Chapter 174: A Single Slap Double-Kills Tobirama and Izuna! The Hokage's Food and Clothing

"Okay..."

Uzumaki Shio nodded subconsciously, but in her heart, she kept repeating Tobirama's last sentence.

I'm going to start saving her.

She was naturally willing to help a Konoha shinobi.

But who was this girl?

What did he mean by saying she was Seisui's friend?

And those eyes that seemed to speak, the deep affection in them—anyone who wasn't an idiot could see it.

Uzumaki Shio looked around.

The shinobi present were all heavyweights.

Being a Konoha Commissioner was just one layer of their identity. They were all major figures who could cause a stir in the village with a mere stomp of their feet.

Tsunade, Hiruko, Orochimaru...

Uzumaki Shio couldn't help but wonder, exactly how many resources did Seisui mobilize just to save this girl?

"Seisui is certainly talented, but he's ultimately just an ordinary Uchiha boy. How could he possibly be in contact with so many upper-echelon figures in the village?"

"Right, I heard from Lady Mito about him taking Danzo as his master..."

Uzumaki Shio found a clue!

The incident of Danzo drinking with Isshin and Fugaku was also one of the widely circulated anecdotes in the village.

This was also something Danzo had intentionally sent people to spread.

The purpose was to clean up his past conflicts with the Uchiha, minimize the impact of Seisui's impeachment, and stage a "Century's Great Reconciliation."

After Uzumaki Shio found out, she even worriedly asked Mito if Seisui would be targeted by Danzo.

Mito, naturally, wasn't worried. Although Danzo had his flaws, he couldn't possibly target Tobirama's descendant.

Mito comforted Uzumaki Shio like this:

"Seisui took Danzo as his master for the sake of the village's harmony. Although he suffered some grievances, the Uchiha will back him up..."

Only then did Uzumaki Shio feel relieved, but she formed this perception: the master-disciple relationship between Danzo and Seisui was just a facade; there was no true affection between them.

This was also the thought of most Konoha shinobi.

After all, only Mito, Isshin, and Danzo knew that "Seisui's" true identity was the direct descendant of Tobirama and Izuna.

Given Danzo's long-standing reputation, who would think he would treat "Seisui" well?

The man was extremely petty!

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't worried.

He even had to worry about his beloved disciple Orochimaru and balance the scales for him.

To prevent the Tobirama-buffed Danzo from exerting too much pressure on his disciple and affecting his mindset for scientific research.

"To be able to mobilize these connections, Seisui must have gone to beg Danzo, right?"

The more Uzumaki Shio thought about it, the more alarmed she became: "He clearly impeached Danzo, yet for this woman, he bowed his head to the Shinobi of Darkness who has always targeted the Uchiha..."

"What is the relationship between the two of them?" An indescribable feeling welled up in Uzumaki Shio's heart.

The life-and-death struggle they shared in Kusagakure was like a seed of beautiful memories.

And that seed had already been ripened into fruit under the nourishment of emotion.

At this moment, Uzumaki Shio's sinking heart crushed this stunted fruit.

There was none of the imagined sweetness; instead, a sour and astringent feeling spread through her limbs and bones, so bitter that her fingertips felt numb.

It even carried a bit of burning spiciness...

"Didn't he say the village and the clan were his lovers?"

"Didn't we agree to address each other as brother and sister and contribute to the village together?"

Uzumaki Shio wanted so badly to question Seisui aloud.

But when she inadvertently locked eyes with Tomie, the anger that had just welled up was submerged by the kindness in her heart and subsided.

The current Tomie looked thoroughly ill.

As the saying goes, illness comes like a collapsing mountain and goes like pulling silk.

Before the Kekkei Genkai illness broke out, Tomie didn't look like there was much wrong with her externally, at most just coughing frequently.

But over the past few days, her condition had deteriorated faster day by day.

Tomie's rather pretty face had become so thin her features protruded, and a faint dark pallor covered her entire face. Only her eyes could still be considered spirited.

"What is Seisui doing..."

"Even if he wants to show his feelings, there's no need to do it like this, right?"

"Sigh..." Tomie's mood wasn't much lighter than Uzumaki Shio's.

Of course she knew that there had been some past history between Uzumaki Shio and "Seisui."

But Tomie didn't care.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to Isshin's blind date arrangement.

In Tomie's view, calling Uzumaki Shio to treat her was partly an objective requirement of capability, but a large part of it was him showing his feelings towards her...

Making a public-like separation from this rumored girlfriend, Uzumaki Shio, in front of these important figures!

"Seisui truly is a traditional Uchiha..."

"Doing this is indeed a bit extreme..."

"Sigh, I'll have to find a chance to talk to Seisui later. Although his actions make me feel very cherished, Uzumaki Shio is innocent."

