Chapter 127: The Aftermath and Reward – Sage Body?!
Golden light filled the sky, turning Konoha into a city of daylight.
Countless ninja stood dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the sheer force still echoing in the air.
Up above, Haruta hovered quietly, his breathing heavy as he looked down on the shattered earth—and the vanished Akatsuki.
"…So they ran, huh?"
He hadn't expected that much destruction.
But it made sense. He had completely drained his chakra this time.
'The more chakra I pour into my bootleg Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, the stronger it becomes…'
After his last "storytelling" session, he'd dumped all his reward points into chakra, bringing him up to Level 11.
This time, he hadn't held back—not when the Gedo Statue itself had shown up.
What was the point of restraint if it couldn't even be damaged?
He might as well see what his limit looked like.
And it turned out… he'd underestimated his bootleg's power.
'The real Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion uses Truth-Seeking Orbs as its core.
I don't have those.
I'm running this thing off raw chakra.'
If he ever gained the ability to form Truth-Seeking Orbs—and channeled this level of chakra through them...
'Could I… cut the moon in half?'
"…Haruta!"
A voice pulled him from his thoughts.
A large group was approaching from the distance—Hiruzen, Danzo, and even Tsunade among them.
Seeing familiar faces, Haruta exhaled in relief.
WHOOSH—
With a flick of his chakra, he deactivated Light-Weight Rock Technique and descended rapidly to the ground.
"Lord Hokage."
The moment he landed, Haruta stumbled slightly. He was quick to recover, but it was clear even his stamina had its limits.
Still, he straightened up and gave Hiruzen a respectful nod, then glanced past Danzo to Tsunade.
"Lord Danzo. Sensei Tsunade. You're both here."
"Are you alright, Haruta?"
Before Hiruzen could speak, Tsunade rushed forward, grabbing his arm.
Yuugao, dressed in full ANBU gear, followed closely behind.
Haruta saw she was unharmed and offered a faint smile.
Then he looked back at Tsunade and asked,
"I'm fine. But what's the situation in the village?
I remember hearing something about a riot breaking out…"
"Don't worry. Those guys aren't a big problem."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a breath of relief the moment he saw that Haruta was unharmed. His expression then turned grave.
"Haruta, what the hell happened tonight? What's going on with the Uchiha clan?"
What concerned him most was the aftermath. What kind of mess had the Uchiha created tonight, and how badly would it affect the village?
To be frank, just looking around told him enough—the Uchiha were finished. Whether any survivors remained was already questionable.
A once-great clan had been all but wiped out overnight. He felt a twinge of sorrow… but more importantly, Konoha had just lost a major military power.
"…Lord Hokage, there's something very off about tonight's events."
Haruta nodded slightly, but before he could continue, a commotion erupted outside.
"Let me through! This is my home! Let me in!!"
The voice of a young boy pierced the night.
Haruta didn't even need to think—Sasuke had returned.
Hiruzen sighed and gestured to a nearby Anbu. Moments later, a masked shinobi led Sasuke into the area.
Seeing the child's tearful eyes, Hiruzen sighed again. This might really be the last Uchiha…
"Go on, Haruta. Continue. He's still part of the Uchiha. Even if he's young, he deserves to know."
"…Alright."
Haruta nodded, though he quietly cursed himself for acting too fast—he had forgotten to let the brothers meet one last time.
"I was supposed to be resting tonight, but I sensed space-time fluctuations within the village. It made me think of someone."
"…Uchiha Obito?"
Hiruzen immediately grasped what he meant.
"Exactly. He's the only one I know with that level of spatial ability."
Haruta was well on his way to becoming a master at blaming Obito. At this point, it was almost second nature.
But the thing was—it worked. And no one could deny that Obito had, in fact, shown up tonight.
"So I followed the chakra traces, and when I arrived, I found someone had already gotten there before me… and I could smell heavy blood in the air within the Uchiha compound."
"You're saying… the Akatsuki did it?"
Hiashi Hyuga couldn't keep silent anymore. The night's events had shaken him to his core.
"Yes—but not entirely."
Haruta shook his head slowly, glancing around at everyone present, lingering just a moment on Danzo's pale face.
"When I entered the compound… I found Uchiha Itachi personally butchering his entire clan. And members of Akatsuki were there, stopping anyone from interfering."
"WHAT?!"
"Impossible!"
"Itachi?!"
The entire room erupted.
Itachi, slaughtering the Uchiha clan? With the Akatsuki?
Was this some kind of twisted joke?
