Tobirama: "Destroy it already, hurry up, I'm tired."

With the empty seats reclaimed by familiar figures, the Ninja Academy returned to its usual bustling, clamorous state.

Clutching a textbook authored by Tobirama, Rikusei flipped through the pages in a daze, the atmosphere of study around him as intense and fiery as the summer sun outside the window.

Was this really the same laid-back, comfortable classroom as before?

He could understand their eagerness to learn; the chance to participate in the sealing of a Tailed Beast was rare, and one couldn't afford to miss it, lest they regret it for a lifetime.

Perhaps he should suggest to Tobirama that he bring more people next time; after all, it was just a matter of the Wood Golem grabbing the Tailed Beast with one hand, and at most, they would just need to prepare a few more Kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God.

When it came down to it, he still missed the lazy atmosphere of the school from before.

A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air from the podium. Rikusei, lost in thought, jerked his head back, waking up instantly and wanting to lean aside to dodge, but Naori was sitting right behind him.

The white blur in the air grew larger in his vision, the chalk's white form gradually filling his pupils until it struck his forehead with a thud, producing a crisp sound that echoed through the classroom.

Rikusei covered his reddened forehead and looked toward the podium with an innocent expression, but Kaku, face devoid of emotion, beckoned for him to bring the chalk up, then pointed toward the door.

After handing over the chalk, Rikusei stood obediently in the hallway, his face pressed against the wall as he listened to the lecture inside. He activated his Sharingan to adjust his focal length, staring intently at the podium and following the progress of the lesson as he gazed at the taijutsu power-generation diagrams drawn on the blackboard.

A refreshing summer breeze swept through the corridor, lifting his robes and whisking away the fine sweat on the back of his hands; the cool sensation seeped into his heart, making him feel that this wasn't so bad after all.

"Heh, it's truly a grievance to have the Sharingan used like this by you."

A light, mocking voice came from behind him. Rikusei, his train of thought interrupted, didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

The silver-haired man was looking at him with a smile, and seeing him turn around, he said softly, "You should have already mastered these things, shouldn't you?"

Red pupils met red pupils.

Rikusei widened his Sharingan, looking at him in surprise. Tobirama, who was always so strict with himself, had actually come out of the office to be the first to arrive on the scene and mock him.

Tobirama shrugged with a look of helplessness, gave him an encouraging glance, and walked toward the outside of the Ninja Academy.

Walking through the streets of Konoha under the scorching sun, Tobirama observed the passing crowds. His heart felt a mix of pain and joy; he had only been away for a few days, and the village was already piled high with all sorts of documents.

He wondered what kind of wild ideas Hashirama and Madara would come up with to torture him in the Hokage's Office now.

He quickened his pace toward the Hokage Building, but paused at a newly opened cold drink shop, glancing at the ninja who was working hard to chill the beverages.

Her identity had been investigated by his subordinates; she was a ninja from the Yuki clan of the Land of Water. Her strength was average, and she could be taken down with ease. Many of the female ninjas queuing in the shop were there on rotation to monitor her; it seemed her cold drinks were quite popular among the ninjas.

Arriving at the Administration Department, Tobirama sat in his chair and flipped through the backup files corrected by Shikahira. A look of satisfaction gradually appeared in his eyes; even when it came to medicinal herb issues involving his own clan, there had been no favoritism, and the affairs of the other two allied clans had been handled well, too.

Nara Shikahira.

Tobirama muttered the name in his heart. Suddenly, the office door opened, and it was the very man he had just been thinking about. He stood up, pointed to the documents on the desk, and said, "I'm taking these backups?"

Shikahira stared at the man sitting in the chair, ripples forming in his eyes as he made up his mind. Such a good opportunity could not be allowed to slip past him, so he probed, "Why don't we make something of the Nine-Tails sealing in the Shinobi World?"

Tobirama, seizing the initiative, raised his arm to signal him to sit down and explain in detail.

Shikahira, not minding in the least, pulled a chair over from the wall and said, "The whole Shinobi World knows of the strength of the Hokage and Madara, yet many lack a concrete concept of it. We can use this opportunity to give them a shallow understanding."

Tobirama nodded, commending him in his heart. Since the sealing incident, many in the village had already begun to draw comparisons regarding the power of Hashirama and Madara—the Nine-Tails was equal to one grasp of the Great Buddha.

This was a very good phenomenon. Ninjas from the various clans understood their strength, but the most crucial thing was to let ordinary ninjas personally realize the power of Konoha, rather than relying on hearsay.

Only in this way could they attract more people. Konoha's scale would gradually develop to become the strongest Hidden Village in the Shinobi World, obtaining more commissions from the Daimyo and acquiring more funds, thus achieving a virtuous cycle.

"How do we publicize it?" Tobirama stared into his eyes, tapping his fingers on the desk as he asked seriously.

Having finally waited for this question, Shikahira took the pre-written plan from the side cabinet and placed it before him.

Tobirama took it and examined it closely. As he read through the opening, he realized: was this to be spread through merchants?

One of the main channels for information exchange in the current Shinobi World was indeed through merchants. As expected of the Nara clan, who dealt in the medicinal herb business, Tobirama marveled in his heart.

But the further he read, the more shocked he became.

The tables merchants made to collect commodity prices from various places could, with some expansion, be used to collect news occurring in every Hidden Village, compiled into booklets, printed, and circulated throughout the Shinobi World.

If this were truly done, Konoha would take the lead in gaining an advantage in the public opinion of the Shinobi World, or even achieve a monopoly on information.

A light of praise flickered in his crimson pupils. He now had a new understanding of the intelligence of the Nara clan.

Shikahira's status in his heart rose another level; he had tentatively been labeled as "one of our own."

"But this also has its drawbacks. Once other Hidden Villages know that Konoha has successfully sealed the Nine-Tails, they will surely move against the other Tailed Beasts."

Shikahira, sitting in the chair, smiled silently. The man before him was playing dumb; intelligence regarding the Mist Village's failure to capture the Three-Tails had already been delivered to the Hokage Building.

He simply said, "Sealing techniques, and sealing ninja tools."

"True." Tobirama stood up from his chair in a sudden realization, gathered the backup files from the desk, and said with a light laugh, "I will discuss what you've said with the Hokage. There will be many more affairs awaiting your handling in the future, so don't you dare complain of exhaustion."

Shikahira, having seen Tobirama to the door, watched his back disappear into the hallway. He smoothed his pineapple-style hair, turned back to look at the empty desk, and revealed a gratified smile. Now he could finally be completely rid of the annoying nagging.

Tobirama, carrying the files along the corridor, walked toward the Hokage Office. He could hear the laughter from inside while still far away, and his smiling face instantly turned as cold as an iceberg, radiating waves of chill.

He was working himself to the bone worrying for the village, while the two inside were laughing heartlessly as if they hadn't a care in the world; it was truly heartbreaking.

A knock on the door silenced the laughter. Pushing open the office door, Tobirama looked at the two sitting upright, as if the laughter from just a moment ago had been an Uchiha genjutsu.

He placed the files he was carrying against the wall with a huff and said, "I was just chatting with Shikahira, and he mentioned some novel ideas. I am very interested and would like to discuss them with you in detail."

Hashirama, his hands resting flat on the desk, glanced at Madara without changing his expression and said with great seriousness, "No problem."