A Bet with Tobirama Senju, Regarding the Will of Fire

Shisui happily devoured the Secret Recipe Grilled Fish prepared by Seisui.

Although for this young Uchiha genius, today marked his first experience of being beaten to a pulp...

The heartfelt care from his older brother still allowed young Shisui to forget his pain, immersing him in the warmth of familial love, unable to pull himself away.

"Brat."

Tobirama Senju's voice echoed in Seisui's ear. "I know you can hear me. You and this kid named Shisui are both descendants of Kagami, aren't you..."

Seisui's ear twitched. While watching Shisui gorge himself with a smile, he responded to Tobirama Senju within his body: "My Lord Hokage, who has abandoned the Will of Fire, didn't you claim you could tell who was an Uchiha just by a glance?"

"So, go ahead and guess for yourself."

Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

Shisui's features were cut from the same cloth as Kagami Uchiha.

But Seisui was arguably the most striking in terms of appearance in the history of the Uchiha Clan, looking quite different from the rest of their lineage.

"Hmph... Then I will get straight to the point. Since you are a descendant of Kagami, I hope you will inherit his will."

Tobirama Senju's tone was uncharacteristically sincere:

"He is the only Uchiha I have ever acknowledged. If you had told me earlier that you were his descendant, perhaps we would not have come to this disagreement."

"Do not go astray, brat. If you have any thoughts on the conflict between the village and the Uchiha, I can offer you my perspective."

Seisui curled his lips, responding mockingly: "Tobirama Senju offering perspective to the Uchiha Clan? I can think of no other analogy than a weasel wishing a chicken a Happy New Year."

"Is this to help me study how to make the Uchiha Clan perish even faster?"

Seisui's figure appeared before Tobirama Senju. With a flick of his finger, he muted him before speaking slowly: "From our first unpleasant conversation until now, I have realized a few things."

"The Will of Fire itself is not the problem. But the people executing it have a massive problem."

"From you to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, you have selfishly seized the right to interpret the Will of Fire—something every villager should have the right to define—and used it as a sharp blade to stigmatize your political rivals."

"What a terrifying weapon it is. The Uchiha Clan, once the ninja clan that contributed the most to Konoha, has now become an object of suspicion for everyone in the village."

Tobirama Senju could not speak; he could only glare coldly at Seisui, expressing his denial.

"Just watch. This Will of Fire, controlled by a mere few, will not only burn the Uchiha but will eventually burn the very civilians you wish to promote and protect."

"Do you believe me, Tobirama Senju? Shall we make a wager? This will happen very soon."

Seisui snapped his fingers, lifting the silence on Tobirama Senju.

"Brat, don't underestimate people."

Tobirama Senju crossed his arms, his posture confident and rigid as he said: "Impossible. The Will of Fire is the guiding principle of Konoha led by the Hokage, and it is the ninja way upheld by every ninja of the Hokage lineage."

"Just as I once held the line for them, my students will also sacrifice themselves for the companions and the future of the village. It is absolutely impossible for them to harm them."

Seisui smiled subtly and raised a finger: "Very well. Within two years, if what I said does not come to pass, I will agree to any one of your requests."

"However..."

"If it does happen, you must apologize to me with a sincere dogeza and repent for your sins."

This time, the calm and wise Tobirama Senju agreed almost without a second thought.

"Fine, brat. I hope you act like a man and remember your words."

"Same to you, Second Hokage."

After the conversation ended, Seisui first told Shisui to go wash up and sleep, then disabled Tobirama Senju's broadcast permissions, returning to his bed to ponder in solitude.

By now, the bonus period provided by the system had effectively come to an end.

The initial soul imprisonment and rhetoric, which had caused such emotional volatility in Tobirama Senju, had reached its limit.

This composed and calm Second Hokage was quickly adjusting his emotions and accepting the status quo.

Therefore, even when Seisui displayed Water Release and Genjutsu talents that were shockingly similar to his own, he could only barely scrape together small rewards from him.

Seisui recalled the full-powered Water Dragon Bite Burst he had used against Shisui.

That was not just to shock Shisui, but to provoke emotional fluctuations in Tobirama Senju. Regrettably, while rewards appeared from Shisui, none came from Tobirama Senju.

This meant that similar methods would be difficult to use on Tobirama Senju again; he needed to change his approach.

"Heh. As expected of Tobirama Senju. But every sturdy fortress can be breached from within..."

A sharp glint flashed in Seisui's eyes. He hadn't made that wager with Tobirama Senju for nothing.

At this point in time, Hatake Sakumo was still alive!

Seisui looked forward to seeing how spectacular Tobirama Senju's expression would be and how shaken his heart would be when he saw his beloved student attempt to use public opinion to force a civilian genius—a pillar of Konoha—to his death.

And how bountiful the rewards would be!

"Shisui, at only six years old, cannot offer me much help anymore. I'll set him aside for now..."

"I must find a new Target of Confrontation."

Seisui calculated which ninjas in the current Konoha had the potential to be valuable Targets of Confrontation...

Among his peers who were easy to approach, there were many, yet also few.

Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy possessed high value.

As for Asuma Sarutobi, Ebisu, Shiranui Genma, and the like... Seisui felt there was no need to waste effort on small fry.

However, if one looked toward the level of Jonin, the Konoha of today could still be considered a magnificent treasure trove.

Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Hatake Sakumo, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō...

Nearly ten Kage-level shinobi, along with countless elites among the Jonin!

It was a scene of flourishing prosperity and blazing intensity, showing a clear trend toward unifying the Shinobi World!

Unfortunately, in the span of just a few years, these pillars of Konoha would collapse in an instant. Killed in action, suicide, Village Defection, or self-imposed exile.

Only Danzō and the Third Hokage remained, like two heartless puppets, still performing their duet on the stage known as Konoha.

Seisui had no intention of specifically changing the fates of those Konoha powerhouses who died in the original timeline; he only cared about which of these people would have the opportunity to be bound to him as a Target of Confrontation in the near future.

In the Shinobi World, Seisui only trusted in his own strength; even with Shisui, he would not place too much expectation upon him.

Nothing was more important than one's own strength.

For Seisui, these Kage-level shinobi not only offered their own strength and techniques as excellent rewards, but many of them could also provoke various emotions in Tobirama Senju, shaking the calm mind of the Second Hokage.

To attract the attention of these big figures, Seisui had to play two key cards.

First, strength and talent worthy of everyone's attention...

Second, the Will of Fire, which left people with endless aftertaste!

Haven't signed the contract yet... it will be next Monday!