Planting a new seed—especially an advanced one—no longer had the overwhelming impact on Natsuhiko that it once did.
With the Ryūmyaku's chakra as a foundation, the strain on his body had been significantly reduced.
Of course, his greatest support still came from the little Nine-Tails within him.
At his current stage, his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was, in some ways, slightly superior.
In terms of overall combat ability, the difference wasn't that large—if anything, his combination of Sage Mode, Wood Release, and the Flying Thunder God Technique allowed him to eliminate enemies more efficiently.
But the key point was this: for now, there was little within Konoha that required him to personally take action.
That freedom meant he no longer needed to hold himself back so cautiously.
This was the advantage of strength.
In the past, before he could fully guarantee his own safety, he would never have dared to plant such seeds.
Now, however, he possessed two entirely different combat systems. Though both were his own power, they manifested in completely distinct ways.
That was his confidence.
That was the proof of his growth.
"…Still, why does one feel like an agile skirmisher, and the other like a precision assassin?"
Natsuhiko couldn't help but find it amusing.
Both of his states were fascinating in their own right. Each came with its own chakra mode—one being Sage Mode, the other the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
And yet, they shared a common trait: overwhelming speed.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his agility was maxed out.
Of course, the true pinnacle of speed was still the Flying Thunder God Technique, which allowed instantaneous spatial movement.
But even without it, Natsuhiko's speed alone was more than sufficient—it was the very foundation of his survival.
In the world of combat, speed is everything.
The faster you are—so fast that your opponent cannot even touch you—while you can strike freely, the initiative will always remain in your hands.
Natsuhiko was certain of one thing: once his Advanced Sage Art chakra seed was fully cultivated, and combined with Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique…
Even his own Nine-Tails Chakra Mode might struggle to contend with it.
Beyond planting the Advanced Sage Art chakra seed, he had also taken the opportunity to plant all other available seeds.
Intermediate seeds still consumed a considerable amount of chakra, but compared to Advanced ones, the difference was almost negligible.
Natsuhiko knew this firsthand—he had once planted multiple seeds simultaneously and experienced the burden himself.
"The Intermediate Wind and Fire Release chakra seeds have already been planted, and both have corresponding Advanced seeds to follow…"
Muttering to himself, he leaned back in his chair inside the ANBU office, resting his head against one hand as his thoughts drifted.
"That saves me quite a bit of trouble. But I still haven't found an Advanced Lightning Release chakra seed…
"And beyond that, I'll need to start thinking about chakra fusion."
Some time had passed since Orochimaru's incident, and just as Natsuhiko had expected, the ninja world had remained relatively calm.
As the Commander of the ANBU, most of his energy had been directed toward strengthening and restructuring the organization.
For now, there was no need for him to stir up trouble.
Instead, he simply needed to wait—for his planted seeds to mature.
Chakra fusion wasn't the most pressing issue at the moment, but it was an inevitable challenge he would have to face.
After all, if he sought to achieve the level of a Kekkei Mōra, he couldn't ignore how such a power was formed.
And the difficulty of that process was… staggering.
Throughout the entire ninja world, there had only ever been one known example of a Kekkei Tōta.
And even that was merely the fusion of three different chakra natures—yet the power it displayed was already astonishing.
To put it bluntly, if not for the overwhelming gap in raw strength, Ōnoki's technique would never have hit Madara Uchiha.
Otherwise, if Madara had taken that attack head-on after his resurrection, he would have lost far more than just an arm.
How to fuse chakra, however—that was the problem that truly gave Natsuhiko a headache.
It wasn't as if he hadn't tried.
But his chakra development was already too advanced.
On one hand, that meant his understanding of each attribute had reached an extreme level of mastery.
On the other hand, that very mastery became a limitation. His perception and control over those chakra types had grown so refined that they were, in a sense, fixed—making true integration far more difficult.
"Am I supposed to aim directly for a Kekkei Mōra seed?"
He shook his head, letting out a quiet sigh.
