It wasn't until the afternoon that Tsunade and Shizune arrived at the Hokage Building and took over the last small stack of documents for the day from Uchiha Hikaru.
Tsunade leaned in and kissed him directly on the cheek in front of Shizune.
"You actually have a conscience—you came to help me with the paperwork."
"I didn't love you in vain last night~"
Uchiha Hikaru simply waved his hand, exchanged a few words with Tsunade, and then left the Hokage Building to return home—only to find that Saya still hadn't come back yet.
But that made sense. It was only the afternoon, and summer days were long. It would likely be another three or four hours until dusk.
Besides, knowing Sasuke's competitive personality, things would probably drag on until Itachi came to call him home.
Hikaru headed down to the underground wine cellar, retrieved three large jars of white liquor, sealed them in a space scroll, and prepared to make his way to the southern residential district of Konoha, a few kilometers from the Hokage Building. The area had several guest houses reserved for delegations visiting from other villages.
He could take this opportunity to find Raikage A and resolve the issue he'd been thinking about all morning.
Ten minutes later, Uchiha Hikaru arrived at the guest residence where A and his companions were temporarily staying, a large bag of Konoha snacks slung over his shoulder.
Even before he reached the door, he felt a chakra signature scanning him.
"Don't bother with those little tricks. I'm just here to drink with Brother A."
His tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable weight—an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.
C, hidden in the treetops nearby, immediately snapped to attention, glaring warily at the man before her.
Just then, footsteps echoed from inside.
Da da da...
The door opened slowly, revealing a dark-skinned woman with short gray hair, smooth, refined features, slightly thin lips, and a dark green, form-fitting secretary's outfit.
"So it's the Hokage's assistant. What brings you here…?"
Mabui paused mid-sentence as her gaze landed on the Konoha snacks in Uchiha Hikaru's hands.
"You're here to visit Raikage-sama?"
At that moment, A looked up from the living room and saw Hikaru at the door. Although he didn't know the reason for the visit, he immediately waved him in—manners came first.
Getting up from the sofa, he headed over.
Mabui promptly took the items from Hikaru's hands and greeted him with a polite smile.
"Please come in, Lord Hikaru. I'll handle these."
"It's nearly dinner anyway. I'll go prepare something for you and Raikage-sama."
With that, she carried everything into the kitchen.
Raikage A threw an arm over Uchiha Hikaru's shoulders without hesitation, treating him like an old comrade.
He glanced back toward C outside and gave her a subtle signal.
C immediately understood and retreated back to her perch, resuming her quiet surveillance like nothing had happened.
"Brother A, where's your other half?"
Uchiha Hikaru was curious. The two brothers—A and B—were normally inseparable. It was odd for Killer B not to be present.
A laughed and grumbled.
"He's probably still in Konoha's square."
"Ever since he got here, he's been obsessed with those old folks who gather in the plaza to sing and dance. Said he wanted to join in the fun."
"After we wrapped up that mess with the Akatsuki and the Ninja Association a few days ago, today's his first real break. So of course he ran off to join them."
"He'll probably be back later, after the old folks pack it in."
Immediately, a vivid scene played in Uchiha Hikaru's head: Killer B standing in the center of the square, boombox in hand, passionately leading a group of uncles and aunties in a synchronized dance routine… possibly waving around his octopus tails and a giant folding fan.
No. Nope. Too vivid.
He shook his head, forcibly driving the image out of his mind.
"I see… well, that's B for you. Only someone who truly loves life can become a perfect Jinchūriki."
A felt a swell of pride in his chest. After all, B was the brother he'd personally chosen. Hearing Uchiha Hikaru, the man known throughout the world as the one who had defeated the modern-day Shura, praise B—well, it was basically a compliment to A's own judgment.
"Hahaha! You're giving me too much credit."
Still, a small concern crept into A's mind: When they returned to the Hidden Cloud, would B bring this square-dancing obsession back with him? The idea of those passionate old fogeys starting a dance troupe in the middle of the village square… it gave him a headache.
He couldn't understand the appeal of all that singing and rapping, but unfortunately, plenty of people in the village loved it.
"Brother Hikaru, you brought snacks today… don't tell me you came here just to drink with me?"
A's eyes gleamed with anticipation, and he suddenly remembered that wild night three years ago when he and Hikaru drank until they could barely stand.
He'd been dreaming about the taste of that liquor for three whole years. No matter how many Thunder Country brews he tried, nothing compared to that silky burn, that sauce-like aroma.
Uchiha Hikaru didn't respond with words. He simply pulled a space scroll from his ninja pouch and tossed it into A's hands.
"You think I'd visit my brother without good wine?"
They exchanged grins as A eagerly unsealed the scroll.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three clouds of smoke burst from the scroll, revealing three massive, dark-brown clay jars on the floor. Each stood a full meter tall. Even someone as large as A could barely wrap his arms around the rim of one.
"Brother Hikaru! You shouldn't be so generous—it's too much!"
A laughed heartily, but without hesitation, he put two of the jars back into the scroll.
"I'm bringing these two back home with me. Today, we brothers will finish this one together—sound good?"
Uchiha Hikaru cooperated smoothly. He removed his dark blue flak jacket and tossed it over a nearby chair.
Underneath was a black, sleeveless combat vest reinforced with chakra-metal mesh—resistant to blade cuts, though it was mostly symbolic now.
There weren't many people left who could injure him.
"Of course. Just like last time: whoever collapses first is the grandson."
"No chakra tricks, either. We agreed!"
A tossed his white Raikage cloak onto another chair, excitedly pulling the red cloth seal off the jar and removing the porcelain lid.
Immediately, a rich, intoxicating aroma filled the room.
The potent scent rushed into his nostrils and seemed to ignite every capillary. It was overwhelming—smoky, floral, fruity, and with a light sweetness of grain lingering underneath.
Delicious. Absolutely divine.
It smelled even better than the wine they'd shared three years ago.
This had to be even stronger.
Uchiha Hikaru watched A breathe in the scent with a dazed expression and smiled to himself.
He picked up two large cups and placed one in front of his companion.
Clink.
"Brother, shall we?"
"Let's fix this!"
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Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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