"What should I do? Go visit Shio after I recover? That doesn't seem very appropriate; it feels a bit like provocation. But this sister did save me..."

Before Tomie's illness was even cured, before the surgery had even begun, she was already fantasizing about things after her recovery.

This is the change that hope brings to a person.

With life, everything is different.

Tomie, who had once given up on herself, wanting only to self-destruct in her despair and doubt to bid farewell to this world...

Upon seeing "Seisui" running around busy treating her, even putting aside his pride to beg Danzo to mobilize resources...

She simply couldn't hold back her feelings anymore.

In this regard, Tomie's thoughts were very close to Uzumaki Shio's.

Or rather, besides Tobirama, Danzo, and Orochimaru—the three who knew about their master-disciple relationship—basically everyone thought this way.

That was Danzo's reputation, after all.

Coupled with the special Uchiha confession ritual, declaring his singular devotion to Tomie...

Even a hard iceberg should have been melted by this passionate Uchiha love.

"Your task later is to transfer your vitality to Tomie."

Tobirama said expressionlessly: "Her blood is completely filled with toxins. If these toxins aren't filtered clean, they will multiply like a virus. Therefore, I need to draw out as much of her blood as possible all at once."

"But her vital signs are already very poor, so she needs your vitality to sustain her, allowing Tomie to survive the weak period during the blood transfusion."

"Can you do it?"

Tobirama wasn't intentionally keeping a cold face; this was truly his habit formed over many years.

Once he entered a state of scientific research or surgery, he was akin to a cold machine, using absolute rationality to strive for results in every attempt.

Actually, Tobirama had initially felt something was slightly off...

But the unconscious coordination between Orochimaru and Izuna, their fanning the flames and assurances, made the last trace of doubt in Tobirama's heart vanish.

He himself was an old-school shinobi who had never been in a relationship; his mind was truly not delicate when it came to matters between men and women.

In a sense, he had been jointly set up by Orochimaru and Izuna from afar.

"I can..."

Uzumaki Shio lowered her head, the voice seeming to be squeezed out from her throat.

The emotions in her heart were surging madly.

Tobirama's cold face was, in her eyes, a manifestation of extreme disrespect.

Just because Tomie was by his side, was he unwilling to give her even a good attitude and tone?

"You guy, you're too arrogant..."

In this moment, Uzumaki Shio suddenly recalled Mito's words.

Everyone is independent. Becoming someone else's accessory is gambling, an act of handing one's fate over to luck.

As a shinobi, one must firmly remember to possess power and conviction, to possess a ninja way uniquely their own.

At the time, Uzumaki Shio had been very confused hearing these words.

Lady Mito's husband was clearly the God of Shinobi, the invincible First Hokage.

Why did she still need to be like this?

What Uzumaki Shio didn't know was that Mito had also achieved outstanding merits during the battles between the Senju and Uchiha, putting in immense effort for Hashirama to fuse Wood Release and sealing jutsu, and was highly accomplished on the battlefield.

This was also why, after the village was founded, when Mito forbade Tobirama from researching forbidden jutsu, even Tobirama, who had become the Second Hokage, had to flee in panic.

The title of Hashirama's widow alone wasn't enough.

But Mito was different; she could point at Tobirama's nose and scold: "When I was sensing various traps for the Senju clan and fighting bloody battles against the enemy for your older brother, you weren't Hokage yet!"

"Touch your conscience. When I carried you out of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood on my back, was it so that after becoming Hokage, you would go against your older brother's will and research these jutsu that provoke the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men?"

Mito had never actually said this, of course, but Tobirama was very afraid Mito would scold him like this.

If she did, he truly wouldn't be able to talk back.

"As expected, Lady Mito's words were entirely correct."

"If I were as strong as Lady Mito and had made many contributions to the village, would he still dare to treat me this way?"

"He would at least give me basic respect!" At this moment, Uzumaki Shio felt like crying, tears silently welling up in her eyes.

"Damn Uchiha clan! Lord Tobirama and Lady Mito were truly right."

"This clan truly is born evil..."

Uzumaki Shio also recalled the short stories Mito had told.

During the Warring States Period, even the Uchiha's two most powerful brothers, Izuna and Madara...

Showed great respect to Mito.

When meeting the Uzumaki clan, Madara would subconsciously refer to them as 'Mito's clan members,' almost never treating Mito as Hashirama's accessory.

This was the basic respect for a powerhouse.

Izuna, naturally, didn't need to be mentioned. On the front lines, his plans were repeatedly foiled by Mito's sensing and intuition, and privately, he was whipped so hard by the Adamantine Sealing Chains that he had to run for his life.

"I'm so stupid, I should have realized earlier."

"When dealing with the Uchiha clan, one must have strength before interacting with them!"

"Lady Mito clearly pointed out the right path for me, yet I foolishly wasted time, never putting my heart into daily training..."

