90-92

Chapter 90: The Light of Konoha 

Knock, knock, knock! 

The door was pounded heavily. 

“Come in.” 

Click! 

The door swung open. 

A medium-sized mass of chakra slowly appeared before Hikari. 

“Jiji-sama!” 

Naruto bounced up excitedly. 

“Lie back down! You’re so badly hurt. Does the wound still hurt?”  

Sarutobi Hiruzen wheeled himself into the hospital room, a kind smile spreading across his face as he checked on Naruto, exuding a warmth that felt more approachable than a retired old man running a roadside stall. 

Hypocritical. 

You’ve been watching Naruto for so long—don’t you know how strong his recovery is? 

Hikari narrowed her eyes, scanning for emotional glimmers. 

Unlike Naruto, who was all carefree and loud, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s emotional glimmers were faint, almost blurry in their hues—a guy who was really good at hiding his feelings. 

After closer inspection, to her surprise, the first glimmer she caught wasn’t murky hypocrisy but confusion, followed by a hint of astonishment. 

Huh? 

Hikari froze for a second. 

It wasn’t until she saw those emotional glimmers drifting toward her that it clicked: Kurama’s malice detection could only pick up emotions directed at itself, not some mind-reading jutsu like she’d imagined. 

Those glimmers weren’t about anyone else—they were Sarutobi Hiruzen’s emotions toward her. 

“I’m all good, Jiji-sama!” 

“That’s great to hear.” 

Sarutobi and Naruto’s voices echoed in the room, but Hikari clearly saw emotions continuously bubbling up from the top of Sarutobi’s head. 

“Where’s Sasuke? I heard from the doctor you’re still having headaches. Feeling any better?” 

“Thanks for your concern, Hokage-sama. It’s much better now.” 

So that little dot full of negative emotions was Sasuke! Hikari finally figured out who was quietly lurking nearby, radiating envy, jealousy, fear, and even a tiny bit of admiration and respect toward her. 

He dares to be jealous of me? 

Looks like I went too easy on him before. 

Hikari decided she’d “look after” Sasuke a bit more in the future, make sure he knew who was boss, so he’d stop daydreaming about nonsense. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen made a show of walking around the room, finally turning to Hikari in the middle. 

“I picked this up on the battlefield. This is yours, right?” He pulled a black cloth strip from his pocket and handed it to her. 

“Thanks.” 

Hikari tied the reclaimed black cloth behind her head. 

A surge of fresh purple chakra flooded into her eyes. 

Her Tenseigan glowed faintly. 

The world before her became crystal clear. 

Sunlight streamed through the window, leaving beams of dusty light in the air. 

Two boys, one on each side, curiously glanced her way. Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly studied her face, his wrinkled, age-spotted cheeks showing every detail—she could even see the dryness of his skin. 

Her Byakugan seemed to have gotten stronger. 

Was this the effect of Kurama’s chakra? 

Hikari wondered to herself. 

The surging Tenseigan power flowed outward from her pupils, giving her a 360-degree view, like the world was a sliced-open dango, its filling laid bare for her to see. 

“How’s the injury?” 

“It’s fine.” 

She looked inward at her chest. 

The flesh under the bandages hadn’t fully healed yet. Purple chakra pulsed through her veins, stitching together torn muscle fibers like a needle and thread. 

After absorbing Kurama’s chakra, her own chakra had gained healing properties. 

Her Shikotsumyaku and the newfound chakra worked in perfect harmony. Last night’s fatal piercing wound, after consuming that chakra, had turned into a massive crater. Now it looked nearly filled in. 

Maybe in just two days, the wound on her chest would be fully healed. 

“How about we find a quiet spot to talk?” 

Sarutobi Hiruzen patted the wheelchair in front of him, gesturing for Hikari to sit. 

Ignoring his seemingly kind gesture, Hikari looked straight at the top of his head: friendliness, warmth, a touch of vague negative emotion—but no killing intent or malice. 

“I can walk myself.” 

“Sit down! You’re Konoha’s little hero now.” 

“Hero?” 

“You took down an elite jonin from another village, directly or indirectly saving so many students. If you’re not a hero, who is?” Sarutobi teased with a chuckle. 

Letting foreign ninja into Konoha, who then attacked the kids who should’ve been the safest? 

Even claiming credit for killing Yozuki Yuo couldn’t erase his failure. After all, protecting them was his duty as Hokage. 

He couldn’t escape the blame. 

Add to that the recent destruction of the Uchiha clan—one of Konoha’s founding pillars—causing some unrest. And now, an attack by foreign ninja? They needed an uplifting story to rally the people and shift their focus. 

Naruto, seen as the embodiment of the Kyubi, was shunned and unsuitable for the spotlight. So, no matter what, the one who killed the enemy had to be Hikari. 

Hikari Tsukihi. 

A prodigy who fought to the death to save her comrades, defeating an elite Kumo jonin at such a young age, perfectly embodying the Will of Fire. 

