Hearing Hiruzen's words, Hibari naturally nodded and said, "Of course! You should have known I had this intention already. Ojiisan is a bit freer now, so naturally, I'm going to train well with him. If I don't seize the opportunity, who knows if he'll suddenly get busy again..."
"Hahaha, really? That's great! With you around, I'll be much more relaxed. Tobirama-sensei is quite a handful," Hiruzen said with a loud laugh.
In truth, obirama didn't just have Hiruzen Sarutobi as a disciple. Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were also trained by Tobirama himself.
However, in terms of talent, Hiruzen was in a league of his own. Many said he possessed even greater talent than Tobirama in his youth, and even Tobirama himself implicitly acknowledged this.
Although the current Hiruzen was less than thirty years old, his strength was already among the top ranks in the entire Konohagakure. He was proficient in all five nature transformations, knew every ninjutsu of note, and under Tobirama's tutelage, he was no longer at the level of merely 'knowing how but not understanding,' but had deep insights into various ninjutsu.
This also made Hiruzen exceptionally skilled at using combination ninjutsu, capable of combining multiple C-rank ninjutsu through clever arrangements to unleash power comparable to B-rank or even A-rank jutsu.
And he was still young at this time. Hibari knew that in the future, he would even earn the moniker of 'Professor of Ninjutsu.'
Under the shadow of a genius like Hiruzen, Danzo and the others who followed Tobirama seemed less conspicuous.
In fact, if viewed individually, these individuals, being members of Tobirama's personal guard, were undoubtedly among the top performers of their age group.
But having a monstrous talent like Hiruzen in the team made it difficult. Furthermore, their aptitude for researching the mysteries of ninjutsu was limited, preventing them from assisting Tobirama much.
Thus, Hiruzen was considered the true disciple currently inheriting Tobirama's legacy.
This was also why Hiruzen was so happy to hear that Hibari was going to train with Tobirama. Because being around Tobirama was truly exhausting. Even if Tobirama was less busy now, he was still a high-ranking official of the entire Konohagakure, with numerous public duties. So, many of the intricate details related to ninjutsu development would be casually tossed to Hiruzen to handle, while Tobirama only pondered the difficult aspects.
As a result, Hiruzen often had to handle 'logistics' for Tobirama, keeping him incredibly busy. Now, with a new 'junior disciple' suddenly appearing, Hiruzen knew Hibari's situation and was naturally delighted to have someone share the burden!
"Don't worry, I'll try my best to keep up with you guys and help out. But, Hiruzen-nii... erm... Ojisan? Look, now that I'm going to train with Ojiisan, shouldn't we clarify our seniority? So we don't embarrass each other later. In my opinion, you shouldn't take advantage of me. We're practically fellow disciples now. Calling you 'brother' is giving you a lot of face, wouldn't you agree?" Hibari said with a grin.
Hiruzen glanced at Hibari's smiling eyes, then quickly said, "You're a slippery one. How can seniority be so chaotic? Think about it, when you see my father, you call him 'Ojiisan,' so shouldn't you call me 'Ojisan'? As for training, it's not that complicated. You're training with Tobirama-sensei, but you still call him Ojiisan, don't you? And not 'Ojisan', right? By the same logic, even if we're from the same lineage, you still have to call me 'Hiruzen-jisan'!"
"I might as well call you Hiruzen-jiisan, honestly! It's so annoying being young; I have to bow to everyone... Do I have to call everyone 'Ojisan'?" Hibari complained, displeased by Hiruzen's words.
Hiruzen, however, laughed and clapped Hibari on the shoulder, then said, "I can understand how you feel. After all, we've all been in the 'grandson' generation. It's a stage everyone has to go through... That's what growth is all about, Hibari."
Hibari glanced at Hiruzen, thinking to himself, 'I've already been through this kind of thing once in my previous life...'
However, Hibari was too lazy to argue about seniority any further. He directly said, "Hiruzen, are you also going to see Ojiisan and them?"
Hiruzen immediately bristled at Hibari's words. "You should say 'Ojisan'!"
But he didn't pay too much attention to the address. He and Hibari had a strong rapport, perhaps because of Hibari's 'precociousness,' seeming like an adult despite his young age, or perhaps because they were both considered geniuses by others, or perhaps because Hibari resembled him in many ways. In any case, despite the difference in seniority, every time Hiruzen saw Hibari, it felt like seeing a friend his own age.
"That's right. My father sent word that he has something to report to Hokage-sama and Tobirama-sensei, so I'm heading to see them now," Hiruzen said, not hesitating to tell Hibari directly.