Uzumaki Shio let out a long sigh, her entire body feeling as if a jolt of electricity had passed through it.

She felt exhausted, yet also experienced a sense of relief from having found her path.

"Thank you, big sister of the Uzumaki clan."

Tomie forced herself to speak, looking at Uzumaki Shio and saying apologetically: "I've troubled you!"

Uzumaki Shio nodded silently.

She wouldn't take her anger out on Tomie.

Because even if this "Seisui" incident hadn't happened, if she encountered a Konoha comrade who needed her help, Uzumaki Shio would also step forward.

Uzumaki Shio was just easily satisfied and lacked the primary motivation for training, but her love for Konoha was sincere.

After all, she genuinely originated from Kusagakure and had lived through a period of dark, bitter days.

But Tobirama still didn't look back.

He didn't care about these things; the surgery was about to begin immediately.

How Uzumaki Shio and Tomie interacted and thanked each other was their own business.

To Tobirama, once Tomie was cured, the historical burden he and Izuna carried regarding Tomie would be completely lifted.

They wouldn't owe her anything anymore!

In the future, without any important matters, there would be no need for further contact.

Tobirama, having joined Orochimaru's Hashirama Cell research group, absolutely loved this free research environment. He wished he could focus on his older brother's cells twenty-four hours a day.

Where did he have time for all this romantic nonsense?

He even canceled his plan to piss off Izuna.

And at this moment, Izuna silently observed the reactions of Uzumaki Shio and Tomie.

He smacked his lips with relish!

"Good, very good..."

"How satisfying! This situation is getting more and more complicated."

"Between Tomie and Uzumaki Shio, I think they might form a special bond because of Seisui, thereby competing with each other in training and becoming important pillars of the village."

Izuna recalled his days during the Warring States Period.

When he was young and ignorant, he had also accidentally provoked two genius girls, and consequently almost lost his life to their combined assault.

In Izuna's eyes, what "Seisui" was doing now was exactly the same as what he did back then.

"Humans teaching humans requires a thousand attempts and still failing; life teaching humans requires only once."

"There's no helping it. Since you possess both my charm and that bastard's coldness, I've already done my utmost to help you escape danger, Seisui."

Izuna muttered internally: "But you're just too dense!"

Izuna initially didn't understand "Seisui's" actions either.

But later he figured it out.

As the joint descendant of the two great romantic anomalies of the Warring States Period, it was only natural for "Seisui" to be an anomaly as well.

One constantly flirted and left a trail of broken hearts everywhere; the other couldn't be persuaded into marriage or a blind date even by the God of Shinobi and Mito.

One could only say that "Seisui" had perfectly inherited both their flaws in this regard!

He could provoke people like Izuna, yet possessed Tobirama's bizarre mindset. Who could you complain to about this?

"We'll take it one step at a time. Let's see what Seisui thinks after the surgery is over."

"If all else fails, I'll just urge him to settle down with Tomie and live his life," Izuna sighed.

Izuna hadn't realized yet just how terrifying the reactions and thought processes of a romantic anomaly on par with him would be after Uzumaki Shio's outburst.

Tobirama connected thick tubes into Tomie's body.

Tomie nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Seisui. Once I'm better, I will definitely..."

"Alright, be quiet."

Tobirama said coldly: "Save your strength, this surgery is very dangerous."

Tomie froze. Why did Seisui suddenly change his face?

Could it be he was the 'tough love' type...

Before Tomie had time to think deeply, her toxin-filled blood was drawn out and entered a specialized piece of equipment.

Inside this equipment were Parasitic Destruction Insects specifically cultivated using Tomie's blood. They could cleanse the toxins within while damaging the other components of the "whole blood" as little as possible.

The overall concept was somewhat like dialysis, but closer to modern medical "whole blood exchange."

Relying on Izuna's ocular power, Tobirama activated the Mangekyou Sharingan.

He stared intently at the data on the equipment, continuously fine-tuning the direction of the insect swarm as they devoured the toxins, stimulating their vitality.

Tomie smiled silently.

She wasn't a completely ignorant woman.

After meeting Tobirama, she had also read many ancient texts and knew that the ocular power of the Mangekyou Sharingan was limited.

In the past within the Uchiha clan, many clan members had fought bitterly amongst themselves for the Mangekyou. Incidents of eye-snatching and murder were commonplace; it was an extremely bloody period of history.

Yet the current "Seisui" was willing to use the Mangekyou's ocular power for her?

But what Tomie didn't know was...

Possessing elements of the Senju, as long as Tobirama didn't use visual jutsu, merely observing wouldn't waste much of Izuna's ocular power.

But he couldn't possibly explain this to Tomie, and Tobirama couldn't guess what the woman was thinking anyway.

Tomie's face grew increasingly pale.

