"I have to admit, Asuma was right, this was my negligence, which led to his disappointment..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, "As a Hokage and a father, I made mistakes, and I need to reflect."
"Fortunately, with your presence, Aomi, I was able to identify these problems in time. I will make sure to give a satisfactory explanation to both of you and the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled heartily inside.
Originally thought that Asuma was simply rebellious, could it be because he idolizes his father too much, leading to this rebellion?
Is this reasonable?
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's view, this was totally reasonable! The key is that it sounded quite pleasant and flattering…
Aomi's performance made Sarutobi Hiruzen very satisfied.
As a Hokage, what he needed was someone who tells him the truth, regardless of whether they are Uchiha or Ino-Shika-Cho...
The so-called absolute loyalty, if not absolute, is no loyalty at all!
For now, Aomi's loyalty, whether in the Uchiha Clan or in Konoha, is extremely rare.
Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled Aomi's test paper and increasingly felt that the Aomi before him was a ninja who combined knowledge and action.
The Will of Fire must be burning intensely in Aomi's chest...
"Aomi, rest assured, Uncle Hiruzen as the Hokage will definitely give Asuma, you, and the entire village a proper explanation."
With a solemn expression and a serious tone, Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "In Konoha, everyone is equal, even if the Hokage Assistant makes a mistake, they must face the village's severe punishment!"
"The Will of Fire is something every ninja in Konoha must adhere to, Shimura Danzo is no exception!"
Aomi nodded in agreement.
But Senju Tobirama, called Little Aomi by others, squinted his eyes, expressing his strong disapproval of this Hokage.
Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't hear, he started cursing, "At that level, this monkey is almost fooled by Aomi, can't even hold his pipe steady, and gives me a zero on the Will of Fire test paper!"
"I remember, monkey! When I can see you again, you better give me a good explanation of how you manage Konoha!"
Aomi, while smiling and listening to Sarutobi Hiruzen's talk, continued to taunt the disgruntled Senju Tobirama, "Tobirama, sometimes the dead really are more useful than the living."
"But as it stands now, you as a dead Hokage are really not as effective as this living one. Look, you curse Sarutobi Hiruzen and he doesn't even care about you, you should learn more from him…"
"Keep cursing if you like, I'm going to listen to the Third Hokage's speech, you really are an old man with no ambition!"
Senju Tobirama's face turned dark.
Even though he knew Aomi was trying to provoke him, he was still extremely angry.
If conditions allowed, he would rush out now to give Sarutobi Hiruzen a good beating!
[From the confrontation target Senju Tobirama: You have obtained Earth Release: Fish Reflection in the Soil Jutsu!]
"There is another thing I wish to report to Uncle Hiruzen."
After Sarutobi Hiruzen's stern criticism of Shimura Danzo and long lecture on the Will of Fire, a slightly inattentive Aomi slowly spoke:
"Asuma taught me the Fire Release of the Sarutobi Clan. In return, I shared with him some Fire Release Techniques of the Uchiha Clan. However, to help him understand quickly, I used Genjutsu with the Sharingan."
"This is a bit of an exploration with my Sharingan, using Genjutsu to let a ninja experience the sensation of casting high-level ninjutsu, it helps in mastering new ninjutsu and might be used in Ninja School's teaching…"
"Additionally, it's a bit of my concern, I am worried about using Genjutsu to exchange Fire Release Techniques with Asuma, that if discovered by someone with bad intentions, it would provoke conflicts."
"Like Asuma, I don't trust certain individuals in the village, only Uncle Hiruzen, after all, I am an Uchiha…"
After speaking, Aomi revealed a pair of Sharingan that radiated warmth and sighed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at these special Sharingan and began to smile.
How could he not know?
When Sarutobi Hiruzen used the Telescope Jutsu to see Aomi teaching Nohara Rin the Mystical Palm Jutsu, he understood.
The title of Ninja Doctor was not unfounded.
The key lies in Aomi presenting the Sharingan and candidly admitting to using Genjutsu on Asuma…
This is critical, no matter how Genjutsu was used, or if the intention was good, using Genjutsu on the son of the Hokage is very sensitive.
However, after Aomi voluntarily revealed it, the nature of the matter completely changed.
Below the level of the Mangekyo, Sarutobi Hiruzen is not worried about Genjutsu from the Sharingan.
This is Konoha, not some remote place like The Hidden Mist Village, which doesn't even have complete Perception Ninjutsu; here there are the Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan, and the perception from the Yamanaka Clan and the Uzumaki Clan, wisdom from the Nara Clan…
No one can silently control the upper echelons of Konoha, or Asuma, the Hokage's son.
"You think too much, my child!"
With a face full of smiles and a slight tone of rebuke, Sarutobi Hiruzen said:
"Rest assured, Uncle Hiruzen trusts you completely! You are an outstanding Konoha ninja, with the best Will of Fire I have ever seen."
"No need to worry about your Uchiha heritage, the Uchiha Clan is also an important part of Konoha."
"In the past, my teacher, the Second Hokage, even in those circumstances, held Kagami in high regard, treating him as an important disciple… Though I am not as great as Lord Tobirama, I certainly have the capacity to accept you, Aomi."
Hearing this, Aomi breathed a long sigh of relief and, listening to Senju Tobirama's angry curses, laughed wholeheartedly.
—"Monkey, you have a lousy capacity! You really allowed me to lose face in front of this brat!"
The more Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Aomi, the more satisfied he became, clearing his throat lightly, he spoke slowly, "Aomi… coming up is a request from a friend's father to you."
"I understand that the ninja division is the beginning of every ninja's career, the starting point for forming bonds, and it is extremely important; you may already have teammates in mind."
"But I am not only a Hokage, as Asuma's father, I have to admit to having some selfish desires..."
"When it comes time for division, I'll assign you and Asuma to the same group, and find a good teacher for both of you."
Aomi laughed, so this is the small indulgence of being a Hokage?
"Thank you, Uncle Hiruzen, I too am very eager to become teammates with Asuma, to grow together to be the pillars of Konoha."
Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed happily.
In his mind, he was already like Senju Tobirama, a Hokage capable of taming the Uchiha.
Looking at the portrait of Senju Tobirama hanging on the wall, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself, "Teacher, I am diligently pursuing you, striving to become a good Hokage..."
"Please, cheer for me!"
And as Aomi was leaving, Sarutobi Hiruzen specially mentioned to Aomi—
If some Dark Ninja really caused him trouble, not to worry, Konoha's iron fist would uphold justice for Aomi!
And a few nights later.
As Aomi was returning home from grocery shopping, while passing a junction.
A strange man, wrapped in bandages and leaning on a cane, appeared in front of Aomi.
The person who came was Shimura Danzo…