However, the three shinobi had already fled far away, leaving only the middle-aged man standing there with a face full of anger and helplessness.
Hikaru's expression remained cold as he watched the scene unfold, as if everything was within his grasp.
He gave a cold snort and said disdainfully, "Do you think I'm not here?"
With those words, he casually snapped his fingers.
An abrupt change occurred.
The three shinobi, who had just been running for their lives, suddenly appeared right beside him.
They still had faint expressions of relief on their faces, believing Hikaru hadn't bothered to pursue them.
But before they could react, something horrifying happened.
Their legs fell neatly away from their bodies, as though sliced off by an invisible force.
It all happened in the blink of an eye—so fast that none of them even felt pain at first.
Then, as blood began to spurt, they let out heart-wrenching screams.
The middle-aged man instinctively took a step back, his earlier anger and arrogance instantly replaced by sheer terror.
The surrounding samurai also looked at one another in shock at the sudden turn of events.
In that moment, their weapons suddenly felt unbearably heavy in their hands.
Hikaru frowned slightly as he looked at the three writhing on the ground.
A wave of flame swept across their wounds. The three stared in horror at the fire licking their severed legs.
To their surprise, there was no searing pain. Instead, a soothing warmth spread from the wounds, as though vitality was surging into them.
In just moments, the terrible injuries closed up completely—without even a scar left behind.
Relieved, one of them gritted his teeth through the lingering weakness and asked:
"Lord Hikaru, did we… do something wrong?"
Hikaru glanced at him with eyes so cold that sweat immediately poured down the man's back.
"Is your family name Sarutobi or Shimura?"
The words made all three tremble as if struck by lightning, their faces draining of all color.
Hikaru didn't bother with them further. He turned to the middle-aged man.
The moment their eyes met, the man could no longer contain his fear. His composure broke, and he roared:
"What are you all standing there for?! Get him!"
The samurai hesitated, their feet rooted to the spot.
Seeing their reluctance only made the man more frantic. He cursed angrily:
"****! Have you forgotten about your families?!"
Threatened in the name of their loved ones, they had no choice but to obey.
They gripped their weapons and charged at Hikaru with fierce expressions.
But Hikaru's face showed no reaction.
This time, however, he stayed his hand.
Raising one palm slightly, he released an invisible ripple that swept across the entire area.
It was intangible, impossible to detect—until every samurai collapsed to the ground as if falling asleep, unconscious.
The middle-aged man gaped, dumbfounded, then slumped onto the ground, his face pale as paper, eyes filled with terror and despair, as though he had just seen his own end.
Hikaru looked at him and asked calmly, "Are you the mayor of this town?"
The man looked up in disbelief, confusion in his eyes.
This stranger had shown up without even knowing who he was, yet came straight to confront him.
He felt like he'd been eating hot pot and singing songs at home… only to have bandits kick in the door.
Seeing his reaction, Hikaru chuckled.
"You don't seriously think I'm some wandering rogue-nin, do you? You really have no idea what you've been doing?"
The man snapped out of his shock and noticed the Leaf forehead protector on Hikaru's head. That realization seemed to give him a bit of confidence.
He straightened slightly and said with a trembling voice,
"You're a Leaf shinobi?! Don't you know who I am?! How dare you attack a noble?!"
The questions came like cannon fire, one after another, as he tried to project authority and instill fear.
But Hikaru casually dug at his ear, completely unfazed, his expression calm and unmoved.
That indifference only made the man angrier. Hikaru's contempt was like a punch to his pride, burning away some of his fear and replacing it with fury.
His eyes widened with a dangerous glint as he shouted:
"Do you know that I'm friends with Senju Daisuke? And you dare treat me like this?!"
Hikaru showed no change in expression. Instead, he turned to the three women who had just arrived and said calmly, "You heard that, right?"
The three had been following Hikaru's orders to wait nearby, but with the sounds dying down, concern had gotten the better of them.
Exchanging looks, they had come together to offer backup.
Tsunade hadn't expected to arrive just in time to hear such a bombshell.
She never imagined this incident could be connected to the Senju.
Nonō Yakushi, on the other hand, only nodded knowingly, as if she had anticipated it.
As for Chiri, her mind was spinning.
Hikaru didn't explain—he still had to tell the story to someone else soon enough.
"All right, the witness is here. Let's head back to the Leaf."
The women were a little reluctant—they had barely stepped out of the village gates before being told to turn back—but they understood the gravity of the matter and nodded firmly.
Knowing how they felt, Hikaru didn't summon the Seven-Tails for the return trip. Instead, he used a teleportation technique, bringing them and the witness straight to the Hokage's office.
Tobirama Senju didn't look particularly surprised to see Hikaru appear out of nowhere—he'd done the same often enough himself.
But when he saw the three legless shinobi and the round-bellied middle-aged man, his brow furrowed.
"What happened, Hikaru?" he asked.
Hikaru nodded. "Yes, there's been a development."
He recounted everything they had seen and experienced in the town.
When Tobirama finished listening, his gaze lingered on the captives.
"Bring Senju Daisuke here!"
A shadow flickered and was gone.
Before long, a knock came at the door.
"Lord Tobirama, you sent for me?" came a respectful voice from outside.