But after her blood entered the equipment, it was becoming clean at a visible rate. The Parasitic Destruction Insects were precisely devouring the toxins at the cellular level.

This was the result of joint research by Orochimaru and Tobirama. They even borrowed some of Shibi Aburame's nano-sized venomous insects to achieve a multi-layered toxin filtration effect.

Doing this would naturally and inevitably damage some of the blood's vitality.

But wasn't Uzumaki Shio there as a safety net?

The special Kekkei Genkai and constitution of the Uzumaki clan were just that miraculous.

Since Tobirama had set the experimental parameters this way, Orochimaru naturally didn't interfere.

Anyway, he only provided the concepts; even if a medical dispute occurred later, it had nothing to do with him.

Orochimaru also hadn't experienced this feeling of conducting experiments freely without worrying about taking the blame in a long time. After all, he had been constantly monitored by Danzo recently.

And "Seisui" was Danzo's disciple; Danzo couldn't possibly drop a rock on his own foot, right?

"Tomie's body is weaker than I imagined."

Tobirama stared directly at the indicators. This was also within his expectations.

After all, Uzumaki Shio being in seclusion with Mito had objectively delayed Tomie's treatment time.

However, Tobirama wouldn't say this out loud; being afraid to see Mito was his own problem.

It just meant Uzumaki Shio would have to expend a bit more vitality.

Tobirama was also thinking about how to compensate Uzumaki Shio afterward, but he would have to ask after the surgery was over.

The Second Hokage clearly hadn't realized an issue.

In politics, many things indeed shouldn't be rushed to be solved, allowing a buffer space for both sides.

As the saying goes, haste makes waste; establish the framework first before discussing the details.

Just like how Hiruzen Sarutobi handled the Caged Bird, there was no need to negotiate everything upfront. Taking a step back and letting Orochimaru, who was slightly less coercive, handle the negotiations worked much better.

But emotions are different.

Small problems are highly likely to explode into big problems. This is the rationale behind the saying "don't let an argument last overnight."

"Shio, go let Tomie absorb your vitality." Tobirama commanded.

Uzumaki Shio slowly stepped forward and placed her arm by Tomie's mouth.

The two women locked eyes at this moment; it was the first time they were looking at each other's features up close.

Two people who originally had no connection were linked together under Tobirama's bizarre manipulation.

The beginning of a trace of a bond!

"Bite," Uzumaki Shio suppressed the emotions in her heart and said softly.

Tomie nodded slightly. She no longer had eyes for Tobirama either; instead, she looked directly at Shio, who was so overflowing with emotion she seemed about to explode, and gently bit down.

Abundant chakra and vitality flowed from Uzumaki Shio's body into Tomie's.

The indicators on the equipment rapidly rebounded at this moment!

But Tobirama's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

After researching, he knew profoundly that Tomie's Kekkei Genkai illness was very troublesome.

If the toxins weren't cleared all at once, the probability of relapse was extremely high.

After all, Tobirama currently had no way to eradicate the chakra condensed from the negative emotions in her brain.

If the Box of Ultimate Bliss was conquered in the future, it would be a different story, but who knew when that would be completed?

Treating the symptoms but not the root cause was one thing, but if even the "symptoms" weren't treated thoroughly, the surgery was clearly a failure.

He had to ensure she'd be fine for at least a dozen years or so.

"I don't have time to perform another surgery on Tomie, it's too troublesome."

"I have too many other things to do."

Tobirama looked at Orochimaru and spoke up: "Commissioner Orochimaru, I'd like to increase the intensity of the insect swarm a bit more, do you think that's feasible? Since we're detoxifying, let's do it thoroughly all at once."

"Well, about this... it's hard for me to say..."

Orochimaru's face showed a hesitant expression: "There are naturally benefits; it can further eliminate Tomie's toxins, but this will cause the danger level to rise."

"Although Shio is supplementing vitality, the indicators show that this rate has clearly reached its limit and can't be increased any further."

Orochimaru sighed: "Sigh! Let me think about it some more!"

There were naturally methods, such as having Uzumaki Shio further provide vitality.

But how could such words come from his mouth?

Orochimaru increasingly understood Sensei now, even the past Sensei.

Why did Hiruzen Sarutobi sometimes clearly understand everything yet feign ignorance?

Because it was indeed useful!

For some things, as soon as one opened their mouth, the blame would inevitably fall on them.

"Just like Danzo. Why does he draw hatred? Why does he have to take the blame for things he clearly didn't do? Isn't it because he's always talking too much during meetings, saying this and that?"

Orochimaru thought quietly to himself.

He had seen Tsunade's expression.

Uzumaki Shio was, by extension, also her relative.

If he added more pressure on her in this situation, Orochimaru was truly afraid Tsunade would come looking for trouble with him for no reason.

This woman was unreasonable!

"Hmm?" Tobirama gave Orochimaru a puzzled look.

