Having chatted to this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi now understood clearly in his heart why Hinata wanted the Flying Raijin Jutsu and the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
Because Tobirama Senju was truly a role model for the vast majority of people.
So what if one didn’t possess the strength of Hashirama Senju?
So what if one lacked a sufficiently dazzling talent?
The path of life is always filled with thorns, but should that cause one to stop in their tracks?
If there is no path, then hack one out.
To counter the Sharingan’s extraordinary dynamic vision, Tobirama Senju independently developed the Flying Raijin Jutsu, earning the reputation of being the fastest shinobi in the ninja world.
Following that, techniques like the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags and the Reanimation Jutsu emerged one after another.
To counter the Uchiha clan’s world-renowned Fire Style, he continuously refined Water Style, simplifying the Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu from forty-four hand signs down to just four.
Even now, decades after Tobirama Senju’s death, those folks in Kirigakure are still using forty-four hand signs for their Water Dragon Bullet.
To cope with the Uchiha’s dazzling swordplay, the Sword of the Thunder God came into being.
Not only that, but Konoha’s entire current administrative system still follows the framework established back in Tobirama Senju’s era.
Unfortunately, even though Tobirama Senju achieved so much, in a certain sense, he still could not compare to his older brother, Hashirama Senju.
The reason was simple, requiring only two words.
Invincible.
Truly invincible.
Only those who had seen it with their own eyes and personally experienced Hashirama Senju’s power would understand just how terrifyingly strong that man was.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi had witnessed it firsthand.
Even from thousands of meters away, that massive, towering Buddha statue exuded an absolute sense of oppression—as if, should Hashirama Senju wish it, a single slap could crush everyone to death.
The so-called Flying Raijin Jutsu, Reanimation Jutsu, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags…
…were utterly useless against a power more terrifying than a natural disaster.
But this power manifested only in Hashirama Senju alone.
For anyone else, touching even a fraction of it was a pipe dream.
Yet, this truth was obviously a bit too cruel for a six-year-old child who admired Tobirama Senju.
After all, ninety-nine percent of people in the ninja world could never reach Hashirama Senju’s heights, even if they spent their entire lives trying.
Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to steer clear of the topic, speaking instead with a playful, joking tone:
“So, little Hinata, do you like the type of person Lord Second was?”
“Are you going to look for a husband in the future based on Lord Second?”
Hinata paused upon hearing this, her brows knitting tightly together.
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a deadpan, serious expression, she said:
“Who likes him?”
“It’s just that, in my opinion, Lord Second is a bit more inspirational than Lord First.”
“Lord Second never had a wife his entire life; I think there was definitely something wrong with his body.”
“Even a brainless guy like Lord First managed to get a wife.
If Lord Second had just married an Uchiha woman, maybe that Madara Uchiha wouldn’t have defected from Konoha.”
???
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked completely dumbfounded.
You little brat, do you even know what you’re saying?!
Believe it or not, he might just reanimate himself, crawl out of his grave, and stuff Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags into your bedsheets!
And…
marrying an Uchiha wife?
Maybe the next Hokage could give that a try.
“Besides, as for a husband or whatever, I don’t want one.
If there’s going to be a marriage, I should be the one marrying someone else!”
Hinata curled her lips, her face full of defiance.
Damn it, this old man has a screw loose!
A husband?!
Even a dog wouldn’t want that!
“Yes, yes, yes.
Little Hinata should indeed marry a boy into her family.”
Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi remember that the girl in front of him was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan’s main house.
If she were to marry, she wouldn’t be marrying out to someone else; instead, a male would marry into the Hyuga main house.
“No way, I don’t want to get married at all.”
“The boys in the village all seem like total idiots.”
Hinata had a look of pure disgust on her face.
“Oh?”
“Then what kind of person do you like, little Hinata?”
Recalling Hinata’s behavior at the Academy and her insights regarding Lord First and Lord Second, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surge of curiosity in his heart.
For someone like Hinata, whoever caught her eye would certainly be no ordinary individual.
“Someone like Ino or Sakura!”
Hinata blurted out without the slightest hesitation, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi completely dumbfounded.
Wait, what?
You look down on the boys at school, so you’ve set your sights on girls instead, is that it?
“Uh, well, little Hinata, do you like someone like Ino, or someone like Sakura?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, probing somewhat cautiously.
If it was just that Ino’s or Sakura’s personalities won Hinata’s favor, then a boy with a similar personality should also be able to win her affection.
But if it was the other aspect…
“Can’t I like both?”
“Don’t you think Ino and Sakura are super cute, Lord Hokage?”
Hinata countered in a crisp, innocent voice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “…”
He didn’t know how to respond to that.
It wasn’t as if he could say the children of the village weren’t cute.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit melancholy.
Itachi Uchiha from the Uchiha clan was hanging around Shisui Uchiha all day long, to the point where Izumi Uchiha, who was infatuated with him, spent less time with Itachi than Itachi spent with Shisui.
The Hinata Hyuga from the Hyuga clan in front of him was even worse—she directly resorted to fists and kicks when dealing with boys, showing absolutely no mercy.
Yet toward girls, she was all smiles, attentive, and warm, and even straight-up declared that the boys in the village were like idiots.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt deeply melancholy.
He suddenly felt that the future of the village was looking a bit bleak.
“Alright, alright.
Do you have anything else, Lord Hokage?”
“I’m heading home.”
Hinata stood up, thinking about heading back.
“There is one more thing.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hinata, pushing aside his melancholy to ask a different question.
“Back then, Hinata, when you beat up Naruto along with Ah-Da, Ah-Er, and Ah-San, did you do it to stop Ah-Da and the others from bullying Naruto?”
Hinata blinked in surprise upon hearing this.
The only reason she had beaten up Naruto along with those three idiots was simply because she didn’t want to marry Naruto in the future.
Those three idiots were just collateral damage.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“After all, Naruto is always being bullied by the people in the village.”
“How could they do that?”
Hinata spoke with an earnest expression.
‘Ah, I see.
Hinata really is a good child…’
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s recent worries about the bleak future of the village instantly vanished into thin air.
“Is it even their place to bully Naruto?”
“They don’t even know how to bully someone properly; I had to step in and demonstrate it myself.”
Hinata’s words caused the newly softened expression on Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face to freeze instantly.
When you said “How could they do that,” you actually meant the villagers’ methods of bullying Naruto were wrong?!
My Konoha…
seems destined for ruin in the future!
“And that idiot Naruto!”
“When people push him around like that, he doesn’t even fight back?”
“If it were me, I’d beat them until they’re looking for their teeth on the ground!”
“Oh, right!”
At this point, Hinata looked up into Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes and said with a look of pure disdain:
“Lord Hokage, you’d better clean up the social atmosphere in the village.”
“In this day and age, there are actually idiots who don’t recognize the Byakugan and dared to pick on me.”
“It doesn’t matter if they try to pick on me; I’ll just beat them up anyway.”
“But if they pick on other people, what are those people supposed to do?”
“Sakura was bullied just because of her forehead.
And I heard from big brother Neji that there’s a student in his class named Rock Lee who gets bullied because he can’t use ninjutsu.”
“I think you really ought to do something about it, Lord Hokage.”