"Kid, what exactly are you thinking? Why are you so silent?"
Tobirama Senju crossed his arms and watched Seisui silently tend to his wounds, then shook his head. "Your talent is already astonishing. Don't tell me you expect to defeat Hatake Sakumo in his prime at your age?"
"A ninja of his caliber far surpasses ordinary Jonin. He has already reached the level of a Kage..."
After Hatake Sakumo began treating Seisui seriously,
terrifying waves of sword slashes came one after another. Hatake Sakumo himself moved as swiftly as lightning, making Seisui feel pressure unlike anything he had ever experienced.
However,
with the naturally high defensive power of Water Release, along with the Sharingan's dynamic vision and Genjutsu abilities...
although Seisui found it difficult to launch a proactive counterattack against Hatake Sakumo, he was still able to defend himself with relative ease and keep himself safe throughout.
In Tobirama Senju's eyes, it was already exceptionally remarkable for Seisui to have reached this point at his age.
But Seisui had remained silent after the battle, looking as though his confidence had been shattered. That left Tobirama somewhat dissatisfied.
"Tobirama, are you worried about me?" Seisui finally spoke, his voice carrying a trace of fatigue.
"...I suppose so. You are, after all, a talented youth of Konoha. As the Second Hokage, it is only natural that I should care about you."
Tobirama Senju paused, his expression hesitant, but he still said it.
Seisui's expression instantly shifted from gloomy to comical.
"Then don't worry, Tobirama. I was only thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight."
"I do not care whether I can defeat Hatake Sakumo. What I care about is whether he can hurt me."
"Now it seems that I am quite safe. As long as I have enough survivability to let me grow, I do not think anyone in the Shinobi World will become my opponent in the future..."
Tobirama Senju's face darkened. As expected of the evil Seisui Uchiha—not only had he wasted Tobirama's feelings, but his confidence was exactly like that of a typical Uchiha Clan member.
Yet in Tobirama's heart, he felt that Seisui's words truly made sense.
Other than ninjas on the level of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, once this fusion of Uchiha Izuna and himself grew up, who else could defeat him?
And Tobirama Senju still did not know that Madara Uchiha, whom he feared, had also begun handing out gold coins like him...
"Kid, you..."
"Seisui-kun, could I talk to you?"
Just as Tobirama Senju was about to retort to Seisui, Asuma Sarutobi emerged from the grass nearby. He looked at Seisui with complicated eyes, his tone pleading.
There was admiration, reverence, nervousness, confusion, and even a faint trace of longing in that gaze...
While Seisui sparred with Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo, Asuma had been training the Sarutobi Clan's Fire Release in the neighboring training ground, using strenuous practice to ease the confusion in his heart.
But then he saw flames rise into the sky from the neighboring training ground and was stunned for a moment.
Thus, Asuma saw Kakashi get instantly defeated by Seisui, as well as the scene of Seisui fighting Hatake Sakumo...
He could hardly believe that Seisui, who was his age, could calmly withstand Hatake Sakumo's attacks!
That was Konoha's White Fang, a war hero who had carved through Sunagakure with a single blade for the village during the Second Shinobi World War!
And what troubled Asuma most was the Will of Fire, which Seisui understood best.
Seisui's Will of Fire essay had been heavily promoted by the Ninja Academy.
"...When Konoha's leaves dance, the fire too burns without end..." had even been framed on the Ninja Academy's walls as a prominent slogan.
Asuma had long wanted to speak with Seisui, and today's shock finally gave him the courage to overcome his inner hesitation.
Although he had no prior connection with Seisui, he had still boldly come to find him.
"Asuma-kun, if you want to talk, then sure..."
Seisui studied Asuma, who looked like a rebellious teenager, and smiled gently.
This one could be considered a rather unique existence within the Hokage lineage.
As the Third Hokage's son—and, after the Nine-Tails incident, his only son—as long as nothing major happened, he was guaranteed at least the position of a Konoha Councilor in this life. If he showed a little more promise, he could become the Hokage Assistant.
But Asuma was not someone who followed the rules.
After the Third Shinobi World War ended, he had once acted according to his own likes and dislikes, left Konoha to wander the world, and even pondered questions such as who was truly the Jade.
In a sense, Asuma had once questioned the underlying logic of the Will of Fire.
Thus, he was a very interesting ninja who had tried to betray his own class.
"Where should we talk, Asuma-kun? Here, or somewhere more secluded..."
Seisui gazed at the stunned Asuma and spoke softly.
"P-please come with me, Seisui-kun! This really is not a good place to talk!"
Asuma truly was stunned. He had not expected Seisui to agree to his request so readily, and to speak so gently.
That was the pressure brought by strength.
In Asuma's heart, Seisui, who possessed such martial power despite being his peer, should have been proud and flamboyant. He had even prepared himself to beg Seisui, but he had never expected things to go so smoothly, with Seisui agreeing to his request...
Asuma led Seisui through several turns until they arrived at a secluded valley outside Konoha. Seeing Seisui's puzzled look, he scratched his head and explained awkwardly.
"This place, this place is safer, Seisui-kun."
"That old man uses ninjutsu to spy on people in the village. This is a blind spot I found, and it is also where I usually smoke, so it is very safe. We can say whatever we want here..."
Seisui laughed inwardly. Was Asuma really this filial?
He had just blurted out the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique like that?
It seemed Hiruzen Sarutobi's family relationships were not particularly harmonious...
Tobirama Senju frowned. Seisui had just told him that Asuma Sarutobi was Hiruzen Sarutobi's youngest son.
So what was this supposed to mean?
The Hokage's son had come to seek out an Uchiha genius, brought him to such a secluded corner, and even spoke of Hiruzen Sarutobi without the slightest respect...
"This Monkey, how can he not even know how to be a father?" Tobirama Senju shook his head, looking disappointed.
"No, you have never even had a partner, so do not criticize someone else for not knowing how to be a father..."
Seisui quietly defended Hiruzen Sarutobi, then signaled to Asuma with his eyes that he could begin asking his questions.
Asuma took a deep breath and voiced the confusion in his heart. "Seisui-kun, can you tell me what the Will of Fire truly is?"
"I know that Seisui-kun scored very highly on the Will of Fire exam, but do you truly believe in the Will of Fire? If so, why did you choose to believe in it?"
"Please give me an answer, Seisui-kun!"
Before you continue