He could understand the implication in his words.

It was feasible, but it required a further supply of vitality.

Why was he hesitating so much?

As a researcher of the "Tobirama Faction," one shouldn't focus on how harsh the conditions for a successful experiment are, but rather on how to meet those conditions and whether the effect can be achieved!

"Shio, can you give Tomie some more vitality?"

"I want to solve her problem once and for all," Tobirama said in a deep voice.

These words sounded more like a command.

Research is like a battlefield; Tobirama had unconsciously brought out a bit of the feeling from when he was Hokage.

"..." Uzumaki Shio fell silent upon hearing this.

What exactly did this attitude mean?

"Bite harder." Uzumaki Shio looked at Tomie, her other fist clenching unconsciously: "I'm fine..."

"Thank you." The look in Tomie's eyes as she looked at Uzumaki Shio even held a trace of heartache.

She didn't decline, either, attempting to bite down hard.

But due to massive blood loss, Tomie didn't have much strength left. Even biting down hard, she couldn't extract much chakra.

Uzumaki Shio watched this scene, turned her head to glance at Tobirama, who was staring intently at the equipment, and smiled silently once again.

"I'll consider it paying back all your kindness to you!"

Uzumaki Shio took a deep breath, pulled her arm out of Tomie's mouth, quickly picked up a scalpel nearby, and slashed a deep wound into her own arm!

Chakra concentrated in the blood, flowing along the wound into Tomie's mouth.

If she couldn't bite, she could at least swallow, right?

This was the most efficient way to deliver chakra!

And Shio's actions also elicited a soft gasp of slight surprise from Orochimaru.

Oh my!

Deeply versed in human nature, he knew things were about to get interesting!

Izuna also covered his face at this moment, sucking air through his teeth.

"Crap..."

"How was a perfectly good girl from the Uzumaki clan pushed to this extent?"

"This, this, this..." Izuna first evaluated Tomie, then took a focused look at Uzumaki Shio.

He felt that a completely incorrect bond had formed between these two women.

If Seisui could get along pleasantly with Tomie, this matter would actually be easy to handle.

The key was that it was highly unlikely for Tobirama and Tomie to get along pleasantly...

And if a bizarre relationship formed between Shio and Tomie, the level of trouble in this matter would increase exponentially!

"Fortunately, if Seisui doesn't provoke anyone else after this... this is Konoha, not the Warring States Period. No other complications should arise, right?"

"But why does this method feel so familiar to me?"

"Isn't this treating an Uzumaki like an Uchiha? Can this be right?!" Izuna's sense of déjà vu grew stronger and stronger.

Tobirama's approach was actually very similar to the old geezers of the Uchiha during the Warring States Period.

Although the Uchiha hadn't researched the mechanism of the Sharingan as meticulously and systematically as Tobirama had, they had hundreds of years of summarized experience.

In short, it was easier to awaken the eyes when stimulated by emotion.

Therefore, during the Warring States Period, some veteran Uchiha would choose to set up special scenarios to stimulate the emotions of the younger generation in order to make them awaken their eyes quickly.

In short: a setup!

Izuna was extremely unsupportive of such methods.

While this might allow clan members to gain power, this kind of method, akin to "betrayal" and "manipulation," would massively reduce the trust the younger clan members had in the older generation of the clan.

Moreover, it would stimulate the uncontrollable aspect of the Sharingan, leading to a significant probability that talents who could have contributed to the clan would plunge into an extreme and unpredictable abyss.

Therefore, when Izuna held power, this practice was heavily suppressed.

Even though Madara Uchiha felt it didn't matter, Izuna forcefully told his brother not to do it, and forbade anyone from engaging in such acts of pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

What Izuna didn't expect was that after fifty years had passed, he would actually see someone do it again!

And even more miraculously, it was unconscious!

"If Uzumaki Shio were an Uchiha, she definitely would have awakened her eyes this time..."

"Is Seisui hitting the mark by a fluke, or is he self-taught?"

Izuna couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. It was one thing for Tomie and Shio to end up like this, but Seisui absolutely couldn't be allowed to do this to other clan members in the future.

Even if it was unconscious.

It was too terrifying!

What Izuna didn't know was that without his control, his older brother had been plotting this kind of thing for a long time...

And Tobirama was highly unlikely to have such problems.

When it came to dealing with men, he was very adept...

Watching this scene, Tsunade's eyes burned with anger.

She really wanted to punch this Uchiha brat hard!

Hiruko nodded secretly; he actually somewhat understood Tobirama's actions.

"Immersed in scientific research, thinking from a purely rational perspective... one does tend to ignore other aspects." The former Hiruko had also been like this; he understood perfectly.

"Orochimaru was right. This youth is a complete 'Tobirama Faction' researcher."

"But to think an Uchiha took Lord Tobirama's path... the world truly is bizarre."

