This was an excellent question, but Torifu couldn't give a perfect answer.
If there truly were Nian beasts in his original world, then tailed beasts wouldn't even compare.
But ultimately, this was just a myth, something that didn't exist, and the Nian beast tonight was merely a hologram.
It was only meant to scare people; it had no power and couldn't harm anyone.
So, there was no comparison whatsoever, but to maintain the Nian beast's mystique, Torifu still said, without batting an eye:
"Tailed beasts? They probably can't even be mentioned in the same breath."
Upon hearing this answer, the children immediately understood the Nian beast's power!
If even the world's most terrifying creatures, the 'tailed beasts,' couldn't compare, then how strong must this Nian be?
Could some low-level ninjutsu and fireworks really be enough to successfully drive it away?
Minato remained skeptical. Every elder of the Kumotsuru Clan was a powerful ninja.
Driving away the Nian beast would mostly rely on their physical might; these fireworks and such were merely for some weakening effect.
From that perspective, it seemed that his elder brother would still have to personally defeat the Nian beast.
A creature more powerful than a tailed beast would indeed be difficult to deal with, but his elder brother was now the strongest ninja in the shinobi world, so defeating this Nian beast should be no problem.
As he thought, Minato felt much more at ease.
Torifu naturally didn't know that Minato had conjured up so many scenarios in his head. After explaining everything to the children, he went inside.
Naori and Akihara weren't home at the moment; they seemed to have gone to the Uchiha clan compound and would likely hear about this matter there.
However, Torifu had already clarified everything with Kagami and the others in the office, so he was spared from having to explain it to Naori again.
It was merely a sentence he had concocted to set the mood, and he even fumbled slightly with the words when saying it a second time himself.
So Torifu still believed that less talk meant fewer mistakes. If the villagers suddenly discovered multiple versions of the news, all heard from Torifu, it would become a joke.
Torifu had already imagined newspaper headlines for himself.
"Shocking! God of Shinobi Publicly Deceives Villagers!"
"Explosive! Konoha's Hokage Persona Crumbles, His True Self Is Actually Like This!"
"Lies Exposed! A Count of the Hokage's Deceptions!"
That would be social death for the entire shinobi world, and Torifu definitely didn't want that to happen; he still valued his reputation greatly.
After all, he was only a few years away from retirement; he couldn't let his reputation be ruined now.
Torifu re-emerged within a few minutes of going inside. The already bored Torifu became even more bored.
The projector and everything else was already set up, placed in a crevice of the Hokage Rock, absolutely concealed and undetectable by anyone.
At that time, the Nian beast would be shown roaring at Konoha Village from the top of the mountain behind the village.
It would definitely be quite a spectacle. Torifu's only fear was that some villagers might be too frightened and faint.
This was a bold experiment, he supposed. If the effect was good, the old actor would return next year.
If not, he'd find an excuse to dismiss it and never let Nian appear again.
Anyway, how this thing was handled was still up to Torifu, wasn't it?
His original intention was to make the villagers happier. Conquering Nian would bring a sense of happiness and accomplishment.
It would surely elevate the atmosphere and joy of the evening celebration significantly.
If this thing ended up making the villagers' experience worse, why would Torifu bother with it?
So, today was also a test to see how the villagers would react.
Thinking this, Torifu couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, there's no one else in the world who would rack their brains this much to make the villagers happy and joyful. It's only me."
A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
For Torifu, this was a two-way street.
Only when Konoha Village's customs became similar to his original world, and its technological level rose to a certain height, could Torifu live peacefully in Konoha Village.
Just like the current Konoha Village, many people had started wearing red clothes, and their styles somewhat mimicked Torifu's.
Female makeup rarely featured heavily powdered white faces anymore.
All of this was the result of Torifu's years of subtle transformation, and the inclusion of the Spring Festival undoubtedly marked a milestone in his plan.
Among the many festivals, the Spring Festival was undoubtedly the most representative.
He originally thought the villagers of Konoha wouldn't accept it so quickly.
But in these past few days, with people pasting window decorations, couplets, and hanging lanterns, the villagers also found it very interesting.
They just didn't understand its deeper meaning.
Torifu didn't expect that his changes in just a few short years would allow the villagers to experience five thousand years of culture.
He simply needed this feeling—a feeling that would allow him, a man who had drifted to another world and started a family, to once again experience the feeling of his mother.
Having just this feeling was enough; Torifu didn't hope for too much.
Just as he was lying in his chair, lamenting, several hurried footsteps reached his ears.
"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!"
Hearing that voice, Torifu knew it was the Tsuchikage and the others.
So hurried, surely they weren't scared by the news of the Nian beast?
Torifu sat up straight and saw Ōnoki, the Kazekage, and Mifune arriving together, all looking somewhat flustered.
And when they saw Torifu still lounging so leisurely, for a moment they couldn't believe their eyes.
"Hokage-sama! Konoha Village is about to be attacked by a monster, yet you're still so relaxed!"
Ōnoki was a bit anxious. Cooperation between the various villages had just begun, and everyone was getting prosperous.
But Konoha Village, the leader, was about to be attacked. How could they not be anxious?
If Konoha Village suffered damage and its strength was greatly reduced, the shinobi world might start harboring other intentions.
Who wanted to fight when they could get rich peacefully? So they all came to Torifu now.
They wanted to see if they could help, but instead, they saw Torifu lying in his chair, sunbathing, as if nothing was wrong.
"Tsuchikage-sama, Kazekage-sama, General-sama, you've arrived. Please, have a seat."
Torifu pulled out a few more chairs and placed them in front of them.
Ōnoki ignored him and continued, "Hokage-sama, we've all heard about Konoha Village being attacked. Our countries are all a common entity; we will definitely help you."
Regardless of whether Ōnoki's words were sincere or not, at least he said them and truly intended to act.
This earned Torifu's appreciation.
"Please don't panic, everyone. Let's sit down and talk slowly. But I can guarantee that I have already prepared defensive measures, and the village will not be harmed."