One's Own Will of Fire?

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled smugly when he heard that. "Hehe, I know! This is the First Hokage's Will of Fire!"

Hashirama rubbed Hiruzen Sarutobi's head fondly. "That's right, Monkey. This is my Will of Fire."

"Then what are your own Wills of Fire?"

At those words, everyone froze. It seemed they had never really considered that question.

"Your will is our will, Lord Hokage," Danzo said seriously.

Torikaze glanced at Danzo from the corner of his eye. At this moment, he was very different from the Darkness of Konoha he would become in the future.

Though he rarely smiled, Torikaze could see the light in his eyes.

"No. You must have wills of your own!" Hashirama said sternly, startling everyone present with his tone.

"When you return today, think carefully about what I said. Find your own Will of Fire! Tell me about it one week from now!"

Hashirama's presence was overwhelmingly powerful. These fledgling children could not withstand it at all.

They could only nod repeatedly in agreement. Torikaze, however, was not particularly affected.

Still, so as not to stand out, he nodded along nervously.

Torikaze had some idea of what his Master meant, and as for his own Will of Fire, he already had a few thoughts.

"Kagami, what do you think Lord Hokage meant?"

Torifu Akimichi kept stuffing snacks into his mouth. He had just given it some thought.

He had concluded that he did not have a Will of Fire of his own.

"I think Lord Hokage probably doesn't want all of us to build the village according to his ideas. Otherwise, we'd all become puppets who only carried out orders."

Torifu Akimichi nodded after hearing that. Kagami's words made him suddenly understand.

Unless something unexpected happened, the Second Hokage would surely be Lord Tobirama.

Naturally, Lord Hokage had no worries about his own younger brother.

But the Third Hokage would most likely be chosen from among them.

If the chosen person became a Hokage who only developed according to the ideas of those before him and did not know how to adapt—

Then the village would definitely run into problems.

Danzo, standing nearby, had also heard Kagami's words and began to reflect. Lord Hokage's words had just made him realize something.

All this time, he had upheld Lord Hokage's will. He had even imagined what it would be like when he became Hokage in the future.

My own Will of Fire?

He did not know. Ever since childhood, he had followed the two great men in training and study.

Their ideas and wills had seeped into every part of his body.

It was not just Danzo. Aside from Torikaze and Chisato, everyone wore more or less the same look of confusion.

Hiruzen Sarutobi in particular darted back and forth among his five teammates, asking this and that.

In the end, he annoyed Koharu so much that she beat him up. Only then did he settle down.

Hashirama felt a little worried as well. This was a test he had given them. If they could solve it, their futures would be bright.

Come to think of it, it was also his own fault. If he had not come to this realization so late, he would not have had to trouble these children.

"Children, don't be too anxious. Calm down and think over what I said."

Hashirama comforted them. "Today's question is rather difficult, so there will be no additional training. Dismissed."

For Monkey and the others, learning Ninjutsu was no longer the most important thing. Improving their actual combat ability was the top priority.

Normally, Tobirama would still lead them through combat drills. But since Big Brother had spoken today, they would dismiss for now.

After hearing they were dismissed, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others wandered down the mountain.

Torikaze and Chisato, meanwhile, followed Hashirama in Taijutsu training for the entire morning, and both gained a great deal from it.

Both Torikaze and Chisato shared one weakness: they were strong in Ninjutsu but weak in Taijutsu.

Hashirama Senju therefore focused especially on improving their Taijutsu.

That morning had truly exhausted them, but neither complained. After all, this was the fastest way to improve their strength.

At noon, Hashirama dismissed Torikaze and Chisato so they could rest.

"Big Brother, why did you give them a question like that today? You never used to say such things."

Tobirama had been puzzled by what his Big Brother said that morning.

Though they had taught Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others together for years and had never said it outright—

Big Brother's intention had always been for Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others to inherit his will.

Why had he suddenly changed his mind today?

Hashirama planted his hands on his hips and laughed heartily. "Isn't it because of that disciple I took in?"

Tobirama became even more confused. Could a mere child really influence his Big Brother's will?

Seeing the confusion written all over his younger brother's face, Hashirama decided not to keep him in suspense any longer.

"Last night, Torikaze and I talked privately for a while. I had originally asked him about his experience cultivating Cloud Release, but what that kid said gave me an idea."

"Oh?"

"He said that their clan's ancestor had passed down a method for cultivating Cloud Release, which clearly recorded the ratios of various Chakra attributes."

Tobirama nodded. Almost every clan that possessed Secret Techniques would leave behind cultivation methods like this to make things easier for later generations.

"But for some reason, Torikaze couldn't cultivate it according to the scroll's records. In the end, with no other choice, he had to figure out the Chakra ratios himself before he finally succeeded."

Hearing this, Tobirama roughly understood what his Big Brother was trying to say.

"Actually, the succession of the Hokage position isn't all that different from the Windcloud Clan's situation."

"I'm like the Windcloud Clan's ancestor, leaving behind a fixed Will of Fire to teach later generations how to manage the village. Perhaps for many generations, they could keep the village going according to my will."

"But what if something unexpected suddenly happened in a certain generation? What if my Will of Fire could no longer save the village, and the Hokage didn't know how to adapt?"

"It would be just like Windcloud Mountain failing to learn the Cloud Release that had been passed down for countless generations by following the scroll. The entire village could very well be destroyed in an instant."

"Perhaps after a few generations, someone like Torikaze, someone who knew how to adapt, would emerge and lead the village anew. But the damage the village suffered during that time would be immeasurable!"

The more Hashirama spoke, the more agitated he became, his emotions rising ever higher.

Because he could not accept that the village he loved so deeply, the village he would protect at any cost, might truly vanish from history at some point in the future.

Like the countless clans that had perished during the wars, unable to even make a ripple against the backdrop of the entire world.

"I thought about it for the whole night as well—whether I should test them like this."

"After all, my will would be enough to ensure several generations of peaceful, happy lives. But in the end, I decided to trust them."

At that moment, Tobirama did not know what to say. He simply reached out and patted his Big Brother on the shoulder.

No matter what decision his Big Brother made, he would support it. Still, he had his own standards as well.

"If they cannot withstand the test, then the village cannot be entrusted to them."

Tobirama had originally done everything to fulfill his Big Brother's dream. But as he watched the village grow stronger and more prosperous bit by bit, he had unknowingly come to love it as well.

Fortunately, they still had enough time. They could raise the fledglings until they were capable of leaving the nest. By then, perhaps they could finally relax.

Hashirama Senju looked at the noon sun hanging in the sky and revealed a gentle smile.

"Believe in them. Young people have limitless potential."