Hikari’s existence was meant to tell the people: Even without the Uchiha, Konoha remains strong under my leadership. Super geniuses keep emerging, and Kumo’s elite jonin are nothing but fodder for our ninja school students. 

This way, the people would get an inspiring story, something new to talk about, and soon forget the Uchiha incident. Though Sarutobi would still bear responsibility for the attack, the low death toll and his “discovery” of a genius like Hikari would make up for it. 

The only issue now was Hikari Tsukihi herself. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s gaze grew deeper. 

Yozuki Yuo’s brain was relatively intact. The corpse disposal team worked through the night and finally extracted its intel. 

Let’s just say the information was… interesting. 

Interesting enough that the Yamanaka clan member who probed Yozuki’s brain, after compiling the intel, wisely used a secret jutsu to erase their own memory of it. 

“Come on, let’s talk outside.” 

Observing Sarutobi’s expression and emotions, Hikari realized he likely knew something. 

Last night, her injuries were too severe, and she’d used up all her chakra to survive, leaving no chance to clean up the aftermath. The Yamanaka clan’s secret jutsu wasn’t to be underestimated either. 

Her mind raced, organizing her words. 

She obediently stood and sat in the wheelchair, which creaked loudly under her weight. 

After absorbing Kurama’s chakra last night, her weight seemed to have increased again. Hikari carefully leaned back, trying not to break the fragile wheelchair. 

Whoosh! 

Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped the wheelchair’s handles tightly, pushing Hikari out of the room. 

Click! 

The door closed. 

In the empty hospital room, the two boys were left staring at each other across the bed. Naruto started to say hi, but Sasuke scoffed and turned away. 

Clenching his teeth, Naruto, not one to back down, turned around too, pointing his butt at Sasuke. 

The two lay on their sides, glaring at each other like two tattered rags. 

“Good morning, Sandaime-sama!” 

“Good morning.” 

Sarutobi nodded and smiled at the greeting nurses, pushing the wheelchair down the hospital corridor, his muscled arms filling out his wide sleeves. 

Hikari, blindfolded, sat obediently in the wheelchair, afraid to move too much and break it. 

To the hospital’s doctors and nurses, the two looked like a retired grandpa taking his disabled granddaughter for a stroll. 

“Hey, isn’t that the genius who killed the Kumo ninja?” 

“Yeah, that’s her.” 

“She’s so cute, like a little doll!” 

A middle-aged nurse in uniform clutched her cheeks, radiating “adoration” glimmers that popped out like bubbles. 

Hikari brushed back her messy hair, tidying her appearance a bit. 

After last night’s battle, she looked a bit rough, but seeing the flood of pink emotional glimmers, she realized these people had a huge filter when it came to her. 

An abnormally huge one. 

The news had spread too fast. 

It was like overnight, everyone in Konoha Hospital knew she’d taken down a Kumo elite jonin. 

Even some patients were radiating emotional glimmers. 

This wasn’t normal. 

“Nervous? You’re the big star of Konoha Hospital now,” Sarutobi said softly, noticing Hikari fidgeting with her hair, a sly smile on his face. 

“Did you do this on purpose, Hokage-sama?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“We could’ve just put up a barrier and talked in the room, but you’re pushing me around the whole hospital.” 

“A genius deserves a genius’s treatment.” 

Sarutobi chuckled softly, pushing Hikari toward the stairs. 

Along the way, they ran into parents of ninja school students. 

“Hey, isn’t that Tsukihi Hikari? The Sandaime’s personally pushing her wheelchair!” 

“What do you know? I heard she was mentored by the Sandaime himself and used a secret jutsu he taught her to take down that Kumo jonin.” 

“So it’s the Sandaime who’s the real deal!” 

“Of course!” 

Hearing what were obviously planted comments, Hikari awkwardly licked her back teeth, finally understanding why they’d taken this big detour. 

First, they hyped up her insane feat to cover up the political stain of a ninja attack and the deaths of ninja school students. After drawing everyone’s attention, they tied her achievement to Sarutobi, redirecting the glory back to him. 

A perfect move. 

The stain became a highlight. 

The students were saved because of the Hokage’s wise leadership and talent cultivation. 

As for why Kumo ninja attacked? Don’t ask. 

Figuring out the game, Hikari suddenly understood why, in the original story, the Sandaime chose to die alongside Orochimaru. 

Half of a person’s life is about gain, the other half about fame. This old guy cared so much about his public image—daring to call himself the strongest Hokage—that he clearly chased fame. 

Using Shiki Fujin to take Orochimaru down with him? That was because Orochimaru was the biggest stain on his life, undeniable. 

The two headed upward. 

They finally reached the rooftop. 

Whoosh! 

The wind on the rooftop was strong. 