"Liar! You're lying!!"
Young Sasuke couldn't hold it in. He screamed at Haruta, his voice raw.
"My brother would never! He—he—!"
"…If any corpses are intact, they can be examined," Haruta said quietly, his voice heavy with regret.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either. Who could even imagine killing their clan, their friends… their parents?
And during the battle, I saw corpses of elderly, of children… even pregnant women.
They weren't killed by the Akatsuki. They came from elsewhere—they still had fresh blood on them. Most likely… they were from the Police Force."
The Akatsuki handled the Police Force.
Itachi… wiped out the rest.
Clan members. Friends. Elders. Children. Pregnant women…
Every word carved deeper into the minds of the assembled ninja. Even hardened Anbu clenched their fists.
They were trained killers, yes. But to murder one's own family? One's entire clan?
That wasn't shinobi work. That was monstrous.
"…Itachi and the Akatsuki…"
Hiruzen's fist trembled slightly, and Danzo—standing nearby—didn't dare utter a word.
He didn't care what Itachi did; to him, the Uchiha had always been enemies.
But teaming up with Akatsuki?!
That bastard was setting him up.
"Also… there's one more thing to report, Lord Hokage."
And just as Danzo feared, Haruta continued.
"Obito got cocky. He started talking.
He said this whole night was about teaching Konoha a lesson.
That someone in the village had already approved the plan to move against the Uchiha—or they wouldn't have succeeded so easily.
They recruited rogue ninja and bounty hunters to assault from outside, and also staged a prison break to distract Konoha's shinobi.
All so they could strike the Uchiha from within—and retaliate against the entire village."
Haruta paused.
"In other words… maybe the Uchiha never intended to rebel in the first place. They—"
"Enough."
Sarutobi Hiruzen cut him off.
The Uchiha not rebelling? Unthinkable.
Just because they didn't do it tonight didn't mean it wasn't coming.
But deep down, he knew what Haruta was doing: giving Konoha an out. Giving the Uchiha… a shred of dignity. And shifting the blame to one person.
After all, if someone inside had greenlit the operation—who else could it have been?
He turned toward Danzo.
"…Danzo."
That single name was all he needed to say.
Danzo looked like he'd aged ten years in a second.
He knew. It was over.
Honestly, Hiruzen suspected Danzo himself had been manipulated. If Itachi was already Akatsuki, then this whole thing was a trap—not just for the Uchiha, but for Konoha.
And that only made him angrier.
Because he, too, had been played.
And Danzo had pissed him off plenty lately.
Maybe this… was a good chance.
"Danzo, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Hiruzen's tone turned icy. His eyes locked onto Danzo with authority and disgust.
"I've been far too lenient with you. How many times did I say the Uchiha were our comrades?
And yet you… you acted behind my back. You didn't even know who Itachi really was. And you still gave him such a task?
What were you thinking?!"
"I…"
Danzo's lips trembled. Wasn't it YOU who first recruited Itachi into Anbu?!
But listening to Haruta now, he knew the truth:
He was the scapegoat.
And Haruta—damn him—had played his part flawlessly.
Didn't I teach you it's always "for Lord Danzo"? When did that become "for Konoha"?!
Still, he knew there was no escaping this.
"…I only did it for Konoha. I didn't know Itachi was such a madman."
He tried to draw a line. Quickly. Desperately.
But Hiruzen only glanced coldly at the ruined landscape.
If Haruta's final strike had been aimed inward… Konoha might have been cleaved in half.
"You're done. As of this moment, you're stripped of all authority—no longer a Hokage advisor or Root's commander."
The words hit like a hammer.
Danzo's face turned pale.
That… was everything.
"Wait, Hiruzen, I—"
"Silence."
Hiruzen cut him off with a cold grunt.
"You heard Haruta. The Uchiha didn't rebel. This was all the Akatsuki's doing—Itachi's doing.
Even if that's not true, you trusted Itachi without properly investigating him.
How can I trust your judgment after this?
Worst of all—you let one of our shinobi carry out the total destruction of his own clan. That's not justice. That's not Konoha."
As he spoke, the lingering golden light from Haruta's earlier attack cast a divine glow across Hiruzen's back, making him seem… like a sage of old.
Danzo's heart sank. Not just because of the blame—but because of what had truly been revealed.
If people found out what Itachi had done—
It would be the death of him.
Danzo clenched his fists. His mind raced.
Wasn't Itachi supposed to protect Sasuke?