Hiruko thought smilingly.

This matter had nothing to do with him; he was just here to enjoy the show.

Tomie gulped down Uzumaki Shio's blood of life. The coppery sweetness in her throat told her that her broken and weak body was rapidly being repaired.

"Now I owe her a lot."

Tomie thought to herself: "And I took Seisui away from her, sigh..."

After Uzumaki Shio did this, the speed of the treatment clearly accelerated.

With more vitality being transmitted, Tobirama could act boldly, audaciously using the nano-sized venomous insects as the finest filter net to eradicate all the toxins in the blood!

A moment later, Tobirama exhaled a long breath and nodded very in satisfaction.

The surgery was a massive success!

From now on, the historical burden he and Izuna carried regarding Tomie was considered lifted.

He didn't owe her anymore!

Tobirama turned his head, looked at Uzumaki Shio, and said seriously: "Thank you for your hard work."

"Is there anything you need me to help you do?"

Uzumaki Shio mended the wound on her wrist and stared straight at Tobirama.

"Close your eyes," Uzumaki Shio said.

Tobirama frowned: "Why?"

"This is what I want." Uzumaki Shio's tone was uncharacteristically firm.

At this moment, Tobirama belatedly realized something.

Could it be that Uzumaki Shio hadn't accepted what he said about addressing each other as brother and sister?

"I say..."

"She's asking me to close my eyes. Could it be she wants to... you know... me?"

Tobirama wanted to say "kiss," but the words died on his lips. Especially discussing this topic with Izuna, he found it a bit hard to accept.

"Kiss you? Perhaps."

Izuna's mouth twitched. He felt it wasn't impossible, but it could be something else too.

He had truly never seen a situation like this before; it was hard to analyze!

"If you ask me, just listen to her. She donated so much blood, are you really that precious?"

Izuna analyzed rationally: "Just get it over with!"

Tobirama sighed: "You have a point, but I don't want to be in a relationship. Even if she does that, I will definitely find a chance to clarify things with her."

However, it was worth noting that Tobirama had his own little schemes in mind.

Actually, he could have spoken more harshly at the time.

There was no need to address each other as brother and sister with Uzumaki Shio; just being mere friends or comrades would have been fine. That would have eliminated future troubles.

But Uzumaki Shio clearly had value.

As an Uzumaki orphan, Tobirama was certain Uzumaki Shio would be taken in and cultivated by Mito.

And if she was astute and diligent enough, she could inherit Mito's complete mantle, learning a vast amount of ancient texts and data that he hadn't even had access to when he was Hokage.

Tobirama was interested in many secret histories of the Uzumaki clan and had many concepts regarding sealing jutsu, but he didn't dare ask Mito about them.

Doing so would be a self-incriminating confession.

But if he asked Uzumaki Shio in the identity of Seisui, everything would be different.

So, at Uzumaki Shio's request, Tobirama closed his eyes.

Tomie frowned; this scene felt too familiar.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hiruko also held their breath slightly.

They watched.

Uzumaki Shio's eyes turned fierce. Forcefully propping up her chakra-depleted body, she gathered all her strength into her palm and swung it ruthlessly at Tobirama's face!

As Uzumaki Shio acted, stimulated by intense emotion, the power within her bloodline also surged forth.

A golden chain wrapped around her palm!

It was none other than the Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Tobirama, with his eyes closed, acutely sensed something was wrong and was about to dodge.

But Izuna poured chakra into him at that exact moment. With his meridians momentarily chaotic, Tobirama couldn't mobilize his body in time and took the slap squarely.

Clearly, the Uzumaki clan's strength was not small.

Tobirama was sent spinning by the slap, spinning like a top.

This slap, imbued with sealing jutsu, was even felt by Izuna within Tobirama, as if he had been slapped along with him.

"I don't owe you anything anymore!" Uzumaki Shio cried out, but her heart felt incredibly liberated.

This slap instantly made her feel much less miserable.

In her view, didn't "Seisui" call her over just to prove his innocence to Tomie?

Fine then, she would help him one last time!

With this slap, even if it didn't mean severing all ties of gratitude and righteousness, it at least meant they would never interact again.

"Satisfying!" Tsunade cheered loudly, turning to chase after Uzumaki Shio, who had pushed the door open and left.

She had originally wanted to help Uzumaki Shio punch Tobirama...

But since Uzumaki Shio had acted herself, there was no need.

"What are you doing, Izuna!" Tobirama said angrily: "You made me stand there and get hit?"

"Silly kid, if you didn't take this slap, the consequences would have been far more severe."

Izuna said with the tone of someone with experience: "Blocking is worse than guiding. You must understand this principle!"

"Understand what? Why did she hit me?"

Tobirama held his face. The force of that slap combined with the Adamantine Sealing Chains truly hurt!

