"Yes! Hiruzen understands!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi bowed his head heavily.
Arisu nodded meaningfully.
The light gradually faded.
The next second, the otherworldly space disappeared, and Hiruzen Sarutobi reappeared on the rock behind the clan grounds.
———
On the other side, the money for purchasing the Tailed Beasts was steadily transferred into Konoha's hands.
With money in hand, Konoha planned to focus on education and construction.
Thus, Senju Tobirama thought that for Konoha's future talent development, they could not rely solely on clan education. They needed a specific institution to train people.
If clan education continued to be maintained, not only could it lead to divisions, but it would also be impossible to train bonds.
Clan education could only produce people who were good for their clans.
They were loyal to their clans, but not loyal to Konoha.
Thus, Senju Tobirama made the decision on the spot: establish a Ninja Academy.
The news of the Ninja Academy's establishment caused quite a stir in Konoha.
Senju Tobirama personally pushed it forward in his capacity as the Hokage's assistant, formally integrating the previously scattered system of ninjutsu instruction.
The number of spots for the first batch of students was extremely limited, and almost all of them were children carefully selected by the various clans.
Of course, there were also some children from civilian families.
On the day school opened, the sunlight was just right.
Around twenty children sat in the brand-new classroom, most of them between five and seven years old.
The air was filled with nervousness, curiosity, and a faint sense of competition.
Senju Seito sat by the window, his silver-white short hair looking somewhat glaring in the morning light.
He rested his cheek on his hand and looked around at his classmates with boredom.
His gaze first landed on the black-haired boy in the front row who was already sitting straight, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Next was the gloomy-looking Shimura Danzo beside him, followed by the round-faced Akimichi Torifu, the silent Uchiha Kagami, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Seito narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The old Konoha F4..."
Seito silently repeated the words in his mind, the corners of his mouth almost curling into a mocking smile.
The overwhelming conspiracy theories from his previous life clearly surged back into his mind.
Many of Konoha's later dirty deeds, the excessive expansion of the Anbu, the tragedy of the Uchiha, and even the inexplicable decline of the Senju clan... in those analyses, these few people were almost impossible to avoid.
Especially Sarutobi Hiruzen. On the surface, he was gentle and kind, but in reality, he was suspected of personally pushing the Senju little by little to the margins of the village's power center.
Seito shifted his gaze and lowered his head to look at his hands, which still had a little baby fat.
His five-year-old body had limited chakra, and his Wood Release had only just awakened.
But he had already quietly made up his mind.
In this life, he absolutely could not let these few people hold Konoha in their hands again.
He would personally become Hokage.
Protect the Senju.
The classroom's front door was pushed open, and the instructor in charge of this class walked in. He began taking attendance, assigning seats, and briefly explaining the school rules.
The children whispered among themselves, talking over one another, while Seito remained quiet.
To be honest, having lived two lives, Seito did not think he had much in common with these little kids.
On the other side, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze kept drifting over from time to time.
He was full of curiosity about this suddenly appearing "son of Teacher Tobirama." Silver hair, a face very similar to his teacher's, and supposedly even awakened Wood Release... No matter how he looked at it, he seemed destined to be the center of attention.
Hiruzen did not know that the other person was a transmigrator. He only regarded him as a descendant of the Senju with powerful bloodlines, and a faint desire to get closer to him, and even compete with him, began to emerge in his heart.
"Monkey, look at that guy. Doesn't he look way too much like Lord Tobirama?"
Shimura Danzo had already been familiar with Hiruzen for a long time. He turned sideways and lowered his voice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. The elders in the clan said that the purer the bloodline, the easier it is to resemble one's parents. Not only does he look like him, he also awakened Wood Release... He'll probably become very strong in the future."
Danzo snorted, sounding somewhat unconvinced. "So what if he's strong? It's not like we're useless."
Not far away, Uchiha Kagami sat quietly, occasionally raising his eyes to glance at Seito before lowering his head again.
Akimichi Torifu had already secretly taken out some dry food and begun eating it slowly. Utatane Koharu was lying on the desk asleep, while Mitokado Homura was looking somewhat shyly at Utatane Koharu.
The instructor's voice rang out, asking everyone to introduce themselves.
When it was Seito's turn, he stood up, his voice steady.
"Senju Seito. Please take care of me."
Brief, without any unnecessary words. Yet it made the classroom fall silent for half a second.
"Senju... He's Lord Tobirama's son."
"I heard he really can use Wood Release..."
Whispers instantly spread.
Seito sat back down, ignoring those gazes.
He simply looked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen again, and their gazes briefly met in the air.
Hiruzen gave him a slight nod, a friendly gesture.
Seito did not respond and simply moved his gaze away.
'Hmph, kind-faced but black-hearted. Sarutobi Hiruzen is hypocritical...'
'This time, the script won't go the way you expect it to.' Seito thought to himself indifferently.
When the class bell rang, the children scattered.
Some gathered together to discuss the basic hand seals lesson from earlier, while others ran into the corridor to fight and play.
Seito did not hurry to leave. Instead, he walked unobtrusively over to Uchiha Kagami.
At the Ninja Academy, he was more inclined to train bonds.
Seito felt that at this age, it was the perfect time to train bonds.
Uchiha Kagami was quietly putting away his scrolls by himself, the side of his face beneath his black hair looking somewhat calm.
