"Please rest assured. That kind of situation will never happen."
Mito Uzumaki listened quietly, her aged eyes resting on Aosui's calm expression. When she sensed no hesitation or deception in his words, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
She was very satisfied with his answer.
Years of experience—and the lingering perception granted by the Nine-Tails—told her that Aosui was being sincere. This young man did not merely speak well; his heart carried responsibility.
With Aosui by Kushina's side in the future, she could finally feel at ease.
Perhaps now, she could go and find Hashirama again… even if only in memories.
"Cough—cough!"
Suddenly, Mito Uzumaki began coughing heavily, her frail body trembling slightly.
"Lady Mito!"
Aosui reacted instantly, stepping forward with concern written plainly on his face.
"Are you alright?"
Mito waved her hand gently, signaling him not to panic.
"I'm fine," she said slowly. "I'm just old now. My body isn't what it used to be. I stayed up a little too late last night and caught a chill."
Despite her words, Aosui frowned slightly.
Age-related weakness was one thing, but illness—no matter how minor—should never be ignored.
Without hesitation, he gathered chakra in his palm and activated medical ninjutsu. A soft green glow enveloped Mito Uzumaki's body as he carefully guided chakra through her meridians, stabilizing her condition and dispersing the cold lodged in her system.
Medical ninjutsu was incredibly versatile. While it was often associated with battlefield treatment, it was equally effective against everyday illnesses when used precisely.
Within moments, Mito's breathing steadied, and the discomfort faded from her chest.
At the same time, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in Aosui's mind.
"Successfully treated Uzumaki Mito."
"Reward obtained: One Rainbow Orb."
"Congratulations. Ability unlocked: Malice Perception."
Aosui froze for a brief instant.
Then his heart surged with excitement.
This was already the third Rainbow Orb he had obtained.
And this time, the reward was far beyond his expectations.
Malice Perception.
Even among sensory abilities, this was considered exceptionally powerful.
Mito Uzumaki might not have been a perfect Jinchūriki, but her immense strength and deep bond with the Nine-Tails allowed her to borrow a portion of its power. Malice Perception was born from that connection.
Unlike standard chakra sensing, this ability did not rely on energy signatures.
Instead, it perceived hostility itself.
As long as someone harbored killing intent, hatred, or malicious thoughts, they could not escape detection—no matter how well they concealed their chakra.
In the original timeline, this very ability had completely exposed White Zetsu's disguises during the Fourth Great Ninja War, saving the Allied Shinobi Forces from catastrophic infiltration.
To Aosui, this ability was nothing short of invaluable.
With Malice Perception, ambushes would be meaningless, assassins would be revealed before they struck, and enemies lurking in the shadows would have nowhere to hide.
"You truly are remarkable," Mito Uzumaki said, her voice filled with warmth as she observed him. "Your medical ninjutsu is already on par with Tsunade's."
Aosui quickly shook his head.
"You praise me too much, Lady Mito. I still have a long way to go before I can compare myself to Lady Tsunade."
Mito chuckled softly, clearly amused by his humility.
As Aosui withdrew his chakra, another thought surfaced in his mind.
With the top-tier sealing talent he had recently acquired, learning from Mito Uzumaki—the greatest sealing master in the ninja world—was an opportunity he could not waste.
After a brief pause, he spoke respectfully.
"Lady Mito, if possible, I would like to learn sealing jutsu from you."
For a moment, Mito simply studied him.
Then she smiled.
"Very well," she said. "You may come to the Senju compound during the day. I will personally teach you."
Aosui's eyes brightened.
"Thank you very much."
After expressing his gratitude, he bowed slightly.
"Please rest well, Lady Mito. I'll take my leave."
As he stepped outside, he found Kushina waiting for him.
Her bright red hair swayed slightly as she leaned closer, curiosity written all over her face.
"What did Grandma Mito say to you?" she asked immediately.
Aosui smiled.
"It wasn't anything important."
Kushina narrowed her eyes.
That answer clearly didn't satisfy her.
She elbowed him lightly in the side and pressed again.
"Don't lie to me!"
Seeing her persistence, Aosui finally relented.
