The thunderous crash that shook the entire psychic space startled everyone awake. Those inside their newly formed homes rushed out to witness the commotion, only to find Senju Hashirama wrapped tightly in the golden chains of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, wriggling like a helpless silkworm caught in a cocoon.
"Oi! Mito! What the hell is going on?!" Uchiha Madara frowned, glancing at his old friend who was currently flailing about.
Hashirama, despite his predicament, still had the audacity to grin sheepishly. "Ahahaha... Mito, you know I love you! But I just dozed off at Madara's place!"
"You dozed off?!" Uzumaki Mito's eye twitched dangerously. "Do you have any idea how long I waited for you last night?!"
"But I missed Madara! And I was so tired that I—ow ow ow!!!" Hashirama winced as the golden chains tightened around him.
"Missed him?! You only ever think about Madara! Well, let's see if you still 'miss' him after I'm done with you!" With a flick of her wrist, Mito dragged her husband away, his pitiful protests fading into the distance.
Madara, arms crossed, watched the whole thing with mild amusement. "Hmph. Serves you right," he muttered.
Nearby, Uchiha Fugaku and Namikaze Minato stood side by side, watching the dramatic couple's exit with complicated expressions.
Fugaku cleared his throat. "Minato... Is it just me, or are all Uzumaki women this, uh... spirited?"
Minato chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah... Kushina is the same way. But I love that about her!" His cheeks turned slightly red.
Fugaku shuddered. "Tch. My Mikoto is more refined. Gentle, graceful... much better."
The two men sighed in unison. It had been too long since they'd seen their wives.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Souta Kazuki nearly spat out his breakfast as he witnessed the entire psychic space incident through his mind's eye.
"Haowen, are you okay?" His mother, Hanako, looked at him in concern.
"Uh—yeah! Just—something funny came to mind!" Souta wiped his mouth hurriedly. "Anyway, I'm done! I gotta go to school!"
He practically bolted out the door, leaving his family exchanging puzzled glances.
"Has our son been acting... different lately?" Hanako mused.
Haruto, Souta's father, stroked his chin. "Maybe he's in love?"
Raiga, snorted. "Pfft. No way. He's just weird."
As Souta made his way to school, he pondered something interesting—Minato and Fugaku clearly missed their wives. That meant they'd be willing to do anything to bring them back.
"Heh... maybe I should put them to work," he thought.
Reviving people required money, and a lot of it. But these were legendary shinobi with abilities beyond what the average person could dream of. If they could go out and 'acquire' some funds—perhaps through less-than-legal means—then maybe he could expedite his plans.
With Minato's speed and Fugaku's Uchiha intellect, how hard could it be to gather a fortune?
"Heh... Hehehehe... Hahahahahaha..."
Lost in thought, Souta began chuckling to himself, a low, villainous laugh that grew louder.
Inside the classroom, Iruka was in the middle of his lecture.
"Remember, class, your graduation exams are approaching. Becoming a ninja is a great responsibility, so—"
Suddenly, a sinister chuckle echoed through the room.
He turned, only to see Souta Kazuki grinning like a madman, his fingers steepled together like some kind of evil mastermind. A thin line of drool even trailed from the corner of his mouth.
BANG!
Iruka slammed his hand against the desk.
"Kazuki Souta!!! How many times have I told you not to laugh like that during class?! It's disturbing!"
The entire class turned to stare at Souta, who quickly wiped his mouth and sat up straight.
"Uh—sorry, Iruka-sensei. Won't happen again!"
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, I don't know where you picked up that laugh, but—"
Before he could finish, the door slid open with a sudden whoosh.
A masked ninja stood at the entrance, his gaze locking onto Souta.
The classroom went silent. This wasn't an ordinary shinobi—it was an Anbu.
"Kazuki Souta." The man's voice was emotionless. "Lord Danzo requests your presence. Immediately."
The entire class gasped.
Souta, however, merely raised an eyebrow.
"...Well, that's interesting."