Wait…
He killed everyone. Could someone like that really care about his brother?
"…Was I played this whole time?!?"
Danzo's rage surged.
He forgot all about Haruta's "setup." He could only think of strangling Itachi with his own two hands—and maybe taking Sasuke with him.
But it was impossible.
He had no authority now. No power.
"…Itachi… You bastard…"
He growled internally.
Sasuke stood off to the side, sobbing quietly.
The assembled shinobi all wore heavy expressions.
Only Haruta remained emotionless.
In fact, he suddenly blinked—and lowered his head slightly, concealing his face.
Because just then… his system had begun to tally rewards.
---
Meanwhile… in a forest outside Konoha.
The air distorted. A black vortex spun into being.
Uchiha Itachi—battered, soaked in blood—fell out of the void, gasping.
Behind him, the other survivors of the battle followed, equally miserable.
"…What was that power?"
Orochimaru staggered out next, glancing back toward the still-glowing horizon of Konoha.
Then he looked at the earth beneath them.
The massive canyon that Haruta's sword had carved… it had stretched all the way out here.
He couldn't help but wonder—if Haruta had aimed inward, if the Uchiha hadn't been pushed to the edge of the village…
Would Konoha have been split in two?
"…Is this the power of the Senju?"
Orochimaru whispered, but something didn't sit right.
Since when did the Senju fight like that?
"…Truly terrifying,"
Kakuzu muttered nearby. Even he felt shaken.
If not for that monstrous Wood Golem blocking the worst of the blow—and their quick escape…
They'd be dead.
He knew Haruta was powerful. Akatsuki had never managed to get the better of him.
But this level of power?
That was on a whole other level.
Sasori and Biwa Juzo looked equally wrecked.
That overwhelming blast… had left none of them unscathed.
None of them had the will to speak any grand words anymore.
They simply turned and looked silently in the direction of Konoha, golden light still faintly glowing on the horizon. The air around them was heavy—choked with unspeakable tension.
"…So, this mission—is it considered complete?"
After a long pause, it was Pain—finally emerging from Kamui Space alongside Konan and Obito—who broke the silence as he stared at the glowing Konoha skyline.
"This was the one we were supposed to bring back? The guy who massacred his own clan?"
Pain didn't even want to remember the earlier fight with Haruta. He admitted he had once again underestimated the man.
Even though he had already considered Haruta dangerously strong—he himself possessed the Rinnegan, after all—Haruta had shattered that perception with brute force.
If it weren't for the Gedo Statue's near-indestructible defense, he couldn't even imagine what their fate might have been.
And what pissed him off the most—Haruta hadn't even targeted their true bodies.
But Konan had been present on the battlefield. If not for the Gedo Statue's defense, she might have been obliterated.
That was something Pain could not forgive.
"…Did he know how durable the Gedo Statue is?"
The thought kept echoing in Nagato's mind. It was the only explanation that made sense.
"…Yeah. Let's call it a success."
Uchiha Obito's face was unreadable as he stared into the distance and gave a slow nod.
"You've all seen his power and potential. Now that we've acted in the open, Konoha probably assumes he's one of us already.
So instead of fighting that perception, we might as well lean into it—bring him in. With someone like him on our side, we'll be better prepared for the bigger fights ahead.
Most importantly, both he and Haruta once served in the Anbu. He might even be familiar with Haruta's patterns."
Without waiting for a response, Obito turned toward Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi. This world is already rotten. Whether it's Konoha or the Uchiha clan, this place only brings pain.
In a world of darkness, there's no salvation. Join us—and help create a world of light, of dreams, of peace."
"Pfft. A guy who butchered his whole clan is talking about peace?"
Orochimaru sneered from atop the Gedo Statue, his tone mocking as he cast a sideways glance at both Obito and Itachi.
"I'm really curious. Just how many did you kill tonight? Why did you kill them? Were your parents among them too?
I honestly can't understand it. I can't even imagine what it's like to kill your own family. Could you describe it to me?"
"…You really want to know?"
Itachi's voice was ice-cold as he slowly looked up, Mangekyō Sharingan spinning ominously in his eyes.
At this moment, everything clicked. He had been played—by Obito, by Akatsuki.
He was bound to them now. Konoha was already wrecked. His battle with Haruta had burned itself into his memory.
He didn't even want to think about what had happened to the Uchiha anymore.
All that lingered in his heart now was rage—and dread.
"…Quite the expression," Sasori muttered. "Though to be honest, I'm curious too—what does it feel like to kill your own parents?"
