"You can use this place freely from now on. No one else will come here," Hashirama said to Hoshikawa Haru.
Haru blinked in surprise. The training ground was massive—clearly built for the Hokage himself. But since Hashirama didn't need it anymore, it was now his. That realization struck Haru with a strange sense of awe.
At Hashirama's signal, Haru began stretching and warming up, getting his body ready for whatever came next.
Fifteen minutes later, Hashirama waved his hand. "All right, let's do some sparring. I want to see where your skills are."
Haru's expression twitched. Seriously? Sparring already? He had only just begun refining chakra a few days ago. But since his teacher had already said it, he had no real choice.
He suspected Hashirama was really trying to test his unique bloodline ability.
As they moved to the sparring ground, Hashirama stood motionless, hands behind his back, calmly waiting for Haru to make the first move.
Haru took out a kunai from his pouch and focused his deep blue eyes.
[Eyes of Time – Activate!][Eye of Time – Super Speed!]
In an instant, time sped up for Haru. He vanished in a blur, accelerating faster than the human eye could follow.
"Hmm? You're fast. But speed alone isn't enough," Hashirama remarked with a faint smile.
Haru knew that too. Without wasting time, he quickly formed hand seals—white mist puffed out around him, and three identical clones appeared.
"You've already mastered the Clone Technique? That's impressive," Hashirama said with genuine admiration. The technique was executed with almost no flaws.
Taking advantage of the moment, Haru and his clones rushed in from four angles, aiming to overwhelm him.
But Hashirama dodged with effortless grace, as if he were strolling in a park, not even raising a hand to retaliate.
"No, if this is your full strength, then I've clearly overestimated you," he said calmly, trying to shake Haru's focus.
But Haru didn't react. He kept his concentration, twisting his wrist and throwing the kunai. Of course, having never really practiced kunai-throwing properly, the weapon missed entirely.
"Haha! Haru, your aim is awful! You really need to work on that," Hashirama laughed, openly enjoying the moment.
Despite the ridicule, Haru's expression stayed neutral—but a flash of cunning lit up his eyes. In an instant, he vanished again.
Ding!The sharp ring of metal-on-metal echoed through the air—Hashirama had intercepted the surprise attack with his own kunai.
"Wait… that was the Flying Thunder God technique? That's impossible! It's only been a few days," Hashirama said, stunned. Had he not been on alert, he might've been hit.
"Don't underestimate me, Sensei," Haru said, raising an eyebrow.
He flipped backward, gaining height.
[Eye of Time – Slow!]
The world around him seemed to freeze, slowed dozens of times. He descended from the sky, kunai aimed straight at Hashirama's head.
But of course, the God of Shinobi wasn't about to fall so easily.
Just before Haru struck, a massive hand reached up and caught his wrist mid-air.
It was Hashirama.
Haru's eyes widened in shock. Even under the slowing effect of his time manipulation, Hashirama could still move?
Before he could react, Hashirama gave him a wink—then sent him flying with a brutal kick to the stomach.
Haru crashed to the ground like a ragdoll, gasping and coughing as he clutched his midsection.
The pain was intense—he could feel stomach acid rising from the sheer force of the blow.
As he lay there, groaning, a shadow fell over him. He looked up and saw Hashirama squatting beside him, reaching out to ruffle his hair with a big grin.
"Good job, Haru! You really gave me a surprise today. Well done!"
Haru gave a weak smile, barely able to breathe through the pain.
"Sensei... I think you nearly killed me," he said hoarsely, glaring in mock betrayal.
Hashirama only laughed louder, planting his hands behind him and gazing up at the sky.
"Haru, I'm so glad you were born in Konoha—and that you've had the chance to grow up in peace."
"You haven't had to worry about being called to a battlefield at any moment… That kind of peace, that's what I've always dreamed of. What I've fought for."
"But lately, I've got this uneasy feeling. Like something big is coming—something that could shake the foundation of Konoha."
"Maybe it's just me getting old. I worry too much about everything," he muttered, more to himself than to Haru.
Hearing those words, Haru fell silent.
Because his teacher was absolutely right.
Within just a few years after Hashirama's death, everything would change.
The Second Great Ninja War would break out. Tobirama would die in battle. Hiruzen would take over as Third Hokage.
At first, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been sharp and capable, leading Konoha with strength and wisdom. But power… power corrupts.
In time, Konoha would spiral into dysfunction. The pressure forced heroes like White Fang to take their own lives. The proud Senju clan would nearly vanish. The Uchiha would be massacred.
The two founding families of Konoha would be reduced to shadows of their former selves.
Meanwhile, the political elite—rooted in Danzo and others—would tighten their grip on the village.
The Hokage's power would be hollowed out. Danzo would grow stronger, bolder.
The consequences would lead to Konoha's steady decline.
From being the strongest ninja village in the world, it would become little more than a name—forced to swallow its pride again and again, incapable of standing tall.
Haru lowered his head, unsure what to say. Nothing he could offer would ease Hashirama's burden.
"...Haru," Hashirama said, finally snapping out of his thoughts.
"Please… watch over the village. Help it grow."
His voice was quiet, almost like a last request.
Haru opened his mouth to respond but couldn't find the words. In the end, he simply nodded, hard.
"…Thank you," Hashirama said with a smile, then shifted the topic.
"Your bloodline ability is remarkable. Against opponents of similar strength, it's basically impossible for them to resist."
Hashirama had only been able to counter it because the gap in power was so enormous.
"In fact," he continued, "I don't even think this is just a simple bloodline limit."
Haru scratched his nose, suddenly guilty. How is his intuition this good?
"But no matter how strong your ability is, it's useless without control. Keep training."
"I can't teach you how to master it. That's something only you can figure out on your own."
With that, Hashirama took out a scroll. Forming a quick seal, he released a puff of white mist, and an enormous scroll appeared in his hand—nearly half a meter wide.
Haru's eyes widened in disbelief.
Because that scroll… was none other than the Book of Seals.
"Sensei, this is—this is totally against the rules," Haru said, staring in shock.
Hashirama just grinned.
"I'm the Hokage. Do I need permission to give my disciple a gift?"
"Wait… you're giving me this?" Haru pointed at himself, stunned.
"Of course," Hashirama said proudly. "As your teacher, this is my gift to you."
"But don't worry—it's not the original. Just a copy."
Even so, Haru was still reeling as he slowly took the scroll in his hands. Just like that, he had access to the sealed techniques of Konoha?
Was it really supposed to be this easy?