Upon hearing the words of the female ninja, Tatsuma's expression showed some confusion. He had never seen this female ninja before and didn't know who she was. As two strangers, he wondered what they had to talk about.
This wasn't like the world of the previous life, where if you hit it off with someone, you could ask for their contact information. Besides, even in the previous life, they were not of the same age.
Tatsuma was only nine years old this year, while this female ninja looked to be around thirty. However, Tatsuma quickly guessed that perhaps this female ninja was the one Hyuga Itsuki had mentioned, who had always loved Hyuga Miyako.
Thinking of this, Tatsuma walked towards the female ninja, approaching her, and after bowing, he asked, "May I ask what business miss has with me?"
"You can call me Aunt Fuzi, I'm considered a member of the Sento family."
Hyuga Fuzi stood up and walked towards the house. Tatsuma followed her inside. It was a tea room, and Fuzi calmly began to boil water and prepare tea.
After living in this world for several years, Tatsuma had never experienced such a slow-paced life, especially after months on the battlefield, making it difficult for him to adapt to this leisurely lifestyle.
For quite some time, Fuzi watched Tatsuma take a sip of tea before slowly speaking, "Sento has now become a member of the main family, but his heart is sadder than anyone else's.
And there are some unfavorable opinions within the clan, saying that he must be secretly rejoicing because of Miyako's death. After all, he no longer needs to bear the Caged Bird Seal. Do you know what the Caged Bird Seal is?"
Tatsuma nodded. Seeing that Tatsuma understood, Fuzi also nodded gently, skipping the explanation and continued, "That child lost his father and his uncle, who also cherished him, yet he is being criticized for supposedly rejoicing over it.
In the eyes of the branch family members, the status of the main family may seem lofty, or perhaps enviable, and they might indeed be happy. But for Sento, he has merely moved from one cage to another."
The so-called main family is just as obliged to be close to the clan leader and the heir, always prepared to sacrifice for the family's sake.
The branch families, marked with the Caged Bird Seal, protect the main family, while the main family without the seal still must safeguard the clan leader and their successor. But aren't these clan leaders and their heirs, surrounded and restricted, also caged birds?
As an outsider, Tatsuma didn't know what to say. He could only awkwardly sip his tea, feeling that meddling in family affairs was already challenging, let alone as a mere passerby.
Fuzi seemed to realize she had veered off-topic. After serving Tatsuma some tea, she said, "Thank you for your suggestion today. Perhaps leaving this clan territory, Sento can find temporary peace.
If possible, please become friends with Sento."
"Sure, I will," Tatsuma nodded, lifting his teacup once again. He didn't know what else to say. His current situation felt as awkward as when an elementary school student is approached by a classmate's mom saying, "My child is a bit shy, could you play with them more?"
Fuzi noticed Tatsuma's restlessness and realized something. She spoke up, saying, "Sento can now also learn various Taijutsu techniques from the Hyuga Clan.
If you can learn something while training with Sento, don't hesitate. While the Hyuga Clan values its traditions, it doesn't prohibit others from using our Gentle Fist technique."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma's spirits lifted instantly. He finally understood why Itsuki and Hiruzen both emphasized his visit to the Hyuga Clan.
Visiting Sento wasn't the key; the key was that the Hyuga Clan was giving him a "Pass" one that allowed him to learn and use the Hyuga Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist technique.
Although the Hyuga's Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist technique is most effective when combined with the Byakugan, Tatsuma's deep understanding of human anatomy from studying Medical Ninjutsu under Tsunade might compensate for the lack of pinpoint accuracy achievable by Hyuga Ninja with the Byakugan.
Perhaps he couldn't achieve the precision of the Hyuga Ninja's acupoint strikes under the Byakugan's influence, but some techniques of the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist could complement his somewhat amateurish Tai Chi movements.
Furthermore, since Fuzi, representing the Hyuga Clan, said such words, it implies that in their future joint training sessions, Sento will also teach Tatsuma the Hyuga's Gentle Fist technique.
For the Hyuga Clan, this is a repayment of gratitude; for Tatsuma, it's a gain. Moreover, merely learning the Hyuga's Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist won't shake the Hyuga Clan's position.
After all, not everyone can discern the human body's acupoints and the effects of striking each point. Plus, without the cooperation of the Byakugan, the Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist cannot unleash its full power.
"Thank you," Tatsuma said solemnly. Fuzi, seeing Tatsuma instantly grasping the Hyuga Clan's intentions, nodded in admiration, remarking that he was indeed a clever child. Fuzi continued, "Next, I will instruct Sento in more Gentle Fist techniques. I hope you can help Sento become more familiar during the training. I won't disturb you any longer. Sento will come to you tomorrow."
"I won't bother you any longer. Thank you, Aunt Fuzi," Tatsuma said as he left the Hyuga Clan. He continued to ponder the gains of this visit. Although the Hyuga Clan's gesture might not cause much harm to themselves, it was still a significant decision, breaking new ground.
And perhaps, this wasn't just the Hyuga Clan's idea alone. Maybe the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had also played a role in it.
"Could it be compensation for me?" Suddenly, an idea popped into Tatsuma's mind. Being Tsunade's disciple, he was destined not to learn much from her. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade knew this, as did Tatsuma himself. There was no reason why Hiruzen wouldn't know.
If Tatsuma could grow, it would benefit Tsunade, his sensei, in terms of reputation and practical skills. As Tsunade's sensei, Hiruzen would undoubtedly understand this.
It would be entirely reasonable for Hiruzen to strive for some benefits for his disciple Tsunade and his grand desciple Tatsuma when the opportunity arose.
Although not certain yet, Tatsuma felt he had a rough idea. He hoped his speculation was correct because there was still so much he needed to learn.
Such compensation would be most welcome!
