Senju Haruto had not told Sarutobi Hiruzen about the special advisor he had secretly installed.
That matter was a private arrangement between himself and Rasa, and naturally, it would never be written into any formal contract.
Besides, the Wood Release clone he had planted would only come into play after Rasa's death.
And when that day came, it would also mean that Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have long to live either.
"…I understand."
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time before finally calming his emotions. "This matter… I owe it to you, Haruto. But you must be tired from your journey. Go and rest first."
"Alright," Haruto replied simply, then turned and left the Hokage's office.
Because transportation was limited in this era, he, Kakashi, and Tenzo had been forced to travel to Sunagakure entirely on foot.
A proper rest was exactly what he needed now.
Once Haruto had departed, Hiruzen dismissed Kakashi and the others as well.
Soon, the Hokage's office was left in complete silence, with only Hiruzen remaining.
Lowering his head, he stared blankly at the contract Haruto had brought back.
He had already read its contents once, yet his mood at this moment was strangely complex.
On one hand, Haruto's growth rate was utterly astonishing — his natural talent, even more so.
For a long time, Hiruzen had believed that Haruto's strength came from his vast reserves of chakra and his mastery of Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.
But now…
After just one visit to Sunagakure, Haruto had managed to master Magnet Release — something Hiruzen himself had never even been able to approach.
"And then there was the time of the Two Kage Summit…"
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened slightly as he recalled the events.
Yamanaka Kaze had accepted a secret mission from Danzō, leading him to attempt an assassination on the Raikage.
A battle had broken out between the two sides.
At that time, Hiruzen had assumed Haruto would use his unique Wood Release to face the Fourth Raikage, A.
Yet Haruto hadn't used Wood Release at all. Instead, he'd met A head-on with Lightning Release.
"The Lightning Release Chakra Mode…"
Although Haruto had called it "Lightning Sprint Form" at the time, to Hiruzen it was, in essence, still a Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
And before that, such a method of using Lightning Release had been the Raikage's exclusive secret technique.
"From the looks of it… Haruto seems to have the ability to copy his opponent's jutsu."
The thought escaped Hiruzen's lips in a quiet murmur, as though he had stumbled upon Haruto's true secret.
"But how does he do it?"
Lightning Sprint Form, when all was said and done, was just another way of applying Lightning Release — a conventional ninjutsu.
Difficult to master, yes, but perhaps Haruto was simply a rare genius who had independently developed a similar technique.
Back then, Hiruzen had been surprised but hadn't thought too deeply about it.
One coincidence could be dismissed.
But two?
"If Haruto really has such an ability… that's far too terrifying." Hiruzen muttered to himself, recalling the days when he first discovered Haruto and began interacting with him.
His growth had been nothing short of extraordinary from the very start.
—
Meanwhile, Haruto had originally planned to head back with Kakashi but was stopped midway by Tenzo.
"What is it?" Haruto asked casually, halting his steps.
"It's like this — when Naruto went on his rampage, a lot of buildings were destroyed. We ended up rebuilding much of the village center. The Hokage-sama said you've been temporarily staying at Kakashi-senpai's place, so he asked us to prepare a home for you."
"I see." Haruto nodded, recalling that Hiruzen had indeed promised him this before.
That had been after Danzō tried to control him with Kotoamatsukami, leading to a fierce battle in the Senju Clan compound.
His house had been destroyed during that incident, and Hiruzen had arranged for him to stay with Kakashi until a replacement could be found.
But one event after another had kept them busy.
Only now had they finally settled the matter.
Of course, Haruto lived alone, so Hiruzen hadn't gone so far as to prepare a luxurious villa.
The new home was much like Naruto's — a standard one-bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bath — but located close to the Hokage's building.
"How does it feel?" Tenzo asked after showing him around briefly. "Hokage-sama said if you're not satisfied, we can still find another place."
Haruto was not only the hero who had saved the village during the Nine-Tails incident, but also one of Konoha's most powerful shinobi.
Even the Third Hokage wanted to accommodate his needs as much as possible.
"This will do," Haruto said after glancing around. The layout was good, the lighting was fine — nothing to complain about.
Besides, with war against the Hidden Cloud looming, he wouldn't be spending much time in the village anyway.
Once Haruto confirmed, Tenzo handed him the keys.
After seeing Tenzo off, Haruto didn't waste time. He took a hot shower and stretched out on the bed, ready for a proper rest.
But just then — a knock sounded at the door.
Haruto sat up sharply.
He had only just moved in. Other than Tenzo and the Third Hokage, no one should know he lived here.
And Tenzo had just left — it was too soon for him to have returned.
Reluctantly, Haruto went to the door and opened it.
The sight before him caught him off guard.
It wasn't Tenzo. It wasn't Hiruzen.
It was the head of the Uchiha clan — Uchiha Fugaku.
The proud bearing Fugaku had once carried was gone. Though his injuries had mostly healed, there was no light in his eyes. His whole demeanor was tinged with exhaustion.
It was obvious that the failed coup had left a deep mark on him.
"Come in," Haruto said, giving Fugaku a quick once-over before stepping back into the room.
"You don't seem surprised to see me," Fugaku remarked as he entered.
"What's there to be surprised about? The real question is — why are you here?" Haruto replied, taking a seat on the couch and gesturing for Fugaku to do the same.
"I came here…" Fugaku hesitated slightly. He knew that what he wanted to ask might touch on village secrets.
But no matter what, Uchiha Itachi was still his son.
"I want to ask you about Uchiha Itachi."
After a brief pause, Fugaku lifted his head to meet Haruto's gaze.
Given his current status and position, there was no way he could bring this up in front of the Third Hokage.
And as for others — there was no one else who might know the truth about Itachi.
Even coming here had placed him under immense pressure.
The way the villagers looked at him now… it was as if they wanted nothing to do with him.
After much deliberation, Fugaku had pinned his hopes entirely on Haruto.