Sensei, Can I Burn Those Rats to Death?

"Tch."

"If it were Fugaku, what would he use to block that move?"

The ground was covered in blackened debris. The once-dense trees were now bare, with only their trunks left, still burning.

That was why Ruohuo felt he might not be able to beat Fugaku, but definitely wouldn't lose to him.

He could take advantage of his aerial superiority and unleash powerful techniques from the sky.

Fugaku, stuck on the ground, could only take the attacks head-on or dodge them.

"The Uchiha and Senju really can't get along..."

"Fire Release does way too much damage to the environment. Forgive me, forgive me."

Ruohuo rode the Fire Dragon down and found several bodies amid the thick layer of ash.

The Great Fireball was only a C-rank ninjutsu, and its base damage was a little lacking. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been called the "Kindly Flame."

But even the most basic ninjutsu became something else entirely once enough small changes added up.

"If I put Majestic Demolishing Flame in my main skill slot, at fifty times the scale..."

All right, he probably wouldn't be able to use it. The two techniques' base costs were on completely different levels.

"This is truly a terrifying sight."

Orochimaru emerged from the ground nearby. His hoarse voice brimmed with praise, along with a hint of surprise.

"You seem to have turned this place into a living hell, Ruohuo..."

A living hell...

That was a pretty fitting description.

If his B-rank main skill was still Fire Release, perhaps he could use that name.

Ruohuo glanced at Orochimaru and saw that he wasn't covered in mucus.

He wondered whether Orochimaru hadn't undergone Soft Body Modification yet and couldn't use it, or whether he'd secretly washed himself off.

Ruohuo had clearly seen Orochimaru arrive at the last moment...

"They said my teacher had been assassinated by their people. I didn't really believe them, but I was still a little angry."

Ruohuo said expressionlessly, "Those people are awful. Even the ninjutsu they use is the kind I hate most."

"Fortunately, I obtained a Chunin's Will of Fire. Otherwise, I wouldn't have held out until you got here, teacher."

Held out until I got here...

Who was the one who wouldn't have held out?

Orochimaru reserved judgment on that. More than that, he was curious about what Ruohuo's words revealed.

This child... seemed to have noticed something.

"Oh? What ninjutsu did they use against you, Ruohuo?"

"Water Style and Wind Style... They didn't use the Earth Release I hate most, but they always like to sneak up on people like rats."

Ruohuo said with a look of disgust, "They clearly don't have the Will of Fire in them. They have a very dark feel to them, like sewer rats who only dare to scurry around at night."

"..." Orochimaru held back a laugh.

Sewer rats who only dared to scurry around at night...

That was a pretty fitting description of that elder.

So this child was that perceptive in this regard, too?

If Orochimaru hadn't known that Ruohuo was still completely unaware of Danzo's Root, he might even have suspected Ruohuo was hinting at something.

"The Will of Fire is both blazing and bright, Ruohuo," Orochimaru prompted. "There are many things in this world that oppose each other, yet depend on each other..."

"Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is sunshine, there are shadows. You inherited the Will of Fire, so naturally, someone else inherited... the Will of Darkness."

"You... are destined to be enemies."

"..." Ruohuo held back a laugh.

He'd used those words when he'd lectured Obito before.

Unfortunately, Obito hadn't quite understood. Little Shisui, on the other hand, had sat there dazed for ages.

So... was Orochimaru trying to plant a suggestion in his mind?

Was he trying to get Ruohuo to fight Danzo someday?

Or was he warning him that there was a shady old bastard named Danzo in Konoha who would target him?

Interesting.

"If they're my enemies, can I burn them to death whenever I want, teacher?" Ruohuo asked bluntly.

Orochimaru smiled faintly, as if he'd expected Ruohuo to ask that.

"Of course."

"Since they're your enemies, you should let them feel the warmth of the Will of Fire."

"You didn't burn your enemies to death. You purified the world..."

How exciting...

If Ruohuo became the Uchiha Clan's leader, would he keep backing down when the higher-ups pressured him?

Especially the leader of the "Will of Darkness," Elder Danzo.

For so many years, he had walked through Konoha's darkness under the teacher's will.

He would eliminate anything he saw as a threat without hesitation, even Konoha Ninja.

The Senju Clan, including that child Nawaki...

Back then, Nawaki had stepped into a trap during a mission, and an Explosive Tag had taken his life.

Today... Ruohuo had only just left the village when he was attacked by "rats."

Heh. How many coincidences could there really be in this world?

Rather than work with those rats, Orochimaru had more faith in this child with a bright future.

And when Konoha entered a new era...

There would be no need for the dregs of the old era to remain.

"I understand, teacher."

Ruohuo nodded thoughtfully.

"If I run into those rats again, I'll use the Will of Fire to purify them!"

"The Bug Squad failed?"

Danzo received the report from his bodyguard that very night.

Aburame Ryoma's bugs had brought the information back immediately.

"A forbidden-level Fire Release technique, a giant fireball as hot as the sun..."

"Why have I never heard of the Uchiha having such a forbidden technique?"

Danzo furrowed his brow.

Aburame Ryoma had no reason to deceive him, but the information he'd brought back was simply too exaggerated.

The Uchiha Clan's Fire Release Ninjutsu had all been handed over to Konoha back when Uchiha Madara was buried. That was what the Uchiha of that time had done, and the teacher himself had...

"Could the Uchiha have secretly kept some forbidden techniques even back then?"

"But if that's true, why isn't there any mention of them in the records about Uchiha Madara?"

Danzo couldn't make sense of it.

But Aburame Ryoma's bugs were still waiting for instructions, and now was no time to investigate.

"The important thing is Orochimaru..."

Aburame Ryoma had recorded Orochimaru's response word for word.

The most important part was the word "sincerity."

"Not killing Ryoma and Chito is your way of showing me sincerity?"

"What else do you want?"

Danzo frowned deeply.

Orochimaru was even more greedy than he'd imagined.

He'd already given him those precious experimental records, yet the man still wanted more?

Danzo considered the cards in his hand.

War merits. Forbidden techniques.

Those were the only two things Orochimaru wanted now.

One was the Hokage Position he could never obtain.

The other was what he desired most...

Perhaps...

It was time to make a choice.