Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at Aomi in the Crystal Ball, eyes full of admiration.
In his view, Aomi was nothing like the narrow-minded, arrogant traditional Uchiha; his words and actions were continually illuminated by a dazzling Will of Fire.
Helping heal Might Guy's injuries, encouraging him, even though Aomi could dominate with Ninjutsu, he still chose to engage primarily with Taijutsu, speaking words of encouragement to his classmates, ultimately forming a positive rivalry for life.
As for Nohara Rin, although Sarutobi Hiruzen found Aomi's actions deliberately ambiguous, he was pleased to see this and didn't think it problematic.
Love is the bond that most firmly ties a ninja's heart; it often signifies the founding of a family...
Sarutobi Hiruzen would be thrilled to see all the Uchiha interested in Konoha ninja outside the clan. This way, he'd no longer have to worry, and after a few generations, the Uchiha would naturally merge with Konoha.
What touched him most was Aomi's words to Uchiha Obito: "Don't let emotions and power blind your eyes; a ninja's clear and rational mind is the most precious asset."
Combining Aomi's fighting style, reminiscent of Senju Tobirama's in every way from Ninjutsu to Taijutsu, and his clear understanding of the Uchiha Clan.
This gave Sarutobi Hiruzen an oddly familiar feeling, as if the young Senju Tobirama had reincarnated in Konoha, only reborn into the Uchiha Clan...
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, quickly tossing out this blasphemous thought, remembering his teacher's stern and cold eyes. He instinctively felt a chill down his spine.
"If Teacher knew what I just thought, I'd fear being sternly rebuked after my death upon meeting him again..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, shaking his head as he jokingly spoke to himself, then picked up the Anbu report on Aomi, focusing intently, his expression growing ever more intrigued.
After reading it, he pondered for a moment, then slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "Kagami, could Uchiha Aomi be your descendant? If so, then the situation is different."
"No wonder Aomi is so fond of the Will of Fire, even mimicking Teacher's combat style; the root of it all is here, making everything logical. He's a good kid with a rightful background..."
"Since your passing, the village's relationship with the Uchiha has grown ever more strained. As your old teammate, I haven't been able to look after your descendants; please forgive me, Kagami..."
For a moment, this aged Hokage of Konoha closed his eyes, his mind awash with thoughts.
Childhood playmates, youthful teammates, friends' descendants, the conflicts between Konoha and the Uchiha...
After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly opened his eyes, speaking to himself: "I still need to personally talk to this little guy before deciding on the next step."
"The things that happened today will soon be known to the Uchiha Clan, so let's first observe their reaction—a seven or eight-year-old double Tomoe prodigy, and Aomi who's reminiscent of Teacher..."
"Truly a land of talents, the Uchiha Clan, enviable talent."
Recalling Aomi's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly smiled: "Oh right, Aomi the little rascal said he's looking forward to the test on interpreting the Will of Fire. This time, I'll personally write the test and grade it, see how well he does?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen leisurely stood up, heading towards the Ninja Academy to spend a short time as a test-writing teacher.
Even he himself was unaware...
After seeing the identity of Aomi as "Uchiha Kagami's descendant" alongside his performance, Sarutobi Hiruzen's name for Aomi evolved from the initial "Uchiha Aomi" to the more affectionate "Aomi the little rascal," subconsciously recognizing him as "one of us."
This is the benefit of having an identity; someone with a background, even in the extraordinary world of Hokage, possesses a few more opportunities than ordinary people...
However, risk often comes hand in hand with opportunity.
#
"Brother, what do you plan to do in the future..."
After the practical test officially ended, Shisui and Aomi were on their way home. With a frown, Shisui said worriedly: "Your matters will soon spread throughout the whole of Konoha..."
"An Uchiha who's reminiscent of the Second Hokage, who loves the Will of Fire, is so intriguing that from now on, both the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's upper management will pay attention to you."
"You understand, right? Brother... The current attitude of the Uchiha Clan towards Konoha, the clan will definitely be very resistant to your actions and send people to suppress you, while Konoha's upper management may not necessarily accept you."
Shisui's expression grew increasingly serious, even his gaze seemed somewhat melancholic.
Aomi glanced at Shisui with surprise and then laughed.
In contrast to the original timeline's Uchiha Obito, who sought to destroy the world and forcibly restart it for everyone, and Uchiha Itachi who slaughtered his own kin, his younger brother Shisui, although somewhat abstract, still had some boundaries.
In the original timeline, his final words were: "I'm tired of the missions; if this continues, the Uchiha Clan has no future, so I don't want to go down this path anymore, just let me rest."
In general, he realized the gap between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's strength and, after being ambushed by Shimura Danzo, grew disheartened with the Will of Fire, leading to a feeling of despondency.
It may be considered cowardly, but no matter what is said, Shisui was loved by his clan in the original timeline and never turned his blade against the Uchiha.
More interestingly, when Aomi stepped forward, gaining momentum to traverse the path Shisui once wanted to try...
At six years old, Shisui seemed to become wiser than he was at fifteen, clearly seeing through the faces of Konoha and Uchiha's leaders and was deeply concerned for his brother Aomi.
Perhaps this is the Uchiha...
When things happen to themselves, they often think in extremes, but when it happens to their siblings, their minds operate with incredible clarity.
Aomi pulled Shisui over, smilingly holding him in his sturdy arm: "Oh, you know? You little six-year-old rascal, you even thought about doing something so risky before?"
"Don't worry; my Will of Fire is flawless; I'm the descendant of Uchiha Kagami; my forte in Ninjutsu is Second Hokage's Water Release; I've publicly stated the relationship between the Sharingan and emotions..."
"The Konoha upper management will pay attention to this contest; my persona is perfect, so you needn't worry about me."
"As for the clan, I'll handle it. Uchiha ninja only acknowledge strength, and coincidentally, I'm very good at dealing with them..."
Aomi pinched Shisui's flushed cheeks, his gaze deep.
He didn't care about the Uchiha Clan, nor did he care about Konoha; he only trusted in his own strength.
With the Otsutsuki Clan eyeing the world from afar, the gain or loss of a city or land would seem laughable from a future perspective.
But what Aomi could guarantee was.
Along the journey, for the ninjas who walked with him, Aomi would ensure they had a better life than in the original timeline...
As for the ninjas who bore malice towards him, Aomi would extract every bit of value from them, turning their ashes into fuel for future peace...