Chapter 180: Giving Ao a Little "Employee" Motivation!

Asuma nodded.

His own elder brother had lost an arm. Logically, Asuma should have been sad, but for some reason, he felt very calm upon hearing the news.

In his mind, however, the look of disdain in Kakashi's eyes when he looked at him at that time kept resurfacing.

"Did you think before that I was unfair to you and Shinnosuke?"

"I gave Shinnosuke more resources."

"You are younger than Shinnosuke."

"The time and effort I invested in you are far less than what I put into Shinnosuke."

"If given the same conditions, you wouldn't be worse than Shinnosuke, would you?"

Hiruzen said, "Then, I will give you that opportunity now."

"I have chosen to step down from the position of Hokage, and from now on, I will have more time to spend on family matters. I will dedicate myself fully to your training."

"I hope you won't let me down."

Hiruzen expected that Asuma would be excited after hearing this.

To Hiruzen's surprise, Asuma didn't show much change in expression and even seemed lost in thought.

"Asuma?"

Hiruzen's tone changed, and only then did Asuma come back to his senses.

"Yes, Father-sama."

Hiruzen frowned slightly and waved his hand.

"Go on for now."

Asuma left.

If Hiruzen had made this decision before leaving Konoha, Asuma would indeed have been excited and would have been determined to prove himself, to show everyone that he was no worse than Shinnosuke.

But now, Asuma's thoughts had changed.

"When my elder brother was around, he looked down on me."

"Now that my elder brother is gone, he's suddenly thinking of me again?"

"But why should I do as you wish?"

Asuma loathed his own identity, his own background.

And whether it was his identity or his background, both were given to him by Hiruzen.

In other words, what Asuma actually hated was Hiruzen.

Whatever Hiruzen wanted, Asuma deliberately did not want to give him satisfaction.

It was like the rebellious younger child in many second-born families resisting their parents.

Hiruzen cast a deep look at Asuma's departing figure.

"Asuma, don't let me down."

"I stepped down from the position of Hokage early for you. Otherwise, I would have waited until the end of the war; that would have been a more appropriate time."

Hiruzen looked again towards the Hokage Building.

"Minato is still young; even if he succeeds, there are still many things that need my handling."

"Take it slow; there's no rush to completely transition."

"The village is currently in the midst of war, but the situation is under control."

The news of the Hokage change was sudden.

Hiruzen announced it directly.

No election.

No voting.

It can be said that it was entirely decided by Hiruzen alone.

When the news spread, Minato Namikaze's supporters were naturally delighted.

However, Orochimaru was stunned.

When Orochimaru received the news, he was dazed for a long time.

It had been a long time since Orochimaru had lost his composure like this; even when defeated by Fuguki and others, Orochimaru had not reacted this way, only reflecting on it internally.

"Sarutobi-sensei..."

"So, from the beginning, did I not even have the slightest hope of becoming Hokage?"

Orochimaru fell into a state of self-isolation.

It was as if, despite the promised fair competition, the opponent had taken an underhanded route.

After hearing the news, Orochimaru suddenly felt that his efforts to find Kaguya Neko and obtain information about Hidden Mist Village, Zanpakuto, and Blacksmith seemed less important.

For a moment, Orochimaru felt somewhat dispirited, as if he had suddenly lost his life's goal.

However, Orochimaru had more than one life goal.

Besides becoming Hokage, the immortality experiment was also an idea that Orochimaru had settled on a long time ago.

With the hope of becoming Hokage now gone, Orochimaru would inevitably focus more of his energy on this aspect.

Shimura Danzo was also in a bad mood.

Orochimaru's ascension was something Danzo had looked forward to.

The two didn't have a particularly good relationship, but they shared similar viewpoints in certain respects.

Moreover, they had a cooperative relationship.

Once Orochimaru ascended, it meant Danzo could gain more power and status.

"What is Hiruzen doing?"

A simple Hokage succession ceremony was held in Konoha, similar to Yagura's succession in Hidden Mist Village.

After all, it was wartime.

There wasn't much time or resources for a grand affair.

However, unlike Hidden Mist Village, Konoha had the custom of carving Hokage faces into Hokage Rock. Once Hiruzen's decision was made, craftsmen had already climbed Hokage Rock and started their work.

Hidden Mist Village did not have such a tradition.

"Hokage-sama."

As night fell, Minato Namikaze returned home after a busy day.

Kushina Uzumaki was performing her duties as a wife.

She had come to the door early to greet him.

With a smile, she handed him a pair of wooden clogs.

"Kushina."

Minato Namikaze offered a gentle smile.

"You've worked hard."

"No, the one who's really worked hard is Minato. The Hokage's work must be very busy, right?"

Minato Namikaze nodded.

