Come with Me to the Hokage Building

The whole forest came alive. Branches and vines shot up wildly, and thick tree trunks burst from the ground. In the blink of an eye, they wrapped Kakuzu up like a dumpling. Two wooden spikes pierced straight through his chest with a wet thud. Kakuzu didn't even groan before going still.

Hashirama hadn't even had time to speak when things went wrong on the other side. Hibari's Adamantine Sealing Chains stopped, and Hiruzen lowered his hands. With Sarutobi Sasuke's Sealing Jutsu failing as well, the Seven-Tails Chomei BOOMED free of its restraints and went berserk again.

Hashirama furrowed his brow. He couldn't spare the time to check whether Kakuzu was truly dead. Keeping his hands clasped together, he let his aura surge.

As soon as he entered Sage Mode, his pressure swept outward like a tangible force. Even the Seven-Tails froze for a moment, warily watching the figure before it.

Hashirama was seething. If he'd arrived half a step later, his grandson would be dead. What grandfather could stay calm after that? He had to vent his anger somewhere, and wasn't there a perfect punching bag right in front of him?

He didn't care about the ins and outs. All he could think was that if this Tailed Beast hadn't drained Hibari's chakra, his grandson wouldn't have been caught unable to dodge a sneak attack.

Fine. You're the one.

Without another word, Hashirama unleashed the full force of his Sage Mode. The air throughout Insect King Valley grew heavy.

With an angry shout, Senju Hashirama summoned Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands. The ground split with a roar as a giant Buddha rose from the earth, lifting Hibari and Sarutobi Hiruzen onto its head along with it.

He didn't give the Seven-Tails a moment to react. Changing his hand signs, he fixed his gaze on the comparatively "tiny" Tailed Beast. "Top Transformed Buddha!"

The expressions on Hibari and Hiruzen's faces were as if they'd seen a ghost. The entire statue came to life in an instant. Its countless arms clenched into fists and rained blows down on the Seven-Tails.

Insect King Valley shook violently. Countless cracks spread across the ground, while the Seven-Tails' cries came in fits and starts from within the dust cloud. It sounded downright pitiful.

The Tailed Beast that had left Sarutobi Sasuke and the others helpless moments ago was nothing more than a punching bag in the hands of the God of Shinobi. Hashirama pounded it relentlessly, giving it no chance to fight back.

Even after it had already been worn down, the gap between them was still absurdly wide.

Seeing that Hashirama showed no sign of stopping, Sarutobi Sasuke appeared from who knew where and hurriedly shouted, "Lord Hokage! Please spare it! You'll really kill it if you keep hitting it!"

Only then did Hashirama slow down, and the rain of fists eased up a little.

At the same time, Hibari hurriedly spoke up as well. "Grandpa Hashirama... this is my first mission. Could you leave me a little face? Otherwise, all that effort I put in will have been for nothing."

Hearing that, then looking at Hibari's pale little face and remembering that the boy had been willing to risk his life to complete the mission, Hashirama finally felt some of his anger ebb away. The giant Buddha that had nearly beaten the Seven-Tails into a meat pancake at last came to a halt.

"Do you have any idea how close that was?" Hashirama stared at Hibari, his tone reproachful, though anyone could hear the fear beneath it.

Hibari only grinned, though the smile was a little forced. "I knew you wouldn't be late..."

In Konoha, in the garden of the Senju Residence.

Three people sat in a small pavilion, the atmosphere seemingly quite warm. Facing little Tsunade and Uzumaki Mito, Hibari was gesturing wildly as he told his tale, spittle flying.

"It all happened in a flash! Hiruzen was about to get hurt. How could I just stand there and watch?"

Hibari slapped his thigh, looking terribly pleased with himself. "I formed the hand signs right away and shouted, 'Adamantine Sealing Chains!' Four chakra chains shot out and bound the Seven-Tails tight!"

Little Tsunade's eyes went wide as she listened. Curiously, she asked, "What happened next, Brother Hibari? What happened to the Seven-Tails?"

Uzumaki Mito watched him with a warm smile too. She knew the boy was probably making most of it up, but he told it so vividly that it was fun to listen to. She didn't call him out, simply enjoying the story.

"What do you think?" Hibari practically had his tail in the air. "You know who I am, don't you? I'm Senju Hibari! The moment I used those chains, the Seven-Tails couldn't move an inch.

"Once Hiruzen caught his breath, he quickly backed me up. In no time at all, the two of us had taken down the Tailed Beast.

"By the time Grandpa Hashirama arrived, there was nothing left for him to do. He just went with Grandpa Sarutobi to escort the Seven-Tails to Takigakure. By my reckoning, they should be back by now."

Maybe he'd gotten carried away with his bragging. After finishing, Hibari sighed as if he still had more to say, then put on a solemn expression. "Sigh, good thing I insisted on going this time. Otherwise, what would Hiruzen have done? I think he won't be able to go on missions without me from now on."

As he spoke, Uzumaki Mito kept smiling at someone behind him. Hibari was starting to wonder what was going on when little Tsunade pointed behind him and called out, "Uncle Hiruzen! Did you come to listen to the story too?"

Hibari's smug expression instantly froze. His neck stiffly turned around. Sarutobi Hiruzen had appeared behind him at some point, his face dark as the bottom of a pot as he glared at Hibari with an unfriendly look.

"Oh! Uncle Hiruzen, you're here?" Hibari reacted quickly, instantly putting on a radiant smile. "What a coincidence! I was just telling them how brilliant and mighty you were on the way here! I learned so much by your side. I benefited immensely, immensely!"

