He couldn't help thinking again of the research notes Teacher Tobirama had left behind.
Teacher Tobirama had spent half his life studying the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, and his notes repeatedly mentioned the Uchiha Clan's innate "evil."
After awakening their eyes, Uchiha clan members would fall into feelings of hatred. As the Sharingan evolved, that emotional distortion would grow more severe.
But Qingyu gave him a completely different impression.
That child was calm, rational, supported the Will of Fire, and was never stingy about lending a hand to his companions.
Of course, Qingyu also possessed the traits of the Uchiha Clan, but that "evil" had been neutralized—or rather, compensated for—by his Senju bloodline.
The Uchiha were naturally somewhat extreme, but the Senju bloodline made up for that.
If Teacher Tobirama heard those words, he would probably sit right up in his coffin.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and cast aside those far-fetched thoughts.
Those were matters for the younger generation.
There was no telling whether he, the Hokage, would even survive the coming war.
The shinobi world had become increasingly turbulent lately. Friction between the major hidden villages was growing more frequent, and small-scale conflicts along the borders had already continued for over half a year.
Even Teacher Tobirama had died in the First Shinobi World War. Could Sarutobi Hiruzen really be certain he would return alive?
That was precisely why he needed to decide on a candidate for Hokage in advance.
His efforts to temper Hatake Sakumo were part of that consideration.
He simply hadn't expected this round of "tempering" to be a little too intense.
Several days passed, and the rumors in the village gradually died down.
As Qingyu walked to school, he clearly noticed that there was much less discussion about Hatake Sakumo around him.