The firm refusal at his ear froze the smile on Hashirama's face. The fingers clutching his clothes slowly loosened. "I'm not trapped in the office. I still have plenty of free time!"
"Is that so?"
Madara shot him a teasing glance. What had happened in the office was still vivid in his mind. "Without my proposal to seal the Tailed Beasts, could you have escaped that mountain of government work and traveled across the Shinobi World?"
"Tch—"
Kurama, standing at the back of the crowd, looked disdainfully at the culprit through his fox-like eyes.
The light gradually vanished from Hashirama's face. Madara, who saw it all, had no intention of missing the chance to press his advantage. He moved the Truth-Seeking Orb at his side. "How has the Shinobi Alliance I proposed been developing?"
Hashirama sank completely into gloom, dark lines hanging from his forehead like a curtain over his face as he muttered, "Making great strides."
The pace was now completely in Madara's hands.
Watching everything unfold, Tobirama appeared stern, but inside, he was frantic.
The position of Hokage could become a shackle in Madara's heart, restraining him from completely entering the world of the Six Paths and abandoning mankind.
Having made up his mind, Tobirama lowered his arms from where they had been folded across his chest and said gravely, "Over the past three years, the village's territory has expanded to cover half of the Land of Fire."
His teammate's interjection gave Hashirama time to recover. He hurriedly added, "That's right! Rikusei and I discussed before whether the village, with its ever-expanding jurisdiction, should adopt a more fitting name."
Rikusei could feel himself becoming the center of attention. The faint majesty radiating from the Rinnegan locked onto his every movement.
"One-twentieth Sage, there's no need to be nervous.