The Will of Fire

Torifu opened the System Shop, and its dazzling array of goods appeared before him once more. Unlike last time, he wasn't being so timid.

Now Torifu had a "fortune" on his hands, and like a weasel in a henhouse, he wanted to buy everything!

But when he saw the sky-high prices, even his rich-man swagger faltered. No matter the time, money was always the biggest problem!

"System, search for Chakra-related goods."

At Torifu's command, the goods in the Shop began scrolling up and down.

Soon, all the Chakra-related goods appeared at the top, ready for Torifu to choose from.

[Strong Fruit] (Increases the quality of Chakra, making ninjutsu more powerful. 2,000 Calmness Points)

[One Kakashi-level Chakra] (Roughly equivalent to Hatake Kakashi's Chakra reserves. 5,000 Calmness Points)

After looking for a while, these two goods still seemed best suited to Torifu's current needs. Most of the others were bizarre, and one even reduced Chakra! And they still dared to charge 10,000 Calmness Points for it!

Once he'd made up his mind, he didn't hesitate any longer. He spent 7,000 Calmness Points to redeem both goods.

As they fused with his body, he felt a warm sensation coursing through him. Then his entire body began to turn red, and he grew feverishly hot!

Torifu hurried to the bathroom, filled a large bucket with cold water, and poured it over his head.

That made him feel a little better.

He gasped for breath, unable to understand why this was happening. He hadn't felt anything like this when he'd first fused with a Kekkei Genkai.

Could it be because the quality of the two cards' worth of Chakra in his body had increased at the same time?

Fortunately, the sensation didn't last long, and his body returned to normal.

Torifu checked his status panel. His Chakra had reached two cards, and his strength had risen to Jonin.

He'd expected as much. Increasing the Chakra in his body would inevitably increase his overall strength to some extent.

Although having more Chakra made someone stronger, it could also leave their strength unstable. They needed to train in various skills to bring their strength in line with their Chakra.

Torifu had made a great haul today. He could finally use his Calmness Points to redeem goods without worrying that he wouldn't save up the 60,000 he needed to deal with Madara Uchiha.

His strength had improved by a small margin, making him safer than before.

The future could wait. Right now, Uchiha Setsuna was still out there somewhere, skulking around and preparing to take Torifu out with a single strike.

Now Torifu didn't have to fear him. If he dared show up, Torifu would simply kill him.

Torifu was easygoing and liked to take things easy, but he wasn't someone who let others walk all over him.

A breeze blew by, making Torifu shiver. Only then did he realize he was still soaking wet!

He hurriedly stripped off his drenched clothes, dried himself, and crawled into bed. Soon, he was fast asleep.

"Big Brother, are you really sure about this?"

In the Hokage Office, Tobirama asked with a grave expression.

Hashirama waved a hand. "Didn't you see that kid's strength? Sure, the Monkey was careless and didn't know his opponent."

"But a loss is still a loss. If they were on the battlefield, the Monkey could have been in serious trouble."

Tobirama had no answer to that. In truth, he and Hashirama had watched the entire match between Torifu and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Tobirama hadn't thought Torifu could win at all. He'd believed that, despite Torifu's talent, his strength was no match for Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

But reality had slapped him in the face. The Monkey had actually lost! Big Brother's grin had nearly reached the ceiling!

Seeing the dark look on his younger brother's face—and how he was holding back because of his respect for his big brother—Hashirama couldn't help laughing.

"Hahaha, Tobirama, don't be so tense. I'll have a Wood Clone follow them. We'll treat it as a trial."

"But, Big Brother, didn't you resolve never to send children onto the battlefield again? How is this any different?"

Tobirama challenged him. He'd thought he understood his big brother better than anyone, but now he had no idea what Hashirama was thinking.

"If it were anyone else, I'd never agree to it."

Tobirama froze. Before he could respond, Hashirama continued.

"Torifu is different from the others. He's naturally intelligent. His ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Chakra, and mind are all top-notch!"

"If we put such a genius in a garden and carefully shelter him from every storm, we might truly ruin him."

At that, Tobirama no longer seemed agitated. He said calmly, "You're right, Big Brother. I was being too stubborn."

Hashirama stood and walked over to Tobirama, patting him on the shoulder. "You're not stubborn. You're just too worried about Torifu's safety."

Tobirama looked up at his big brother and saw that familiar, trademark smile. Anyone who saw it would feel an overwhelming sense of reassurance.

"Torifu, like you, has an astonishing talent for developing ninjutsu. That's why you feel this way—you're afraid this fragile sapling will snap in the wind."

"Just like... Itama and Kawarama."

"Big Brother..."

The deaths of his two younger brothers had always been a taboo for Hashirama, yet today he'd brought them up himself.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling that Torifu will grow into a shinobi even greater than me."

"Until then, I won't let anything happen to him. After all, I'm his teacher!"

Tobirama nodded and said nothing more. Since his big brother had put it that way, he had no right to stop him, as Hashirama's younger brother and subordinate.

With a Wood Clone watching over them, the children would be safe.

He didn't know when he'd started feeling this way, but sometimes Tobirama felt as though all the children of Konoha were his own.

Whenever his official duties weren't too demanding, he often visited the Ninja Academy. He watched the children strive toward their goal of becoming shinobi and their duty of protecting Konoha, studying hard.

A smile would appear on his face before he even realized it.

Tobirama believed this was his Will of Fire.

No matter how strong he and his big brother were, they would eventually grow old. Only by protecting the young saplings could the trees continue to grow.

As for old, withered branches like them, they would burn away their last bit of energy and become fertilizer to help the saplings thrive.

That was why Tobirama had tried to stop Torifu when Hashirama gave his approval.

In Tobirama's eyes, the older generation of shinobi hadn't yet burned through the last of their strength. Sending a six-year-old child on a mission was an insult to him.

"Hahaha, Tobirama, when you think about it, you'd make a more qualified Hokage than I would!"

Hashirama slapped Tobirama on the back and laughed.

Tobirama's lips curled into a faint smile. "Who knows? It's not as if I've ever been Hokage."

The two exchanged smiles, then, in perfect unison, returned to the work that had been interrupted by Kumonaka Torikaze.

Every matter in Konoha, big or small, had to be reported to the Hokage. Without Tobirama's help, Hashirama was afraid he really would have dropped dead in the office.

But even if he had twice as many documents to handle, Hashirama never complained. This was the village he loved.