"Magnificent!" Tsunade exclaimed in genuine admiration. "This place has completely transformed."
"Yeah, Konoha's growth is truly astonishing," Hikaru Uchiha replied with a deep sense of satisfaction.
His efforts had clearly not been in vain.
As they stepped into the building, they discovered that the internal facilities had also undergone a complete upgrade.
The sheer size of the interior made them feel as if they were about to get lost.
Just as they were starting to feel disoriented, a staff member recognized them.
His face lit up with joy and reverence as he walked over and respectfully asked, "Are you Lord Hikaru?"
Hikaru nodded, a bit puzzled.
Upon receiving confirmation, the staffer spoke excitedly:
"Welcome back, Lord Hikaru! I've been instructed by Lady Mito to wait for your arrival. Please allow me to escort you to the Hokage's office."
With that, he gestured politely and led Hikaru and the others deeper into the building.
Hikaru nodded knowingly at the mention of Lady Mito and silently praised her thoughtful arrangements.
Under the staff member's guidance, the group arrived at the door to the Hokage's office.
Before they even stepped inside, a burst of loud arguing could be heard from within.
Listening closely, they recognized the voice—it was Tobirama Senju.
He was clearly in a heated debate with someone, and his tone carried a strong sense of frustration.
"I've said this before! The Uchiha can't go around enforcing the law so violently! Did you not hear me about the red-eye syndrome?!"
A cold, emotionless voice responded—it was Izuna.
"Heh. Your disciple kidnapped kids from the village."
Tobirama's fury flared even more as he inwardly cursed Hiruzen Sarutobi a hundred times over.
Still, unwilling to back down, he retorted, "Oh yeah? And you're still the guy I beat!"
But Izuna remained calm and unfazed by the jab, stating the facts again: "Your disciple kidnapped kids from the village."
Tobirama sighed in frustration and tried a different angle: "Can we phrase it differently, at least?"
Izuna paused for a moment, then said coolly, "Your other disciple silenced the witnesses."
That line finally sent Tobirama over the edge. He roared, "You—?! *****!!"
Outside the room, Hikaru and the others nearly burst out laughing.
They had never imagined that Tobirama, usually known for being stern and composed, could be driven to such a breaking point.
And truth be told, Izuna's words were hard to refute.
After all, what he said was true—Tobirama's disciples had indeed committed some unforgivable acts, and even Tobirama himself had been furious about it.
It was safe to say that Izuna had just secured a lifelong weapon to mock Tobirama with—one that would forever leave Tobirama speechless in front of him.
Perhaps their presence had drawn attention, as the voices inside suddenly quieted.
Moments later, the Hokage office door opened, and Tobirama stepped out.
His expression was dark, clearly showing how sour his mood was after the argument.
His gaze swept over Hikaru and the others, and he froze for a moment—evidently not expecting them to show up just then.
Surprisingly, a rare flush of red crept up his usually icy face.
The typically composed and stoic Hokage looked… embarrassed. And even a little flustered.
Quickly trying to cover up his emotions, he muttered, "There's something I need to do in the lab. I'm leaving."
And with that, Tobirama immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport out of the room.
His figure vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the faint rush of displaced air.
Everyone stared at the spot he had vanished from, exchanging glances, and then finally burst into laughter.
After the laughter subsided, they collected themselves and entered the Hokage's office.
At the moment, only Izuna was inside. The Fourth Hokage, Mito Uzumaki, was nowhere to be seen—clearly off slacking again. When it came to dodging work, she was in a league of her own.
Upon seeing Hikaru and the others, Izuna's expression turned complicated.
He was deeply grateful for being brought back to life and for being able to see Madara Uchiha again.
However, the past three years of working like a drone had caused that gratitude to come with a dose of teeth-gritting frustration.
Tobirama had initially insisted on keeping the "evil Uchiha" out of village affairs—but before long, he had changed his tune.
Izuna barely had a few days of peace before Tobirama dove headfirst into scientific research, teaming up with Orochimaru to explore the unknown.
Especially after the scientists from the Land of Snow arrived in Konoha, Tobirama had practically dumped all responsibilities on them, disappearing into the world of science without looking back.
Thinking of all this, Izuna felt speechless.
But then his thoughts shifted to Hikaru's upcoming succession as Hokage.
Maybe… just maybe, this meant he could finally be free of his burdens?
The thought alone made him a little excited.
"Hikaru-kun, you're back to inherit the Hokage title, right?" he asked with clear anticipation.
Hikaru nodded. "I didn't really have a choice. Grandma Mito gave the final order—I had to come back."
But his next line instantly crushed Izuna's hopes:
"I summoned you here so you could keep working. Me becoming Hokage doesn't get you off tool-duty."
Though Hikaru said it with a playful tone, Izuna couldn't help but feel disappointed.
He had imagined that Hikaru's return and promotion would mark a new chapter in his own life.
But it seemed his "worker drone" era wasn't over just yet.
While Izuna was wallowing in that disappointment, the office door suddenly opened again—Mito Uzumaki walked in.
Her arrival broke the tension in the room and pulled Izuna back to reality.
Upon seeing Hikaru, Mito's eyes lit up with joy. She walked straight up to him and said bluntly:
"You're back—why don't we just hold the Hokage succession ceremony today?"
Her proposal left everyone stunned, especially Izuna, who was completely frozen.
He had thought there'd be more preparation and planning, but Mito clearly had no patience and wanted the handover done immediately.
The room fell into silence, with everyone exchanging uncertain glances.
Eventually, Hikaru couldn't help but speak up: "Grandma, you already sent out the invitations. It wouldn't look good to change the date last-minute."
Mito visibly deflated at his words. "You're right… if I'd known, I would've set the date for today."
Her comment left everyone else in the room speechless, black lines practically forming on their foreheads.