Hikari leaned back in the wheelchair, her hair whipping wildly behind her. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen tightened his hat, stepping back to avoid the silver strands flying past his face. “These old bones of mine aren’t as tough as Yozuki Yuo.” 

“You’re too modest.” 

He knows a lot, doesn’t he? 

Testing how much the Sandaime might know, Hikari tilted her head, tucking her windblown hair into her collar, and changed the subject. “So that guy was called Yozuki Yuo?” 

“Yep. A veteran elite jonin from Kumo, made a name for himself even before I did,” Sarutobi said, recalling the intel extracted from the brain, gazing down from the rooftop’s edge. 

“I visited Kumo once, and he was tasked with monitoring our every move. A formidable ninja.” 

“He was strong. I almost died.” 

Thinking of Yozuki’s ridiculously powerful Ippontsume, Hikari’s expression darkened. 

If she hadn’t predicted his attack path and shifted her heart and lungs to her abdomen, she wouldn’t be sitting here chatting so casually. 

She’d been this close to death. 

“You were lucky,” Sarutobi said, glancing at the bandages on Hikari’s chest. “That guy wasn’t an ordinary jonin. He was one of the contenders for the Third Raikage’s position.” 

“Raikage?” 

Hikari raised an eyebrow. 

Sarutobi shook his head. “When he was young, he competed with the Third Raikage and got thoroughly beaten, becoming a shadow guard instead. Later, he mastered the Third Raikage’s secret jutsu and made a name for himself, barely touching the level of a Kage.” 

“And then?” 

Hikari’s curiosity was piqued by Sarutobi’s story. 

“Nothing much after that. Kumo and Iwa went to war. He got cocky with his Raiton no Yoroi’s defense, but Ohnoki—the current Third Tsuchikage—hit him with a sneak attack from his special Kekkei Genkai, damaging his lungs and leaving a permanent weakness. The Third Raikage held off ten thousand ninja alone, and Yozuki barely escaped back to Kumo with his life.” 

“After that, his body and will were broken. He became obsessed with powerful jutsu, learning anything strong without caring if it suited him, cramming the Third and Fourth Raikage’s taijutsu into his arsenal. In the end, he turned himself from a near-Kage-level ninja into a slightly above-average elite jonin.” 

“He trained himself weaker?” 

Hikari was stunned. 

She’d never heard of someone getting worse with training, and Yozuki’s Ippontsume was undeniably strong. 

Sarutobi chuckled. “The Third Raikage focused on attack and defense; the Fourth on speed and agility. Two completely different paths. He tried to combine them, but his Fourth Raikage techniques were mediocre, and he got rusty with the Third’s. Turned himself into a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Except for his Raiton no Yoroi, everything else was average. His Ippontsume probably couldn’t even match the Third Raikage’s Yonhontsume.” 

“Look at Konoha’s secret jutsu clans. Which one hasn’t produced top-tier ninja? Which doesn’t have powerful techniques? If mastering a few strong jutsu made you a top ninja, Konoha would be overflowing with them.” 

He turned to Hikari. “Your talent is unmatched, the best in the ninja world. Don’t get blinded by so-called ‘powerful’ jutsu. A true master can make an enemy tremble with just a kunai. A weak ninja hesitates even with an Ippontsume, afraid of missing and getting themselves killed. True strength doesn’t rely on external tools!” 

“Is this your late lecture?” Hikari smiled, directly calling out the planted comments in the hospital. 

Sarutobi’s wrinkled face showed no embarrassment. “Just some non-ninja tactics.” 

“So you dragged me out here early in the morning just to talk about Yozuki Yuo?” 

“Of course not.” 

Pulling a scroll from his robe, Sarutobi tossed it to Hikari. “The corpse disposal team worked overnight and pulled some things from Yozuki’s brain. Take a look.” 

“Sorry, I’m blind.” 

Sarutobi sighed helplessly, turning to look at the view below the rooftop. “Not a single honest word comes out of your mouth, little girl.” 

Chapter 91: The Foundation 

“I don’t get it.” 

Hikari leaned back in the wheelchair, her legs swinging lightly, looking relaxed and carefree. 

Creak! 

Squeak! 

The wheelchair groaned under the strain. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with his back to her, his voice carrying through the wind. “The scroll contains the secret Raiton Chakra Mode from Kumo. If you can’t see it, then forget it.” 

Creak~ 

The wheelchair’s noise stopped. 

The scroll slowly unfurled. 

Hearing the rustle of paper and faint muttering behind him, Sarutobi shook his head with a quiet chuckle, leaning on the rooftop railing, waiting patiently. 

The sun climbed higher, its golden light dazzling. 

Sarutobi pulled the brim of his hat lower, casting an oval shadow on the ground, his aged figure like a taut bow. 

After a while— 

Rustle! 

The sound of the scroll being rolled up came from behind. 

“Memorized it all?” 

“Yep.” 

Hikari looked at Sarutobi as he turned slowly, handing back the neatly rolled scroll. 

