Time Flies, Turmoil Is Near

Chirori no longer acted like a pampered young lady. She was more like a ninja with unwavering convictions!

"Although I don't yet have the ability to make all this happen, I'll stand by my convictions forever, until the day I finally succeed."

Chirori's words won the approval of everyone present, especially Kagami Uchiha, whose eyes were full of pride.

His little sister, who used to do nothing but follow him around, was finally starting to grow up.

Still, living by such convictions would be incredibly difficult.

But she had him, her big brother, to help her.

Seeing everyone's approval, Chirori felt greatly encouraged. They all looked at her kindly.

"Well done, Chirori."

"To have such thoughts and convictions at such a young age is truly heartening!"

Hashirama's approval made Chirori even more confident. But what he said next filled her with joy!

"I'd like to take you on as my student. Would you be willing?"

Chirori nodded furiously and replied again and again, "I am! Lord Hokage, I am!"

Hashirama was in high spirits. He felt that setting this test had been a wise decision.

It had helped him understand the convictions in these children's hearts.

He could also choose from among them someone suited to lead Konoha into the future.

Being Hokage wasn't simply a matter of having overwhelming strength. A Hokage needed to truly love the village.

They had to protect everyone in the village as though they were family.

Only someone like that deserved to become Hokage!

"Hahaha, good girl. Remember to call me 'Master' next time."

Tears of joy streamed from Chirori's eyes. She had finally become Lord Hokage's student.

The ninja she admired most—the strongest man in the entire Shinobi World.

"Master!"

Hashirama patted Chirori on the head, then motioned for her to rejoin the others.

"Children, I've learned about each of your Will of Fire today, and I'm very pleased."

"Except for Torifu and Chirori, you're all already excellent ninja."

"But I hope you remember that your Will of Fire must be founded on protecting the village's honor and the safety of its people!"

"Never put the village's safety or the lives of its people at risk in the name of upholding your convictions!"

Hashirama spoke sternly, and a hint of authority slipped into his voice.

If anyone really did such a thing, they would have things completely backwards! He needed these children to understand that.

Torifu and the others all promised Hashirama that they would never let anything like that happen.

Hashirama then let his imposing presence fade. After giving them a few more instructions, he sent them down the mountain.

Only Hashirama and Tobirama remained at the summit. Hashirama wore a loose robe, and a sudden gust of wind sent his sleeves fluttering.

"Tobirama, which of these children do you think has the right convictions to lead the village?"

Tobirama didn't give it much thought. He simply smiled faintly. "You already have someone in mind, don't you, Big Brother?"

Hashirama turned toward the village. Whenever he had no official business, he would come here and sit alone.

Sometimes he would sit there all day.

"No one can say what the future will bring. We'll have to keep watching them."

Tobirama nodded. It was too early to pass judgment on these children.

Besides, they weren't yet at the age when they had to choose a successor.

Until they truly laid down their burdens, they would devote themselves to raising these children.

And among them, they would choose the person best suited to protect Konoha.

Hashirama suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "Tobirama, what do you think Konoha will be like fifty or even sixty years from now?"

"I don't know. I only know that by then, we'll both have been reduced to dust."

The brothers exchanged a smile.

"That's true. Still, if I had the chance, I'd really like to see what Konoha will be like in the future."

Everyone would eventually die. Even the Sage of Six Paths, mighty as he was in ancient times, couldn't escape it.

But convictions and ideals could be passed down from generation to generation—and Hashirama had already found someone to carry them on.

Time never stopped, and even as the days wore on, nearly twelve months passed in the blink of an eye.

There were three days left before Madara Uchiha launched his rebellion and attacked Konoha.

Over the course of those nearly twelve months, Torifu had learned a great deal from Hashirama, including many Taijutsu techniques.

Whenever he had time, he also joined Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others on missions.

Torifu was a powerful fighter, so Hiruzen was more than happy to have him along.

This also caused Torifu's Calmness Points to steadily increase. By now, he had saved up a whopping 74,300 points.

That should finally be enough for Torifu to make it through this major Chaos Event.

And if he could help it, he didn't want his master and Madara Uchiha to fight.

Torifu believed that Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, had died so suddenly because he had used cell regeneration without restraint to heal his injuries through countless battles.

His cells had divided until they reached their limit, and he had ultimately died.

If his master didn't fight Madara Uchiha this time, perhaps he could live a few years longer.

By then, Torifu might be able to find a cure.

After all, the System Shop's inventory was updated from time to time. It might eventually stock something that could make cells grow again.

Torifu and Chirori had just finished training and were figuring out what to eat for lunch.

With Madara Uchiha about to attack, Torifu felt a little nervous.

But he couldn't let on that anything was wrong. All he could do was warn Chirori.

"Chirori, on the night three days from now, try not to stray too far from your brother."

Chirori looked puzzled. "What's wrong, Torifu? Is something going to happen?"

Torifu had seemed off since early that morning. Now he was acting mysterious and saying things she didn't understand.

"I just have a bad feeling. Anyway, do what I say, okay?"

She didn't know what Torifu was keeping from her, but since he'd said so, there was no harm in listening.

Besides, she and her brother lived in different houses, but they weren't far apart.

And over the past year or so, Torifu had helped her out of trouble many times.

So Chirori chose to trust him.

After much deliberation, the two of them decided to go for barbecue.

Ever since Torifu had first taken Chirori to eat barbecue, she'd fallen in love with the place. She'd gone there often over the past year.

The owner had made a fortune and even renovated the entire restaurant. Business was booming more than ever.

After they finished eating, Torifu said goodbye to Chirori and returned to his clan's compound.

Over the past year, Torifu had hardly had any free time. He'd spent every spare moment working to save up Calmness Points!

He was more and more convinced that this damn Peaceful Life System was nothing but a fraud!

Ever since he got the system, his life hadn't been peaceful for a second.

"System! Open the Shop!"