After leaving the Hyuga Clan territory, it wasn't late yet. Tatsuma returned to the Third Training Ground, where Minato and Nawaki were still training. However, Duy was absent today.
Whether he was on a mission or with his child's mother, Tatsuma didn't know.
Tatsuma told the two about Sento joining them for training next time. With Minato's sunny disposition, he naturally didn't refuse. Nawaki, upon hearing it involved the Hyuga Clan, eagerly declared he wanted to compete with Hyuga Clan ninjas to see who was the most youthful and passionate Taijutsu ninja, wishing Sento would appear today.
The next afternoon, with his face still somewhat swollen, Sento arrived at the Third Training Ground as promised. Seeing Tatsuma, who had made him cry yesterday, the gentle-smiling Minato, and the curious Nawaki, he suppressed his embarrassment and said:
"Please let me train with you guys from now on Tatsuma! Minato, and Nawaki Senpai!"
"Welcome."
Minato clenched his fist and gave Sento an encouraging look, while Nawaki brought out a carefully prepared gift and said, "Sento! Put on this Taijutsu training outfit and let's strive together for our youth!"
"Huh?!"
Seeing the green tight-fitting outfit in Nawaki's hand, Sento's face showed resistance. He hadn't heard that coming here for training meant he had to wear such an embarrassing and ugly outfit! And, clearly, Tatsuma and Minato weren't wearing it!
Minato wanted to smooth things over, but Tatsuma stopped him. Tatsuma was particularly curious about how Sento would react to this situation. After all, determination was also an important quality.
As he looked at the tight-fitting outfit Nawaki handed him, Sento felt so embarrassed he wished he could leave on the spot. Thankfully, he was from the Hyuga Clan. If he were from the Uchiha clan, his eyes might have developed a couple of extra Tomoe just from the embarrassment.
However, after a brief hesitation, Sento still put on the outfit representing youth. Since he had already decided to become stronger at all costs, wearing embarrassing clothes was something he could accept!
"Wow! Truly brimming with youthful energy!"
Seeing the verdant Sento, Nawaki gave a thumbs-up, his mouth had a toothy grin, and said, "Next, let's warm up by running fifty laps around the training ground. If you can't do it, then do one thousand weighted squats!"
"Yes, Nawaki Senpai!"
Sento bowed his head and followed Nawaki's lead. Minato then looked at Tatsuma, who, proficiently, spoke up, "You're remarkable, Minato, always so enthusiastic and diligent. Let's see who can complete the fifty laps warm-up faster!"
"Agreed!"
Minato nodded decisively. Immediately, a yellow and a white blur dashed out, surpassing Nawaki and Sento, who had started early. Seeing Minato and Tatsuma's incredible speed, they gritted their teeth and chased after them.
Although they were still left behind in the end and even lapped, with one lap after another, just as their warm-up was halfway done, Tatsuma and Minato finished theirs and began their sparring.
Watching the seamless integration of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninja Tool Throwing by the two, Sento also saw the direction of his struggle. He wanted to catch up with these two and stand on the battlefield, reclaiming the glory of his father and uncle.
After Sento joined, the small training camp organized by Tatsuma and Minato gained some reputation. In the following days, their classmate, Uchiha Tenko, came to challenge Tatsuma and Minato under the guise of "vengeance."
After several defeats, he silently joined the training camp. Following him were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, although they were dragged there by their parents.
Just like during the holiday training before Tatsuma's graduation, their parents didn't allow their children to slack off while others were training had. However, for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, it just meant lounging in a different place.
Later, even Inuzuka Tsume, who was walking her dog, and some insect users searching for new bug species joined. Eventually, almost half of their classmates joined Tatsuma and Minato's organized training camp during the holidays.
"What an impressive cohesion. They're the kind of people who make those around them better."
As the vacation of the academy students was coming to an end, Hiruzen, who had been busy with official duties, finally found time to visit the training ground. He had originally planned to assess the training outcomes of the two and teach them the promised Bringer of Darkness Jutsu. However, he was met with such a scene.
Behind him, Tsunade and the others also showed satisfied smiles. Jiraiya, who had just returned to the village and hadn't had a chance to meet his disciple yet, saw this scene, and the weariness on his face diminished.
Hiruzen turned around. It wasn't suitable for him to reveal himself now. He would wait until after the others started school to find time to teach the two. Hiruzen looked at his three disciples and said, "You should go back and rest as well. After that, delve deeper into the Land of Rain to investigate the movements of the Iwa ninjas. You're doing great work. Danzo's actions have been too aggressive and have already caused dissatisfaction in the Land of Rain. Be extra careful for your safety."
"Make sure your safety comes first, and seek support promptly when needed."
"But won't that make Hanzo completely angry?"
Orochimaru expressed some concern. After all, based on the information Jiraiya had investigated, there were no fewer than a thousand ninjas sent by Iwa ninjas who had already infiltrated the Land of Rain. Once they encountered them, even if Konoha wanted to support the three, the number of people dispatched wouldn't be small.
With such a large-scale march and even conflict within the Land of Rain's territory, Hanzo, as the leader of the Rain Ninja, could not possibly tolerate it. At that time, Hanzo would do more than just issuing warnings and reprimands as he does now.
Hiruzen sighed and said, "To warn the Land of Earth, we may have to offend the Land of Rain if necessary. Moreover, Hanzo's participation in the conflict can also help us resist the Iwa ninjas and even deter them from joining the battle."
"I understand, sensei."
Orochimaru also nodded. Hiruzen waved his hand and said, "Of course, it's best to avoid conflict. If we can collect enough clues without being detected, then as long as we hand them over to the Land of Rain, Hanzo will take care of the rest."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru nodded again, pondering in his mind how they should proceed so that Konoha's consumption would be minimized.
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