As soon as the words fell, the office door swung open. A middle-aged man in a Jōnin vest stepped inside.
His features were firm and unyielding, the passage of time etched deep wrinkles into his face. At first glance, he appeared to be a righteous and reliable man.
However, when his eyes landed on the people Hikaru had brought back, his expression shifted visibly.
His eyes widened slightly, as if he had just witnessed something unbelievable. His body trembled.
Though he quickly composed himself, his reaction didn't escape Tobirama's eyes.
Having caught that flicker of guilt, Tobirama was already inclined to believe Hikaru's claim.
Staring at the man, Tobirama asked in a deep voice, "Senju Daisuke, do you know these people?"
Senju Daisuke clearly hesitated at the question, then gave a small nod and replied in a hoarse voice, "Yes. I know them."
Their exchange quickly drew the attention of the others present, including a dazed middle-aged nobleman nearby.
The nobleman turned his head, and the moment he saw Daisuke, it was as if he'd found salvation. He scrambled over on all fours, wailing, "Daisuke, you've got to help me!"
He raised a trembling hand to point at Hikaru, voice shaking with fear and rage.
"That little brat! Kill him! Just like before!"
As soon as those words left his lips, the entire office turned deathly still, as though frozen in ice.
All eyes fell on Senju Daisuke—curious, mocking, expectant.
Under their collective gaze, beads of sweat the size of beans began to roll down his pale forehead.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Daisuke's knees buckled, and with a heavy thud, he collapsed to the floor.
His head struck the ground hard, the sound echoing through the air, clear to every ear.
"I'll confess everything!" he cried. "Please—on account of the blood I've shed for the Senju clan—spare my life!"
The scene had unfolded too quickly. The nobleman hadn't even processed it.
He stood there slack-jawed, staring at the display in disbelief.
Tobirama furrowed his brows and asked in a stern voice, "Senju Daisuke, do you even realize what you're saying?"
Slowly lifting his head to meet Tobirama's eyes, Daisuke's gaze was filled with fear and regret.
"Yes. I admit to everything," he said.
He then began detailing the entire sequence of events.
Originally, the town had been prosperous. But six years ago, when that noble arrived and changed the taxation system, everything began to unravel.
The local economy declined, and people, unable to survive, started to flee.
The noble was shrewd. Fearing that word of his actions would reach Konoha, he approached the Shimura and Sarutobi clans—both of whom were reeling from the recent deaths of their respective clan heads.
At the time, Mito Uzumaki had just been appointed Hokage. In an effort to maintain stability, she didn't purge the subordinates appointed by the Third Hokage. This gave the Shimura and Sarutobi clans an opening.
But they knew they couldn't cover up the matter alone, so they turned to Senju Daisuke for help.
As the one in charge of the Hokage Tower, Daisuke had control over all information reaching the Hokage's office.
With secret backing from the two clans, they managed to suppress all reports related to the town.
Initially, Daisuke didn't want to go through with it. But as he aged, his strength declined, and he could no longer take on high-level missions. His meager income wasn't enough to support his lifestyle.
So when he learned he could receive a huge payoff in exchange for erasing a single message, he eventually gave in.
Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of his descent.
To continue covering up the truth, he even went as far as secretly assassinating Konoha's own ninja.
This was why the old woman at the inn believed everything she did was to protect Hikaru and the others.
In order to preserve the secret, Sarutobi, Shimura, and Daisuke each planted subordinates around the nobleman—ready to kill and silence anyone if needed.
After hearing his confession, silence fell upon the room.
Tobirama let out a sigh, then fixed his sharp gaze on Daisuke.
"Do you realize that what you've done is the act of a traitor?" he said coldly. "You dare to assassinate your own comrades?! And you still have the gall to beg for mercy?!"
Daisuke's pupils shrank at the words. He knew now that the Second Hokage would never let him go.
Suddenly, he threw down a smoke bomb and tried to escape through the window amid the chaos.
But that's when he learned why his three subordinates were all missing two legs.
His steps turned sluggish and unstable, like he had lost all lower-body strength.
The window—barely a meter away—now seemed like an insurmountable chasm.
Thud! He fell to the ground in disbelief, only to see that his legs were no longer attached to his body.
The wounds at the stumps were completely healed—so clean it looked like he had never had legs to begin with.
"This is the Hokage's office. Try not to make a mess," Hikaru said calmly, eyes fixed on him.
It was clear who had acted.
Tobirama watched the scene unfold, stunned.
Even with all his experience, he couldn't immediately discern what ability Hikaru had just used.
But he quickly let it go—after all, Hikaru was one of their own.
Tsunade, meanwhile, was staring at Hikaru with open admiration. Tobirama couldn't help but feel a pang.
'Girls really are drawn to the outside world. Nothing's even happened yet, and her whole heart's already with that brat.'
Shaking his head, Tobirama turned his attention back to Senju Daisuke, who now lay dazed on the floor.
"Take him away for interrogation," Tobirama ordered. "Anyone involved in this will be treated as a traitor."
At his command, members of the Anbu knelt before him.
"Yes, sir!"
Then they left, dragging away the four legless individuals.
The nobleman, however, was left standing there alone.
At last, he realized just how serious the situation was. He looked at the others with a fawning smile.
"Sirs, I'll hand over all tax revenue from now on. Let me go, alright? I'm a noble sanctioned by the Daimyō—if anything happens to me, you won't get away with it either."
Hikaru let out a cold laugh. "Your destruction has nothing to do with you."
The nobleman blinked in confusion, clearly not understanding what he meant.
Tobirama, on the other hand, looked at Hikaru with a deeply serious expression.
He already knew Hikaru was an Uchiha—but he hadn't expected him to be this arrogant.
Then his eyes shifted toward Tsunade again, and he thought to himself:
"Tch… if only one of my brother or Madara had been a woman, would things have turned out differently?"
The thought flashed through his mind briefly before he quickly shook his head, brushing it aside.