Sarutobi tucked it away, glancing at Hikari. “Your spoils of war are yours. Don’t say I’m hogging your stuff. Yozuki Yuo’s been dead a while, so only the Raiton no Yoroi technique was intact enough to salvage. The village put in effort too, so it’ll go into the sealed scroll later. As for Naruto, you keep his situation under wraps. His circumstances are special—villagers can’t know.” 

Hikari nodded blankly. 

Watching Sarutobi ramble on, she felt a bit at a loss. 

She’d braced herself for harsh interrogation or torture after revealing her abilities, ready to spar verbally. But instead, the Sandaime Hokage brought her to the hospital rooftop, nagging like an old mother hen. 

Sarutobi talked for ages, noticing Hikari’s dazed look, and frowned. “You following all this?” 

“Uh—yeah, that’s it?” 

“What else do you want?” 

“I thought—” 

Hikari hesitated, constantly checking the emotional glimmers above Sarutobi’s head, but found no trace of the malice she’d expected. 

“Thought what? That I’d grill you about where your special physique comes from? Your weird sensing ability? Or that tailed beast chakra?” 

Sarutobi looked at the bewildered Hikari, chuckling. A flicker of pride crossed his weathered face as he gripped the railing, spreading his arms like an eagle, embracing all of Konoha behind him. “The Land of Fire sits on the world’s most fertile soil, and Konoha is, without question, the strongest of the five great ninja villages. Others covet us. When have we ever lusted after their scraps? Is your bone-growing Kekkei Genkai stronger than the Uchiha’s Sharingan? Or Senju’s Mokuton? Is your sensing better than the Hyuga’s Byakugan or the Yamanaka’s mind-probing? 

“I’ve seen fake Jinchuriki before! Every tailed beast in the ninja world was distributed by the Shodai Hokage, and the strongest, the Kyubi, is lying in the hospital below your feet. Konoha’s secret jutsu clans are countless, and the techniques in our sealed scroll are so powerful we have to pick and choose what to learn. So tell me—what do you have that’s worth me, worth Konoha, stooping to scheme for?” 

Whoosh! 

The wind billowed Sarutobi’s robes, fluttering above Konoha. 

The aging ninja hero spread his arms, proudly embracing the village, his commanding presence shaking Hikari to her core. 

Confidence, pride, sincerity—colors flashing from high to low, glowing like fireflies. 

Konoha’s old geezers are filthy rich second-gen elites! 

Hikari finally understood the strange dissonance she’d felt. 

She’d been thinking about Konoha’s actions through Kirigakure’s lens. Kiri and Kumo scheming for the Byakugan, or Danzo for the Sharingan—she’d assumed Konoha was the same, a village that went crazy for shiny things. 

But the reality was the opposite. 

This was the strongest ninja village, built by Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama after conquering the ninja world—a utopia compared to the blood-soaked Kirigakure. 

Its foundation was unimaginably deep. 

Edo Tensei to revive the dead, the three legendary Sennin training grounds. The fastest Jikukan Ninjutsu, Hiraishin, and the Shiki Fujin that seals souls, ignoring all defenses. While other villages dreamed of a single Byakugan, Konoha had them by the basketful. 

Whether it was Sarutobi, Danzo, or Orochimaru, they chased Mokuton to become a “God of Shinobi” or studied the Mangekyo Sharingan of the “Ninja World’s Asura.”  

Plain and simple—they didn’t even care about other villages’ Kekkei Genkai or secret jutsu. 

Why bother studying your junk when I haven’t even mastered my own Kekkei Genkai? Senju Tobirama’s techniques are strong and tough to train, and we’ve got a massive sealed scroll. Who has time to mess with your scraps? 

All the tailed beasts in other villages seemed impressive, treasured like gems, but could the One through Eight Tails combined beat the Kyubi? Konoha, unaware of Kaguya Otsutsuki’s might, didn’t even glance at Hikari’s abilities. 

They studied Mokuton and Sharingan not for the Kekkei Genkai itself but to uncover the roots of Hashirama and Madara’s unmatched dominance. 

“I got it wrong,” Hikari said after a long silence, admitting she’d been looked down on. 

Seeing she understood, Sarutobi lowered his arms, speaking earnestly. “Your talent surpasses any ninja I’ve seen—even the Shodai at your age wasn’t your match. But talent is the most valuable and worthless thing in the world. It can’t be transferred or copied. You might even toss it aside like trash one day. Konoha doesn’t need to kill the goose for its eggs. That’s something only desperate, red-eyed poor folk would do.” 

Sarutobi’s rich-man speech left Hikari’s head spinning. 

As the saying goes, only with a full granary do you learn etiquette; only with enough food and clothes do you know honor and shame. 

A peasant fleeing the backwater Kirigakure, she was seeing for the first time just how domineering the second-gen elites of the strongest ninja village could be. 

“One last question—what’s your real identity?” 

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t ask?” 

