Simple translation—Anyone who stands in my way, I'll eliminate!
Sarutobi Hiruzen never expected… that one day, his teacher would threaten him like this!
At this moment, multiple phantoms appeared before Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
With Senju Tobirama as the main figure...
They successively passed by Orochimaru, Shimura Danzo, his own shadow...
"I see... So that's how it is!" Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled bitterly.
In the Senju Tobirama lineage...
Every outstanding disciple and grand-disciple's dark side, or rather their extreme thinking and sharp actions, seemed to have inherited a part of Senju Tobirama, the master...
Sarutobi Hiruzen's balance, Shimura Danzo's ruthlessness, Orochimaru's extremism and fantastical ideas...
The sum total of all of them multiplied by a very high coefficient equals Senju Tobirama!
Excelling beyond the master? No, the older ginger is spicier!
"I—I understand, teacher…" Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed heavily, looked complexly at the "Naruto" in his eyes, and turned to leave quickly.
He needed some peace and quiet.
To find a place where he wouldn't be disturbed, to carefully review every detail of today's conversation with his teacher, and to anchor what to do next…
The midday sun was warm.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart was as cold as ice.
Confusion, unprecedented confusion...
"Third Hokage-sama, how is the situation with the Jinchuriki? Is any further action needed?" An Anbu Squad Captain stepped forward, looking loyal, quickly inquiring of the grim-faced Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Pass my order—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at him, speaking gravely:
"From now on, lift any surveillance regarding the Jinchuriki, whether it's Anbu, Root, or any department within the village, without my further instructions and approval, no one is allowed to perform any tasks regarding the Jinchuriki!"
"Special emphasis, if Hokage Assistants and Konoha Advisors have any orders concerning the Jinchuriki, all department ninjas must refuse to execute them and immediately report to me."
The expression behind the Anbu Squad Captain's mask froze.
Lift all arrangements for the Jinchuriki?
This...
This is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
If something goes wrong, it might lead to the terrifying Night of Nine-tails again!
Are we really going to do this?
But seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's extremely serious eyes, the Anbu Squad Captain wisely didn't ask further questions, just silently nodded to indicate he understood.
Then swiftly conveyed the supreme command within Konoha Village from the Third Hokage…
"Judging by this tone, it seems there's internal conflict among the high-level…" The Anbu Squad Captain thought while rushing, pondering the deeper meaning of this order:
"Is the Third Hokage competing with the Hokage Assistant and Advisors for control over the Jinchuriki? It has reached such a heated level..."
"Relaxing surveillance, is this a trap for the other side?" The Anbu Squad Captain flinched inside, stopping further thoughts.
Even in a time of peace, the village is not completely safe...
With deep experience, he remembered that two decades ago, a man named Hatake Sakumo brought disaster upon himself during a simple mission, dying under widespread condemnation!
Being a screw in the village, or rather a slightly bigger screw…
He had already learned not to listen, not to look, and not to ask.
The Anbu Squad Captain's speculation was more or less correct.
It was indeed Konoha's high-level internal strife.
However, it was not a dispute among Senju Tobirama's disciples; it was a tug-of-war between Sarutobi Hiruzen, the first disciple, and his resurrected teacher, the Second Hokage!
If this Anbu Squad Captain knew the truth…
Perhaps he would be sweating bullets, frantically thinking about which side to take, rather than having a chaotic mind but still sincerely standing with the Third Hokage…
"Danzo, Koharu, Homura… let you guys see what exactly the teacher is planning…" Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed longingly at Naruto's house, his eyes flickering, whispering to himself:
"I know, you always have rebellious moods… Regarding my words as Hokage, you always have different opinions…"
"Since that's the case, I won't let you disturb the teacher; you'd most likely end up provoking him anyway… I really can't determine the extent to which the teacher has controlled the Nine-Tails, nor what his intentions are…"
"Given that, I can only continue to be the obedient student, listening to the teacher's arrangements regarding me and the Uchiha, while you go ahead and stir things up!"
This is also what's known as…
Let others die but not oneself!
Sarutobi Hiruzen adjusted his sleeves, with complex feelings heading towards the Hokage Building.
Meanwhile, inside Naruto's spiritual space.
Aomi handed back control of the body swiftly to Naruto, looking with a smile at the worshipful pair, and slowly spoke:
"How is it, did you learn something?"
The Nine-tails exhaled deeply and nodded seriously.
"Mr. Aomi, you're truly amazing… Just with a copy of the Chronicles of Konoha and bits of information Naruto gathered, without exceeding our abilities, you fabricated a lie that convinced the Third Hokage deeply…"
"I once thought I knew some mind-bending techniques, but now…" The Nine-tails lowered his head in shame, speaking sincerely.
"Aomi bro, you're so awesome!" Naruto, being much simpler, looked at Aomi with starry eyes: "Amazing, with information, you can do so many things!"
Aomi smiled at Naruto without speaking, nodding: "Good that you understand, Naruto."
Actually, no one else could achieve this.
Even with ample information and knowledge of Ninja World's history, mere theoretical logic could not successfully deceive Sarutobi Hiruzen…
No matter how many times Naruto and the Nine-tails rehearsed ahead of time, they'd most likely fail.
Only Aomi could.
Due to his understanding of Senju Tobirama, Aomi was already on par with Tobirama himself…
You could even say this.
During an acting role, even if Senju Tobirama himself came, he might not be as natural as Aomi…
This is a performance more resembling the real person than the real person.
"Naruto, Nine-tails, I'm so good at deceiving… You two better be careful not to be fooled by me…" Aomi laughed warmly, patting the pair on the shoulder, his tone slightly serious, not sounding like a joke:
"Always remember the kind of life you want to live, don't be influenced by me… I've always wanted to subtly change you both…"
The Nine-tails and Naruto exchanged a glance, then both burst into laughter.
"Aomi bro, you're so strange, afraid that Kurama and I might feel you're too kind to us, right…" Naruto squinted at Aomi, teasingly:
"Don't worry, Aomi bro, we want to be influenced by you!"
"Mr. Aomi, you're truly gentle…" The Nine-tails shook his fox head, sincerely remarking: "You truly leave me at a loss for words…"
Aomi glanced at the Nine-tails and Naruto, snorted.
These days, it seems no one believes the truth…
How odd!
"Up to this point, through showcasing strength and acting with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Naruto and the Nine-tails' trust in me has reached quite a complete level…"
Aomi pondered internally: "Next is to make Naruto more actively crave power… Let him know the consequences of lacking power are very pitiful…"
The Nine-tails knew this.
But Naruto was still a child, needing a strong impact to shape his understanding…
And at this point in time, regarding the issue of gaining power, there was a ready-made phenomenon-level educational film…
Planned single-handedly by Uchiha Itachi—the Night of Uchiha Massacre!