The last time he was slapped in the face traced back to when he was very young and beaten by Butsuma Senju.

Even with that bastard Izuna Uchiha, the two of them maintained a tacit agreement not to hit each other in the face!

"Think about it."

"You called her over, and Tomie was right there..."

"Her slap was also helping you draw a clear line!" Izuna also rubbed his face: "Look at you, you got me hit too. I haven't been hit by a woman in years!"

Seeing "Seisui" get hit, his brain should be able to figure it out now.

Izuna analytically explained almost exactly what Uzumaki Shio and Tomie had been thinking.

"After this, just interact normally with Tomie. She vented her anger, and over time, this matter will pass."

"I see this little girl is very talented. Being angered by you awakened her Adamantine Sealing Chains, and now she has Mito teaching her. This might actually be a good thing for her!"

Izuna said faintly: "Judging from how she used to constantly follow you, Uzumaki Shio didn't properly value her own talent; she didn't have a personality like Mito's."

"Now she should have woken up. She'll go busy herself with her own affairs and might even become the second Mito in the future..."

Uzumaki Shio awakening the Adamantine Sealing Chains left Izuna stunned for a moment.

The Uchiha's tricks worked on the Uzumaki too?

But he quickly understood that the stimulation of Kekkei Genkai by emotions was a widespread phenomenon.

It was just that the Sharingan was exceptionally sensitive to it.

"He's truly a natural at setting things up, especially this unconscious kind. Who can distinguish what's real from fake?" Izuna criticized internally: "Good thing Seisui wasn't born in the Warring States Period, otherwise wouldn't he be just like those old fogeys, constantly obsessing over clan members' emotions and stimulating them one by one to awaken their eyes?"

"If that happened, he'd probably leave behind a massive infamy! Decades later, clan members would still be cursing his name behind his back."

Izuna didn't know that "Seisui" was actually already enjoying that treatment.

"I need to find her and explain clearly!" Tobirama surprisingly said: "This was not my intention. There's a misunderstanding here!"

If Izuna hadn't reminded him, it would have been fine.

But by mentioning it, Tobirama remembered again that Uzumaki Shio's talent had the potential to inherit Mito's mantle.

If there was a mini-Mito he could constantly ask questions, how immensely helpful would that be to his scientific research...

"Stop, stop!"

Izuna was dumbfounded: "Then what about Tomie?"

Izuna knew "Seisui" highly likely had no feelings for her.

But he couldn't just provoke one and then turn around and leave, right?

It possessed an aesthetic of continuous, deliberate self-destruction...

"What do you mean, what about her?"

Tobirama frowned and said: "Oh, I understand. She might think I'm trying to please her, but you know the real reason."

"I'll explain it to her when the time comes."

"If all else fails, I'll tell her about my bloodline. I'll tell her I did it for atonement!"

"I don't have time to play silly romantic games with her."

Izuna took a deep breath. He truly wanted to applaud "Seisui."

"Seisui, tell me the truth."

"Did you read some ancient texts you shouldn't have? I understand you want the Uchiha to have a few more pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan. After all, you've experienced my power..."

"But you can't do things this way! Aren't you intentionally stimulating Tomie?!"

If he hadn't spent enough time with "Seisui"...

Izuna would truly suspect that Seisui was actually an old-school, extreme Warring States Uchiha!

First provoking Uzumaki Shio, making her angry, and then chasing after her to explain.

Then turning his back and ignoring Tomie completely!

If emotions were a minefield and the people navigating it needed to carefully avoid the mines...

Then in Izuna's eyes, "Seisui" was intentionally stepping on every single one of them.

As if afraid he might miss one...

"I will explain everything clearly to her."

"Moreover, the matter of my bloodline will eventually be known by other Konoha shinobi one day. This is beneficial for promoting the integration between the Uchiha and Konoha. Didn't we discuss this?"

Tobirama was getting a little heated.

Hearing these words, it sounded like he was intentionally trying to spawn extreme Mangekyou-wielding Uchiha!

Izuna chuckled dryly.

The words weren't wrong.

But he felt "Seisui" might not be able to explain it clearly!

"Advising him to be with Tomie, I don't think he'd agree either."

"Truly a romantic prodigy unseen in a century!"

"With just a slight intervention, not only did he catalyze the birth of new Adamantine Sealing Chains, but I think he might even produce another pair of Mangekyou..."

Izuna also acknowledged Tomie's talent.

"Let's do this."

"Don't rush. Tomie still needs a few months to recuperate her body anyway. During this period, don't say these things to Tomie, and don't go looking for Uzumaki Shio. Let things cool down first."

"During this period, gradually lower Tomie's expectations of you step by step." Izuna was truly out of ideas.

Even he couldn't find a solution to the problem at hand.

Seisui was a bit too defiant of common sense!

He could only try his best to find some less stimulating methods.