Hikari raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing his open, weathered face. Was all this just a trick to get me to spill the truth? 

Noticing her caution, Sarutobi rubbed his forehead with a headache. “If I wanted to harm you, I’d have sent the Yamanaka to poke around your brain already. Why waste words? For saving so many ninja school students, even if you’re a spy from another village, I’d give you a chance to start fresh. So, speak!” 

Hikari carefully studied the emotional glimmers above his head: helplessness, suspicion, friendliness. 

As she hesitated to reveal her identity, the suspicion glimmer grew, while the friendliness shrank. 

Sometimes, silence says everything. 

This was clearly his final test. 

If she didn’t show some truth, she’d always be watched and kept out of Konoha’s inner circle. The secret techniques in the Sealed Scroll she coveted? Forget it. 

“Have you heard of Kirigakure’s Taketori clan?” 

Hearing her words, Sarutobi thought for a moment, his eyes flickering. “The Shikotsumyaku Taketori? You’re one of them?” 

“You might not know, but two months ago, the Taketori clan was wiped out. Orders from the Yondaime Mizukage, carried out by Anbu Captain Kurio Shun.” 

“Why?” 

“The official reason was rebellion. The real one? They wanted our clan’s heirloom.” 

“What heirloom?” 

“No idea.” 

Hikari shook her head, looking confused. “The Anbu searched every corpse thoroughly. I got lucky—my Kekkei Genkai awakened at the critical moment, and I took down a few Kiri Anbu to escape. Later, I fled from Peichuan Port to the Land of Fire, heard Konoha’s ninja were the strongest, and came here to find a way to get stronger for revenge. You probably know the rest.” 

Hikari explained in detail—cause, process, outcome, all laid out clearly. 

She named key figures and, under Sarutobi’s questioning, shared specifics of the extermination: directions, personnel, breakout timing. 

She answered without hesitation. 

Only someone who lived through it could weave such detailed lies. 

Her bone-manipulating ability matched Shikotsumyaku, and her Kirigakure origin aligned with Sarutobi’s earlier guesses. 

The Taketori clan had a long history, so having a unique secret jutsu made sense. 

Gradually, the suspicion glimmer above Sarutobi’s head dimmed, though a faint speck remained. 

He didn’t fully buy her story. 

He’d have to verify the Taketori clan’s fate, but with Hikari’s prodigious talent, using Kiri’s spies wouldn’t be a waste. 

If her story checked out—a clan wiped out by Kiri’s leadership, leaving her with a blood feud—she might be from Kiri but posed no threat to Konoha. 

Her identity would be clear. 

If she was clean and not here to harm Konoha, with time and the Will of Fire, she could form bonds and become one of them. 

Shikotsumyaku aside—Konoha didn’t lack powerful Kekkei Genkai. 

If Hikari lived in Konoha, married, and had kids, her Shikotsumyaku would stay. 

What truly excited Sarutobi was her talent surpassing the Shodai’s. 

A near-seven-year-old elite jonin? Too good to be true! 

Looking at Hikari’s short legs dangling off the wheelchair, Sarutobi’s heart burned. 

He might boast about Konoha’s vast wealth and unrivaled jutsu, but in all his years, he’d never seen an elite jonin this young. 

Konoha’s former top genius, Kakashi, was a chunin at six, jonin at twelve—a height 99% of ninja couldn’t touch, the ceiling for all prodigies. 

Hikari had crushed Kakashi’s record, halving the time. 

Roughly a super-deluxe Kakashi with a Kekkei Genkai and half-Jinchuriki status, destined to rival any village’s Kage. 

If not for lingering doubts about her identity, he’d have taken her as a disciple already. 

Konoha didn’t lack advanced jutsu; it lacked geniuses to carry forward the predecessors’ techniques. Letting a talent like Hikari roam free was a crime against genius itself. 

Pop, pop, pop! 

Emotional glimmers burst from Sarutobi’s head. 

Hikari glanced at them: suspicion down to a tiny speck, replaced by hesitation, excitement, and fondness. 

Her approval rating seemed to have spiked, the glimmers brighter than the murky ones in the hospital room. 

Hikari’s tense nerves eased slightly. 

She’d passed this hurdle. 

Her Kiri origin was a massive liability, but if she could use this chance to clear her name, her path forward would be much smoother. 

Whoosh! 

The rooftop’s fierce wind softened, warm like a spring breeze. 

Sarutobi’s fluttering robes settled, only the hem near the ground still curling slightly. 

“I’ll have your story investigated,” Sarutobi said after a long pause, locking eyes with Hikari’s youthful face, finally resolute. “Come—be my disciple!” 

Hikari’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the Sandaime Hokage. 

“My identity—” 

“If your identity wasn’t an issue, I’d have taken you as a disciple long ago.” 

Sarutobi’s eyes burned with a hunger for talent. 

