"Please rest assured. That kind of thing will never happen!"
Uzumaki Mito was very pleased with Aoshi's response. She could sense his sincerity.
Now that Aoshi would be by Kushina's side in the future, she could finally rest easy—and reunite with Hashirama in peace.
"Cough, cough!" Suddenly, Mito began coughing violently.
"Lady Mito, are you alright?"
"I'm just getting old. My body isn't what it used to be. I stayed up later than usual and caught a bit of a chill."
Hearing her explanation, Aoshi quickly stepped forward to treat her using medical ninjutsu. Medical ninjutsu was incredibly versatile—even minor illnesses like a cold could be healed.
[Treatment of Uzumaki Mito complete. Reward: 1 Rainbow Orb.]
[Congratulations! You've acquired: Negative Emotions Sensing.]
Hearing the system's voice, Aoshi was pleasantly surprised. This was his third Rainbow Orb—and it had granted him the ability to sense Negative Emotions.
Though Mito was not a perfect jinchūriki, she had been powerful enough to use the Nine-Tails' chakra. Negative Emotions Perception stemmed from that power.
Unlike the standard chakra sensing most ninja used, this ability—derived from the Nine-Tails—was on an entirely different level.
It sensed Negative Emotions itself, not the chakra. No one could escape its range.
In the original timeline, even White Zetsu, who had caused enormous trouble for the Allied Shinobi Forces, was exposed by this exact technique.
"Aoshi, your medical ninjutsu really is remarkable—already comparable to Tsunade's." Feeling much better, Mito smiled at Aoshi.
"You're too kind. I'm still far behind Lady Tsunade." After his modest reply, Aoshi remembered his newly acquired Top-Tier Sealing Talent—so he made a request.
"Lady Mito, I'd like to study sealing Jutsus under your guidance."
Not just within Konoha—even across the entire shinobi world—Uzumaki Mito was one of the most skilled sealing masters alive.
Naturally, she didn't refuse.
"Then from now on, come to the Senju Grounds during the day. I'll teach you personally."
"Thank you."
Aoshi then politely excused himself. "Lady Mito, I'll take my leave. Please rest well."
"What did Granny Mito say to you?" Kushina, who came to see him off, couldn't hide her curiosity.
Aoshi just smiled. "Nothing important."
But Kushina clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer. She jabbed him in the ribs and demanded again.
"Actually, Lady Mito wants me to come here every day to study sealing jutsu. If you don't work harder, I might surpass you."
Hearing that, Kushina instinctively retorted: "Impossible—no way!"
"I'm a natural when it comes to sealing jutsu! You surpass me? Hah, maybe try catching up to Mai first."
Seeing how proud she looked, Aoshi smiled and gently ruffled her hair. "You never know… maybe I'm the real sealing genius."
Feeling the warmth of his palm, Kushina's face flushed. But she refused to admit defeat, insisting that in the sealing arts, she wouldn't lose to anyone.
Soon, the two arrived at the gates of the Senju Grounds.
"Alright, Kushina. Go on home now. See you tomorrow. Good night."
"Mm. Good night."
Back at home, Aoshi fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
He was completely exhausted. He had gone through two intense battles, then spent the rest of the day healing the injured—right until nightfall.
But while Aoshi rested peacefully, many people in Konoha couldn't sleep because of him.
One of them was Shimura Danzo. Normally, he didn't concern himself with "minor events" like the Chunin Exams. After all, it was just an exam for a bunch of Genin.
Even the stronger ones, in Danzo's view, were no more than Special Jonin at best.
Better to focus on the progress of the Wood Release experiments than to waste time on child-play battles.
But Satori's appearance had changed everything—forcing Danzo to pay attention.
That's when he came across intelligence on Hirakawa Aoshi. An eighteen-year-old Genin who seemed unremarkable on the surface, yet possessed strength that rivaled elite Jonin.
A Genin… with the potential to become Hokage.
Especially after Danzo learned that Aoshi had single-handedly rescued Kushina from the Cloud ninja and even killed Toroi, a ninja possessing the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai.
And later, when fighting Satori, he had displayed terrifying power—and even created an S-rank jutsu of his own.
Danzo knew—this kind of genius belonged in the service of Root. In service of his future reign as Hokage.
Of course, even without Aoshi, Danzo still planned to meet with Sarutobi Hiruzen. Satori, after all, was no ordinary opponent. He was intrigued.
"Hiruzen, this incident during the Chunin Exams caused severe losses to Konoha. You should be held fully accountable!"
Danzo didn't open with his true objective. He started by condemning Hiruzen instead.
Hiruzen acknowledged his mistake—but also didn't forget to bring up the fact that Danzo and Root never showed up to help.
"Danzo, where were you when we fought Satori? Where was Root?"
"Naturally, I was on high alert for Cloud. Who's to say they didn't have a hidden force ready to ambush us?" Danzo had anticipated this and remained composed.
Hiruzen knew he was full of nonsense—but couldn't deny that Danzo had a point.
"Root doesn't have many shinobi to spare, so, of course, we couldn't help against Satori."
"But—if you allow me to expand Root, I can guarantee this kind of tragedy will never happen again!"
Hiruzen sighed deeply, took a long puff from his pipe, and ultimately gave in. "Fine. But don't go overboard. I've already received numerous complaints from the other clans."
To expand Root, Danzo had not only taken talented children from the orphanage, but also recruited gifted youths from prominent clans.
"Everything I've done… is for Konoha," Danzo muttered instinctively.
But Hiruzen cut him off. "Regardless, I'm warning you that you are not to target any clans again. That's final."
That was Hiruzen's bottom line. After all, Konoha had been built as an alliance of powerful clans, making their support essential to the village's stability.
Danzo snorted coldly, then finally said what he'd come for.
"In that case, let Hirakawa Aoshi join Root. With him, Root will better protect Konoha's peace."
"Absolutely not!" Without a moment's hesitation, Hiruzen refused.
"Hiruzen…"
"Aoshi is an outstanding inheritor of the Will of Fire. He will never join Root. Let go of this fantasy, Danzo."
"Don't forget—I'm the Hokage!"
Danzo was seething.
Damn you, Hiruzen—always hiding behind your Hokage title to suppress me. Once I gain the power of Wood Release, you'll know exactly how I feel now.
"Then at least let Root take custody of Satori. We'll ensure he doesn't pose another threat to the village."
"No. Satori will be monitored strictly—only by my direct ANBU."