"That's ridiculous… Even if I somehow obtained the Ten-Tails' chakra and gained the potential to nurture such a seed, how long would it take to actually cultivate something at that level?"
The path of Kekkei Mōra was undoubtedly arduous—but it was also a path he had no choice but to walk.
No matter how difficult it was, he would have to see it through.
Shaking off the thought, Natsuhiko forced himself to stop dwelling on it.
He hadn't even gathered all the Advanced chakra attributes yet—thinking about something like that now was premature.
Besides, who was to say that in the future, he wouldn't encounter some unique source that granted him exactly what he needed—something with the ability to "fuse" chakra?
It wasn't mere wishful thinking.
His system had already given him enough unbelievable experiences to justify that possibility.
Pulling his thoughts back, Natsuhiko shifted his attention to the documents spread across his desk.
During this period, the ANBU had undergone tremendous changes.
With sufficient funding and the gradual implementation of his policy to partially open the ninjutsu archives, a spark had been lit among the ANBU operatives.
Their enthusiasm had been ignited.
More importantly, everyone knew one thing: the ANBU was expanding.
Expansion meant opportunity.
It meant vacancies in higher positions—from squad leaders to division commanders—all of which were now within reach.
Combined with Natsuhiko's policies, it filled everyone with motivation.
And where there was motivation, there was vitality.
After all, if you expect a horse to run, you have to offer it a carrot.
Natsuhiko had always believed that nothing came for free. If you wanted others to give their all, you had to show sincerity first.
So far, the results had proven him right.
With the efforts of Kakashi and the others, the expansion of the ANBU was proceeding steadily and in an orderly fashion.
At the same time, Senju Shoma had begun leveraging his connections, reaching out to smaller clans that had once been willing to follow the Senju.
Beyond that, he had also started formally visiting several influential families.
The timing couldn't have been better—perfectly aligned with the rollout of Natsuhiko's new policies.
With the support and promotion from members within those clans, Konoha's major families began to form a favorable impression of Natsuhiko.
And a good impression, combined with tangible authority, was an irresistible temptation for those powerful clans.
This not only eased the pressure of recruiting new ANBU members, but also accelerated the pace of the organization's expansion.
"Still… what I didn't expect," Natsuhiko murmured as he flipped through the reports, a faint twitch appearing at the corner of his lips, "is that the administrative division, the secretariat, and the intelligence unit have developed even faster."
The information itself wasn't particularly surprising—but seeing the details laid out so clearly still left him a bit speechless.
The administrative division alone had recruited nearly twenty new ninja.
The secretariat, being newly established, had fewer members—but even so, it already had around ten official staff, enough to maintain normal operations.
Then there was the intelligence unit, which had also expanded significantly. Its current size was now sufficient to match the growing number of operational teams.
If that were all, Natsuhiko might not have paid it much mind.
Nor would he have found it particularly gratifying.
What truly pleased Natsuhiko, however, was something else entirely.
Among the newly recruited personnel this time, quite a few came from the Nara and Yamanaka clans.
It had to be said—the famed Ino–Shika–Chō alliance possessed an extraordinary level of perceptiveness. Not only that, they seemed particularly adept at making strategic "investments."
Within the combat units, Natsuhiko had also noticed names from the Akimichi clan, though he hadn't paid them much attention.
After all, there were just as many from clans like the Inuzuka and Aburame, and even a few personally selected by Uchiha Shin, along with a member of the Hyūga clan.
In that context, the presence of the Akimichi clan didn't stand out much at all.
But when viewed together with the administrative division and the intelligence unit, it became clear—
The Ino–Shika–Chō had already sensed something.
As for how they had come to that conclusion, Natsuhiko neither knew nor cared to find out.
In fact, he understood their intentions perfectly well. The reason they were willing to send their people wasn't just because Senju Shoma had done a good job reaching out.
More importantly, they were making a statement—to the Fourth Hokage.
From the founding of Konoha to the present, the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance had weathered the rule of three Hokage, yet still maintained a firm foothold and considerable influence within the village.
