Tobirama's Reward

Konoha.

Half of the setting sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the last traces of crimson and gold lingering in the sky slowly faded away.

Night was drawing near, yet the summer cicadas still sang tirelessly in the trees. Beneath their shade, Uchiha Ao stood motionless not far from the Hokage Building, his face expressionless.

Heat enveloped him as he stared blankly at the building ahead. A bead of sweat ran down from his forehead, slid over his pale cheek, and traced his jaw before falling onto the collar of his casual clothes.

He tugged at his damp collar and let out a breath, his mind tangled with uncertainty.

What should I say when I see Tobirama Senju?

When he had reported the intelligence to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had actually held some of it back.

He knew that, though his influence had delayed the fighting between the two sides for a little while, a major war would still break out next year, in his estimation—that is, in the eighteenth year of the Hokage.

So he had thought he might use this intelligence, along with what he had learned through his own scouting, to exchange for some of Hashirama Senju's Wood Release Ninjutsu.

But how to make Tobirama believe him had troubled him all the way here.

Whoosh!

Before he could think further, a Leopard Mask Anbu appeared in front of him with the Body Flicker Technique and said quietly,

"Uchiha Ao, the Hokage would like to see you."

Ao nodded. Led by the Leopard Mask Anbu, he followed a winding route until they reached a door.

"Hokage, Uchiha Ao is here."

"Let him in by himself," came a voice from inside.

The Leopard Mask Anbu acknowledged the order, opened the door for him, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Uchiha Ao pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room looked quite different from the Hokage's Office at the Ninja Academy. Its layout was circular. Stacks of documents and scrolls sat on the desk and in the corners, yet their arrangement gave the whole room a sense of order.

He didn't dare look around for long. Walking straight to a spot not far from the desk in the center, he bowed slightly.

"Hokage."

"..."

Tobirama Senju still wore his Hokage cloak. Resting his chin on his hand, he regarded Ao with a cold gaze, looking him up and down.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Not bad. Your strength has indeed improved over the past half month. I'm starting to believe you managed to escape from the Land of Lightning."

"You give me too much credit, sir."

Uchiha Ao didn't dare grow conceited. He gave a wry smile. "Luck played a big part in my escape..."

"No need to be modest."

Tobirama waved a hand. "Luck is part of strength, too."

Then he changed the subject, asking in an apparently casual tone, "You just got back to the village today. You must be tired.

Have you returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound?"

His tone had barely changed from before, making it difficult to guess what he was thinking.

But Uchiha Ao wasn't really some impulsive young fool from the clan. He knew all too well how much Tobirama disliked the Uchiha Clan.

It seemed the Hokage was testing which side Ao belonged to now.

After considering his answer, he spoke with sincerity.

"I haven't returned to the compound yet. This scouting mission was a village assignment, after all, so I thought it would be best to report to you first.

I'll report to the Clan Head about the mission after I return to the clan."

Sure enough, when Tobirama heard that, a flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes, too faint to notice. His voice still sounded cold, however.

"Good. Hiruzen has already told me how you performed. I've always believed in rewarding people according to merit. Which of the village's Ninjutsu would you like to learn?

"Hmm... For A-Rank Ninjutsu, you may choose any two that interest you."

Only A-Rank?! Disappointment flashed through Uchiha Ao's lowered eyes. He had thought the intelligence he'd brought would at least earn him a Forbidden Jutsu from Tobirama.

At the very least, he'd expected the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique—a Forbidden Jutsu considered nearly useless for shinobi with low chakra reserves.

And this was all he got?!

Ao was just about to raise his head and press for more. "Hokage, I..."

A bundle of scrolls came flying toward him. Then Tobirama's cold voice sounded again.

"This is a list of all A-Rank and lower-ranked Ninjutsu. Look through it here, then tell me what you've chosen. I'll have the Anbu bring it to you.

"I think... you might find something you need in there."

As he spoke those last words, Uchiha Ao thought he heard a trace of amusement in the cold Hokage's voice.

Something I need?

Could his brother's Wood Release be in here or something?

Ao grumbled inwardly, then cautiously unrolled the scroll in his hands and read it carefully.

A moment later, his pupils contracted.

There were far more Ninjutsu in the scroll than he had expected. Besides the common Ninjutsu used in Konoha and the A-Rank Water Release Ninjutsu favored by the Second Generation, it even listed A-Rank Ninjutsu from other villages.

There weren't many, but every one of them was A-Rank. The scroll even included the B-Rank Ninjutsu he had learned from Kinkaku Ginkaku this time: Lightning Release Armor.

"Could it be..."

A glint flashed in Uchiha Ao's eyes as he seemed to realize something.

"Is that what the Hokage meant?"

After all, not long ago, he had been training like mad while using Thunder Breathing, determined to push his body to its limits.

Given Tobirama's personality, he must have had the Anbu keeping an eye on him. It was only natural that he knew Ao was interested in Lightning Release Armor.

But... he already had that technique!

He quickly scanned the list again. Some of the A-Rank Ninjutsu looked tempting, but there wasn't a single word about the Forbidden Jutsu he wanted.

"Hokage..."

Uchiha Ao promptly rolled the scroll back up and looked at Tobirama. "The Ninjutsu I want isn't on this list."

"Oh?"

Tobirama raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you want?"

As if something had just occurred to him, he quickly added, "You did earn considerable merit this time, but it isn't enough to trade for my self-created S-Rank Forbidden Jutsu.

"And there's your status... You're neither my student nor a Jonin. If you want me to teach you my self-created Forbidden Jutsu, you'll have to join the Anbu first, like Kagami, and openly break with the hawkish faction of the Uchiha Clan.

"Do you think you can do that now?"

"..."

Uchiha Ao was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hokage. I don't think I can break with the Clan Head's faction just yet."

It wasn't that he felt any deep attachment to the Uchiha Clan. He simply hadn't gotten his hands on any of the clan's advanced eye techniques, such as Izanagi and Izanami.

If he broke with the hawks led by the Clan Head this early, he could forget about getting those techniques. They would certainly keep a close watch on him.

At that, a trace of disappointment passed through Tobirama's eyes. But he had expected this answer. If someone were truly willing to betray their clan just to obtain a Ninjutsu, he would have thought less of them.

It seemed he would have to stick to his original plan and take things slowly.

"If you can't do that, then make your choice already. You've wasted five minutes of my time.

"You have one minute to give me your answer!"

With that, Tobirama stopped looking at him and turned his gaze to the clock beside him.

Tick, tick...

The second hand had already passed the three-quarter mark on the clock face.

Tobirama frowned.

Had the kid even listened to him? So much time had passed, yet he still hadn't unrolled the scroll to choose anything. Instead, he'd been standing there, clearly wrestling with his thoughts. Several times, his lips had moved as if he were about to speak, but he'd held back.

He still didn't seem ready to give up.

Seeing this, Tobirama quietly decided that if the kid was going to rest on his laurels and insist on getting his Forbidden Jutsu, he would downgrade the reward to a B-Rank Ninjutsu!

He didn't like subordinates who couldn't take a hint!

Click. One second remained.

"Hokage, I've made up my mind."

Uchiha Ao gritted his teeth. "I'm willing to give up on learning your Forbidden Jutsu."

"Good."

Tobirama nodded, but his voice no longer held the earlier warmth. He asked curtly,

"Which A-Rank Ninjutsu have you chosen?"

"..."

Uchiha Ao's throat bobbed. He fell silent for a moment, then finally gave his answer.

"I'd like to see the complete set of Wood Release Ninjutsu left behind by Lord Hashirama Senju!"