"Old man, are you kidding me?"
Tsunade sat in the chair opposite Sarutobi Hiruzen, arms crossed and shaking her leg impatiently:
"I refuse. Tell your Asuma and that Uchiha brat to find someone else!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face froze.
He didn't even know how he had ended up in this situation as a teacher...
Three disciples, and two don't wear the Konoha headband. If it wasn't for a bit of notoriety, others wouldn't recognize them as Konoha ninja.
The only one who wore the headband seriously, in secret conducted human experiments without his knowledge, colluding with Shimura Danzo.
It's really... left him at a loss for words...
Tsunade coughed once; yesterday she drank all night again and only got up reluctantly when the Anbu came knocking.
The matter of taking Asuma and Aomi as disciples...
Tsunade was somewhat interested in Aomi, an Uchiha brat skilled in Mystical Palm Jutsu and able to teach it to other Ninja School students.
But when she recalled her life up to now—
Her clan dissolved, friends all dead, former comrades parted ways, she couldn't muster any interest in taking on students, and felt somewhat afraid.
In her heart, she vaguely felt she was already an unfortunate woman.
Cement-hearted, it was an apt way to describe the current Tsunade.
"Tsunade, I know it's not easy for you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply and said slowly, "But it's not that the old man wants to trouble you, it's for the future of the Konoha Village that I have to find you..."
"What does the future of the village have to do with me? I've already done a lot for Konoha... why trouble me again!" Tsunade waved her hand impatiently, speaking harshly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face froze, and even the Anbu hiding in the Hokage Office hastily averted their gaze, trying to lower their presence as much as possible, fearing they would attract the attention of these two.
This was the value of the Hokage faction!
What other Konoha ninja wouldn't dare to even think about, others could say directly to the Hokage, and still, nothing would happen...
And moreover, Tsunade was a heavyweight of the Hokage faction.
Her grandfather was the First Hokage, her grand-uncle the Second Hokage, her grandmother the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, her teacher the Third Hokage...
Even if Tsunade broke the Konoha headband in half now, everyone would think she was just causing a scene from drinking too much, just a naive act from a big girl.
If anyone dared to go out and talk nonsense, the next day, they were unlikely to see the Hokage Rock of Konoha.
"Tsunade, the old man has no other way. To complete Lord Tobirama's last wishes, I can only find you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled wryly, looking as though he was really out of options, and said slowly:
"You know that Lord Tobirama put a lot of effort into solving the issues between the Uchiha and the village..."
"Of course, the results were outstanding. Under Kagami's leadership, the Uchiha Clan showed signs of integrating with Konoha, but Kagami's death due to war interrupted this process."
"Now, you know the tense relationship between the Uchiha and the village, yet there's this unique child, Uchiha Aomi..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen began to chat with Tsunade about how unique Aomi was as an Uchiha, from Fire Release exam papers to teaching Asuma Fire Release...
And hearing the name Senju Tobirama, the previously impatient Tsunade also sat up straight, listening intently.
"That's how it is, Tsunade. Now you understand why the old man chose you, right?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed:
"I'm not going to comment much on Jiraiya and Mount Myoboku, and you can see for yourself Orochimaru's state, so only you are suitable to be Asuma and Aomi's teacher..."
Tsunade remained silent, memories of Senju Tobirama flashing before her eyes.
Tsunade knew Sarutobi Hiruzen was telling the truth; this was indeed her grand-uncle's will and the current village's chronic issue...
And thinking of Aomi, an Uchiha skilled in medical ninjutsu and eager to heal comrades, using the Sharingan to teach ninjutsu, Tsunade found it hard to be completely averse, becoming slightly interested.
"I can give it a try, old man, but to be clear, I might not do it well."
Tsunade flopped back in her seat and spoke frankly:
"You see my current state, a ninja with hemophobia, and a medical ninja at that, I even find it laughable myself..."
"Anyway, you just want to use my identity to give Asuma and Uchiha Aomi a status, right?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head: "I believe in you, Tsunade, that you will brilliantly complete the task."
"Moreover, as a teacher who watched you grow up, I also hope love and bonds can grow back in your heart..."
Tsunade snorted coldly, waving her hand: "Stop saying these pointless things, old man!"
"I'll reluctantly agree to this, that's it, I'm leaving!"
As soon as Tsunade spoke, she marched off in a huff.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched her back, feeling introspective as he lit his pipe.
Compared to Orochimaru and Jiraiya, only the reluctant Tsunade still somewhat listened to his words.
"Ah, truly exhausting, hopefully, Asuma and Aomi will grow up quickly..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his slightly aching back, feeling the relentless passing of time, he thought to himself:
"The old man can only pave a bit of the way for you, but growing up depends on yourselves, work hard!"
#
While Sarutobi Hiruzen was paving the way for Asuma and Aomi,
the Black Zetsu who had observed Uchiha Obito for a long time, also started paving the way for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
With Black Zetsu's millennia of observation on Indra's reincarnation and the Uchiha clan's visual prowess, it had accurately captured Uchiha Obito's inner heart.
A desire for attention, especially to be valued; extremely sensitive, prone to extremes...
Black Zetsu admitted, Uchiha Madara's judgement was indeed sharp, Uchiha Obito was naturally good raw material for a pawn.
Today.
Black Zetsu assembled dozens of burly White Zetsu, hiding in all corners of Konoha, pretending to be enemy nation ninja.
With Uchiha Setsuna's deliberate promotion, Uchiha Obito's fame in Konoha grew bigger and bigger.
There's no denying it, a seven-year-old Uchiha with two Tomoe Sharingan was indeed worth boasting about.
Uchiha Obito showed amazing talent, quickly learning various ninjutsu taught by Uchiha Setsuna, proving he was indeed a genius...
And to win over Uchiha Obito's heart,
Black Zetsu devised a "Beauty Saves the Hero" script.
A young genius, famed in Konoha, facing assassination by enemies, at a critical moment, receives a fatal attack, only to be rescued by a beauty who secretly admired him...
This level of dedication, how could a young boy withstand it?
Black Zetsu, now also known as Uchiha Rin, watched Uchiha Obito from a distance with a sinister smile.
"All White Zetsu, prepare to execute the plan as agreed..."
"Move out!"