That wasn't just a reflection of their capabilities—it was proof that they knew exactly how to preserve their standing.
"Though it's a bit of a shame… the person you're pledging loyalty to is actually me, not Minato Namikaze."
There was no way Natsuhiko couldn't see through their intentions. After all, this entire situation had been shaped, in no small part, by his own actions.
Minato's withdrawal from the forefront had become the perfect shield for him. Natsuhiko had been operating under the Hokage's name all along.
And truth be told, that name was incredibly useful.
He had been benefiting from it quite comfortably.
Still, while he had gained plenty, he also knew that some matters needed to be set into motion soon.
For example… dealing with Orochimaru.
"I swear, can you stop thinking about schemes and conspiracies all day?"
At that moment, the little Nine-Tails' muffled voice echoed inside his mind.
"Even when I'm trying to sleep, I can feel your malice. Honestly, you're more sinister than we Tailed Beasts."
"Come on," Natsuhiko replied, somewhat baffled. "Aren't you supposed to be the embodiment of malice? If I'm a bit wicked, doesn't that suit you just fine?"
"Hmph. I'm not that one."
The little Nine-Tails snorted disdainfully before curling back up within his consciousness.
"And besides, the things you've been doing lately are seriously unsettling."
Natsuhiko chuckled and shook his head. He knew exactly what the little creature was complaining about.
Clearly, it was unhappy with his decision to use its power whenever he needed to do something… less than honorable.
Strictly speaking, he had only used the Nine-Tails' power twice so far.
But both times had caused quite a stir.
The first was when he confronted the Akatsuki directly, catching them completely off guard. As for their casualties, even he wasn't entirely sure—but they certainly hadn't walked away unscathed.
The second time was against Orochimaru—right inside Konoha itself.
That incident alone had sent shockwaves through the village's upper ranks.
Now, Konoha's leadership was well aware of a terrifying possibility: that entities comparable to Tailed Beasts might not be so rare after all.
According to Orochimaru's account, his attacker had possessed perfect control over the Nine-Tails' power.
Their speed, strength, and overall combat ability had been beyond comprehension—and they had also displayed an astonishing level of sensory capability.
Such a description was enough to unsettle even the highest levels of Konoha's leadership.
If it hadn't been Orochimaru—someone of his status and strength—making the claim, they might have dismissed it as nonsense.
After all, a Tailed Beast alone was already terrifying enough.
But at least… it was something they could still deal with.
After all, ordinary Tailed Beasts acted purely on instinct. They didn't possess the strategic thinking or combat style of a shinobi.
That was precisely why ninja villages had developed the concept of jinchūriki—to bring out the maximum combat potential of a Tailed Beast.
A perfect jinchūriki possessed both the tactical skill of a ninja and the overwhelming power of a Tailed Beast. Such a combination was almost unimaginable in its threat level.
Especially now that Konoha had no Tailed Beast of its own. The Nine-Tails had gone with Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki to Mount Myoboku.
If a being like that were to go berserk inside the village, the resulting destruction would be entirely predictable.
Fortunately, according to Orochimaru's account, that mysterious attacker seemed wary of Natsuhiko and had no intention of directly confronting Konoha.
That statement, whether intended or not, had once again elevated Natsuhiko's standing within Konoha's higher ranks.
Even he hadn't expected it—he had somehow become a form of "nuclear deterrence" in their eyes.
Still, it wasn't a bad thing.
And more importantly, Orochimaru's testimony made Natsuhiko realize something—he could proceed to the next stage of his plan.
"Alright… at the very least, let them see what a true jinchūriki is supposed to look like."
He smiled faintly to himself.
"While others are still stuck in partial transformations, we've already entered chakra mode. And not just that—we can even use chakra mode to enhance full Tailed Beast transformations. Isn't that enough to completely overturn their understanding of what's possible?"
"Tch. Like I care."
The little Nine-Tails' tone remained as dismissive as ever, though there was a faint hint of pride buried underneath it.
"But don't get cocky. You really think you're some kind of perfect jinchūriki?"
