"May I ask boldly, are you the esteemed Asura, the younger son of the Six Paths Sage?" Sarutobi Hiruzen put away the fishing pole in his hand, observing the anxious expression of the young man before him, and asked softly.
After Senju Tobirama was completely exonerated, becoming the backbone of Konoha and even the Ninja World Alliance Army, Sarutobi Hiruzen adopted a lackadaisical attitude—life opened up to vast horizons...
What did he do?
He led the people of Konoha, including but not limited to Tobirama's granddaughter, Aomi's younger brother, and the Uchiha Clan in the siege against his old mentor...
He even initiated the Reaper Death Seal to exchange himself one-for-one with Senju Tobirama!
Although it was later clarified as a misunderstanding, and Tobirama never openly expressed any desire to settle accounts with him, always referring to him affectionately as "my beloved student"...
Nonetheless, the more indifferent Tobirama appeared, the colder Sarutobi Hiruzen felt in his heart.
Not to say that he would end up like Shimura Danzo, doomed to be consumed by the soul-devouring Black Fire, killed all the way from flesh to soul...
After all, from the beginning, Sarutobi Hiruzen had leaned towards Aomi, having labored through hardships if not achievements.
Moreover, unlike Shimura Danzo, who committed too many unforgivable acts driven by personal greed, infuriating heaven and persons alike.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's shortcomings as the Third Hokage lay more in his lack of personal strength and insight, leading to conflicts during the turbulent Ninja World era...
Simply put, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not a bad person; he was simply ill-suited for the role of Hokage at that particular time.
Many of his seemingly suffocating decisions were influenced by his personal strength affecting his mindset, which in years of contention fostered a timid and indecisive character...
Yet on reflection, although his fate isn't as dire as Shimura Danzo's, achieving stability has become quite the luxury...
Therefore.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's mindset has completely relaxed.
After all, his relationship with Aomi and Asuma is still quite good—they at least would prevent Tobirama from being overly impulsive, and he needn't worry about his personal safety.
But as for prospects, there is no future...
Though Sarutobi Hiruzen still harbors ambitions in his heart, wishing to devoutly serve Konoha—especially since in the original timeline, he was still the authoritative Third Hokage...
But circumstances overpower individual desires; Sarutobi Hiruzen could only fruitlessly fish at the riverbank to momentarily escape internal agony and concerns after completing tasks arranged by Tobirama.
But today—
When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Asura inquiring him about the Will of Fire...
A strong premonition exploded within his heart! That wonderful intuition nurtured through decades of promoting the Will of Fire in Konoha as a Tai Chi proponent.
——This might be his chance for redemption!
On the surface, Sarutobi Hiruzen still maintained a calm, unhurried demeanor tinged with a hint of wariness and resistance, yet inwardly his mind was racing, seriously scrutinizing every micro-expression of Asura—entering into what's known as a combat state!
This is a big catch, an opportunity to exonerate a substantial part of his mistakes—an enormous fish!
"According to the plan of the teacher, it should have been Lord Hashirama provoking Asura to join the plan... but he found me and asked about the Will of Fire instead?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart raced: "I understand now... Given Lord Hashirama's nature, he's probably unsure how to proceed after delivering the words Tobirama entrusted to him without successfully bringing Asura onboard..."
"Considering Asura seems decent, he hesitated to bring him to Lord Tobirama, so he entrusted me to help persuade him?"
A faint, indiscernible glint flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
Regardless of whether you are the son of the Six Paths Sage, if you wish to voluntarily step into the great net woven by the Will of Fire, let me, Sarutobi Hiruzen, conquer you!
"I… I am." Asura replied bashfully as he looked at the slightly wary Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Though theoretically over a thousand years old after revival, Asura's appearance is that of a young man.
Not just in appearance; in the Ninja Sect, obediently following the Six Paths Sage's orders, serving as a tool to counter Indra, Asura's psychological age isn't very advanced either...
Upon seeing the elderly Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupt his leisure fishing due to his own recklessness, guilt rose within Asura.
It was all his fault.
Because during talks with Senju Hashirama, Asura, who always believed that the Ninja Sect members and Nine-tails supported him due to mutual understanding, came to know the truth after being backstabbed by Nine-tails… unable to bear it.
If everyone supported him only because of allegiance to the Six Paths Sage...
Wouldn't that mean they'd support Indra if the Six Paths Sage supported him back then? Instead of supporting Asura's right actions?
Thus, his millennia-long conflict with his brother wasn't a struggle for peaceful doctrines but a senseless family feud generating endless wars for the Ninja World…
Wouldn't that make him a sinner!
Asura could accept sacrificing temporarily for a brighter tomorrow, for such loss is necessary to lay the foundation…
But if the concept of "a brighter tomorrow" does not exist.
The past battles with Indra now embody the pretext for the warfare Asura despises most!