"It's indeed very busy."

"But with Lord Third's help, it's manageable. However, once I'm familiar with the work, Lord Third won't be able to stay in the Hokage Building as much."

Kushina Uzumaki asked again.

"With you missing from the battlefield, will there be a shortage of manpower?"

Minato Namikaze responded.

"No, we won't be short of manpower. Currently, the conflict with Hidden Rock Village and Hidden Cloud Village has intensified, so now, our main opponent in Konoha is only Hidden Mist Village."

"Jiraiya-sensei, Danzo-san, and Orochimaru-san can all go to the battlefield against the Mist Ninjas."

"If the three of them act together and launch a surprise attack, without other Ninja villages intervening, there is a chance to completely defeat Hidden Mist Village's army."

"If that happens, the war might be able to end."

Attacking Hidden Mist Village is extremely difficult.

The terrain of Hidden Mist Village is too unique.

Even high-level Ninjas, who can often disregard environmental factors, still face great challenges there.

But low-level Ninjas cannot manage it at all.

Among the army, the majority are Chunin and below.

Minato Namikaze knew that Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both very strong.

But no matter how strong they were, they were still just two people.

The Third Raikage of Hidden Cloud Village, who was said to be the strongest Raikage, was defeated by Hidden Rock Village's strategy of sheer numbers.

Moreover, the location of Hidden Mist Village presents more than just difficulties in getting there.

The entire area is surrounded by the sea.

This is an environment where Hidden Mist Village's Ninjas excel the most.

Water is abundant and inexhaustible.

For high-level Water Release Ninjas, they don't even need to convert Chakra into water; they can simply draw from the surrounding sea.

Once submerged underwater, Konoha's Ninjas find it very difficult to counter Hidden Mist Ninjas.

"I hope the war can end soon."

With the moon high in the sky, Minato Namikaze leaned against the bedpost and looked out the window, with some scenes from the past coming to mind.

"Kushina, do you remember when I told you that I wanted to become Hokage?"

"I will help you achieve that."

Minato Namikaze turned to look at Kushina Uzumaki.

Fire-red long hair flowed over the beige blanket.

Under the moonlight, it appeared even more vibrant.

Kushina Uzumaki revealed a faint smile.

"I achieved it too."

"Hmm?"

Minato Namikaze was momentarily stunned.

"What I meant back then was that I wanted to be the Hokage's woman. Now that you are Hokage and I am your wife, naturally, I am the Hokage's woman. Isn't that right?"

"Yes..."

...

"Chief-sama, the people Mizukage-sama arranged have arrived at the safe house. There are twelve of them in total."

Soma nodded.

"Okay, I'll head over now."

Soma took out the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

Kaguya Izumi followed behind Soma.

Ao hadn't arrived.

With Soma's current strength, he no longer needed Ao's protection.

Ao specialized in Sensory Ninjutsu and had Byakugan.

Although Ao still conducted regular patrols of Forging Island with his Byakugan every day, there were other members of the guard team skilled in Sensory Ninjutsu.

Moreover, Ao also needed to be responsible for monitoring Yagura.

In this situation, Ao's duties were divided into two parts.

One part was patrolling Forging Island.

The other part was monitoring Yagura.

At this time, Ao was performing the latter task.

The two of them walked into the contract cabin.

"Izumi, let them come in one by one."

"Yes, Chief-sama."

A young man entered.

"Chief-sama."

The young man saw Soma and immediately bowed in greeting.

Soma gave a slight nod.

"Hold the sword's hilt."

"Yes."

The young man extended his hand and grasped the hilt of the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

A surge of Chakra flowed into him.

At that moment, the young man felt a severe burning pain in his hand and instinctively let go.

The Sword of the Darkness Flame fell onto the table.

A deep, rumbling vibration emanated from the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

Soma glanced at it.

The Sword of the Darkness Flame now resembled a person who was enraged after being violated.

"I'm sorry, but you may leave."

"Yes, Chief-sama."

The young man showed a hint of dejection and left.

The second, the third...

In less than a few minutes, all twelve candidates had tried.

Except for the twelfth person, everyone else was repelled the moment they touched the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

Only the twelfth person was able to hold the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

However, the voice that appeared in Soma's mind only indicated an Eligible level.

Just being Eligible was not enough in Soma's view.

"I'm very sorry."

The twelfth person left disappointed.

Soma was also somewhat disappointed.

"If I were in Konoha, finding a suitable candidate for the Sword of the Darkness Flame would likely be much easier."

"I have to admit, the talents in Konoha are indeed more abundant than in Hidden Mist Village."

"But, I am from Hidden Mist Village."

"This means I will inevitably stand on the opposing side of Konoha."

"Even if I am willing to join Konoha, Konoha will never truly trust me."

