The two of them left Sakumo's home and returned to the stone platform.Due to their last battle, the platform was now much shorter.
"Eat this," said Nara Hikari, taking out the Quick Cut Fruit.
Sakumo blinked, stunned by the blade-covered, intimidating fruit.
"Uh... Master, are you sure this thing is edible?"
He stared at the strangely shaped fruit, clearly unsure how to even approach it.
"Just take a bite."
Seeing Nara Hikari's calm expression, Sakumo reached out, found a spot where the flesh was visible, and cautiously took a bite.
"…Ugh. It tastes awful."
Sakumo grimaced in disgust—
But still forced himself to chew and swallow.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to question why Hikari had given him something so disgusting, a strange energy—one clearly different from chakra—began to surge within him.
Sakumo closed his eyes, sensing the changes taking place inside his body.
No one knew how much time passed before he reopened them.
"Well?" asked Hikari.
"Thank you, Master Hikari. I've reached Kage-level strength."
"Not bad. Show me what you can do."
"Yes, Master Hikari."
Sakumo raised his hands—they transformed into razor-sharp blades before Hikari's eyes.
In a flash, he vanished and reappeared beside a massive boulder left over from their last battle.
He slashed down—his arm-blade cleaving cleanly through the stone's surface, leaving behind a perfectly smooth cut.
Then he raised his right leg, now also transformed into a blade, and kicked outward.
The blade leg sliced through the rock just as easily.
Sakumo continued shifting different parts of his body into blades, cutting through rock with effortless precision.
Then, once again, he raised an arm-blade—this time crackling with lightning—and disappeared from sight.
BOOM!
He struck the rock wall with devastating force.This time, the wall didn't just split—it shattered.
The lightning around his blade condensed into a sword-like energy and slashed through the airborne fragments—
Reducing them to dust before they even hit the ground.
Sakumo turned to look at Hikari.
"This is the Quick Cut Fruit. It allows you to transform any part of your body into a blade. Once fully developed, even the objects around you can be weaponized into blades for offense. The power of this fruit is only limited by your imagination—and with enough creativity, its potential is nearly limitless."
"Yes, Master Hikari."
"Alright. Let's head back."
"Yes."
Nara Hikari and Hatake Sakumo returned to the village and quickly regrouped with Nishito and Silbi.
"We need to find a place to serve as the base for the assassination unit I'm forming."
"Master Guang, I think I know just the spot," said Nishito.
"Is it large enough?"
"Absolutely."
"Then lead the way. Let's take a look."
Ten minutes later, Nishito led them to a clearing on the outskirts of Konoha.
"What do you think, Master Guang?"
Nara Hikari surveyed the surroundings.It was spacious and well-isolated from civilian areas.
"Perfect. Gather some people and start building. I'll cover the expenses."
"Yes, Master Guang."
The site for the assassination unit's headquarters was chosen.Now it was just a matter of completing the construction and preparing for recruitment.
Nara Hikari had a bit of free time while the base was being built.
Though he had planned to fund it himself, the Nara clan—upon hearing he was constructing a facility—immediately offered manpower and materials.
He didn't have to spend a single coin.
With help from Nishito, over 300 people were recruited for the construction effort, including civilians with building experience.
Originally, Nara Hikari had considered building the facility underground—but decided against copying Danzo's shady "Root" methods.
Instead, he modeled the unit after Tobirama's future vision of a formal black-ops force.
Thus, the assassination unit was officially named Anbu—a name Tobirama had already conceived but not yet implemented.
Using the Nara clan's shadow techniques, Hikari enclosed the entire construction site.Not for secrecy—but simply to prevent outside interference during the build.
During the downtime, he divided his time between training, developing his Explosion Fruit, and helping Sakumo master the Quick Cut Fruit.
Under Hikari's imaginative guidance, Sakumo developed several powerful techniques—and, combined with the Hatake clan's swordsmanship, his strength soared far beyond what he ever achieved in the Second Ninja War of the original timeline.
Half a month later, the Anbu headquarters was completed.
Hikari entered the building, followed by Sakumo, Nishito, and Silbi.
"Not bad at all."
He nodded in satisfaction at the architectural style and layout.The next step: recruiting members.
With Tobirama's support, Nara Hikari began screening every available ninja not stationed on the frontlines.
What surprised him most was that the Shimura clan sent candidates—clearly an attempt to smooth over relations.
But Hikari saw through it.
Most of the ninjas they sent were only elite Genin—only one was an elite Chunin.
He kept the Chunin and dismissed the rest.
From the rest of Konoha's clans, he accepted one or two ninjas each, maintaining a political balance and giving each family some representation.
However, the majority of his picks were civilian-born shinobi.
One of the most noteworthy recruits was from the Moonlight Clan.
The clan's unique ability—Transparent Release—caught Hikari's attention.
Unfortunately, their bloodline had weakened.Only a few members had awakened it.
Among them was Moonlight Senma, grandfather of Moonlight Hayate.
Senma's mastery of swordsmanship, combined with his bloodline limit, had earned him Jonin status.
Hikari accepted him immediately.
After seven days of rigorous selection, the newly established Konoha Anbu was officially formed.
A total of 55 ninjas were recruited:
• 30 Jonin
• 18 Special Jonin with unique abilities
• 7 elite Chunin
This marked another ripple in the butterfly effect Hikari's presence had triggered in the Naruto world.
In the original timeline, there was little mention of how many Jonin Konoha had in its early years.Even by Shippuden—some 60 years later—Tsunade could only gather just over 30 Jonin for a council meeting, including members of Root.
But now, Hikari realized that the number had already far surpassed that.
The surveillance of the four great nations' borders was carried out by one Jonin commanding three Chunin teams.
Even after excluding those stationed outside the village, the number of Jonin remaining in Konoha was well over 80.
Out of curiosity, Hikari had once asked Tobirama directly.
Apparently, many clans kept hidden elites—so the actual number could be even greater.
Still, most of them were only average Jonin.True elite Jonin were few, mostly the heads of major clans.
After the rejected candidates left, Hikari summoned the chosen ones for the first official Anbu meeting.
He stood at the front.Behind him were Sakumo, Nishito, and Silbi.
The rest—Anbu recruits—stood before him.
Even the ordinary Jonin, experienced as they were, felt a sense of awe.This was the man who had defeated the Second Raikage.
No one dared act arrogantly.