"That sounds like it's my fault somehow," Natsuhiko replied with a stretch as he rose to his feet, walking toward the window. Looking out at the Hokage Rock in the distance, he smiled lightly.
"If you want to fully bring out your power, then the one who needs to work harder is you, not me."
"Besides, my Advanced Sage seed will be maturing soon too."
With that, he said no more.
And the little Nine-Tails didn't respond either.
But Natsuhiko could sense it clearly—the creature would likely become even more diligent in absorbing and adapting to its power.
In truth, the little Nine-Tails was extremely competitive.
Not only that, it was deeply attached to him. It didn't want its power to be surpassed by anything else, nor did it want Natsuhiko to rely on its power any less.
At the same time, it was also unhappy that he used its strength for "dirty work," since that made it impossible to openly showcase its power.
Still, all it did was complain.
It would never truly oppose him.
No matter how strong or weak it became, the only person it was attached to… was Natsuhiko.
…
"Commander."
Inside the ANBU headquarters office, Senju Renge and Uchiha Sora stood at attention with straight posture.
Beside them stood Kakashi, Trout, and Antelope—the three ANBU division commanders.
Strictly speaking, Kakashi and Trout were still acting division commanders.
However, everyone already seemed to tacitly accept that they would eventually secure those positions permanently.
After all, the longer they served in those roles, the more experience and authority they accumulated. At this point, it would be extremely difficult for any challengers to surpass them.
"All here?" Natsuhiko nodded calmly, then smiled faintly. "Take a seat. This is just a simple meeting—no need to be so formal."
"Yes, Commander."
All five responded in unison, though none of them actually moved to sit.
Natsuhiko's approachable demeanor was deeply ingrained in their perception of him—after all, it was part of the persona he deliberately maintained.
But even so, within the ANBU, the vast majority still felt nothing but awe and reverence toward him.
Aside from the newest recruits, no one had forgotten that he'd personally killed Murashima Takumi—right in front of the entire ANBU corps.
And beyond that, the strength he had displayed was more than enough to command respect. He was the one who had protected Konoha and helped seal the Nine-Tails.
"Alright then, since you're not planning to sit, we'll begin immediately."
Natsuhiko lightly tapped the table and spoke directly.
"First, how is the investigation into Orochimaru progressing? If I recall correctly, I had already issued orders before his incident."
"There are some results, but we've been careful not to advance too aggressively."
This was a particularly difficult matter, so Kakashi stepped forward to answer.
"There seems to be Root operatives around Orochimaru, and he himself has become extremely cautious. In addition, we've also discovered possible links between him and Danzo."
Natsuhiko nodded. He knew very well that investigating Orochimaru would not be easy, so the slow progress didn't surprise him in the slightest.
Fortunately, there was no need to rush. Unless Orochimaru had completely given up on whatever he was planning, he would eventually expose himself.
Still, now that the decision had been made to target him, Natsuhiko would need to start making moves of his own.
Yamato—this card couldn't be played just yet, but dropping a few smoke bombs wouldn't be a problem.
"I see. As expected, this isn't an easy case."
He smiled faintly and tapped the table again.
"Relax. No need to be so tense. What comes next will be a bit troublesome, but I believe you can handle it."
"Yes, Commander."
The five of them responded in unison once again, without asking for further clarification.
"The village is too quiet," Natsuhiko continued, shifting his posture slightly. He interlocked his fingers and rested them on the table, partially covering his nose and mouth.
"It needs some noise to wake people up."
"Kakashi, you know what Yamato told you. Trim it down and have someone trustworthy leak it. Quietly. Then we'll see the effect."
"Yes, Commander."
The three division commander nodded at once, though Kakashi still frowned slightly.
"Commander… won't this alert the enemy?"
"Exactly," Natsuhiko replied calmly. "That's precisely the point—I want to alert them."
He tapped the table lightly again, his tone gradually turning colder.
"Orochimaru isn't acting alone. There are people behind him. But those people won't be easy to reach—or even if we find them, we may not be able to touch them."