"Even Uchiha Sasuke, who was born in Konoha and made some mistakes afterward, still made significant contributions in saving the ninja world and Konoha."

"Yet, Uchiha Sasuke still did not gain the trust of most people in Konoha."

"Compared to respect, there is more fear and apprehension."

"As an outsider, I am even less likely to be trusted."

Soma looked at the Sword of the Darkness Flame on the table.

[Sword of the Darkness]

[Type: Longsword.]

[Quality: Perfect.]

[Abilities: Evil King Flame—Utilizes Hiei's demon power seed as an energy source to produce the Evil King Flame, which is far superior to ordinary flames and has extremely strong destructive power.]

[Note: According to the third rule of Blacksmith, the power of this ninja tool cannot affect the forger.]

"Tap tap tap!"

The sound of footsteps echoed.

Soon, it was followed by a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

A figure walked in.

With fire-red long hair.

Wearing a deep blue combat outfit.

She appeared very capable.

Radiating a youthful and lively aura.

"Miss Mei?"

"Hello, Chief Uehara. Sorry for being late. When I received Mizukage-sama's orders, I was still on a mission."

Terumi Mei's name was not on the list.

This meant that Terumi Mei had been arranged by Yagura later.

Terumi Mei doesn't use Fire Release much, but she does possess fire release Chakra.

Moreover, her Fire Release talent should be quite good.

After all, Terumi Mei's Boil Release Kekkei Genkai is a fusion of water and fire.

The attributes that can form Kekkei Genkai are not likely to be poor for single-attribute talents.

"It's fine, it's fine. They only just left."

Soma pointed to the Sword of the Darkness Flame on the table.

"This is the new Zanpakuto I forged. Its name is Sword of the Darkness Flame. Just hold the hilt and input your Chakra."

Terumi Mei nodded.

[Detection of a suitable candidate for the Sword of the Darkness Flame. (Hiei's Recognition: Low, Attribute Compatibility: Upper Mid) Overall Compatibility: Eligible. Proceed with the contract?]

From an attribute perspective, Terumi Mei could indeed utilize the abilities of the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

However, Hiei's recognition was a bit low.

As a result, the overall performance was only rated as Eligible.

"Chief Uehara, does this mean the Sword of the Darkness Flame has accepted me?"

Holding the Sword of the Darkness Flame, Terumi Mei felt a bit intrigued.

Holding this Ninjato in her hand, it felt less like holding a weapon and more like holding a living being.

As if it had a life of its own.

Soma shook his head.

"Unfortunately no."

"Alright."

Terumi Mei let go of the sword.

Being Eligible, Terumi Mei was a better choice compared to the previous Ninja.

Because Terumi Mei's strength was greater and she could better utilize the Sword of the Darkness Flame's abilities.

However, in Soma's view, compared to the Sword of the Darkness Flame, there might be a Ninjato he forges in the future that would be more suitable for Terumi Mei.

Terumi Mei left.

Soma, with the Sword of the Darkness Flame, returned to the forging room.

Just then, Ao finished his work monitoring Yagura for the day and returned to Forging Island.

"Ao-senpai, why not give it a try yourself?"

Soma felt that Ao might not be completely unsuitable for the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

After all, Ao had transplanted Byakugan and Hiei had transplanted Evil Eye, which had some similarities.

Ao hesitated for a moment and asked.

"Soma, did none of the people Mizukage-sama sent manage to get the Sword of the Darkness Flame's recognition?"

"None."

"Then I'll give it a try."

Ao took the Sword of the Darkness Flame that Soma handed him.

[Detected a candidate compatible with the Sword of the Darkness Flame. (Hiei Recognition: Upper Mid, Attribute Compatibility: Mid Lower) Overall Compatibility: Eligible. Proceed with the contract?]

Soma was stirred.

"Only Eligible..."

"However, it's likely that there won't be a candidate with compatibility higher than Eligible in the entire Hidden Mist Village."

"Among the three Eligibles, Ao-senpai might still be the most suitable choice."

The first Eligible Ninja, Soma felt, was not worthy of the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

The second was Terumi Mei; Soma felt that a more suitable option for her would appear.

As for Ao.

The compatibility with the Sword of the Darkness Flame wasn't very high.

But he would definitely be able to make better use of the Sword of the Darkness Flame's abilities compared to the first Eligible Ninja.

Moreover, Ao had been following Soma for a long time.

Soma knew that Ao was very eager to possess a Zanpakuto.

"Let's give it to Ao-senpai."

"The contract level of Eligible can be upgraded to Good with the enhancement of the yellow Blueprint."

"Even if it's just a bit of encouragement for Ao-senpai, who has followed me for a long time."

Soma silently thought.

"Guide!"

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