"Mm, I understand." Tobirama nodded and rubbed his cheek.

It still hurt a lot.

It was just that Izuna's method wasn't necessarily wrong, but he hadn't realized an issue.

It was also possible for deep bonds to form between Uzumaki and Uchiha.

After all, Uzumaki and Senju were practically one family.

Tomie would go looking for Uzumaki Shio.

And when Tobirama tactfully rejected Tomie, no matter how smoothly he did it, when he went to find the strengthened Uzumaki Shio, it would inevitably stimulate Tomie.

And the Uchiha were a clan born to immediately think of power.

At that time, would Tomie think it was because she was too weak?

Just like Uzumaki Shio was doing right now...

Invisibly, Izuna's good intentions had also set a trap for Tobirama.

A few months of delay were enough for Mito and the Nine-Tails to completely transform Uzumaki Shio, who now desired to become stronger. She would at least be significantly stronger than Tomie, who was just recovering from a major illness.

One could only say that delaying a matter doesn't necessarily resolve it; sometimes it also allows the problem to ferment.

"You should rest." Tobirama glanced at Tomie: "I still have things to do."

Tomie froze and nodded obediently.

Why did his tone feel off?

But on second thought, having just taken such a heavy slap for her, it was normal to be in a bad mood.

And Izuna facepalmed once again.

Great.

I just said let your attitude gradually turn cold. Is this how you define "gradual"?

Izuna had already made up his mind that if he encountered Tomie and Shio again in the future, he had to think about protecting himself first.

To avoid getting caught in the crossfire while hiding inside the body.

Purely undeserved disaster!

The Sharingan and Adamantine Sealing Chains could both attack deep down...

...

Outside Konoha, the world was also spinning at high speed.

In Amegakure, Hanzo was stepping up the training of the basic qualities of the shinobi in the village, demanding that they absolutely must not make any mistakes when liaising with the nobles of Konoha and the Land of Fire!

Otherwise, it would be causing him to lose face in front of his Big Brother, and it would also sever Amegakure's livelihood.

Someone was watching them!

That person was Danzo.

Although Danzo had cooperated with him before, and the two had some measure of friendship...

But after coming to Konoha, they would be in opposition.

Because knowing each other's past behavior and style, they would absolutely never trust each other.

They were in a bizarre ecosystem of mutually guarding against and monitoring each other for the sake of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha.

"I need to find a way to reach a cooperation with the young people of the Akatsuki organization."

"That Yahiko doesn't matter much. The main one is Nagato; he possesses the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan."

"This is the best bridge to solidify the relationship between Amegakure and Konoha."

Hanzo waved his hand grandly: "Go, send someone to find the Akatsuki organization. I want to talk to them!"

An Amegakure shinobi calling himself Hanzo's right-hand man's right-hand man, bearing the title "Heiji Who Avoids the Rain," pondered for a moment: "Lord Hanzo, do you mean lure them over and finish them off!"

"They are, after all, an unstable factor in Amegakure."

Hanzo took a deep breath: "From now on, you are forbidden from casually thinking about killing our own people! Get out, and remember to invite them over!"

Heiji scrambled out in a panic.

But even after being scolded by Hanzo like this, he wasn't angry; instead, he felt somewhat happy.

Because the Hanzo he admired was exactly this kind of hero in the past—one who would embrace outstanding rising stars in the village, rather than always thinking about playing some so-called balancing act.

"We still need to carry out a massive overhaul. We must combine Big Brother's Will of Fire with the Shinobi Code of Conduct and give the shinobi in the village a proper lesson. We absolutely cannot afford any mishaps."

Hanzo rubbed his temples: "Big Brother said people from the Hyuga clan are coming to provide guidance. Perfect, I'll have them help out."

However, despite being very tired, Hanzo felt highly spirited.

Because he knew all of this would make Amegakure better.

Meanwhile, within the borders of the Land of Fire.

At the Konoha Orphanage.

Orochimaru arrived here, intending to see if there were any good seedlings.

But he didn't expect to run into an unexpected acquaintance right upon arriving.

He saw Hizashi standing at the podium, smiling as he said: "Children, whose food are you eating?"

"Lord Hokage's food!"

"And whose clothes are you wearing?"

"Lord Hokage's clothes!"

"Who are you going to exert your efforts for in the future?"

"We will exert our efforts for Lord Hokage!"

Hizashi Hyuga nodded in satisfaction: "Very good."

"Children, if you need anything, you can coordinate with me through your Director Nonou. The village will take care of you as much as possible."

"You must eat well, exercise and study more, and grow up quickly."

Watching this scene, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh.

Which genius tasked Hizashi Hyuga with doing this job at the orphanage?

Though it could also just be his own little hobby.

"..." Hizashi's expression shifted as he walked out of the classroom: "Commissioner Orochimaru, what brings you here?"

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