That night.
Seisui sat in a rattan chair in his bedroom, his eyes closed as he pondered everything that had happened today.
"Kid, what exactly are you trying to do..." Tobirama Senju's voice rang out like a ghost's, though amusingly, it seemed to carry a trace of confusion he could neither dispel nor conceal.
Seisui ignored him. Tobirama Senju continued his analysis on his own. "You say you believe in the Will of Fire, but this old man doesn't believe it. A dangerous little brat with a mind as quick as yours couldn't possibly fail to see the fundamental flaws of the Will of Fire..."
"Are you trying to infiltrate the Hokage lineage, waiting for a chance to lie low and secure benefits for the Uchiha Clan?"
"No... If that were the case, why would you suppress that extreme little brat called Obito Uchiha? Besides, you've been imitating this old man's fighting style all along. Neither of those things would naturally improve your image within the Uchiha Clan."
"But the problem is, if this wicked little brat who sealed this old man inside his body truly had Konoha's best interests at heart, then this old man would have spent all those years fighting across the Shinobi World for nothing..."
"And yet, you are Kagami's descendant."
Even someone as wise and composed as Tobirama Senju was confused at this moment.
From the standpoint of interests, everything Seisui had done was absolutely unpopular within the Uchiha Clan.
Seisui had publicly displayed his admiration for the Will of Fire as a genius. He had also used the Uchiha's most sensitive subject—Tobirama's Water Release—to sweep aside the Double Tomoe Obito, and had criticized the Sharingan for causing Obito to lose control of his emotions...
There was simply too much symbolic meaning in all this, too much that could be made of it.
Moreover, Tobirama Senju had to admit something.
Setting aside the matter of Seisui sealing his soul, there was truly nothing he could fault about Seisui as a person.
He encouraged the hardworking Might Guy, treated his injuries, and despite being a genius himself, still made an agreement to become his rival. He shared advanced ninjutsu with Rin Nohara, a civilian ninja with talent but no resources. He respected Iruka Umino, an ordinary Chunin, so deeply, and cared for his young brother's feelings...
Seisui's humility and gentleness were exceedingly rare, even within the Senju Clan.
Yet all of it led back to the original issue. Tobirama Senju could not set aside the fact that Seisui had sealed him away, because his soul had indeed been imprisoned...
Could it really be as Seisui had introduced himself from the very beginning?
Was he truly not some Uchiha twisted and insane to the extreme, merely appearing calm...
Was he really just a good child who went to bed early and rose early, who wanted to live an ordinary life, and who, faced with the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village, had been forced to research a Secret Technique and summon his soul in search of help?
As Tobirama Senju considered this, an immense sense of absurdity swallowed him whole, accompanied by a faint trace of guilt.
If that was true, then had he personally caused a genius Uchiha who possessed the Will of Fire to become disappointed in the village?
Tobirama Senju violently shook his head, discarding that absurd possibility as his gaze became firm once more.
Yet his heart had inevitably wavered, because his expectations of Seisui had inevitably changed...
"Tobirama, I once read an ancient text that contained a saying I quite liked: judge a gentleman by his deeds, not his heart." Seisui appeared before Tobirama Senju, studying the Second Hokage's complicated expression as he slowly said, "It means that when judging whether someone is good or evil, do not speculate about what lies in their heart. Look instead at what they have done."
"You are not only a Hokage, but also a researcher. So you should understand that once you begin viewing a person or a matter with preconceived positions, you have already lost your objective perspective."
"Because you were once a ninja I respected, I'll make an exception and reiterate this to you...
"What I want to do is very simple: let good people live better lives, let bad people receive the punishment they deserve, and use the justice of Seisui Uchiha to punish evil, promote good, and bring peace."
Tobirama Senju silently watched Seisui. Yet even with his keen eyes, all he could see in those Sharingan was sincerity.
"Kid, I'll keep watching you."
"Tobirama, I need your wisdom to protect and guide me. If there's anything you want to say to me, you're welcome to speak at any time."
"Don't call me Tobirama! You damned little brat, I was your grandfather's teacher! I'm from your great-grandfather's generation!"
"Fine, fine, Tobirama. You're already dead, so why fuss over seniority?"
From Target of Confrontation Tobirama Senju, you have obtained Kenjutsu (Tobirama Senju Version)!
The delightful sound of coins bursting rang out. Seisui looked at Tobirama Senju, who was fussing over seniority, and suddenly smiled.
That smile was exactly the same as when Tobirama Senju had first met Seisui, as though he had just seen a bountiful harvest...
Tobirama Senju's heart lurched, and then he heard Seisui say, "Good night, Tobirama."
Darkness once again enveloped Tobirama Senju's vision.
Seisui slowly took off his clothes while humming cheerfully. "No matter how little, it's still a harvest. Tobirama Senju's Kenjutsu is decent enough. It's time to buy a sword to carry..."
"Oh, right. The family storeroom seems to have quite a few fine swords from the Warring States Period. I'll take a look tomorrow after I wake up."
And after Seisui drank his milk, finished his warm-up exercises, and fell soundly asleep.
That night, many people found themselves unable to sleep for a long time.
In the room next door, Shisui tossed and turned, thinking about how he could improve his strength as quickly as possible. He felt that Seisui was under too much pressure.
Accompanied by Might Duy, Might Guy excitedly ran laps around Konoha. Seisui's recognition had filled him with motivation.
Rin Nohara lay in bed, absentmindedly looking at the bright moon outside the window. For no reason, she recalled the tingling sensation when Seisui's finger had brushed her throat, and her cheeks reddened again.
Kakashi stared at the short sword in his hand, wondering whether he would have any chance of winning if he truly fought Seisui.
Asuma stood in the courtyard of Hiruzen Sarutobi's home, having stolen his older brother's cigarettes. He stared at the curling smoke, his mind filled with Seisui, the Uchiha, and the Will of Fire.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not home. He was in the Hokage's office, intently drafting exam papers and writing questions for the subject Seisui had been looking forward to.
Obito Uchiha received heartfelt visits from a group of clan elders led by Setsuna Uchiha, gaining unprecedented attention. After all, a super genius who awakened the Double Tomoe at seven years old was extremely rare even in the Uchiha Clan's thousand-year history.
Tobirama Senju pondered in the darkness. He found Seisui increasingly impossible to understand, but this only stirred his curiosity and competitive spirit.
Meanwhile, Madara Uchiha, living in seclusion within a cave, received news of Obito and Seisui through White Zetsu. He studied the intelligence in his hand and sank into thought.
From Konoha to the Shinobi World, the turbulent age and chessboard upon which ninjas danced had begun to tremble ever so slightly in its threads of fate due to Seisui's sudden emergence.
Whether their fates would become better or worse in the future, Seisui did not know.
He slept soundly.
A little late...
I woke up after a nap and started writing...
Please keep reading! I'll do my best to fix my schedule this weekend, so updates should probably become stable afterward...
New books on Qidian really do get buried if there are no readers following along...
Though Braised Rice is not someone who would ever drop a book midway...
Before you continue