"Look, that's the young genius of the Senju Clan!"
"The first student in the history of the Ninja Academy to graduate early."
"I heard that the First set very strict evaluation standards back then, but I never expected that someone could actually break that ironclad rule."
"The purpose of rules is to serve those who are not bound by them."
"Brother, your insight is brilliant!"
"Please excuse my poor writing; these are words I read in the First's quotes."
"Oh, I see. I've only read biographical novels like 'The First Hokage's Erotic Tales'."
As he walked along the road, Senju Nawaki remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the praise coming from those around him.
He didn't know when it started, but his reputation as a genius had spread throughout Konoha. He had clearly reminded his teacher to keep his early graduation a secret.
Applying for early graduation isn't about proving how talented I am, but about becoming powerful as quickly as possible and gaining the ability to dominate the Senju Clan.
Indeed, Nawaki was utterly disappointed with Tobirama's Tobirama, and he decided to personally change the Family from within.
The first thing to do is to become the next clan Clan Leader.
Given his status Hashirama Hashirama's grandson, it didn't seem like an impossible task.
The problem is that Nawaki, or rather, Senju, can't wait that long.
Ever since they learned of his potential, Senju of the Forest seemed to have pinned all their hopes on him.
Everyone understands the current situation: the Senju cannot relinquish the power of the Police Department, which means they must stand against everyone else.
Otherwise, you'll really have nothing left.
If you can't give it up, you can't change it; this is an eternal truth.
Therefore, everyone could only place their hopes on the Nawaki.
Once he becomes the Fourth Hokage, everything he has suffered today will have been worthwhile; at least, most people believe so.
Including Tobirama Senju.
If you want to pave the way for your elder brother's grandson, the ordinary path to promotion is definitely not going to work.
After much deliberation, Little Six finally set his sights on a certain organization that belonged exclusively to the Uchiha.
Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, often abbreviated as "Anbu".
Once inside, Nawaki can not only gain merit, but also use it to gain access to the highest levels of power in the village.
It has many benefits.
If it were anyone else, Uchiha Yuto would definitely not agree, but Nawaki could rely on the immunity granted by Hashirama's Hashirama.
All principles must be discounted when applied to him.
Not to mention, Yuto had a pretty good relationship with Nawaki's father back then, thanks to the relatively close relationship between their parents.
It's quite common for subordinates to fight to the death while the bosses remain on good terms. Moreover, disregarding their positions, Kyosuke and Hashirama actually had a pretty good relationship.
At least it won't cause conflict between the two families' children.
Tobirama had taken all these things into account, but there was one thing he could never have imagined: Uchiha Chō had long been looking forward to Senju Nawaki's arrival.
With her abilities, brainwashing a naive boy would be a piece of cake, especially since the boy already harbored a great deal of prejudice against the Senju.
To be precise, it wasn't even brainwashing; she was just reinforcing the boy's love for his village.
It's never wrong to love your village, right?
Knock knock knock!
"Come in."
Taking a deep breath, Nawaki pushed open the office door and slowly walked to the Third Hokage Uchiha Yuto.
"You're here." Yuto's smile was gentle; at least most of the time, he was a gentle person.
"Lord Hokage." Nawaki seemed a little reserved.
His parents had a good relationship, but by his generation, they had become quite estranged.
The reason is simple: during a mission, Nawaki's father died unexpectedly, which meant that his guardian became his Second Grandpa Tobirama Senju.
The relationship between Yuto and his Second Grandpa... let's not go into it.
"You silly child." Yuto shook his head with a smile, got up and came to his side, showing no airs of Hokage.
He was genuinely pleased that Nawaki had shown such talent. Now that he had reached this point in his life, his vision was no longer limited to the Senju and Konoha.
The issues that Yuto should be considering are the various nations of the Shinobi World, including how to resist the invasion of the Ōtsutsuki.
Therefore, he was completely unaware of the Uchiha Chō and others' scheme from beginning to end.
Even as the Hokage, there are some things he shouldn't know.
From beginning to end, there was only one person who truly had complete control over Konoha, and to a large extent, even the Third Hokage had to obey his orders.
Even though he has been dead for many years, Kyosuke's will continues to influence the Shinobi World.
In the past, the Shinobi World would have been reduced to ruins by the Ōtsutsuki's repeated attacks. Of course, without his existence, the Ōtsutsuki wouldn't have appeared so early.
Everything has its advantages and disadvantages; it all depends on how people choose to act.
After chatting about everyday things for a while, Yuto solemnly promised that he would never target Senju because of his identity.
He had also spoken to the Anbu, and they said that everyone, including Uchiha Chō, would truly treat the boy as a comrade.
Such a statement deeply moved the young Nawaki.
Look at the Uchiha's resolve.
Unlike their own clan, which is full of the Family, not only narrow-minded but also constantly stirring up trouble behind the scenes.
As expected, letting the Uchiha take power was the right decision.
Unbeknownst to him, Nawaki's resolve to change his Family's fate grew stronger.
