(Edited)
After the establishment of Konoha Ninja Village, Fumori Masaki and the others had never left. The land allocated to Konoha by the Daimyo of The Fire Country was vast, and the resources were abundant. There was no need to leave the village for supplies. With the reunification of the Fire Nation, the territory became stable, and national tasks were no longer necessary. They had spent their time living, training, and playing in the village. This was their first time leaving.
Although it was their first time leaving the village, they weren't disoriented. As ninjas, they had long since mastered various skills and were fully capable of handling the situation. As Hashirama said, this mission was simple, much easier than those from the Warring States Period, which is why he didn't assign any elders to lead the team.
Hashirama and Tobirama had high hopes for the seven disciples. If they couldn't manage such an easy task, their training would be questioned.
The ninjas moved swiftly. With the flow of chakra, the seven of them could effortlessly leap into the trees, their bodies as light as feathers as they weaved through the branches.
Fumori Masaki hadn't thought much about chakra before, but his experiences in another world made him realize how magical chakra truly was. From a scientific perspective, chakra violated many established theories in that world and seemed miraculous.
However, Fumori Masaki did not believe that chakra was inherently unscientific. The truth was that it didn't align with the known scientific theories of that other world.
Science, by definition, is a theory that accurately reflects the nature and laws of the world. The world is filled with unimaginable phenomena, and even in the other world, there was no guarantee that the theories they had discovered encompassed everything. In fact, there were many unsolved mysteries that scientists from that world couldn't explain.
These mysteries likely followed certain rules that had yet to be discovered. This was perfectly normal since no theory had been found that could be universally applied. Like those mysteries, chakra probably existed in a field that current theories couldn't adapt to.
A hundred years ago, classical theories couldn't explain certain phenomena, but a century later, newly established theories could. This happened because scientific theories were valid under relative conditions. No theory that could absolutely adapt to every situation had yet appeared.
Fumori Masaki believed that chakra must have its own theoretical system. However, in the ninja world, where scientific thought hadn't yet emerged, people focused on practicality rather than understanding the essence of chakra. Most people couldn't even comprehend why their jutsu took shape.
Hashirama had created the Wood Release technique based on his own talent, but he couldn't teach it to others. The reason was that he hadn't systematically analyzed the Wood Release; instead, he relied on his own experience. Learning Wood Release was far more difficult than mastering regular jutsu. Without the same talent as Hashirama, it would be impossible for anyone to learn it on their own.
Realizing this, Fumori Masaki understood why clans with bloodline limits were distinct and why others with similar techniques never appeared. Geniuses capable of creating secret techniques were rare, and even if such geniuses arose, ensuring they followed the same path was nearly impossible. This process of screening and elimination explained the existence of these bloodline limit families.
Without a supporting theory, those who wanted to gain the power of bloodline limits could only rely on bloodline inheritance. Even Orochimaru, who was considered a scientist by people in the other world, couldn't escape this limitation. Despite his great sacrifices, he only produced one successful test subject capable of using Wood Release.
Based on the historical experiences of the other world, Fumori Masaki believed that for the ninja world to enter a new stage, a theoretical technology for chakra must be established. However, this process would be long. If even someone like Orochimaru couldn't create such a technology, Fumori couldn't guarantee that it would happen within his lifetime.
Even so, every technology has its primitive beginnings. Fumori Masaki didn't consider himself a scientist, but he believed he could push others to attempt to establish this primitive technology. Those in future generations, smarter and more talented than himself or Orochimaru, could perfect and expand it until chakra's scientific theory was established.
Fumori Masaki envisioned a time when not only ninjas, but even ordinary civilians could harness chakra's power. The world would truly enter a new era, one that even Hashirama, Tobirama, and others could not have imagined.
At this time, the seven were slowly approaching the village Ichiro had mentioned. It was a small, peaceful village. After Hashirama helped the Daimyo of Fire Nation unify the country, peace and stability had been established, and the chaos of war had ended. In the Warring States Period, a village like this would have been destroyed in the conflict.
However, in peaceful times, chaos can still quietly grow, and this village had unfortunately encountered trouble. The seven didn't act immediately. As per ninja protocol, they first gathered information. When they saw the "bandits" appear with weapons, they were surprised to realize that the intruders were actually ronin.
During the Warring States Period, samurai had been highly revered and held in great esteem. Ninjas, who lived in the shadows, couldn't compare. However, Hashirama had led the ninjas to help the Daimyo complete the unification, and as the country's military force, the samurai class began to decline.
Those samurai who refused to work with ninjas left the country to live elsewhere. Others became private guards for lords and monarchs. Some, unable to find work, lived in poverty and turned to banditry. These samurai were known as ronin.
Although these men appeared to be bandits, Fumori Masaki and the others recognized them as ronin. Unable to find a living, they had fallen to this point.
"A group of scum, disgracing the samurai name," muttered Koharu Utatane with disgust.
The families of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were small, with few members able to become ninjas. They hadn't even learned ninja skills until they were taken in by Hashirama. Their families had been destroyed by exiled warriors during the Warring States Period. Back then, they had appeared like mere thieves.
Although Koharu had no fondness for samurai, she respected their character. But for this group of bandits, she felt nothing but disgust. What was once just a mission had now stirred her emotions, and she felt sympathy for the village, seeing in it a reflection of her own family's fate.
"Although their identity is unique, it doesn't matter," said Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Since they've chosen this path, they're no different from bandits. We'll drive them away, as Ichiro-san requested."
"Just drive them away?" Fumori Masaki asked suddenly. "They're samurai who've fallen to this point. Although there are ronin, they aren't numerous, and finding a master isn't impossible. Their downfall is their own doing. It may not seem serious now, but it could be worse in the future."
"What do you mean?" Hiruzen asked, surprised.
"Just kill them all," Fumori Masaki said coldly. His experiences in the other world had left him hating banditry. Though the samurai class was declining, there were still places like the Land of Iron that welcomed samurai. These men had chosen to become bandits instead. Letting them go would only bring harm elsewhere.
Hiruzen hesitated at Masaki's words. He didn't like the ronin either, and Hashirama had given them the authority to handle the situation as they saw fit. After thinking for a moment, he turned to the others and asked, "What do you all think?"
Koharu was the first to voice her support, and the others had no objections. Hiruzen nodded. "Alright, let's do it."