"So we take a simpler approach: point the fire at Orochimaru, and at the same time warn them that we've already noticed their existence."
"Once this information is released, someone will become more anxious than we are."
After a brief pause, he glanced at Kakashi.
"After all… this isn't the first time this method has been used, is it?"
Kakashi fell silent.
He hadn't forgotten what had happened to his father.
That wave of condemnation, that unbearable past—no matter how much he tried, it could never truly be erased.
His silence made the others unconsciously glance at him. They had all heard fragments of his past before, though most had never thought too deeply about it—or perhaps hadn't dared to.
But now, with Natsuhiko bringing it up so directly, unpleasant thoughts began to surface in their minds.
"Also," Natsuhiko continued without paying attention to the heavy atmosphere, "before we start stirring things up, make sure the ANBU's investigation into Orochimaru is exposed—just enough for it to be noticed."
"Reveal that first, then release the information afterward. You all understand what to do, don't you?"
"Yes, Commander."
The three division commander immediately knelt and responded.
"Good," Natsuhiko said with a satisfied nod. "As for recruitment, handle the selection yourselves. There's no need to rush. The expansion of the ANBU won't happen overnight."
"Yes, Commander." The three of them answered in unison once more, their expressions turning serious and focused.
"Dismissed," Natsuhiko said as he stood up, a faint smile on his face. "I only care about results, not the process. Don't disappoint me."
He truly wasn't the type to obsess over how things were done. From his position, what mattered most was the outcome—and the benefits that outcome would bring.
Still, he believed Kakashi and the others would handle it properly. In his view, it wasn't even a particularly difficult task.
The three division commander quickly left the office, leaving only Natsuhiko, Sora, and Renge behind.
As his secretaries, the two women naturally remained.
"Commander," Renge suddenly asked, "can we really trust Antelope? His stance still isn't entirely clear. Assigning him a task like this…"
"This is a test," Natsuhiko replied with a light smile. "A dangerous one, yes—but also one that can reveal results. Besides, he used to be my superior. I can't exactly be so cold-hearted, can I?"
During this period, Renge had been extremely busy. Natsuhiko had given her two choices—private secretary or general affairs secretary—and she had to choose one.
Originally, she had intended to become his private secretary, believing it would place her closer to him and allow her to better demonstrate her abilities.
However, after thoroughly understanding the responsibilities of the general affairs secretary, she ultimately chose that path instead.
In truth, both roles kept one extremely close to Natsuhiko. The difference lay in their focus: one leaned toward administrative governance, while the other was tied more closely to the combat forces.
As a member of the Senju clan, Renge believed that regardless of whether Natsuhiko was the Commander or not, all combat shinobi should ultimately align under his direction.
That was why she chose general affairs. She intended to shape the ANBU into an organization that would naturally gravitate toward them no matter who stood at the top.
Thus, the role of private secretary fell to Sora instead—an Uchiha, and someone Natsuhiko also intended to bring into his circle.
After taking on the position, Renge had immersed herself in studying an overwhelming amount of information. Even though her workload was already heavy, she never once considered easing up.
By now, she had more or less grasped the basic structure of the ANBU's complex internal network—who Natsuhiko's former teammates were, who his superiors had been, and so on.
Of course, her primary focus remained Natsuhiko himself, though she made sure to understand the others as well. Standing in such a high position of authority, she could not afford the slightest negligence.
"I understand. We can't be too harsh on a former superior," Renge nodded. "But if he fails the assessment, what then?"
"Then you'll need to prepare a list," Natsuhiko replied without hesitation. "As general affairs secretary, you should already have a clear idea of who is suitable and who isn't. Of course, everything will still go through my final evaluation."
"Yes, Commander." Renge lowered her head slightly. "I will identify the candidates carefully and select the most appropriate ones."
Natsuhiko nodded lightly. That was enough for this topic.
Renge was intelligent, and more importantly, she was diligent—qualities he appreciated greatly. With that kind of attitude, she would be able to handle things properly.
