Uchiha: Starting as Tobirama's Jinchuriki

After Asuma and his Hokage father's astonishing kneeling gesture...

In a state of shock, Hiruzen Sarutobi heard his former rebellious son's self-criticism of his past behavior, as well as his heartfelt admiration for Aoi and his desire to have him as a teammate.

This surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi; his little rascal had finally grown up!

However, his years of experience in governance also made him sense a sensitive situation.

So, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had originally planned to observe Aokiji for a while longer, took the initiative to find Aokiji ahead of time and chatted with him as an elder and Hokage, thanks to Asuma's encouragement.

Aokiji keenly sensed Hiruzen Sarutobi's inner thoughts and, without waiting for him to lay the groundwork, immediately told the Hokage's father the general content of his conversation with Asuma.

So far, what Aozumi and Asuma said has perfectly matched, which has gradually calmed Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.

But that wasn't enough. The Hokage of Konoha was about to put Aoshui to the final test.

"Lord Hokage, I don't think there's anything troublesome about Asuma's situation at all. On the contrary, I enjoy spending time with him. He's a warm, sunny, and talented ninja."

Aokiji smiled and accepted the tea offered by Hiruzen Sarutobi. After thanking him, he slowly said:

"What surprised me the most was that, although we were both just students at the Ninja Academy, Asuma had a macro perspective on the village and the ninja world. He shared many thoughts that touched me deeply, and I admired his magnanimity."

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened intently, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

What did Asuma and Seisui talk about regarding their magnanimity?

To what depth did Asma's thinking reach?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's curiosity and wariness were piqued, and he shook his head with a wry smile: "Alas, I've been too busy with state affairs and neglected Asuma's care and education..."

“Neither he nor my father mentioned these things.”

Qing Shui hesitated, as if he had something difficult to say, and his brows furrowed.

After a moment, Qing Shui looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi seriously and said in a deep voice, "Third Hokage, I shouldn't have said these things, after all, this is your family matter, and it also involves another high-ranking official of Konoha."

“I’m just a student at the Ninja Academy, and I’m not qualified to comment on these things. But as Asuma’s friend, if you would allow me, I would like to speak with you, his father, in that capacity.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Aoshui, and saw that Aoshui's clear eyes were full of sincerity, and also carried a trace of shame towards his friend.

"Qingshui, your grandfather Uchiha Kagami and I were comrades who went through thick and thin together, and you are also a friend of my youngest son, Asuma..."

“In private, you can just call me Uncle Hiruzen. You don’t need to address me by my title. We should be family.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and stroked his beard: "That makes me sound a bit younger, my beard isn't even white yet!"

Qing Shui nodded heavily and readily agreed, saying, "I understand, Uncle Hiruzen..."

"Asuma, the reason he didn't understand you before is because of a secret organization in the village called Root, which is controlled by Danzo Shimura, who is assisted by the Hokage."

When Shimura Danzo's name was mentioned and he became entangled with Asuma, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned serious.

Is Shimura Danzo going to extend his reach to his son as well?

This is intolerable!

"Asma inevitably comes into contact with some information, and after he accidentally noticed Root, he discovered a shocking secret through his accumulated observation."

"He doesn't understand why Root has not been punished for its illegal actions, and Shimura Danzo is a friend of yours. Asuma believes that it is because of your protection, Uncle Hiruzen, that Root has been able to act so recklessly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was strange, a mixture of worry and relaxation, but his eyes kept gesturing for Aoshui to continue.

Qingshui stated bluntly, "Asuma's main focus is on the experiment of developing Wood Release."

Experiments to develop Wood Release...

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly; it wasn't surprising that Aoshui knew about this.

After the Second Shinobi World War, the Wood Release experiment was decided upon through a meeting of the Jonin high command, and the Uchiha clan, who possessed the Sharingan, paid close attention to this matter at the time.

But why would Asma continue to pay attention to this halted experiment?

As if oblivious to the change in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Aokiji continued, "Asuma discovered that after the village stopped the experiment, some ninjas with the Senju bloodline disappeared from Konoha and never appeared again."

"Even some children with the bloodline of the Thousand Hands have mysteriously disappeared..."

"Such a heinous incident, Asma believes that without your affirmation, the Root could not have done it to this extent."

At this point, Qing Shui sighed helplessly:

“I’ve already told Asuma that as Hokage, you are in charge of all the affairs of the village, dozens of ninja clans, and tens of thousands of ninjas. It’s impossible for you to keep track of all the changes in the village.”

"And the Root is a powerful organization under the Dark Division. If they put in a lot of effort to deceive you, they can still do so in the short term."

Qingshui shifted his gaze to the Hokage hat on the table, his tone tinged with envy and a hint of helplessness:

“Uncle Hiruzen, Asuma admires you very much, but his admiration has reached the point where he hopes that you are omnipotent and can manage the village to the point of being spotless.”

"So when Asma saw that the darkness had not been dealt with, he, who idolized his father, would not think about whether there was a problem with the root, but would think that you should have dealt with these things long ago."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew increasingly shocked, even somewhat pleased, and he unconsciously pulled out his pipe, fumbling for the flint on the table.

