Will of Fire Trial, Tobirama Senju's Feelings!

Ninja Academy.

Seisui swept his gaze over the exam paper in front of him, glanced at the questions briefly, then smiled confidently and casually spun his pen.

This was the final subject of the Final Exam—Introduction and Summary of the Will of Fire.

"Tobirama, how about it? Interested in seeing how many points you could score?" Seisui spread the paper open and said with a grin to Tobirama Senju.

"The First Principal of the Ninja Academy, who summarized the Will of Fire, surely you wouldn't fail to get full marks? That'd be pretty laughable..."

"Kid, don't underestimate me. Monkey's Will of Fire is something I personally taught through my own actions. Do you think a test like this could stump me?"

Tobirama Senju scoffed. "If you want me to help you cheat, just say it outright..."

"If you're trying to use your understanding of the Will of Fire to catch Monkey's attention, then rely on your own skills. I won't help you."

Seisui raised an eyebrow. This old man's got quite the ego, doesn't he?

Please briefly describe the deeds of the Third Hokage and share your views on him.

From your background, discuss the differences between ninja clans and civilian ninja, and outline your future career plans as a ninja.

Ninjas must follow rules and prioritize mission completion. Please discuss the importance of discipline for a ninja.

Please explain your understanding of the Will of Fire.

Four comprehensive essay questions, covering the Third Hokage, the Will of Fire, the most sensitive issue in Konoha right now between ninja clans and civilians, and the discipline that academy students most lack compared to mature ninjas.

Seisui narrowed his eyes. Judging by the style and intent behind these questions, this paper has real substance—even a bit of practicality. It doesn't seem like something those mediocre Chunin instructors at the academy would come up with...

Every question in Seisui's hands today seemed ordinary on the surface, but each one targeted a hot-button issue in Konoha.

In past Will of Fire exams, there'd even been terrible prompts like "Who is the strongest Hokage, and why?"—which seemed meant to bolster the Third Hokage's rule with popularity, but actually just painted a target on his back.

Civilian students might not know about Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, or Tobirama Senju—those titans from thirty or forty years ago—but students from ninja clans? They knew all about these once world-shattering peaks of the ninja world.

Every ninja clan had an old man at home who knew how to tell stories.

Tobirama Senju seemed to mirror Seisui's movement, narrowing his eyes with a serious expression, thinking to himself: What's Monkey doing? Having academy students answer questions this deep—if my brother had to take this, he probably couldn't even pass...

While Tobirama Senju was still questioning the difficulty of this exam paper.

Seisui thought for a moment, then his pen tip began to scratch out "shua, shua" sounds as he wrote smoothly.

Tobirama Senju watched with a cold smirk.

If an Uchiha could really understand the Will of Fire, they wouldn't be Uchiha!

Even if Seisui currently seemed a bit like him, it was only on the surface—things like Water Release and swordsmanship, shallow imitations...

Even if Seisui's current performance had a hint of the Will of Fire's flavor, Tobirama Senju still didn't believe that an Uchiha—always a practical genius but weak in theoretical awareness—could handle questions at this level.

But as Seisui wrote, Tobirama Senju's smile gradually faded. His expression shifted from mockery to seriousness as he intently read the answers on the paper.

Wait, you're really answering fluently? Am I the Hokage lineage, or are you?

Oh, Seisui is Kagami's descendant. Well, that makes sense. Truly worthy of my disciple's bloodline—good!

"...Where leaves of Konoha dance, fire burns on. Where leaves flutter, the hope of Hokaru ignites. The fire's light illuminates the village, and new leaves are born..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heartfelt final words—Seisui conveniently used them as the conclusion to the last big question, which made Tobirama Senju's eyes light up and left him hesitating internally.

This emotion is too rich... Is Seisui kid serious? Could he really be a natural genius suited for studying the Will of Fire?

"Falling petals are not heartless things; they turn into spring mud to nurture flowers..." Seisui said, checking over his paper with a sigh to Tobirama Senju.

"Autumn's here. Falling leaves turn into nourishment in the earth, feeding next spring's tender buds. The Will of Fire really does contain the principles of heaven and earth—it's endlessly thought-provoking..."

Tobirama Senju savored the poem Seisui had casually borrowed, finding more flavor the more he pondered it.

He'd wanted to argue and put Seisui down a bit, but now he couldn't find the words.

Damn kid, he's got some literary flair...

Especially when Tobirama Senju saw Seisui's answer to the question on discipline, his expression grew even more complicated.

"...Discipline is absolutely necessary for a ninja. Ninjas must suppress unnecessary emotions, and the village must establish strict, effective rules that are followed from top to bottom. This can avoid most unnecessary conflicts..."

These words were almost identical to what he'd said as a child when discussing how to achieve peace with Hashirama!

Except for Hashirama Senju and his brothers who were present back then, Tobirama Senju had never shared that conversation with anyone else—not even his disciples.

But thirty years after his death, Tobirama Senju now saw an Uchiha kid speaking words nearly identical to what he'd said in his youth!

That Uchiha's name was Seisui Uchiha.

This strange feeling wrapped around Tobirama Senju's heart, and combined with Seisui's Water Release and swordsmanship being so similar to his own—even their personalities, he now imagined, had parallels—it was a sensation none of his former disciples had ever given him...

This feeling was called "resembling oneself"—the highest praise in the master-disciple tradition, and even the standard for "graduating from apprenticeship." In a feudal imperial era, it would qualify as the standard for succession.

From your target for debate, Tobirama Senju, you have obtained a special talent: Power of Tobirama Senju!

Power of Tobirama Senju: You can borrow the power of the soul of Tobirama Senju within your body. The intensity depends on the subjective will of this target.

Seisui blinked at this strange talent.

What kind of weird ability is this? An ancestor possessing me?

"No, I'm from the Uchiha Clan. System, at least let me possess Indra, or if not, Madara Uchiha would do..."

"Ah, forget it, I'll make do. Better than nothing."

Unaware that Seisui was quite disdainful of him, Tobirama Senju put on a reluctant act, coughing artificially: "Kid, your answer was passable..."

"But still far from my level."

"Here's the deal—you figure out a way to let me take a set too. I'll show you a perfect answer sheet, consider it a lesson..."

Perfect Saturday! Woohoo!