Konoha was still filled with a festive atmosphere after the celebration. Signs advertising three days of discounts at all sorts of food shops proved just how lively things were.
The revelry of the previous night hadn't ended with the festivities. Instead, it had left everyone fired up about building the village.
That was obvious from Great Elder Kaku. During Taijutsu Class, he was grimly beating—no, teaching—Konoha's young sprouts.
Rikusei quietly covered his aching arm so Naori, who was about to take her turn, wouldn't notice and get distracted.
Even Kaku, who was usually as calm as still water, had been fired up. The other shinobi in the village were even more enthusiastic.
The older Yamanaka girl at the mission desk was probably going to have her hands full dealing with all those eager clients these next few days. He wondered if the village had enough missions to satisfy their enthusiasm.
Suddenly, the faint sound of a door opening came from behind him. Rikusei turned toward it and saw a silver-haired, red-eyed man sneakily beckoning him with a finger.
Kaku had noticed, too. He winked at Rikusei to show him it was fine.
Rikusei reassured Naori with a small gesture that didn't attract much attention, then headed out under the curious gazes of familiar faces like Kagami and Danzo.
"Teacher Tobirama, what do you need me for?"
Rikusei asked as they walked along the wooden floor. His quiet voice echoed through the corridor.
"It's about some of Konoha's policies."
Tobirama stopped, narrowed his eyes, and decided to be honest. He got straight to the point.
Rikusei turned around and started walking back. Konoha's major affairs had reached the point where they needed advice from an elementary school kid still studying at the Ninja Academy. Konoha's doomed. He silently repeated the thought a few times and headed back without hesitation.
Tobirama stood there, dumbfounded, then grabbed the boy by the wrist. In a gentle voice, he said, "Hey, Uchiha's little genius. I just want you to take a look at my ideas."
Rikusei eyed him suspiciously. He was going to call me a brat just now, wasn't he?
Seeing him stop, Tobirama spoke with a confident gleam in his eyes. "Do you know who's been giving Madara advice?"
Tobirama watched the boy who had left such a deep impression on him with keen interest. The brilliant ideas Rikusei had offered about textbooks in the office still lingered in his memory. He was eager to hear what the boy would say.
When he'd first learned about Madara's ideas from his Elder Brother, he'd been deeply shocked. He hadn't expected Madara to be so capable in matters of domestic policy, too.
Fortunately, Tobirama had been spending a lot of time in the Hokage's Office lately. He'd paid close attention to Madara's suggestions and compared them with his earlier ideas. They weren't even on the same level.
So he had reason to suspect that someone was advising Madara. He'd analyzed Kaku and Setsuna thoroughly, and neither of them seemed to be the source.
After ruling out everyone who could regularly spend time with Madara and influence him, even an utterly unbelievable answer was worth considering.
After all, he'd developed so many forbidden techniques by following one implausible idea after another. His intuition, honed over many years, had prompted him to try bluffing his young disciple.
The answer he got was somewhat unexpected.
"It was me." Rikusei decided there was no point pretending anymore and answered openly. "I only provided a direction."
Better to reveal himself early than keep hiding. It would win him more attention from the Senju faction and raise his standing in the village.
Suppressing his shock, Tobirama continued walking at the same pace as before. "You really are a remarkable young man."
"Maybe it's because my head isn't full of ninjutsu research and everyday worries. That lets me see things a little more clearly." Rikusei followed quietly behind him. Glancing at the familiar teachers' office ahead, he teased Tobirama a little.
The office was empty. The teachers had all left early.
The classes for the Uchiha Clan's new students were still being organized. This time, the Ninja Academy wanted to recruit more students.
Tobirama gestured for him to sit closer. When the boy approached without a hint of caution, Tobirama grinned triumphantly and vigorously kneaded his familiar-looking face.
As expected, Uchiha were annoying at any age.
Watching the boy pour himself tea without the slightest hesitation and sit back to leisurely wet his throat, Tobirama couldn't help but laugh.
After drinking his tea, Tobirama took a sample made by the Artisan Ninja from the cabinet and placed it on the table, smiling at him.