Natural mastery of all five chakra natures, a physique strong enough to match Yozuki Yuo’s Raiton no Yoroi—perfectly suited to his fighting style. 

Most crucially, her young age. 

If she were ten or twelve, he wouldn’t be this excited. Young meant her mindset was malleable, moldable through the Will of Fire to shape her as he wanted. 

Any later, once her mind matured, it’d be too late. 

Looking at the stunned Hikari, Sarutobi’s face grew stern. “Let’s be clear. If we become master and disciple, our relationship stays secret until you earn my approval. Until then, you get nothing but ninjutsu training. If I find you harming Konoha, everything you learn from me, I’ll take back with interest. So, are you willing?” 

Hearing his terms, Hikari couldn’t help but smile. 

She came to Konoha for power, not political titles like “Hokage’s disciple.” 

Sarutobi clearly coveted her talent but feared she’d use the title to vie for Hokage, so he set up this awkward master-disciple deal. 

It suited her perfectly. 

The Hokage’s job was exhausting, buried in paperwork. With Kaguya’s world-ending threat looming in a few years, power was the priority—politics could take a hike. 

It felt like waking up to a flood of good news. 

She got the powerful Raiton Chakra Mode, cleared her identity, and gained a Kage-level teacher. 

Double blessings. 

“Deal, Sarutobi-sensei!” 

Hearing her words, a touch of melancholy crossed Sarutobi’s aged face. 

In his life, he’d taken three disciples. 

Tsunade clashed with him over the Senju and left the village. Orochimaru defected for immortality. Jiraiya was off chasing some “Child of Prophecy” nonsense, swayed by Myoboku’s toads. 

You could say he’d been abandoned by all. 

The title “Sarutobi-sensei” felt both warm and foreign. 

“We’re not master and disciple yet—your identity’s still unconfirmed!” 

Sarutobi denied it, despite himself. 

Seeing his approval glimmer tick up slightly, Hikari laughed inwardly. 

“Right, Sarutobi-sensei.” 

“I said we’re not there yet!” 

“Uh-huh~” 

Sarutobi looked at Hikari, sitting primly in the wheelchair, flashing her two little tiger teeth with a grin, and felt a flush of embarrassment, like she’d seen through him. 

A witch-like disciple? That’s a new one for me. 

Chapter 92: Sugar-Coated Cannonball 

The rooftop chat ended quickly. Sarutobi Hiruzen wheeled Hikari back to the hospital room, offered a few comforting words to Naruto and Sasuke, and hurriedly left. 

The village had just been attacked, and as Hokage, Hiruzen had a mountain of tasks to handle. 

Visiting injured students and teachers, consoling parents who’d lost children in the incident, and arranging financial compensation. 

Reassuring the shaken villagers, highlighting the bravery of the students involved. 

Finally, holding Kumogakure accountable. 

The ninja world had only recently entered an era of peace, and no one was eager to spark a war. 

“Accountability” would likely amount to diplomatic squabbles, demands for economic reparations, and maybe some small-scale retaliatory missions by the Anbu. 

Assassinating a couple of prominent Kumo ninjas, sabotaging key economic facilities—that was about it. 

After all, Konoha’s losses weren’t significant. 

Even if Hiruzen had any desire to stir up a war, the villagers—unscathed by this incident—wouldn’t support it. 

Hikari had no opinion on the matter. 

Not that her opinion would’ve mattered anyway. 

Though she was the primary victim and the key figure in resolving the crisis, the power plays between nations were far beyond her influence as a minor player. 

She was already satisfied with gaining the Raiton Chakra Mode. 

Yagura Yozuki, relying on the Raiton no Yoroi’s defense and reaction speed, had overwhelmed her to the point where none of her techniques could land. She’d been coveting that ability ever since. 

After memorizing the training method for Raiton no Yoroi on the rooftop, she wanted it even more. 

B-rank ninjutsu: Raiton Chakra Mode, also known as Raiton no Yoroi. 

A secret technique of Kumo’s Yagura clan, developed by the Second Raikage, perfected, and popularized by the Third and Fourth Raikages. 

Yes, the Raiton Chakra Mode itself was a ninjutsu, not a taijutsu. 

It only became a taijutsu when paired with complementary techniques like Jigoku Tsuki or Raiyaku Suichū Sendai Mai. 

Unfortunately, whether due to the Yamanaka clan’s imperfect mind-reading skills or Yozuki’s brain cells dying off, the critical parts of those complementary taijutsu were severely incomplete. Reconstructing them would be as difficult as developing a new ninjutsu from scratch. 

She had to give up on that. 

Thankfully, Yozuki had spent years perfecting the Raiton no Yoroi, so that part was intact, allowing Hikari to glimpse the secrets of the Raiton Chakra Mode. 

The Raiton Chakra Mode revolutionized the traditional offensive approach of lightning techniques. Instead of hurling lightning at enemies, it wrapped the body in lightning for defense. 