With a dark expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen reached out and smacked Hibari on the back of the head. "You little brat! I heard every word from back there! So, according to you, I really won't be able to go on missions without you from now on?"

Hibari didn't get upset even after being smacked. Instead, he grinned and sidled closer. "Ow, Uncle Hiruzen, if you really want to form a permanent team with me, I definitely don't mind! What do you think of that idea? Pretty solid, right?"

Though Hiruzen had caught him red-handed, he wasn't truly angry. If anything, he found the boy's shamelessness amusing. He shook his head, not bothering to pursue the matter, and asked, "All right, enough joking around.

"Seriously, how are you feeling? Are you doing any better?"

"Never better!" Hibari thumped his chest, his voice growing louder. "I'm built like an ox. What could possibly be wrong with me?"

That was what he said, but the truth was nowhere near as easy as he made it sound. He'd forced himself to use Adamantine Sealing Chains to hold the Seven-Tails down, then been ambushed by Kakuzu. He'd nearly lost his life in Insect King Valley.

If Senju Hashirama hadn't arrived in time and beaten the Seven-Tails half to death with that ridiculous True Several Thousand Hands, leveling the valley in the process, Hibari probably wouldn't even have had the strength to brag now.

After exhausting himself so badly, Hibari remained weak for a while. Hiruzen had carried him all the way back to Konoha.

The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had personally treated him, while the First, Hashirama, and Sarutobi Sasuke had dragged the miserable-looking Tailed Beast to Takigakure to "deliver the goods." It would've been more accurate to call it a visit to "show off their strength" than to say they were completing a mission.

Strangely enough, most people who lost that much vitality would've needed at least half a year to recover. They might even have shortened their lives or lost some of their cultivation.

But Hibari had only been bedridden for a few days before his depleted energy gradually replenished itself. Hiruzen and Tobirama were both stunned.

In the end, everyone could only put it down to his extraordinary talent. It was a good thing, at least.

Hibari knew perfectly well that it was probably that useless Human-Human Fruit at work. Zoan users were famous for their strong recovery.

But whenever he remembered that this ridiculous ability still hadn't been useful for anything, it made him mad. He'd been human to begin with, so what was the point of eating a Human-Human Fruit? He'd have considered even a dog form an improvement!

Hiruzen had visited him frequently over the past couple of days, so he naturally knew how Hibari was recovering. He'd only asked out of habit. Seeing him full of energy, he nodded. "Good. As long as you're all right. Come with me to the Hokage Building."

"What for?" Hibari was taken aback, then his eyes lit up. "Grandpa Hashirama's back?"

"Yes. Lord Hokage and my father are both back. The mission is finally over, so we need to report in." Hiruzen smiled. "The process was full of twists and turns, but we got it done in the end. You'll get the credit you deserve."

Hibari wasn't particularly interested in credit, being part of the Senju Clan.

Still, this was his first official mission, and he was a little excited. He sprang up from his chair. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

He grabbed the teacup on the table, drained it in a few gulps, then turned to Uzumaki Mito and little Tsunade with a grin. "Grandma Mito, little Tsunade, I'm off to take care of business! I'll tell you an even better story when I get back!"

Little Tsunade nodded obediently. Uzumaki Mito smiled warmly too. "Go on, then. Don't let business wait."

Sarutobi Hiruzen respectfully bowed to Uzumaki Mito. "Lady Mito, we'll be on our way."

Hibari followed Hiruzen out of the Senju estate, and the two headed straight for the Hokage Building.

The Hokage's office was lively just then. Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and Sarutobi Sasuke were all there. It looked like they'd only just met up and hadn't finished talking yet.

"Tobirama, how's that boy Hibari doing?" Sarutobi Sasuke asked first, his concern plain in his voice.

After all, he'd officially led the mission, yet had let a child push himself that far. He'd felt guilty about it ever since, and asking after Hibari was the first thing he'd done upon returning.

As soon as he finished asking, Hashirama dropped into a seat beside him and chimed in. "Yeah, is the boy all right? I remember we've got some tonics in the storehouse for replenishing vitality. No matter how precious they are, use them if he needs them. Give Hibari..."

"Big Brother, what are you talking about?" Tobirama interrupted before Hashirama could finish. He waved a hand, his tone steady. "Would I ever neglect one of our own?

"Don't worry. The boy has extraordinary talent. His depleted vitality is replenishing itself on its own, so it's nothing serious.

"He just needs to rest for a while. He can use the time to learn a few things from me, and I can smooth out that impulsive nature of his."

That was the end of the conversation about Hibari. Tobirama changed the subject and looked at Sarutobi Sasuke, his expression turning more serious. "Are you certain Kirigakure in the Land of Water was involved in this?"

"Absolutely." Sarutobi Sasuke nodded. "Hozuki Reigetsu of the Hozuki Clan disguised himself and took part.

"In the end, Hibari and Hiruzen cut off his head together. If he hadn't relied on the Hydrification Technique to save his life, he would've been finished on the spot. That exposed his origins completely."

"Those people... they never take a moment's rest," Tobirama said with a soft sigh.

He paused, tapping his fingers on the table, then continued, "Still, we didn't lose anything in this affair. They were the ones who lost a few people.

"Peace is hard-won. We'll let this matter rest for now, but we'll remember it. When the time comes, we'll settle the score with them, with interest!"

As he spoke, something seemed to occur to Tobirama, and a faint smile crossed his face. "I'm guessing... that boy Hibari is thinking the same thing, isn't he?"