Qing Shui stood up nimbly, a perfectly lit flame ignited on her fingers, and went to meet him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Aozumi on the shoulder, took a deep breath, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"Qingshui, I don't know how to thank you enough..."

Chapter 52: Satisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura finds Aomine.

Danzo

"I have to admit, Asuma is right. It was my oversight that caused me to disappoint him..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed: "As a Hokage and a father, I have made mistakes. I need to reflect on them."

"Fortunately, Qingshui, you were there. I learned about these problems in time. I will give you both and the village a satisfactory explanation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly delighted.

Was Asuma's seemingly rebellious behavior actually caused by his excessive admiration for his father?

Is this reasonable?

To Hiruzen Sarutobi, this made perfect sense! More importantly, it sounded quite pleasant and satisfying…

Aozumi's performance greatly pleased Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As Hokage, all he needs are people who tell him the truth, whether it's the Uchiha clan or the Ino-Shika-Cho trio...

So-called loyalty that is not absolute is actually absolute disloyalty!

Currently, Qingshui's loyalty is extremely rare, even within the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Aoshui's exam paper and felt more and more that Aoshui was a ninja who put knowledge into practice.

The Will of Fire must be burning fiercely within Qing Shui's heart...

"Qingshui, don't worry. As the Hokage, Uncle Hiruzen will definitely give Asuma, you, and the entire village an explanation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was very serious, and he said solemnly, "In Konoha, it's the same for everyone. Even if the Hokage's assistant makes a mistake, he still needs to accept the village's severe punishment!"

"The Will of Fire is something every Konoha ninja must abide by, and Shimura Danzo is no exception!"

Qing Shui nodded in agreement.

However, Tobirama Senju, known as "Little Blue Water," narrowed his eyes, indicating his strong disagreement with the Hokage.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't hear him, he still started cursing: "With this level of skill, that brat Qing Shui tricked me so much that I could barely hold my pipe, and he even gave me a zero on my Will of Fire test!"

"I'll remember that, you monkey! When I see you again, you'd better explain to me how you've managed Konoha!"

While listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech with a smile, Aozumi also taunted the indignant Tobirama Senju: "Tobirama, although sometimes a dead person is indeed more useful than a living one."

"But as things stand, you, the dead Hokage, are really not as useful as the living one. Look, you can scold Hiruzen Sarutobi and he won't even listen to you. You should learn from him..."

"Keep cursing, I want to hear what the Third Hokage has to say. You're such a lazy old man!"

Tobirama Senju's face darkened.

Although he knew Qing Shui was stirring things up, he was still extremely angry.

If conditions allowed, he would like to rush out right now and teach Hiruzen Sarutobi a lesson!

[From your antagonist, Tobirama Senju: You have acquired Earth Release: Earth Reflection Fish Technique!]

"There's something else I'd like to report to Uncle Hiruzen."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi vehemently denounced Danzo Shimura and expounded on the Will of Fire, Aoi Sora, letting it go in one ear and out the other, slowly said:

"Asuma taught me the Sarutobi clan's Fire Release techniques. In return, I shared some of the Uchiha clan's Fire Release techniques with him, but to help him understand them quickly, I used Sharingan genjutsu."

"This is a small development of the Sharingan, using genjutsu to allow ninjas to experience the tactile sensation of releasing highly difficult ninjutsu. It can also help in mastering new ninjutsu, and perhaps it can be used in the teaching at the Ninja Academy..."

"And, this is also a concern of mine. I'm afraid that if someone with ulterior motives discovers that I used genjutsu to exchange fire-style techniques with Asuma, it could cause conflict."

"Like Asuma, I don't trust some people in the village, only Uncle Hiruzen. After all, I'm an Uchiha..."

After Qing Shui finished speaking, he revealed a pair of Sharingan eyes that radiated warmth and sighed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at those unusual Sharingan eyes and laughed.

How could he not know?

When Hiruzen Sarutobi used his telescope to see Aokiji teaching Nohara Rin the Palm Technique, he understood what was going on.

The title of "Professor of Ninjutsu" did not come out of thin air.

The key point is that Aokiji showed him the Sharingan and confessed to using genjutsu on Asuma…

This is crucial. Regardless of how the illusion is used or whether the intention is good or bad, using illusion on the son of the Hokage is a very sensitive matter.

But once Qingshui spoke up, the nature of the matter completely changed.

Below the level of the Mangekyou Sharingan, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not afraid of the Sharingan's genjutsu.

This is Konoha, not the remote and impoverished Kirigakure where even sensory ninjutsu is lacking. This place boasts the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, the sensory abilities of the Yamanaka and Uzumaki clans, and the wisdom of the Nara clan…

No one could silently control the Konoha leadership and Asuma, the Hokage's son.

"You're overthinking things!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled broadly, but his tone carried a hint of reproach:

"Don't worry, Uncle Hiruzen, I absolutely trust you! You are an excellent Konoha ninja, possessing the best Will of Fire I have ever seen."

"There's no need to worry about being born into the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha clan is an important part of Konoha."