Chapter 11: The Stage

Kakashi's scroll didn't contain much.

Just a handful of carefully chosen lines—each one subtle, but pointed.

For example, Hikaru's uncertainty about Kakashi's treatment in ANBU.

And the line where he warned Kakashi that the Hokage's actions might be misunderstood.

Minato Namikaze wasn't foolish.

He was gentle and approachable, yes—but that didn't make him naïve.

From childhood, Minato had been exceptionally sharp. War had only further honed his judgment and instincts.

Kakashi being sent on a mission the moment he entered ANBU—if that wasn't simply because "his combat ability is outstanding," but instead meant what Hikaru implied—

Then it was a warning.

A deliberate show of force aimed at Kakashi.

Coupled with that line about "misunderstanding the Hokage's actions," Minato's thoughts inevitably went deeper.

He had only just taken office.

In name, he was Hokage—but in reality, many things were still beyond his reach.

ANBU, for instance.

ANBU was one of the Hokage's core powers. Logically speaking, once the Third stepped down, ANBU should have fully come under the Fourth's command.

And yet—

All he had done was place Kakashi inside.

No restructuring. No orders. No power plays.

And still, this happened.

"…Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Minato suddenly realized the direction his thoughts were taking was dangerous. He forcibly cut them off.

He glanced at the scroll in his hand, then subtly sensed the ANBU presence still concealed around the office.

With a quiet sigh, he tucked the scroll away.

Keeping it here would only invite unnecessary trouble.

"Fukami Hikaru… or rather, Senju Hikaru."

"That child… is interesting."

Hikaru had no idea what was happening in the Hokage's office.

By now, he was already back in his room.

It was time to seriously consider his next steps—how to extract greater benefits from what was to come.

Truthfully, Hikaru had known for a long time that his future in Konoha held far more potential than anywhere else.

The first reason was simple:

Competition.

Konoha's future decline was something he remembered all too clearly.

The signs had already appeared back in the kakashi and Sannin era.

Some died.

Some would defect.

Some had already left the village behind.

Even Jiraiya, in the end, didn't remain in Konoha.

As for Minato's generation—true Kage-level powerhouses were scarce.

At most, there was Minato himself… and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, his wife Kushina.

Others—Hyūga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, the Ino–Shika–Chō clan heads—were undeniably strong, each capable of holding a front on their own.

But they were still just a step short of true Kage level.

Unless, of course, Fugaku really did possess the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Hikaru's own generation was better.

Talents capable of standing on their own emerged one after another.

But if he was being honest—

In the future, aside from Kakashi, who somehow went fifty–fifty with everyone, and Might Guy, who nearly kicked the story to its ending—

The rest fell short.

They were elite jōnin.

Kakashi and Guy, however, were Kage-level, or even beyond.

Konoha's talent gap was inevitable.

And for Hikaru, that gap was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He didn't believe that with more than a decade ahead of him, he wouldn't even reach Kage level—especially with a cheat.

His early years of "planting trees" had been painful, yes, but he'd already reached jōnin-level strength.

And he was certain of one thing:

Once he entered Sage Mode, he would be at least elite jōnin-tier.

And that was only beginner Sage Mode.

There were still intermediate and advanced stages.

He even suspected there might be something like a "complete" or "Six Paths" state later on.

Unfortunately, he didn't have those seeds yet—nor the qualifications to plant them.

But the future was wide open.

Just the intermediate Sage fruit alone would likely push him into quasi-Kage territory.

At the very least, his overall combat power would reach that level—even if the duration was limited.

Beyond that, there was still bloodline development.

He didn't yet understand how to push that option further, but he wasn't worried.

Whether it was basic attribute seeds, chakra nature seeds, Sage seeds, or chakra capacity seeds—all of them came from plants, randomly extracted.

Find plants more closely aligned with specific attributes, and the odds improved.

Someday, he might even draw a seed that directly increased bloodline development.

"Strictly speaking, my real competitors are only Kakashi and Guy."

"Guy's a pure training maniac. He won't fight for power—he probably doesn't even realize such things exist."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed in like an idiot trying to save Sarutobi later on."

"As for Kakashi…"

Hikaru thought of Kakashi's future as the Sixth Hokage.

Frankly speaking, that position had practically been handed to him.

Becoming Hokage wasn't about being outstanding alone.

You had to be outstanding and acceptable to every major interest group.

Kakashi, as Minato's disciple, had impeccable pedigree.

He was on good terms with nearly all the jōnin of his generation—many of them were his classmates.

The village's core combat strength supported him.

And the old power center?

It had conveniently been wiped out by a single Ten-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb.

With the upper ranks reshuffled, strong backing, and sufficient personal strength—

Kakashi was naturally pushed to the front.

And there was one more decisive factor:

The two so-called Saviors of the Shinobi World were both his students.

That path was reproducible.

Hikaru even believed he could do it better.

Of course, plans never unfold exactly as imagined.

Still, it beat joining Akatsuki.

Leaving aside the terrifying competitors, just the level of internal rivalry among its members was enough to make Hikaru's scalp tingle.

If he went there now, he'd be delivering himself on a platter.

"At this stage, the priority is still improving strength… and gathering talent."

"Then steadily expanding the persona I've already built."

Hikaru quickly made his decision.

Strength meant planting trees—no shortcuts there.

Talent recruitment, on the other hand, was a headache.

But it had to be done.

Coincidentally, he did know of a 'talent pool' lying quietly in one place.

He could try his luck there.

But once he made contact…

The future would become a lot more troublesome.

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