Even Sasori, who despised Orochimaru, seemed to be on the same page for once.
"And hey, that guy named Shisui gave me quite a bit of trouble with eyes like yours. How do you compare to him?"
Both Orochimaru and Sasori had unresolved trauma tied to their parents' deaths. That made Itachi—who killed his own—more of a curiosity than an ally.
They didn't care if it was cold or cruel. They just didn't like him.
And they weren't the only ones.
Kakuzu, still shaken from Haruta's overwhelming strength, also shot a cold glance Itachi's way.
Konan and Pain said nothing, but even they seemed to keep their distance.
Only Biwa Jūzō, a product of the Blood Mist era, showed any trace of silent understanding—but even he remained mute.
The whole atmosphere turned suffocating.
"…Hey now, you guys aren't thinking of killing the new recruit, are you?"
A sudden tremor from the ground broke the tension. A giant Venus flytrap bloomed from the soil—Zetsu had arrived.
"That's a bit rude, isn't it? Also, we should probably be leaving. No telling when Konoha might send someone after us."
"True. This is still Konoha's territory. Who knows if that guy will come chasing after us again."
Obito turned his head toward the now darkened sky, where Haruta's golden light had finally faded.
His heart was filled with unease.
Haruta… just what the hell are you?
"…Fine. We'll leave. But first—I want answers."
Pain agreed to retreat, but didn't move.
"If you want us to leave, you can warp us out. But first, I want to understand something—what is Haruta?
His fighting style is vastly different from any Senju we've ever known. Or were we simply misinformed all this time?
You call yourself Uchiha Madara. So surely, you must know more than anyone."
Like Obito, Nagato had been left stunned by Haruta's sheer display of power.
He had to understand.
"Agreed. This is worth investigating."
Orochimaru leaned in, eyes gleaming with curiosity. The others also turned their gazes toward Obito and Black Zetsu.
Even Itachi, expression still hollow, looked over. Kakuzu too. No one could help it.
Obito's face darkened.
How the hell would I know?!
"…There's no need to overthink it."
Luckily, Black Zetsu stepped in.
"The Senju clan never all used Wood Release. That was unique to Hashirama. He was simply that powerful.
Over time, his use of Wood Release became synonymous with the Senju name—and even with Konoha itself.
But truthfully, the Senju's greatest strength was never Wood Release. It was their bloodline power."
"Bloodline… power?"
That raised a few eyebrows. It wasn't a common take.
Obito stayed silent. He had no idea if any of this was real—but hey, better to let Zetsu handle it.
Nagato frowned slightly.
"…What do you mean by bloodline power?"
"I mean exactly that," Zetsu replied smoothly.
"Everyone knows the Sage of Six Paths had two types of power: the eyes of the Sage, and the body of the Sage.
The Senju are descendants of the Sage too—or how else could they have such terrifying strength?
Haruta—real name Senju Haruta—was always a potential inheritor of this power. And he awakened Wood Release as well.
Hashirama was likely the last known possessor of the Sage's Body—and Haruta, I believe, is the next."
The Sage's Body—the other half of the Sage of Six Paths' legacy.
In other words… Ashura's reincarnation.
Zetsu, of course, kept that part to himself.
But the basics? He didn't mind sharing.
Even he had no better explanation for what happened tonight.
That absurd golden light, the sheer chakra pressure, the devastating attacks—
It wasn't normal.
'Yang Release: Chakra Mode… and those attacks were all based on it.'
Zetsu had felt it himself—the techniques Haruta used were born from Yang Release Chakra Mode, a signature trait of the Sage's Body.
Normally, Ashura's reincarnations needed a Tailed Beast's chakra to simulate that kind of power.
But Haruta?
He had no Tailed Beast—and still pulled it off.
'Did something mutate in Ashura's chakra during reincarnation?'
Zetsu had no answers.
All he knew… was that Haruta had to be Ashura reborn.
How else could he wield such godlike power?
"…The Sage's Body, huh?"
Nagato's eyes narrowed.
Anything tied to the Sage of Six Paths was never simple.
They didn't know the full truth about the old Senju, but that wasn't important anymore.
They had caught on to the real issue.
'Haruta has the same body as Hashirama Senju.'
If that's the case, and Hashirama only used Wood Release because of his Sage's Body—
Then Haruta, with that same power, expressing it differently… made perfect sense.
"…Fascinating,"
Orochimaru whispered, licking his lips. His eyes darted toward Nagato.
