"Kid, what are you thinking about? Why are you so silent?"
Senju Tobirama crossed his arms, looking at Aomi as he quietly tended to his wounds, shaking his head and said:
"Your talent is already astonishing. You don't intend to defeat the pinnacle-level Hatake Sakumo at your age, do you?"
"For a ninja of his caliber, his abilities far exceed those of an ordinary Jonin, having reached the level of a shadow..."
After Hatake Sakumo treated Aomi with full force.
Terrifying Slash Waves continuously attacked, and Hatake Sakumo himself moved as fast as lightning, making Aomi experience unprecedented pressure.
However.
Relying on the high defensive capability of Water Release, as well as the dynamic vision and Genjutsu capability of the Sharingan...
Even though Aomi found it difficult to launch a proactive counterattack against Hatake Sakumo, he could still manage a relatively calm defense, always keeping himself safe.
In Senju Tobirama's eyes, for Aomi to achieve this at his age was already quite commendable.
But Aomi remained silent after the battle, with an expression of an unsettled mind, which made Tobirama somewhat displeased.
"Tobirama, are you concerned about me?" Aomi slowly spoke, with a touch of fatigue in his words.
"...Sort of. After all, you're Konoha's genius boy. As the Second Hokage, it's normal for me to care about you."
Senju Tobirama paused, hesitated with his expression, but still said so.
Aomi's expression instantly turned from gloomy to comical:
"Then don't worry, Tobirama. I'm just pondering over what to eat tonight."
"I'm not concerned about whether I can defeat Hatake Sakumo. What concerns me is whether he can harm me."
"It seems now that I am very safe. As long as I have enough survival ability to grow, I don't think anyone will be my opponent in the future of the Ninja World..."
Senju Tobirama's face darkened, indeed, it was the wicked Uchiha Aomi, not only wasting his emotions but also that confidence that is typical of the Uchiha Clan.
But in Tobirama's heart, he felt that there really was nothing wrong with Aomi's words.
Other than ninjas of the level of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, who else could defeat Aomi, this combination of Uchiha Izuna and him, once he grew?
And at this moment, Senju Tobirama still didn't know that the Uchiha Madara he feared, also started spending Gold Coins like him...
"Kid, you..."
"Aomi-kun, can I talk to you?"
Just as Senju Tobirama was about to retort Aomi, Sarutobi Asuma emerged from the nearby grass, looking at Aomi with a complicated expression, his tone imploring.
In his eyes, there was admiration, respect, nervousness, confusion, and even a hint of yearning...
While Aomi was sparring with Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo, Asuma was training the Sarutobi Clan's Fire Release in the adjacent training field, trying to dispel his inner confusion with diligent practice.
But soon, he saw the training ground next door, with flames filling the sky, and was stunned for a moment.
Thus, Asuma saw Kakashi being instantly defeated by Aomi, and the scene of Aomi and Hatake Sakumo engaging...
He could hardly believe it, that Aomi, his peer, could methodically withstand Hatake Sakumo's onslaught!
That was the Konoha White Fang, a war hero who slew through The Hidden Sand Village with a single blade during the Second Ninja World War for the village!
What troubled Asuma's heart more was Aomi's mastery of the Will of Fire.
Aomi's Will of Fire exam paper was greatly promoted by the Ninja Academy.
"...When Konoha dances, the fire burns endlessly..." was even framed and hung on the walls of the Ninja School, as a conspicuous slogan.
Asuma had long wanted to talk to Aomi, and the shock of today helped him muster the courage to overcome his inner hesitation.
Even though he had no interaction with Aomi, he boldly came over to him.
"Asuma-kun, if you want to talk to me, go ahead..."
Aomi looked at Asuma, who had the demeanor of a rebellious teenager, and smiled warmly.
This one, after all, was quite a unique presence within the Hokage lineage.
As the son of the Third Hokage, and having become an only child after the Nine-tailed Fox Chaos, as long as no big trouble arose, he could at least hope to become a Konoha Advisor, and with some effort, a Hokage Assistant.
But Asuma was not one to follow the rules.
After the Third Ninja World War, he once acted based on his preferences, left Konoha, and wandered around, even pondering over questions like who the true jewel was.
In a sense, Asuma once questioned the underlying logic of the Will of Fire.
So, he was a ninja who tried to betray his own class, quite an interesting one.
"Where should we talk, Asuma-kun? Right here, or find a quiet place..."
Aomi stared at the stunned Asuma and softly said.
"Please, follow me, Aomi-kun! This isn't the best place to talk!"
Asuma indeed stood frozen for a moment; he did not expect Aomi to so readily agree to his request, and he spoke so warmly.
This is the pressure brought by strength.
In Asuma's mind, Aomi, who was his peer and had such martial prowess, should be proud and flamboyant. He was even ready to plead with Aomi, but he never thought it would go so smoothly, and Aomi agreed to his request...
Asuma led Aomi, turning left and right, until they reached a secluded valley outside Konoha Village, and seeing Aomi's perplexed gaze, he scratched his head, explaining somewhat awkwardly:
"Here, this place is relatively safe, Aomi-kun."
"That old man can use Jutsu to spy on people in the village, and this place is a blind spot in the telescope viewfinder I found. It's also where I usually sneak a smoke, so it's very safe, we can talk about anything..."
Aomi chuckled inwardly, was Asuma this filial?
He just spilled the beans on the Third's Telescope Jutsu?
It seemed like Sarutobi Hiruzen's family relations weren't harmonious...
Senju Tobirama frowned, Aomi had just told him that Sarutobi Asuma was Sarutobi Hiruzen's younger son.
So, what was this about?
The son of the Hokage coming to find a genius from the Uchiha, and bringing him to such a secluded corner, with no respect in his tone for Sarutobi Hiruzen...
"That monkey, how can he not even be a proper father?" Senju Tobirama shook his head, with an expression of 'hating iron for not becoming steel.'
"Well, you don't even have a partner, so don't criticize someone for not being a proper parent..."
Aomi murmured in defense of Sarutobi Hiruzen, then indicated with his eyes for Asuma to start his questions.
Asuma took a deep breath and voiced his inner conflict: "Aomi-kun, can you tell me, what is the Will of Fire?"
"I know, Aomi-kun's Will of Fire score is very high, but do you really believe in the Will of Fire? If so, why do you choose to believe in it?"
"Please give me an answer, Aomi-kun!"