A groundbreaking ninjutsu. 

The principle was to convert chakra into lightning, using it to gradually stimulate the body. This enhanced physical attributes while building resistance to lightning. 

The stronger the body’s resistance to lightning, the more powerful the lightning chakra could be without harming the user. 

The result was a comprehensive boost to attack, agility, and defense. 

In essence, it was a secret technique that leveraged resistance to deal damage. 

The Yagura clan’s exceptional resistance to lightning was transformed, through specialized methods, into an all-around physical enhancement, tailored to their unique physiology. 

Others, no matter how hard they trained, could hardly reach the Yagura clan’s level. 

If a novice lost control during early training, their own lightning could surge through their veins and pierce their heart, killing them instantly without a chance for rescue. 

The scroll documenting the technique even noted that it was somewhat impractical, recommending it be sealed in the Scroll of Seals. Training required supervision and medical personnel to avoid danger. 

The moment Hikari read that line, she understood why Hiruzen had so readily handed her the technique. 

Her robust physique could withstand lightning attacks. 

For others, not only would training be impossible, but it could also be life-threatening—a losing proposition. 

Hiruzen might even be using her as a guinea pig, hoping her success could pave the way for others to train. 

But even knowing his intentions, Hikari couldn’t resist practicing the technique. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared upright, but his methods were all yangmou—open schemes. 

His words were polished: “This old man hasn’t pocketed your spoils.” You couldn’t find fault with him, and if you didn’t see through his motives, you might even feel grateful. 

His offer to take her as a student was the real sugar-coated cannonball. 

Tempting her with ninjutsu and power, while subtly pushing the Will of Fire indoctrination package, all while keeping full control over her progress. 

If she showed any signs of slipping his leash or acting against the so-called Will of Fire, his friendly demeanor would likely vanish. 

In those brief rooftop words, traps were layered one after another. 

The scariest part? There wasn’t a hint of malice in Hiruzen’s emotions. 

That was what made it truly terrifying. 

His schemes were so ingrained that planning them felt as natural as eating a slice of bread for breakfast. 

Even Hikari had nearly been fooled. 

When she saw the blinding goodwill emanating from Hiruzen, she’d briefly considered revealing her Byakugan to prove her identity—a foolish impulse. 

The moment that thought surfaced, she snapped awake. 

Then she saw through the logic behind Hiruzen’s friendly facade. 

Realizing the Kyūbi’s ability wasn’t foolproof, Hikari decided to play along. 

She pretended to be a slightly precocious kid, gleefully swallowing the sugar coating he offered. 

As for the schemes beneath? 

Insufficient strength was the root of all problems. 

Violence was the most convenient solution. 

If she could train her body to withstand even a cannonball exploding inside her, all those sugar-coated cannonballs would just become fuel for her growth. 

Next up: mastering the Raiton Chakra Mode. 

Lightning chakra nature transformation was an area she hadn’t yet explored. 

After wind and water, she was about to begin training her third chakra nature. Fortunately, she’d soon have a Kage-level mentor. She could learn lightning techniques directly from the Third Hokage. 

The remaining fire and earth natures could be tackled in one go, too. 

When you thought about it, that sugar coating was pretty sweet! 

Soon, it was the third day since the Kumo attack. 

Room 203. 

Sasuke was curled up at the head of his bed, lost in his thoughts. The lively Naruto was practicing horse stance on his bed, throwing punches into the air aimed at Sasuke’s backside. 

Hikari sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes closed, sensing her physical condition. 

Thump! 

Thump! 

Her bright red veins bulged, her fist-sized heart beating slowly. 

Each powerful contraction gave her an inexplicable sense of tension, as if an invisible hand gripped her heart, determined to squeeze out every drop of blood and chakra. 

Deep within her heart, a chakra seed glimmered like a precious amethyst, flickering with each heartbeat, emitting a mysterious purple glow. 

After devouring the Kyūbi’s chakra that night, her chakra had undergone a dramatic transformation. The core, once a deep blue ocean, had turned into a noble, enigmatic purple. 

The changes in quantity and quality were even more striking. 

Her chakra reserves, previously at the level of an average Jōnin, were now slightly less than the aging Yozuki’s but roughly on par with a weaker elite Jōnin. 

The quality, however, far surpassed that. 

Using her Byakugan to observe and test, she found that her new, high-quality chakra doubled the power of her Fūton techniques—more than twice the strength of her old chakra. 

When using Kaiten, if one unit of chakra thread from a single tenketsu could previously extend just over three meters, now the same unit with her new chakra reached nearly eight meters. 

The power had increased, too, though it was less practical than the extended range. 

Against highly defensive ninjas, breaking through with a single chakra thread was tough, even with doubled power. 

Against less durable opponents, human flesh was so fragile that the extra power made little difference—one slice would cut them in half regardless. 