If there was a Sage's Body, then surely… somewhere, there must also be a Sage's Eyes.
"…Sage's Body…"
Konan, too, turned toward Pain.
And in the shadows, hidden in the forest, Nagato—his real body—felt his heart tremble.
'He has the body. I have the eyes…'
He closed his eyes briefly… then opened them again with renewed determination.
'If both halves of the Sage's power unite… maybe together, we can truly create a new world.'
---
A golden sun rose in the sky.
Its light cut through the darkness—but tonight, in Konoha, no one slept.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk in the Hokage's office. His eyes were bloodshot, exhaustion carved into every wrinkle.
But there was no sleep.
Not after tonight.
"Lord Hokage. The rogue ninja and bounty hunters outside the village have been mostly eliminated."
Kakashi stood before the desk, reporting in a calm, efficient tone.
"The escaped prisoners inside the village have either been recaptured or killed. Nothing slipped through."
"Good."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples and puffed his pipe.
"And… the Uchiha? Any survivors?"
"…Apologies, Lord Hokage. None found so far. But the search is ongoing."
Kakashi kept his head low.
He glanced at Haruta standing nearby—but the man said nothing. No intent to speak, no explanation.
"…I see."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
He shouldn't have asked.
Not after the kind of power Haruta unleashed tonight.
So many bodies were beyond recognition. Some were parts of bodies.
A few torsos. A few legs. Many blown to pieces by the sheer force of the final clash.
Still, they'd confirmed the truth.
Haruta had told no lies.
The wounds were precise—killed in a single strike. Classic Uchiha techniques.
Just as he had said, they found bodies of all kinds: men, women, even pregnant women… and children.
"…Beast,"
Hiruzen muttered under his breath.
And yet…
He couldn't help but wonder—if the Uchiha had truly rebelled, and if the choice had fallen to him…
Would he have sent Itachi to do the same?
He thought about it.
And realized—yes.
To minimize damage to the village… he would have.
But that wasn't what happened.
The Uchiha were gone. He had given no order. And Itachi had joined Akatsuki.
A long silence.
Haruta turned slightly and gave the old man a sidelong glance.
'If I hadn't stepped in… you would've nodded, wouldn't you?'
He said nothing.
But his eyes said it all.
Damn it… he actually pulled it off. What a clean sweep.
"Lord Hokage, there's one more thing I need to report."
Kakashi's head remained bowed as he spoke calmly.
"In the forest outside the Uchiha compound, we discovered a large number of corpses. Upon closer inspection, they were all wearing standard ANBU gear…
But the ANBU weren't deployed in force tonight, which means—"
"…They were Danzo's men."
Hiruzen immediately nodded.
It didn't surprise him in the slightest. If Danzo and Uchiha Itachi had colluded to massacre the Uchiha clan, then of course Root would have dispatched a team to oversee the operation.
Still… thinking about the fact that so many of Root's operatives had perished, Hiruzen's mouth twitched involuntarily.
He honestly couldn't tell if that was good news… or bad.
For Haruta though? Definitely good news. Without a doubt, the ones Danzo had sent were his most loyal dogs. If they were all dead, then—
What a win.
"…Thank you for your work, Kakashi."
Hiruzen sighed deeply. He didn't know what Haruta was thinking, standing quietly beside him, but the old man's face was filled with exhaustion.
"There's still more to do. I'm sorry."
"It's no trouble, Lord Hokage. This is my duty."
Kakashi shook his head. After giving a respectful bow, he turned and walked out of the office, leaving Hiruzen to massage his aching temples.
"…To think this incident would spiral this far out of control… What a nightmare."
Koharu Utatane sighed from the back of the room as she watched Kakashi leave. Homura Mitokado silently nodded beside her.
"Danzo got played hard by Uchiha Itachi. And to think… he fooled everyone."
"But, Haruta—you did very well."
Koharu turned to Haruta. Her tone was originally meant to carry a high-and-mighty superiority—after all, she was one of Konoha's elders.
But when she recalled that golden sword that cleaved the sky… and considered the silent presence of Tsunade standing nearby…
She changed her tone.
"…The Uchiha didn't rebel. That's good for everyone. It's just a shame about Danzo."
"Don't start with the sympathy," Hiruzen cut in, gritting his teeth. "I told him time and time again—don't go too far. He never listened."
Homura didn't want to weigh in on that topic, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Enough about him. For now, his removal is for the best. But Hiruzen—you know we can't function without a Root division.