He then shifted his gaze to Sora.
She had also been performing diligently during this time. While nothing about her stood out in a flashy way, she made no mistakes. Moreover, she consistently ensured that tasks were properly arranged and completed.
If she hadn't still carried a certain air of inexperience, Natsuhiko might have even mistaken her for a seasoned veteran.
After some thought, he concluded that she had likely been receiving guidance from Uchiha Shin.
"Sora," he said, "how is the document organization in the administrative department going? And how are the new recruits adjusting?"
"The documents should arrive soon. I'll go remind them shortly," Sora replied calmly. "As for the new members, their adaptability is strong. They've already begun participating in assignments."
"Have their performance recorded and compiled," Natsuhiko added. "We'll need it for the year-end evaluations."
Natsuhiko stroked his chin thoughtfully, then finally nodded with a faint smile.
"Renge, the same goes for you. Make sure this matter is handled properly."
"Also, the establishment of your own secretarial division should be accelerated. Diligence and responsibility are good traits, but there's no need to handle everything personally."
"Yes, Commander."
With the necessary instructions delivered, Natsuhiko felt noticeably more relaxed.
He had no intention of following the example of the Hokage or other departments and working himself to exhaustion.
In his view, those in power were meant to define the macro-level strategic direction. As long as the direction was correct, the rest could be delegated to subordinates.
Of course, that also meant he needed a strict management system for those subordinates—otherwise, any mistake would ultimately come back to bite him.
Stretching slightly, Natsuhiko's thoughts drifted back to Orochimaru once more.
In fact, the approach he was using now was partly modeled after what had happened to Orochimaru in the original timeline. It was hard to say whether Orochimaru's eventual downfall had been entirely his own doing—or whether someone had been quietly fanning the flames behind the scenes.
After all, rumors about Orochimaru had already begun circulating during the Hokage selection period.
It was difficult not to suspect that Danzo might have had a hand in it—quietly leaking information about Orochimaru's human experimentation.
Once Orochimaru's reputation was damaged, it became impossible for him to become Hokage.
A Hokage could not have any stains on their record—neither before ascending the position nor after taking office.
That was precisely why Hiruzen Sarutobi had Danzo Shimura in the shadows. To put it bluntly, he was essentially a designated scapegoat.
A professional fall guy operating in the Hokage's shadow—how could someone like that ever become Hokage himself?
Unfortunately, Danzo himself never realized this—or perhaps he once had the chance, but missed it.
The death of Yahiko had been closely tied to him. That single incident had caused him immense losses.
Root had to be rebuilt, and in losing it, he had also lost a crucial piece on the board. As a result, he shifted his support back toward Orochimaru.
But in the end, it was nothing more than self-entanglement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi believed Orochimaru had uncontrollable ambition, while he himself also wished to continue controlling Konoha from behind the scenes.
And so, the title of Fourth Hokage ultimately fell into the hands of the least likely candidate—Minato Namikaze.
This time, Natsuhiko intended to repeat the same old trick.
First, let the ANBU expose themselves. Then allow the rumors to spread unchecked.
The goal was simple: make it appear as though the ANBU had uncovered Orochimaru's situation, forcing Danzo to once again sacrifice a piece to protect the rest.
But this strategy wasn't aimed at Danzo alone—it was also aimed at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, everyone in the higher ranks knew Danzo had already been relieved of his position.
If more information surfaced now, yet there was no clear connection to Danzo's dismissal, suspicion would inevitably shift toward Hiruzen himself.
And the outcome would be one of two possibilities.
Either Hiruzen would protect Orochimaru to the end, leading to his eventual downfall and disgrace.
Or he would abandon Orochimaru—but without killing him—showing both sentimentality and an attempt to prove his innocence.
Either way, they would be forced to step into the trap.
"There are always those who like to present themselves as righteous and noble. That's not wrong—everyone wears a mask to some extent."
"But once I know what lies beneath that mask, then you either eliminate me… or live forever with a leash around your neck in my hands."
"Third Hokage… are you ready this time?"