He wasn't Nawaki of the Senju clan, but Nawaki of Konoha... the boy told himself.
From then on, Nawaki joined the Anbu and successfully became a member of the special operations team led by Uchiha Chō.
To outsiders, this appeared to be a necessary measure for the Uchiha to defend against the Senju, but in reality, the Uchiha Chō were indeed doing their utmost to nurture the young man.
Even in her daily brainwashing work, she used a "nine truths and one lie" approach to induce them, and often simply let the teenagers see the real reality.
However, reality comes in many forms, and one person cannot see all of it.
In short, everything that Nawaki could see was what Uchiha Chō had shown him.
In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.
Nawaki, who joined the Anbu, not only did not lose his prestige, but his reputation actually rose even higher.
In his second month in the Anbu, he gained everyone's approval and was granted the special privilege of making decisions on his own.
In the third month, Nawaki completed an A-Rank mission on his own.
In the fourth month, Nawaki passed the test and became the youngest Jonin in the history of Konoha.
In the fifth month, Nawaki completed his seventh A-Rank mission and, thanks to his unparalleled talent, was promoted to squad leader of the Anbu.
In the sixth month, Nawaki Squad carried out an S-Rank mission, which they successfully completed in a month and a half.
By the seventh month, Senju Nawaki had become an elite member of the Anbu, his position so secure that ordinary people could not easily challenge him.
"Hahahaha." Tobirama laughed heartily.
The Uchiha has been rampant for years, but now they have to drink their own foot bath water.
In his view, letting Nawaki into the Anbu was the biggest mistake of Uchiha Chō's life.
The woman probably never imagined that her eldest brother's grandson would be so outstanding.
What is the Anbu area?
That's a place where the strongest geniuses gather, and everyone relies on their own abilities. Who can rise to the top depends on their skills.
This is precisely why Nawaki had the opportunity to rise to power; it can be said that everything so far has been within Little Six's expectations.
Thinking back to the first time he heard of Uchiha Kyosuke, he had a feeling that he was living in that person's shadow.
It might sound funny, but he truly believed that his greatest enemy was his only true confidant.
Whether it's their ideas or their policies for governing the village, the two share many common beliefs.
This is the fundamental reason why Senju never secretly sabotaged the implementation of policies.
Because, like Kyosuke, he wanted the Konoha to be better, and he understood how to make it better and better.
However, they could never be friends; he wasn't the older brother, and Kyosuke wasn't Madara Uchiha.
The clash between the two extended from a contest of strength to a power struggle, involving all aspects, and it can be said that he almost never gained the upper hand.
People say that Ebizo of Sunagakure and the previous head of the Nara Clan are the only two great sages in the Shinobi World, possessing the ability to turn the tide of battle with their wisdom.
In Little Six's eyes, all of that was nonsense. When it came to scheming and intellect, Uchiha Kyosuke was the most terrifying being.
As the saying goes, a skilled warrior achieves no great feats; a true sage would never allow himself to fall into an absolute disadvantage.
Without a "comeback against all odds," it naturally doesn't look as impressive.
Little did they know, this was the most terrifying aspect of this person.
Whether the enemy is Tajima, his father, his elder brother, or himself, Kyosuke can always anticipate the enemy's moves and his plans always succeed.
Strategizing within the command tent, securing victory a thousand miles away.
This is Tobirama's assessment of his nemesis, and also his highest respect for him.
Kyosuke probably never imagined that the one who boasted the most about himself was none other than Senju Little Six, who wished he could destroy his ancestral graves.
Even though he successfully overpowered the Uchiha this time and gained the upper hand in the strategy, Tobirama's sense of accomplishment was not particularly abundant.
There was no other reason than that the person he fought was not Uchiha Kyosuke.
Uchiha Chō?
He's just a tool to Kyosuke, not worth Tobirama's special attention.
She may have excellent intelligence skills, but unfortunately, she couldn't get involved in the power struggles among those in positions of authority.
As for Yayoi, she has the capacity, but unfortunately she lacks ambition. If it weren't for Kyosuke leading the way, when would she have ever become Hokage?
Uchiha Yuto...
He was excellent in terms of combat skills, even though Tobirama had some reservations about his carelessness and defeat back then.
A loss is a loss; surely he can't accept defeat?
However, his only outstanding trait is probably his martial prowess.
Izuna... had long been in a semi-retired state.
Moreover, how can one speak of bravery when subordinates are spendthrifts?
Looking across the entire Konoha, there were hardly any people who met his standards. For a moment, Little Six felt a sense of loneliness and isolation at the top.
"If only you were still here."
Recalling that "grave-raiding" experience, Tobirama felt somewhat regretful, as he had originally wanted that guy to become his strongest Impure World Reincarnation body.
Unexpectedly, the Ninjutsu, which had always worked, failed.
If it weren't for his accurate memory, Little Six would have thought that the Impure World Reincarnation was also created by Kyosuke.
While Rokuko was beaming with pride, Kyosuke, having made thorough preparations, was finally ready to embark on his interstellar journey.