Konoha, the Senju Clan Grounds.
Most of the former Senju clan members had moved to the Land of Fire, and the remaining ones had integrated into various Konoha families.
Within the clan grounds, only Tsunade, Nawaki, and a few elderly Senju stubbornly remained, creating an atmosphere that was both ancient and desolate.
"Sis, I'm back!"
Nawaki returned home, clutching two books excitedly.
"Oh, you're back."
Tsunade clearly wasn't in the mood to pay attention to him, immersed in the memories of last night, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Nawaki, dissatisfied, quietly approached Tsunade's ear and shouted:
"Hey! I'm back——!"
A swift flick to his forehead, and Nawaki clutched his head, tears welling up as he squatted down.
"You brat, how were your lessons? I found you the best teacher in Konoha."
Tsunade reclined on a lounge chair, asking.
"I actually wanted to call him brother-in-law," seeing Tsunade's threatening gaze, he quickly corrected himself, "Fuma-sensei is very nice. He even gave me two books and told me to study them carefully."
"He also said he prepared an S-rank forbidden jutsu for me, and if I understand these two books, he'll teach it to me!"
Tsunade was puzzled. An academy graduate learning an S-rank forbidden jutsu, what does that mean?
She looked at the books Nawaki was holding, a big question mark forming in her mind.
[The Past and Present of Explosive Tags]
[How to Properly Use Explosive Tags]
And the absurd pen name of the author, "Wandering Hanzo". Could it really be that Hanzo of the Salamander?
What does he mean by explosive tags, is he turning Nawaki into a crafting ninja? That actually sounds quite good.
Tsunade thought, bewildered.
---
Konoha Park.
Under the shade of a tree, Minato and Kushina sipped juice, each holding a book, studying together.
From Minato's focused expression, it was clear he was engrossed.
S-rank Forbidden Jutsu—Flying Thunder God Technique.
He, Namikaze Minato, 13 years old, could understand it.
Kushina was also engrossed in Fuma's book on taijutsu essentials, her small face occasionally tensing as she nodded seriously, making notes in the book.
This was the perfect example of mutual learning among geniuses!
If Nawaki saw this, he would be embarrassed to death; he, the great Nawaki, would never admit that he had almost been beaten up by Tsunade for not studying.
Minato sighed lightly, scratching his head. He had been studying this mark for a long time but still didn't understand it.
Kushina leaned over, looking at the big mark Minato had circled in the book, and had an epiphany.
"It looks familiar, doesn't it?"
Her eyes lit up, and she patted Minato, saying, "This mark, Grandma Mito taught me!"
"This is a dual-element seal, generally used for stabilizing space. This one is a fire seal, used to lock chakra."
"This mark should be covered with a five-element seal."
For Kushina, who had been taught by Uzumaki Mito, various seals were familiar, and she carefully explained the prerequisites for the Flying Thunder God technique to Minato.
To learn the Flying Thunder God technique, one first needed to understand the various small sealing techniques that made up the Flying Thunder God mark, then have a sense of space, which counted as an entry point.
Just the entry point required a lot of knowledge in sealing techniques, space attribute sensing, large-scale chakra sensing, and sufficient chakra.
The threshold for the Flying Thunder God technique was no lower than the Mangekyo Sharingan or Sage Mode; only an absolutely talented genius could learn it.
Bloodline and talent were essential for strong ninjas in this world.
With Kushina's explanation, Minato's eyes grew brighter. He had touched the seemingly unreachable threshold.
----------------
Uchiha Second Courtyard.
Fuma sat writing lesson plans. For these three kids, he would take on the responsibility of a teacher.
Though they were all exceptionally talented, Fuma had altered history by coming here as a powerful force.
Geniuses were never lacking in the ninja world; what was lacking were the geniuses who survived.
With resources, bloodline, and opportunities, combined with a relentless spirit, one could potentially become a Kage-level powerhouse.
Fuma was very satisfied with Minato's tactical acumen in combat, cautious yet bold; such a ninja would always have a bright future.
On the other hand, Nawaki and Kushina were hot-headed. As ninjas, they still had elements of naivety in their personalities that needed to be corrected.
They needed to understand their limitations and, more importantly, the fragile nature of ninjas.
In the original timeline, Nawaki was killed by explosive tags. Essentially, many genin died this way.
Rushing into the battlefield, feeling invincible with a few ninjutsu, only to be killed by simple explosive tag traps, thrown ninja tools, or even animal traps.
Ninjas below the level of jonin were often less deadly than fully armed mercenaries.
The combat power of ninjas in this world was extremely polarized.
Fuma's ears twitched; he recognized the familiar footsteps.
Tsunade entered, greeted Fuma with a sweet kiss, and picked up the lesson plan he was writing, reading through it.
Fuma looked at Tsunade, contemplating her potential. In reality, she also had significant room for growth.
Tsunade's sealing technique skills were undoubtedly top-notch. With Senju and Uzumaki blood running through her veins, she had inherited the Yin Seal and created the "Creation Rebirth" technique, a phenomenal jutsu.
Moreover, she had a close relationship with the friendly Sage Region of Shikkotsu Forest. She was proficient in medical ninjutsu with an extremely high level of chakra control.
In terms of potential, she was a definite super-Kage-level candidate. With Sage Mode and the Yin Seal combined, and maybe even opening the Eight Gates, her monster strength punch could be unstoppable in the ninja world.
However, due to personal losses in family, love, and friendships, she eventually succumbed to despair, becoming a mere "Kage" level chakra battery.
Fuma squinted at his girlfriend, realizing just how powerful she was.
He pondered his own strength, feeling a sense of crisis. What if in the future, as a taijutsu master, he couldn't withstand a punch from his girlfriend? That would be quite interesting.
"Ahem."
Fuma signaled to Tsunade, who was still engrossed in the lesson plan, and explained, "I had Nawaki study explosive tags to make him understand how fragile he is right now."
"In war, there is no mercy. He must recognize his own shortcomings and abandon his playful mindset."
"To become a great ninja, I believe that being able to fight is secondary; the important thing is being resilient and knowing how to escape."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, as if to say, are you talking about yourself?
Fuma nodded unreservedly.
Then he proudly explained his theory of error tolerance.
In summary, ninjas were too fragile; they either needed to increase their health points or be fast enough to escape.
Clearly, Fuma was a master of this path, characterized by toughness, speed, and resistance to control, making him the hardest type of ninja to deal with.
The essence of this style was: if you make a mistake, you die; if I make a mistake, I'll be careful next time.
Tsunade listened curiously to this theory, frowning in thought, "Apart from you, it seems similar to Orochimaru too."
Fuma's eyes lit up. Orochimaru was still quite outgoing at this time.
After training Nawaki, Fuma could send him to Orochimaru for further assistance.
Learning a set of Orochimaru-style substitution jutsu and soft body modifications was necessary.
For the safety of this impulsive little brother-in-law, Fuma was putting in a lot of effort.
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