached the level of the First Hokage and his own teacher.
Such power inspired despair.
Yet at the same time, it filled him with genuine relief.
Without warning, Hiruzen laughed.
His laughter was open, carefree, and surprisingly joyful.
He looked at Hikaru and spoke calmly.
"You are right.
"Your strength has already reached a height far beyond mine.
"If we fought, I would have no chance of victory.
"I doubt I could even take you down with me.
"But there are some things that must be done, even when you know they are impossible."
An imposing dignity radiated from Hiruzen as he spoke.
For a moment, even Hikaru was moved.
He genuinely felt that the old man might attack.
That feeling quickly disappeared.
Hikaru knew Hiruzen would not do it.
It had nothing to do with cowardice or whether Hiruzen believed he could win.
Hikaru shook his head and gradually withdrew his aura.
In an instant, he once again appeared to be the gentle young man who always wore a mild smile.
"That should be enough, Lord Third."
Hikaru sat down once more.
Moonlight fell across his body.
Compared with the cold and ominous figure from a few moments earlier, he now appeared almost sacred.
A smile returned to his face, and his voice became warm again.
"The wheel of history only moves forward.
"No one can stop it, nor can anyone easily force it to turn backward.
"Neither you nor I can do that.
"It is not because we lack the ability.
"It is because anyone who tries will eventually be crushed beneath it."
Hikaru sighed softly.
His gaze toward Hiruzen carried a complicated emotion.
After briefly organizing his thoughts, he continued.
"To be honest, I admire much of what you accomplished.
"Even if I had stood in your position, I probably would have made many of the same choices.
"Konoha is a swamp.
"To survive within it, you sometimes need to be ruthless.
"You succeeded, which is why the present situation exists.
"You controlled Konoha for decades.
"I do not blame you for the choices you made.
"If I had been in your place, I might have acted with even greater cruelty and indifference.
"But as I said, times change.
"No one can stand against the current of an entire era."
Hikaru stopped speaking and quietly watched the old man before him.
That was enough.
Hiruzen's earlier display could be viewed as one final test—a way to determine the limits of Hikaru's ambition, resolve, and tolerance.
Hikaru found such a test rather pointless, but he did not mind cooperating.
Perhaps Hiruzen truly had considered attacking him.
Even so, he would never actually do it.
Hikaru was destined to become Hokage.
As Hikaru had said, that outcome could no longer be prevented.
"Perhaps you are right."
After a long silence, Hiruzen sighed and sat down again.
"The problem is no longer merely me.
"Or rather, I am no longer the only problem."
"I have already visited the Fourth Hokage," Hikaru replied calmly. "He gave me his promise.
"If Konoha decides to hold an election for the next Hokage, he will support it."
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