At dawn.
The birds that had long made Konoha Shinobi Village their home hid among dew-covered flowers, chirping at leisure.
Early that morning, a family meeting was held in the Senju Clan leader's office.
Those attending were the Senju brothers and Madara Uchiha.
Besides them, there were nine animals acting cute.
Drawing on his own understanding, Madara Uchiha explained Yanbai's situation to them, along with the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan.
The normally taciturn Itama Senju suddenly spoke up. "Brothers, if the information about the Ōtsutsuki Clan is true, once the Nine Tailed Beasts are merged into the Ten-Tails, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"I..." Hashirama Senju wore a solemn expression and was just about to speak.
But Tobirama Senju cut in coldly. "Hashirama, Itama, have you both forgotten? The Tailed Beasts are Yanbai's friends. You can't send them away!"
Hashirama Senju silently looked at the nine Tailed Beasts sitting nearby, their appearances changed beyond recognition.
These "little fellows" looked utterly aggrieved.
Little Shukaku even hugged the small steamed white bun he had just received and began crying with little whimpers.
Isobu, who had taken the form of a tiny turtle, raised his sleepy eyes and murmured, "My name isn't Three-Tails. It's Sleepy... All I need is a pond, and I can sleep quietly for ages. I'm very easy to keep..."
Even the Eight-Tails, originally the ugliest of them, had been turned into a baby octopus. He blew bubbles in a fish tank, conveying that he was just a pitiful little octopus who couldn't hurt anyone.
The other Tailed Beasts did similar things.
Having learned the tricks of fake crying and acting cute from Yanbai, they had won over the villagers of Konoha at every turn. They got along with everyone and had no desire to leave.
In the past, they might