Rikusei set down his teacup and picked up the sample, examining it carefully. It looked like a tea kettle. Feeling its unusual chill against his palm, he realized it was made of a special metal. He fed chakra into it, and sure enough, it glowed blue.
"This is a prototype for sealing a Tailed Beast."
Tobirama's words left him silent. Had Konoha really become that rich? They were using such rare, hard-to-find chakra-conductive metal to make prototypes.
Tobirama watched his expression closely and could tell what he was thinking from the way it shifted. When he'd first seen the tea kettle, their expressions had been almost identical.
"I can't help with sealing a Tailed Beast. Let's talk about schoolwork instead."
Rikusei quickly picked up the paper with their grades on the table and held it up as a shield.
"I know you can't help with that. I want to hear one of your brilliant ideas." Tobirama finally understood that the boy wouldn't act without getting something in return. He sighed and continued, "My Elder Brother—no, Lord Hokage—wants to give the Tailed Beasts we captured to the other Hidden Villages."
"For free?" Rikusei asked, still a little surprised despite remembering the famous scene.
Tobirama nodded helplessly, his eyes seemingly drained of light. Even a child knew this much. How could his Elder Brother not understand? He began, "He wants to—"
"Stop! I know what Lord Hokage wants to do." Rikusei hurriedly cut him off. He didn't want to hear the famous line.
The ideal was a good one, but not everyone in the Shinobi World had Hashirama's innocent heart and could open their arms to embrace others.
"Does Teacher know?" Rikusei asked softly.
"No," Tobirama answered immediately.
"Maybe you should tell Teacher and see if he'll beat up the Ho—" Seeing Tobirama's displeased look, Rikusei quickly corrected himself. "I mean, see if he'll change the Hokage's mind."
"You little troublemaker. I ought to get rid of you Uchiha who dare to cause trouble in Konoha." Tobirama raised a hand in mock threat, his voice chilling.
Rikusei noticed that Tobirama could barely suppress his grin. He knew the man also wanted to give his Elder Brother a good beating. He immediately straightened his back, sat upright, and asked solemnly, "Then what's your idea, Teacher Tobirama?"
"Sell them." Tobirama listed his expected prices for each Tailed Beast on a piece of paper.
He watched the boy frown at the page, full of anticipation, then couldn't help interrupting him. "Are those prices reasonable?"
"Not appropriate." Rikusei lifted his gaze from the paper and met Tobirama's red eyes as he answered softly.
"Have you decided how to distribute the Tailed Beasts?" Rikusei took the pen and put question marks beside the numbers one through nine on the paper.
Tobirama shook his head. Rikusei continued, "If I remember correctly, the Four-Tails' abilities would be hard to use effectively in the Land of Water. You could sell it to them. By the same logic, this is the Adaptation-to-Local-Conditions Method I came up with."
"The Adaptation-to-Local-Conditions Method?" Tobirama pondered it for a moment, then said, "It probably won't work. The great nations will only buy the ones that benefit them."
"Have you considered the dangers this could create for future generations?" A hint of anger crept into Rikusei's voice.
"But what if—"
"Why didn't the peace the Sage established last? Could a few Tailed Beasts really have maintained it?" Rikusei shattered the fantasy in Tobirama's heart, voicing the words he'd kept buried deep inside.
Tobirama helplessly downed the rest of his tea. Gazing gloomily at the empty cup, he asked, "Then what should we do?"
"We could split the Tailed Beasts into countless pieces. Then every Hidden Village could get one." Rikusei's devilish whisper lingered in Tobirama's ears, plunging him into deep thought.
The crisp sound of the dismissal bell rang throughout the school. The students upstairs streamed out toward the school gates.
A purple figure shifted quietly outside the door. Rikusei glanced at Tobirama, who sat there in a daze, then headed out.
Tobirama was still sitting blankly in his chair when Kaku arrived. Only then did he come back to himself. Smiling, he watched Rikusei leave.
Standing by the window and looking out over Konoha's chimneys as wisps of smoke rose into the air, Tobirama gazed at his reflection in the glass and lightly tapped his forehead. "That's right. The Tailed Beasts are living beings made of chakra. How had I never thought of splitting them up?"
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