Moreover, the Kyūbi’s “infinite chakra” wasn’t just about its vast quantity but also its rapid recovery. Her new amethyst-like chakra core seemed to have inherited some of that trait. 

It produced chakra at an astonishing rate. 

Even when using the Byakugan, her chakra consumption couldn’t outpace the core’s recovery. 

If she kept her ninjutsu power at her previous level, her combat endurance could stretch three to four times longer. 

If she were back at Training Ground Zero now, she could slaughter the entire beast horde without exhausting her chakra. 

Using her new chakra for a single Rekkū, Yozuki wouldn’t even have a chance to counter—he’d be torn apart by the raging winds. 

Beyond quality and quantity, her chakra had gained a new healing ability. 

In about a day and a half, working with her Shikotsumyaku, it had pulled her from the brink of death to full recovery. 

Under her hospital gown, the bandages around her chest remained tightly wrapped, but the skin beneath was fully healed, smooth without a single scar. 

She hadn’t removed them yet, worried her rapid recovery would shock the doctors and nurses. 

She’d deal with it after returning home in a few days. 

Her chakra had changed significantly, and her body was no exception. 

Hikari closed her eyes tightly. 

Her dōjutsu enveloped her body. 

Her flesh hummed with vitality as usual, but her bones exuded a faint lifelessness. 

Focusing her vision on her skeleton, she saw that the once-healthy, glossy white bones were now etched with grayish rings, like the brittle bones of a long-dead corpse, lacking the vibrancy of living bone. 

The quality was even more extreme. 

Her bones, already denser than average and seven to eight times heavier, had grown even denser, surpassing steel of the same mass in both density and strength. 

Without a scale, she couldn’t be sure, but her bones alone likely weighed no less than 200 kilograms. 

After all, she’d broken the wheelchair Hiruzen had brought her. The nurses said those medical wheelchairs had a weight limit of about 150 kilograms. 

Now, the blood vessels and muscles attached to her bones were no longer tightly bound. 

The muscle fibers, activated by her dōjutsu, recoiled from the gray bones as if encountering a natural enemy—like weeds doused with high-potency herbicide. 

This was the Kyōsatsu no Haikotsu? 

Hikari frowned. 

This wasn’t good news. 

The first stage of Shikotsumyaku was simple body control, not as strong as hers but capable of boosting adrenaline, dulling pain, and offering some self-healing. 

This stage was nearly risk-free, as long as one avoided severe injuries that drained vitality. 

The second stage, where Hikari and Kimimaro were, carried the risk of bloodline disease. 

Based on the synergy between her Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku, she theorized: 

Shikotsumyaku’s heavy toll on the body required a vitality-rich Sage Body to use safely. 

Much like how Mangekyō Sharingan needed Hashirama cells to mitigate eye damage from overuse. 

Now, the situation had changed again. 

That night, the Kyūbi’s chakra had overwhelmed her, far exceeding her own reserves. 

Forcibly absorbing it had caused a chakra imbalance, pushing her toward becoming more like the Kyūbi. 

She roughly calculated the limit for absorbing tailed beast chakra. 

The formula was simple: the combined tailed beast chakra couldn’t exceed her own. The chakra from the Sanbi and Kyūbi could only make up 50% of her total. 

Any excess was expelled from her chakra core. 

As a result, most of the Kyūbi’s vitality-rich chakra was absorbed by her Shikotsumyaku. 

Was her Shikotsumyaku evolving to a higher stage under the Kyūbi’s influence? 

The more it evolved, the greater the demand for vitality. 

Could her body withstand such a powerful bloodline ability? 

Hikari opened her eyes, a trace of worry in them. 

With so many people around in the hospital, it wasn’t the place to investigate her Shikotsumyaku’s changes. She’d handle it after discharge. 

Besides, her Byakugan had already spotted a group approaching the room. 

Hiss… hiss! 

Nearby, Naruto, drenched in sweat, was panting heavily, his fists blurring as he punched the air, stomping on the bedding. 

“Naruto, stop practicing for a sec. I need to talk.” 

Hikari waved, pausing his training. 

Hearing her, Naruto dropped his stance, wiping sweat from his forehead, his damp blond hair falling into a slanted fringe. 

“What’s up?” 

“Don’t tell anyone about what you saw that night.” 

As the only “outsider” in the room, Sasuke held his breath, lying on his bed but perking up his ears. 

“Why not?” 

“No reason.” 

Hikari raised a fist. “Spill, and I’ll pummel you!” 

Recalling Hikari’s feral, blood-soaked appearance that night, Naruto shrank back in fear. “G-Got it!” 

Tap, tap, tap… 

A flurry of footsteps echoed from the corridor, drowned out by lively chatter. 

Knock, knock, knock! 

The door rattled. 

Click! 

Hikari, Sasuke, and Naruto all turned to look. 

The Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Sakura leading Sasuke’s fan club—a dozen people poured in, carrying fruit baskets and flowers. 

The spacious room suddenly felt crowded.