Thinking of this, Tobirama Senju took a deep breath, forcing down the anger and disappointment burning inside him.
He closed his eyes, and only after a long moment did he slowly open them again. The fury in his gaze had been replaced by calm.
Adjusting his posture, his voice returned to its usual steady tone.
"Forget it, let's not talk about them. The real reason I called you here today… is something far more important."
Just then, the office door swung open and a figure stepped inside.
Everyone looked up to see Uchiha Hikaru standing in the doorway, a puzzled expression on his face. He clearly had no idea what was going on.
His eyes swept across the room before settling on Tobirama."Tobirama-sama, was there something you needed from me?"
At those words, Tobirama nodded and motioned for him to come in."Good, you're here. It's best we ask the person involved directly."
This piqued Mito Uzumaki's curiosity, and she spoke up."What exactly is this about? Don't keep us guessing—just say it."
Tobirama nodded slightly, then fixed a serious gaze on Hikaru."Six years ago, during the Chūnin Exams… Hikaru, where did you put those four Tailed Beasts?"
Hikaru froze for a moment at the question.
He frowned, as if struggling to recall that incident from six years ago.
After a short pause, he answered absentmindedly,"Didn't I just cut them down outside Konoha? What's the big deal—"
He stopped mid-sentence, as though something had suddenly occurred to him.
At the same time, Mito's eyes widened slightly. She and Hikaru exchanged a glance, and both faces turned awkward.
They had clearly realized the same thing—Tailed Beasts can revive.
Tobirama snorted coldly."When they revive and you're both away from Konoha, I won't be able to stop that many Tailed Beasts alone."
Mito crossed her arms, a bit defensive."What are the odds of that? It's been so long without any revivals. No way they'd just happen to revive right after we leave." Her voice was filled with disbelief and misplaced optimism.
Hikaru quickly echoed her."Yeah, exactly. What are the chances? If those Tailed Beasts revived right now, I'd just—"
Before he could finish, a deafening roar shook the air.
It echoed across the skies, loud enough for the whole of Konoha to hear clearly.
The roar brought an eerie silence to the Hokage's office.
Everyone's eyes turned to Hikaru, as if waiting for him to finish the sentence he had just abandoned.
Hikaru opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was stuck. No words came out.
After a moment, he finally managed to force a line through his teeth."Emmmm… I'll just have an extra bowl of rice tonight."
He wiped at non-existent sweat on his forehead and gave a sheepish grin.
Mito, embarrassed as well, tugged lightly at Hashirama's sleeve and whispered,"Woodhead, go round up those four Tailed Beasts. Use that move you used on the Nine-Tails."
But before Hashirama could respond, Hikaru abruptly stood up.
His expression turned serious, his voice righteous."Leave it to me. They're too close to Konoha. I'll pull them into a space I create—this way, we'll minimize the damage."
Before anyone could reply, his figure blurred and vanished from sight.
"Pfft—"
As soon as he left, someone in the office snorted in laughter.
Then, more laughter bubbled up, until it rippled through the office like a string of cheerful notes dancing in the air.
Meanwhile, at the Tailed Beasts' location, things had grown chaotic.
Son Goku (Four-Tails) smacked Isobu (Three-Tails) hard on the head. The blow left Isobu dazed and momentarily unable to react.
But the Four-Tails' next words snuffed out his anger."What are you roaring for? You trying to die again, or get sealed?"
The other three Tailed Beasts immediately remembered the image of Uchiha Hikaru cutting all four of them down in a single strike.
The memory was so vivid—and so terrifying—that they all shuddered involuntarily.
For a long moment, silence hung between them.
Then, suddenly, their surroundings shifted, and they found themselves in a strange, unfamiliar space.
They looked around in shock, trying to understand what had just happened.
A familiar voice came from above them."So, are you going to behave and let me beat you up… or resist and get beaten up anyway?"
At the sound of that arrogant tone, all four Tailed Beasts glared upward.
But when they saw who it was, the anger drained from their faces, replaced by dread and resignation.
Gyūki (Eight-Tails), the strongest after the Nine-Tails, still had some pride left.
He forced himself to meet Hikaru's gaze."Don't push it too far. We haven't even attacked Konoha this time—what gives you the right to treat us like this?"
Hikaru chuckled darkly."So you choose to resist first and get beaten after. Good. I like it when you resist. The more you resist, the more excited I get."
As he spoke, Susanoo began to take shape around him.
It was far larger than the one from their last encounter. Seeing it, the four Tailed Beasts' expressions collapsed into pure despair.
Moments later, the quiet space filled with overlapping screams of pain.
Later, unreliable rumors claimed that from then on, every time these Tailed Beasts ran into Hikaru, they couldn't help but tremble.
And that night… Hikaru really did have an extra bowl of rice.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window onto Hikaru's face. A knock at the door pulled him from his dreams.
Rubbing his eyes, he joined Tsunade and Nonō Yakushi in heading toward the main hall for breakfast.
The two women were chatting excitedly—after all, they'd never left Konoha before. This trip was full of novelty and anticipation for them.
Hikaru glanced at Mito, who was just as excited, and couldn't figure out why she was acting this way.
At that moment, he locked eyes with Hashirama. It was as if they saw the same thought reflected in each other.
Then Hikaru smirked and flashed a "three" with his fingers.
Tsunade frowned at the gesture."Come on, Uchiha Chiri is still waiting for us!"
Hikaru dropped the banter and began eating seriously.
But before they could finish their meal, another knock came.
A moment later, Chiri came running in, cheeks slightly flushed.
Seeing her in such a hurry, Mito chuckled softly."Chiri, are you this eager for the mission… or just eager to see little Hikaru?"