Hibari's interest was immediately piqued. Although he had some understanding of this world, it was mostly superficial. Especially in the early days of the Konohagakure's founding, there were many things he didn't know, so he was very curious.
Hiruzen's father, Sasuke Sarutobi, was an extremely formidable expert in the entire Konohagakure, and a capable aide to Hashirama and Tobirama.
He often used to visit Hibari's Senju compound, and their relationship was very good. However, Hibari hadn't seen him in quite some time, so he assumed Sasuke Sarutobi must have been away on some mission. But that wasn't something a young kid like him could inquire about. So, now that Hiruzen mentioned his father, Hibari figured something interesting must have happened.
"Did something interesting happen? Or is it something truly important? If your father had to get involved, it certainly isn't an ordinary problem..." Hibari asked curiously.
This time, however, Hiruzen looked at Hibari and didn't spill everything. Instead, he smiled and said, "This concerns village secrets, and I'm not authorized to just tell you, kid. If you're really interested, we're heading to see Tobirama-sensei and Hokage-sama together anyway. You can see if they're willing to tell you..."
Hibari's interest intensified upon hearing this. If it were a minor matter, Hiruzen wouldn't have hesitated to mention it. For him to remain silent, it seemed something genuinely intriguing was about to happen.
"Then what are we waiting for? If you hadn't suddenly startled me, I'd probably be drinking tea in the Hokage's office right now... Come on, let's go!" Hibari said impatiently.
After speaking, without waiting for Hiruzen's reaction, Hibari strode quickly towards the Hokage's office building.
Hiruzen looked at Hibari's retreating figure, chuckled helplessly, and softly murmured, "That kid, still so full of curiosity... Well, that's a good thing, though..."
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office building, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju appeared to be discussing something.
"Anija, it's necessary to strengthen our 'control' over the Uchiha clan. The external environment is stable now, so what the village needs most currently is stability. Only with stability can we seek development, and in the entire village..." Tobirama paused slightly at this point.
Then, a cold glint flashed in Tobirama's eyes, and he continued, "And right now, the biggest potential hidden danger in the entire village lies with the Uchiha clan. Leaving aside other things, first and foremost, they are too arrogant. They look down on even ordinary ninja clans, let alone show any good graces to civilians..."
Why did Tobirama still hold prejudices against the Uchiha clan even after the Konohagakure's establishment? In fact, aside from his belief in their 'evil' nature, the most important point was that the Uchiha clan was simply too arrogant.
The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan, two great prominent clans, jointly established the entire Konohagakure. But even though the current Village Leader, the First Hokage, was a Senju, the Senju clan members didn't behave arrogantly in the village. In fact, Hibari felt that for some unknown reason, the Senju clan was gradually becoming 'low-key.' In any case, the Senju clan was highly regarded throughout the Konohagakure.
And what about the Uchiha clan? Members of this clan frequently produced 'geniuses,' making them inherently arrogant. Coupled with their significant contribution to the founding of the Konohagakure, their noses were practically stuck to the ceiling.
They looked down on ordinary ninja clans because they weren't as strong. Only the Senju clan received equal respect from them. Even the Hyuga clan was subtly discriminated against, let alone other ninja clans. Even a family as powerful as the Sarutobi clan wouldn't be given a proper glance.
If they treated even these prominent families this way, there was no way they'd show any respect to the 'have-nothing' civilians.
This led to the phenomenon of the Uchiha clan being 'arrogant and overbearing' throughout the Konohagakure. And from this, Tobirama saw the current instability within the Konohagakure.
Imagine living in a village where a group of self-proclaimed high-and-mighty nobles and rich heirs run rampant every day, looking down on everyone. Wouldn't you feel unhappy?
Of course, you would. Over time, this unhappiness would turn into resentment. When too much resentment accumulated, bad things could happen, even a 'coup d'état' within the entire Konohagakure was possible!
This was one of the reasons why Tobirama always believed the Uchiha clan would disrupt the stability of the Konohagakure!
"Tobirama, I think they just haven't fully integrated into the village yet. Let's give them more time..." Hashirama frowned, thought for a moment, and said softly.
"Anija, you are too lenient. Your kindness to them might not be appreciated; instead, it might fuel their arrogance. Furthermore, there's still... Madara, whose whereabouts are unknown. Do you think he's someone who would quietly settle down somewhere and retire? Sooner or later..." Tobirama said, growing irritated at his brother's 'naive' demeanor.