"Alright, alright. Lady Mito asked me to come to the Senju compound every day to study sealing jutsu."
He paused deliberately before adding with a grin,
"If you don't work harder, I might surpass you."
Kushina stopped walking.
"Impossible!" she said without hesitation. "Absolutely impossible!"
She puffed out her chest proudly.
"I'm a genius when it comes to sealing jutsu! You want to surpass me? You should first worry about catching up to Yumiko!"
Watching her confident expression, Aosui couldn't help but laugh.
He reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
"Maybe I'm actually the real sealing genius."
Kushina's face instantly turned red.
She slapped his hand away, flustered.
"D-Don't touch my head!"
Still, she refused to back down.
"In sealing jutsu, I'll never lose to anyone!"
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the Senju compound.
Aosui stopped.
"Alright, go back now. See you tomorrow. Good night."
Kushina hesitated for a second before nodding.
"…Good night."
After returning home, Aosui barely had time to lie down before sleep claimed him.
The exhaustion from the day finally caught up.
Two high-intensity battles, followed by continuous medical treatment until nightfall—it had drained him completely.
Yet while Aosui slept peacefully, many others in Konoha found themselves unable to rest.
One of them was Shimura Danzō.
Ordinarily, Danzō would not concern himself with something as trivial as the Chūnin Exams.
To him, it was nothing more than a competition among children.
Even if a few geniuses appeared, at best they would grow into special jōnin.
Such matters were insignificant compared to his Wood Release experiments.
But this time was different.
The appearance of Satori had forced him to pay attention.
And in the process, he learned about Hirakawa Aosui.
An eighteen-year-old genin should have been unremarkable.
But an eighteen-year-old genin with elite jōnin-level strength was an entirely different matter.
As Danzō reviewed the reports, his eyes grew colder.
Aosui had single-handedly rescued Kushina from Cloud Village ninjas.
He had killed Troy, a shinobi with the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai.
And when facing Satori, he had displayed terrifying power—along with the talent to create S-rank ninjutsu.
Such a genius had the potential to become Hokage.
And in Danzō's mind, such a person belonged in Root.
Even without Aosui, Danzō would have already approached Hiruzen regarding Satori.
But now, he wanted both.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said coldly, "such a major accident occurred during the Chūnin Exams, causing heavy losses to Konoha. As Hokage, you should take full responsibility."
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled slowly, smoke drifting from his pipe.
"I acknowledge my mistake," he replied calmly. "But tell me—where were you? Where was Root when Satori appeared?"
Danzō did not flinch.
"I was guarding against the Cloud Village," he said smoothly. "Who can guarantee they wouldn't hide forces nearby and launch a surprise attack?"
Hiruzen knew it was an excuse.
But it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"Root doesn't have many operatives," Danzō continued. "We simply couldn't spare the manpower to deal with Satori."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But if you allow me to expand Root, I guarantee such incidents will never happen again."
Hiruzen remained silent for a long moment.
Finally, he spoke.
"Very well. But you are not to go too far. The ninja clans have already lodged numerous complaints."
To establish Root, Danzō had taken children from orphanages—and even from established ninja clans.
That, Hiruzen could not tolerate any further.
"Everything I do is for Konoha," Danzō said instinctively.
But Hiruzen cut him off.
"In short, you are forbidden from laying a hand on any ninja clan again."
This was his bottom line.
With a cold snort, Danzō finally revealed his true objective.
"Then let Hirakawa Aosui join Root. With him, Root can better protect Konoha."
"Impossible."
Hiruzen refused instantly.
"Aosui embodies the Will of Fire. He will never join Root."
He met Danzō's gaze directly.
"Do not forget—I am the Hokage."
Danzō clenched his fist in his sleeve.
Damn Hiruzen…
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully the poor.
Once I obtain Wood Release, I'll make you experience this humiliation yourself.
Suppressing his fury, Danzō changed his approach.
"Then Satori should be handed over to Root for containment."
"No," Hiruzen replied firmly. "Satori will be supervised by my personal ANBU."
The room fell silent.
And in that silence, the seeds of future conflict quietly took root.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)