Shisui happily munched on the secret-recipe grilled fish Aomizu had prepared.
Even though it was the Uchiha prodigy’s very first time experiencing what it felt like to be completely overwhelmed in battle…
the heartfelt care from his older brother figure allowed young Shisui to forget his pain, losing himself entirely in the warmth of familial love.
“Brat.” Tobirama Senju’s voice rasped in Aomizu’s ear.
“I know you can hear me.
You and this kid named Shisui—you’re both descendants of Kagami, aren’t you?” Aomizu’s ear twitched.
Keeping a cheerful smile on his face as he watched Shisui devour the fish, he replied to Tobirama Senju within his mindscape, “Lord Hokage, who abandoned the Will of Fire, didn’t you claim that a single glance was all it took for you to spot an Uchiha?” “So go ahead and guess for yourself.” Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes, grinding his teeth.
Shisui’s facial features were practically carved from the exact same mold as Kagami Uchiha’s.
But Aomizu ranked at the absolute peak of appearance even in the entire history of the Uchiha Clan, looking quite distinct from the rest of Kagami’s lineage.
“Hmph…
Then I’ll cut straight to the point.
Since you’re a descendant of Kagami, I hope you can inherit his will.” Tobirama Senju’s tone carried a rare note of sincerity.
“He was the only Uchiha I ever truly acknowledged.
If you had told me earlier that you were his descendant, perhaps we wouldn’t have argued.” “Don’t stray down the wrong path, brat.
If you have any thoughts about the friction between the village and the Uchiha, I can offer my guidance.” Aomizu curled his lips into a smirk and replied mockingly, “Tobirama Senju offering guidance to the Uchiha Clan?
The only phrase that comes to mind is a fox guarding the hen house.” “Are you offering to help me figure out how to drive the Uchiha to extinction even faster?” Aomizu’s figure manifested before Tobirama Senju inside his mindscape.
With a flick of his finger, he muted Tobirama first before speaking unhurriedly: “From our first unpleasant conversation until now, I’ve come to realize a few things.” “The Will of Fire itself isn’t the problem.
But the people executing it have massive problems.” “From you to Hiruzen Sarutobi to Danzo Shimura, you selfishly seized the exclusive right to interpret the Will of Fire—something that every person in the village has the right to express—and turned it into a weapon to smear your political enemies.” “What a terrifying weapon.
The Uchiha Clan originally contributed the most to Konoha, yet now we’ve become pariahs in the village, viewed with constant suspicion.” Tobirama Senju couldn’t speak.
He could only glare coldly at Aomizu, communicating his firm denial.
“Just watch.
The Will of Fire, monopolized by a select few, won’t just burn the Uchiha.
It will also burn the very civilians you wanted to lift up and protect.” “Do you believe me, Tobirama Senju?
Want to make a bet?
This will happen very soon.” Aomizu snapped his fingers, removing Tobirama’s mute.
“Brat, don’t look down on me,” Tobirama Senju said, crossing his arms with a confident and resolute posture.
“That’s utterly impossible.
The Will of Fire is the guiding principle by which the Hokage leads Konoha, and it is the Nindo carried out by all ninjas of the Hokage faction.” “Just as I once stayed behind to cover their retreat, my students will sacrifice themselves for their comrades and the village’s future.
They would never harm them.” Aomizu smiled subtly and held up a single finger.
“Very well.
If what I said doesn’t happen within two years, I will grant any single request of yours.” “However…” “If it does happen, you will perform a proper dogeza before me, apologize, and repent for your sins.” This time, the calm and wise Tobirama Senju agreed directly without hesitation.
“Fine, brat.
I hope you act like a man and remember what you said.” “The same goes for you, Lord Second Hokage.” Once their conversation ended, Aomizu told Shisui to quickly take a bath and go to sleep.
Cutting off Tobirama Senju’s vision feed, he lazily returned to bed to think.
As of now, the system’s initial bonus period was coming to an end.
The emotional shockwaves brought to Tobirama Senju by the initial soul imprisonment and mind games had gradually run their course.
The calm, composed Second Hokage had rapidly adjusted his emotions and accepted the reality of his situation.
Therefore, even when Aomizu displayed talent in Water Style and Genjutsu that mirrored Tobirama’s own with uncanny similarity, it could only eke out minor rewards from him.
Aomizu recalled the full-power Water Style: Water Dragon Biting Explosion he had unleashed against Shisui.
That move hadn’t just been meant to awe Shisui—it had also been aimed at provoking an emotional reaction from Tobirama Senju.
Regrettably, while rewards had popped up from Shisui, none had come from Tobirama.
This showed that similar tricks would no longer work on Tobirama Senju; he needed to switch tactics.
*Heh.
As expected of Tobirama Senju.
But even the strongest fortress can be breached from within…* A glint flashed in Aomizu’s eyes.
He hadn’t made that bet with Tobirama for nothing.
At this point in time, Sakumo Hatake was still alive!
Aomizu looked forward immensely to seeing the expression on Tobirama Senju’s face and the shock in his heart when he watched his beloved student use public opinion to drive a civilian genius and pillar of Konoha to suicide.
And, more importantly, how rich the rewards would be!
*Shisui is only six years old and can’t offer me much help right now.
I’ll set him aside for now…* *I still need to find new targets.* Aomizu ran the numbers.
In Konoha as it was now, shinobi who could serve as high-value targets to engage…
Among peers of his age group whom he could easily contact, there were both many and few depending on how one looked at it.
Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy possessed immense value.
As for Asuma Sarutobi, Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, and their ilk…
Aomizu felt there was no need to waste effort on small fry.
And if he looked higher at the Jonin level, current Konoha was practically a magnificent treasure trove.
Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Sakumo Hatake, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura…
Nearly ten Kage-level shinobi, along with countless elites among the Jonin!
It was truly a golden age of booming prosperity, looking fully primed to unify the Ninja World!
Unfortunately, in just a few short years, all these pillars of Konoha would collapse in an instant—killed in battle, committed suicide, defected from the village, or left in exile.
Leaving only Danzo and the Third Hokage behind, acting like two heartless puppets still performing their rivalry on the stage called Konoha.
Aomizu had no intention of going out of his way to rewrite the fates of those powerful Konoha figures who died in the original timeline.
He only cared about who among them had the potential to become bound to him as a target.
In the Ninja World, Aomizu trusted only his own strength.
Even with Shisui, he wouldn’t place too much expectation on him.
Nothing was more important than growing strong oneself.
To Aomizu, these Kage-level shinobi weren’t just valuable because their personal strength and jutsu could yield excellent rewards; many of them could also provoke different emotional reactions from Tobirama Senju, shaking the cooled-down mind of the Second Hokage.
And to draw the attention of these big figures, Aomizu needed to play two key cards.
First, strength and talent worthy of commanding everyone’s attention…
Second, a Will of Fire that left people with an unforgettable impression!