After finishing the investigation, Natsuhiko was seemingly forgotten.
His injuries were not serious. Strictly speaking, he hadn't been injured at all—he had simply consumed a great deal of energy during that battle.
But with his recovery ability, that level of exhaustion was hardly worth mentioning. He had almost completely recovered by that very night.
Yet even now, he was still staying in the hospital, and there had been no indication from above that he was allowed to leave.
Natsuhiko didn't mind too much.
When he went out on that mission, his condition hadn't been at full capacity to begin with. The main reason was that sealing-type seeds were simply too tempting.
And beginner-level seeds grew very quickly. Even though he had planted many of them already, the growth speed remained impressive.
When he was younger, he had planted a large number of seeds. Back then, he hadn't thought too much about it and had focused entirely on basic attribute seeds.
Interestingly, those basic attribute seeds didn't have distinctions like high-grade or low-grade, unlike chakra levels and chakra natures.
He still remembered his boldest attempt—planting eight seeds at once.
At that time, he had chosen four reaction-speed seeds, two speed seeds, and two strength seeds.
Those eight seeds forced him to wait more than a year—nearly two—before they finally matured and he could reap the results.
Of course, back then his chakra reserves were limited, and the amount he could freely mobilize was pitifully small.
It wasn't surprising the planting time had been so long. He could only blame himself for being reckless.
But now, he was much more restrained.
As his body matured over time, although his usable chakra was still somewhat scarce, it was no longer in such an embarrassing state.
Sometimes Natsuhiko wondered—if he hadn't planted those seeds, just how much chakra would he possess by now?
But the thought was quickly cut off.
Without that cheat-like ability, whether he could have even survived five years in the ANBU was questionable.
Stretching lazily, Natsuhiko shifted into a more comfortable position.
Staying in the hospital wasn't a bad thing. He could quietly wait for his seeds to mature.
And what pleased him most was that the people who had been monitoring him had gradually withdrawn.
"It seems my previous performance wasn't bad."
At that thought, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Having read the original story, he had a fairly good understanding of what kind of person Hiruzen Sarutobi was.
Hiruzen truly devoted himself to Konoha. Many of his decisions, from his position and perspective, were not wrong.
Of course, he had personal motives as well. He had done quite a bit for the sake of his clan.
And in truth, his shifts in attitude were tied to the broader situation of the ninja world and Konoha's internal needs.
During wartime, if you spoke to him about bonds, about abandoning a mission for your comrades—you would die a miserable death.
At that time, Konoha was besieged on all sides. If you abandoned a mission and plunged the village into danger, no one would tolerate it.
Your only value then would be serving as a scapegoat when Konoha needed someone to bear the consequences of a failed war effort—volunteering yourself to stand at the very front.
But now, the situation was somewhat better.
Although the war had not truly ended—Kumogakure had not signed any formal agreement with Konoha—
Kumo had its own matters to deal with. They intended to avenge the Third Raikage and take action against Iwagakure.
Of course, that was the official stance. But Natsuhiko remembered that Kumo and Iwa had never truly engaged in full-scale war afterward.
Even if there were clashes, they were minor skirmishes—nothing comparable to the scale of their assault on Konoha.
Natsuhiko guessed that the Fourth Raikage was likely consolidating power within his own village.
It wasn't that the Fourth Raikage didn't want to avenge his father. Natsuhiko knew a bit about his personality.
But as a Kage, he had to learn to remain calm.
If the village itself was unstable, his orders wouldn't be carried out smoothly. If no one listened to him, then everything would be meaningless.
Rather than fighting Iwagakure in such a condition, it was better to first consolidate internal affairs.
At the same time, he could use the prospect of war with Iwa to divert attention—both from those inside the village and those outside.
Thinking of this, Natsuhiko couldn't help but shake his head with a faint smile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had truly suffered a major loss this time.
He had agreed to a ceasefire with Iwagakure at such a low "price." Aside from the fact that Konoha genuinely could not continue fighting, wasn't part of his intention to provoke Iwa and Kumo into clashing?
If those two villages started fighting, Konoha would gain enough time to recover its strength.
For that goal, he had signed what could practically be called a humiliating treaty. He had even stepped down from the forefront and pushed a more obedient figure forward.
He had essentially aided Iwagakure—returning all prisoners without demanding any compensation.
And yet in the end, he must have been dumbfounded.
Why hadn't those two villages gone to war?
Wouldn't everything he had done amount to nothing?
"But whether they fight or not, it doesn't matter. Konoha is still recovering its strength. For now, it's a relatively peaceful period.
My performance—completing the mission while doing my best to protect my comrades—should align perfectly with his current values.
After all, in what I told Yamanaka Inoichi, I deliberately emphasized both clan and village.
And I pointed out my dream of becoming Hokage. In his eyes, that's probably an embodiment of the Will of Fire.
At this stage, that's the most politically correct thing there is."
Originally, Natsuhiko had been thinking about how to attract Hiruzen's attention.
But now, he didn't need to do anything. The opportunity had delivered itself right to him—there was no way he wouldn't seize it.
Natsuhiko had to admit, he had borrowed a bit from Uchiha Itachi's line of thinking—such as weighing the village against the clan.
Although he found it somewhat naive, didn't it fit the age he had constructed in his "memories"?
"Still, this isn't enough to truly capture his attention. What matters most is the position of commander of ANBU's Third Division."
At this stage, it could only be said that Natsuhiko had entered Hiruzen's field of vision due to his surname, the strength he had displayed, and his faint connection with Minato Namikaze.
But if he wanted Hiruzen to actually make a move, this was far from sufficient.
Only by securing the commander's position—by truly becoming one of the ANBU's power-holding members—
Could he step onto a higher stage.
Only then would he gain greater recognition and attention.
"Once my fruit matures, I'll have to meet Minato Namikaze again.
With sealing techniques as my foundation, and with the intelligence I provided last time likely verified by now, it should be time for me to make some requests."
The future was bright.
At least, under Natsuhiko's step-by-step planning, it couldn't be better.
But just as he was lost in thought, the door to his hospital room was knocked on once more, pulling him back to reality.
His sensory ability activated quickly.
Soon, his expression turned rather strange.
Why are they here?