Noticing someone approaching, Uchiha Kagami raised his head. When he saw that it was the silver-haired Senju Seito, a trace of barely noticeable wariness flashed in his eyes.
"Is something wrong?", Uchiha Kagami raised his head and asked in a gentle voice.
Seito simply sat down in the empty seat beside him, his tone as natural as if they had known each other for a long time. "Uchiha Kagami, right? I'm Senju Seito. I heard it when you introduced yourself just now."
"I know."
Kagami nodded and said nothing more.
Seito did not mind. He simply looked out at the newly built training field and suddenly spoke, "The village hasn't been established for long, so everyone still has some barriers in their hearts, right? Especially between our two clans."
Kagami's movements paused slightly.
Seito continued in a calm tone that did not match his age. "The matter with Clan Head Madara only happened recently. A lot of people look at the Uchiha differently now, and there are also people among the Senju discussing it privately. But I think... this can't continue."
Kagami finally turned his head and looked at him seriously. "You're a Senju. Why would you think that way?"
"Because hatred can't solve problems."
"Although my father is deeply wary of the Uchiha, he also admits that there are people among you who are worthy of trust. And as for me... I would rather believe that only if the two clans truly unite can Konoha be stable."
Seito met his gaze and spoke with great seriousness.
The corner of the classroom gradually fell quiet.
Kagami was silent for a moment, as if weighing the truth of those words.
In the end, he spoke in a low voice, with a rare seriousness in his tone. "I've always felt that the Uchiha and Senju shouldn't keep hating each other. There has already been enough war between the previous generation."
"Lord Madara chose to leave, perhaps he had his reasons, but those who stayed behind should at least try to move forward. Hatred will only cause more people to die."
Kagami paused, rarely opening his heart. "If the two clans can truly put aside their prejudices, support each other instead of suspecting each other... then the village will have a future."
Seito nodded, agreement showing in his eyes.
"That's right. Unity isn't a slogan. It's truly treating the other side as comrades. Some strength can only become strongest when combined."
The two continued chatting like this, taking turns speaking.
From the ideals behind the village's founding, to what future ninja should be like, and then to their simplest understanding of "peace."
The more they talked, the more Kagami felt that this silver-haired boy before him was unexpectedly compatible with him.
He was clearly a Senju, yet he had none of the arrogance of a clan member looking down on others. Instead, he was more clear-headed than many children his age.
Seito also secretly praised him in his heart.
As expected of the Uchiha who was recognized by his father in the original work. His ideals were clean, yet he was not naive.
Someone like this was worth winning over, and worth trusting.
If he really became Hokage in the future, Uchiha Kagami would be an extremely important source of support.
———
[Inside the Hokage's Office]
Senju Tobirama sat behind his desk, playing with a sensory crystal in his hand.
A faint light flowed across the surface of the crystal, clearly displaying the scene inside the classroom. His son was sitting together with Uchiha Kagami, chatting happily.
Tobirama watched that scene, and his originally cold brows and eyes relaxed slightly.
He did not make a sound to disturb them, merely observing quietly for a long time.
Seito had taken the initiative to approach the Uchiha, yet he had shown no attempt at flattery or frivolity. Instead, he had guided the conversation toward the unity of the two clans and the village's future. His attitude was steady, and he handled the boundaries just right.
"Hmm."
Tobirama muttered under his breath and nodded, something he rarely did.
Toward this son who had suddenly appeared, he had originally retained some reservations and scrutiny.
But from what he could see now, this child had not only inherited Wood Release, his mind was clear enough as well.
At least... he was much stronger than those clansmen who only knew how to shout that "the Uchiha are all a hidden threat."
"However.... His mental maturity... isn't it a little too high?"
Tobirama closed his eyes for a moment and muttered under his breath.
The expression, wording, and even the sense of proportion Seito displayed while talking with Uchiha Kagami, naturally guiding the conversation toward "the unity of the two clans"... were all far too mature.
He did not look like a five-year-old child.
Children his age were mostly still arguing over who had gotten a better seat or who had one more piece of candy.
Yet Seito sat there, speaking in a clear and organized manner, his eyes steady. He could even notice the other person's wariness and take the initiative to resolve it.
That calmness was almost at the level of an adult ninja.
Tobirama was silent for a moment.
In the end, he sighed softly and pushed down that sense of incongruity.
"A child with a hard life has to grow up early..."
His mother had been forced to her death by the clan members, and he had come to Konoha alone to find his family.
The cold looks and rejection he had suffered in the small clan over the years were probably far greater than they appeared on the surface.
Growing up in that kind of environment, it was not surprising for him to mature early.
He remembered his own childhood.
At that time, the war had not yet ended. His elder brother always put kindness and trust first, while he had been forced to learn vigilance, scheming, and cleaning up messes at an earlier age.
When he was five or six, his thoughts were already much more meticulous than Hashirama's.
"Perhaps... he inherited my temperament."
Tobirama murmured, a trace of very faint self-mockery in his voice.
Wood Release was Hashirama's bloodline ability, but his mentality was more like his own.
Calm and mature, even carrying the steadiness that had been forced out of him.
Thinking this, the last bit of doubt in his heart was completely suppressed.
After all, bloodlines could be quite strange sometimes.
Tobirama straightened his body again and picked up the topmost scroll of administrative affairs. Sunlight slanted in through the window, falling across his cold profile.
"Since he's my son..."
"Then we'll train him according to this standard."
"Perhaps in the future, he can fight for the position of Hokage..."