"..."
The room fell silent. If one listened closely, one could just make out the sound of their breathing.
For the first time, Tobirama Senju's expression changed. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Uchiha Ao's tense expression.
Wood Release wasn't exactly a Forbidden Jutsu he had invented himself. It couldn't even be called a useful Ninjutsu, since aside from his elder brother, no one in the world could master it.
But what did this kid want it for? And why was he asking for the whole set?
Was he ordering a massage at a hostess club?
And he'd even ordered the full package!
Could the kid be asking on behalf of the Uchiha Clan? No, that couldn't be right. Those lunatics in the Uchiha Clan had always looked down on other Ninjutsu. Besides, given his elder brother's personality when he was alive, he'd shown Madara plenty of Ninjutsu.
If they'd wanted to learn about it, they could have copied it with the Sharingan and recorded it in their clan archives long ago.
Better sound him out first.
"What do you want Wood Release for? I think you should know that even within the Senju Clan, only one in ten thousand can master it as a kekkei genkai."
"I understand, sir."
Uchiha Ao had already prepared what he would say. At just the right moment, he put on an eager expression.
"According to the clan records, I heard that Lord Hashirama was the first person to defeat the strongest member of our clan, Uchiha Madara, in a one-on-one fight. So I'd really like to study the Ninjutsu Lord Hashirama used and see if I can gain any insight."
"Insight?"
Tobirama scoffed. "I've never heard of anyone gaining insight just by looking at Ninjutsu. You're ignoring the Lightning Release Armor, which would be most useful to you, and asking to learn Wood Release instead, kid..."
As he spoke, his gaze turned cold, and his aura suddenly erupted.
"Do you take me for a fool?!"
Crack!
The armrest of the wooden chair beside Tobirama shattered instantly.
A crushing wave of chakra pressure bore down on Uchiha Ao, turning his face pale. Still, he braced himself against it and stood his ground.
"Forgive me, Hokage. In the perilous situation we faced this time, I happened to awaken my Sharingan and learned Lightning Release Armor from Kinkaku Ginkaku, so I have no need to choose it.
"But I wasn't lying when I said I admired Wood Release! I really do want to find some inspiration in it."
"You awakened the Sharingan?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Tobirama's eyes. Having once been an opponent of the Uchiha, he knew all too well how much the Sharingan could increase the strength of a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Even someone who'd been an obscure Chunin could reach the level of a Special Jonin in a short time. And if they learned some ocular techniques and genjutsu, they could become even more terrifying!
Now that Ao had awakened that freakish kekkei genkai, all he had to do was develop it properly. Before long, he would gain enough strength to rival a Jonin.
Could it be... that this kid really did want to study his elder brother's Wood Release and learn something from it?
Others might not know, but Tobirama did. The reason Wood Release had been so powerful in Elder Brother Hashirama's hands wasn't just the strength of Wood Release itself. It was also the inexplicable source of his elder brother's massive chakra reserves.
As he pondered, Tobirama slowly withdrew the chakra surrounding him. But the killing intent welling up within him never faded—instead, it grew even stronger!
"Your contributions this time were significant, but Wood Release is a closely guarded secret of the Senju Clan."
His eyes narrowed as he spoke in a low voice. "I certainly won't let you study it just because you ask. However..."
He paused, hoping to catch a hint of disappointment on Ao's face. But aside from his pallor and heavy breathing, there wasn't the slightest change in his expression.
Interesting... Tobirama admired his composure, but kept his own expression cold. "If you're willing to become my secret informant, regularly report on the Uchiha Clan's actions against the village, and enter into a Contract Seal never to reveal the Wood Release techniques to anyone else, then I'll consider rewarding you with two A-rank Ninjutsu techniques.
"If your work as an informant brings in useful results, I'll reward you further. For example... with more Wood Release techniques."
"..."
Listening to Tobirama dangle that impossibly tempting offer while his intense killing intent seemed to prickle Ao's skin, Uchiha Ao tugged at the corner of his mouth. It seemed he didn't have any other choice.
"...I'm willing. But Hokage, before that, there's one more piece of information I'd like to report to you."
Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy.
Bang!
The child who had kicked Might Duy went flying, crashing into several of his companions behind him.
"Ow..."
"You bastard, Might Duy! What did you do? How dare you hit back?"
"You're finished, kid! His uncle kills without batting an eye!"
The little brats who'd been knocked over weren't as strong as the one who'd gone flying. They struggled to their feet, then helped up the child who'd been kicked. His little face was scrunched up in pain.
The boy's name was Uchiha Gongzhu, the king of the first-year students. He was always going on about how his uncle was in the village's Police Force, throwing his weight around and bullying everyone.
They were just kids, after all. If he dared say it, they dared believe him!
Before long, a gang of little brats had gathered around him, swaggering about and showing off wherever they went.
When Might Duy heard that the boy's uncle was in the Police Force, he felt a little afraid. Brother Sou was gentle and kind, but the Uchiha Clan had never had a good reputation in the village.
He was just a kid, and an orphan at that. Naturally, he panicked when he heard this and hurried to explain.
"How can you blame me? He attacked first. I was just defending myself."
Seeing that he'd backed down, Gongzhu, the ringleader, thought it was the perfect opportunity.
He gave a look to the others, and they all rushed forward. Each one grabbed one of Duy's arms and held him in place.
"You still have the nerve to talk back!"
Gongzhu sneered and raised his fist, no bigger than a bean bun, his face twisted with malice.
"Kid, I'm going to pay you back a hundred times over for that kick!"
With that, his fist was about to slam into Might Duy's face.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst open.
The Might Duy who'd been in their grasp a moment ago had turned into a dead branch, while the real one had moved to a spot some distance away.
"Why are you making me do this?!"
Seeing that the others wouldn't let up, Might Duy clenched his teeth and decided he'd had enough. He charged straight at the little brats with a "Crow Flies," beating them until they howled.
With his talent for Taijutsu, beating up a bunch of little punks who hadn't even learned any Ninjutsu yet was ridiculously easy.
As for the uncle Gongzhu had mentioned, Duy had already forgotten all about him. One line Sou had once told him kept echoing in his mind.
"Remember, Duy! In the world of Ninja, backing down won't bring peace, and fear won't protect the people you care about!
"True strength means using these clenched fists to forge your own ninja way!"
Before you continue