We'll also need to carefully manage the narrative around the Uchiha incident. Even if we all know Danzo and Akatsuki were responsible… the other clans might not be so quick to accept that.
If word spreads that Danzo manipulated Itachi into wiping out the Uchiha, it'll make everyone nervous."
Hiruzen nodded. Homura wasn't wrong.
This was no small matter.
Especially since things had played out quite differently from Haruta's previous knowledge.
This time, the devastation was greater. The fallout—far messier. And worst of all, Danzo had basically confessed to his connection with Itachi.
If this wasn't handled delicately, the repercussions could rock the entire village.
"I propose," Koharu suddenly spoke again, "that Tsunade or Jiraiya serve as the interim head of Root."
"Are you out of your damn mind?!"
Tsunade exploded. "Me? Take over Root?! If you want someone to do it, go find Jiraiya. Don't you dare rope me into this crap!"
Her voice echoed through the room. Clearly, she was not interested in the job.
Born into the prestigious Senju clan, Tsunade understood Root's importance. But she had no interest in politics.
She didn't even want to be Hokage—why the hell would she want Root?
"Tsunade, now's not the time to be willful—"
"Spare me the lectures, Koharu!" Tsunade snapped. "You elders caused this mess. Don't you dare try to drag me into it. I said no, and I mean it!"
Koharu was stunned speechless.
She looked around, but Hiruzen simply puffed on his pipe, and Homura was staring at the floor.
The room fell awkwardly silent…
Until—
"Lord Hokage."
Haruta suddenly stepped forward, breaking the silence.
"How about… you let me try?"
"…You?"
Koharu's usually narrow eyes widened. Even Hiruzen looked surprised.
In his mind, Haruta—this boy who possessed the power of the First Hokage and the tactical mind of the Second—was clearly a future Hokage candidate.
Was Root… really the right place for him?
Truth be told, the moment Haruta showcased his Wood Release, Hiruzen had already made plans to groom him as a successor.
But Haruta was still only sixteen. Far too young.
Even the Fourth Hokage had only risen to power in his twenties. Making Haruta Hokage now would be absurd.
But Root?
"Lord Hokage, I truly believe I'm the most suitable candidate."
Haruta smiled and nodded to Tsunade, who stared at him like he'd gone mad.
"I came from Root. I know everything wrong with it. Before, I wouldn't have dared to even think about it.
But now? Root is in shambles. Danzo is gone. Most of the division was wiped out tonight. This… is our chance to rebuild it."
What was Root, really?
If Konoha was modeled like a state, then ANBU were the FBI—inward-facing.
And Root? CIA—external operations only.
Danzo had overstepped constantly, using Root internally… but Haruta had no intention of doing the same.
He had no desire to aim Root's blade at Konoha.
No—he wanted Root to punch outward.
To become Konoha's true black-ops arm.
And besides, Haruta saw Root as Danzo's inheritance.
As his "most loyal subordinate," how could he not take it for himself?
"This is also a chance for me personally. My dream… has always been to become Hokage."
Haruta turned back to Hiruzen and continued with a sincere smile.
"But I know—becoming Hokage isn't just about strength. It's about wisdom, leadership, and understanding the village.
Taking over Root would allow me to study how Konoha functions behind the scenes. I'd gain experience managing a large, complex organization.
And I'd work quietly. No one would know it's me. I wouldn't expose my identity—just like Danzo once did."
He paused and gave a bow.
"So please, Lord Hokage—grant me this opportunity."
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed with a strange light.
This speech—this pitch—was perfect.
Haruta wanted to be Hokage.
He understood secrecy.
He wouldn't turn into another Danzo, drunk on power and hated by all.
But even so… this was still a major decision. Hiruzen couldn't just hand it over on the spot.
"…I see. I'll think about it and give you an answer within three days."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Haruta gave a satisfied nod.
To him, this was as good as confirmed.
If only Danzo were here to see this—he'd have the perfect scowl on his face.
But oh well. Can't have everything.
*
[Special Mission Completed: Uchiha Rebellion]
> Rating: S
Reward: Free Points +10
[Special Mission Completed: Preserve the Flame]
> Rating: A
Reward: Free Points +8
[Special Mission Completed: Root Scheming]
> Rating: S
Reward: Free Points +10
[Due to overwhelming performance against Akatsuki members, preserving Uchiha's legacy in secret, removing superior to seize Root]
> Minimum Rating Reached: A
Additional Special Rewards Unlocked:
— Special Reward 1: Ninjutsu Doctorate
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