Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 202 Suspicion

Hiruzen Sarutobi sincerely felt incredibly fortunate to have such a talented disciple as Orochimaru.

"Well……"

Orochimaru probably guessed what his teacher was thinking.

Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Orochimaru on the shoulder as encouragement, as if to say, "Good luck, I believe in you."

Orochimaru chuckled twice, then said with embarrassment, "To be honest, I didn't develop this ninjutsu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned when he heard this.

Even the hand that had been patting Orochimaru's shoulder stiffened slightly.

"Huh? You didn't develop this ninjutsu? Then who did?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was puzzled.

Who in the village would teach Orochimaru ninjutsu of that level? And even if they did, given Orochimaru's aloof personality, he probably wouldn't accept it.

Orochimaru replied briefly: "Aokiji."

Yuan Fei Ri Zhan was taken aback: "Aokiji?"

Orochimaru nodded and further explained, "Uchiha Aokiji."

Hiruzen Sarutobi widened his eyes slightly and took a soft breath: "It's him?"

Orochimaru confirmed, "Yes."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered if he'd misheard: "Wait, my head's spinning. You mean Aokiji developed this Rasengan?"

Orochimaru nodded silently, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi to calm down.

After calming down, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked puzzled: "Why would Aokiji teach you this ninjutsu?"

Orochimaru thought it was normal for his teacher to have such a question, so he brought out the excuse that Aokiji had prepared for him: "How should I put it... actually, Aokiji-kun owes me a lot of money."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked bewildered, clearly not expecting this answer: "Owes money?"

"Yes, because Aokiji has been traveling for the past six months, incurring huge expenses. Coupled with the lack of income, he quickly became insolvent. In order to raise money for his travels, he took the initiative to borrow money from me. And because he couldn't repay his debts, he chose to teach me the ninjutsu he had developed as payment."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was both amused and exasperated; he couldn't believe it was such a reason.

Under normal circumstances, ninjutsu is as vital to a ninja as life itself; they would rather starve to death than sell their ninjutsu on the roadside.

But considering Aokiji's consistent style, it doesn't seem surprising.

"Aokiji, this child is really unexpected."

After saying that, he casually asked about Aokiji: "Is he still traveling? Does he seem reluctant to return to the village?"

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to doubt himself. Every time Aokiji returned to the village, it was because he had run out of money while traveling, so he made a special trip back to the village to borrow money.

Orochimaru nodded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: ...

Seeing the other person suddenly fall silent, Orochimaru looked puzzled: "What's wrong, Sarutobi-sensei?"

"It's nothing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and gave a casual, perfunctory reply.

His extraordinary talent in developing a ninjutsu as advanced as the Rasengan at such a young age made him quite worried.

He originally thought his beloved disciple had the potential of a first-generation master, but now that he wanted to know the truth, this assessment naturally fell on Aokiji.

If he were an ordinary ninja, it wouldn't matter, but his name is Uchiha after all. Fortunately, he doesn't have the Sharingan, which is the only thing that Hiruzen Sarutobi can be relatively at ease about right now.

The mention of the first generation's talent sent a chill down Hiruzen Sarutobi's spine.

A spy planted within the Uchiha clan once relayed this message to him: Aokiji possesses talent comparable to Madara Uchiha in his prime.

To be compared to the Uchiha clan in their youth by Elder Itachi is not simply a matter of having talent.

Even though Aokiji is exceptionally talented and even possesses a bloodline limit, he doesn't have the Sharingan, so it's impossible for him to receive such high praise within the Uchiha clan.

Although Aokiji has never appeared to have Sharingan to outsiders, who knows if he's faking it?

Of course, at Aokiji's age, he shouldn't be that scheming, but that doesn't mean his family wouldn't urge him not to reveal his Sharingan.

Whether Aokiji has the Sharingan is perhaps a question mark.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi casually asked, "By the way, Orochimaru, I want to ask you something."

"What's the problem?"

"Aokiji..." Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, a meaningful look appearing in his eyes, his voice even deepening slightly, "Has he ever shown his Sharingan to you?"

"Why would you ask that question out of the blue?"

Orochimaru's stunned reaction to being suddenly asked this question was normal for Hiruzen Sarutobi. He continued, "Well, if Aokiji had the Sharingan, I'd like to try assigning him a more important mission. Maybe even bring him into the Anbu for training."

"The Dark Guard?"

Orochimaru was very familiar with this title, as it referred to a unit directly commanded by the Hokage. He thought for a moment and said, "Aokiji's personality isn't suited for the Anbu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said softly, "The specific reasons are rather complicated, and I can't tell you at your age. However, I can tell you that I did this for his own good."

Orochimaru didn't ask any further questions, appearing quite reasonable: "Alright, I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked satisfied: "Now, can you tell me about it?"

"I'm sorry, Sarutobi-sensei, Aokiji has never shown his Sharingan to me."

Orochimaru's facial expression was perfectly controlled, and Hiruzen Sarutobi did not notice anything amiss.

Although he felt somewhat guilty for deceiving his mentor, he respected Aokiji's opinion and did not tell him the truth.

Perhaps because he trusted his disciple too much, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not suspect anything when he heard the news, and instead secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If Aokiji possessed the Sharingan, that would be truly terrifying. After all, with his talent, he would definitely have the aptitude to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan.

However, just because it's not happening now doesn't mean it won't happen in the future, so we can't let our guard down. After all, Aokiji is still quite young, and awakening the Sharingan isn't out of the question.

Should we send someone to monitor him?

The moment this idea popped into his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately rejected it, not because of any sentimentality, but because Aokiji's strength was growing stronger and stronger, and monitoring him might alert him and backfire.

His earlier statement to Orochimaru about recruiting Aokiji into the Anbu was not just talk; he genuinely intended to do so.

According to intelligence, Aokiji has a close relationship with Elder Itachi. If he were to learn the truth that day, he could very well become a ticking time bomb. For the sake of the village's stability, it is necessary to nip this in the bud before it happens.

Although, given Aokiji's personality, he doesn't seem like the type of person who would do such a thing.

The key issue now is not whether he wants to, but whether he has the ability.

Aokiji happens to be someone with that kind of innate ability.

Making Aokiji a member of the Anbu was ostensibly a friendly gesture towards the Uchiha clan, making him a bridge between the village and the Uchiha. In reality, it was a way for the Anbu's authority to allow its members to monitor Aokiji to a certain extent, preventing him from becoming uncontrollable.

Rather than leaving this ticking time bomb unattended, it's better to keep him under control and, while he's still young and inexperienced, to discipline him.

(End of this chapter)