When Fumori Masaki returned home, he could already see Rimi's abdomen bulging slightly. The thought of the new life being conceived in his wife's body filled him with secret joy.
"I checked with the clan's secret technique not long ago and found that Rimi is likely to be pregnant with twins. Your luck's is really good," Senju Tōka, who had been taking care of Rimi, shared the news with Masaki.
"Really?" Masakii did not expect Rimi to be pregnant with two at once. For the sparsely populated Fumori clan, this was truly a surprise.
"Of course it's true! Don't underestimate our Senju's secret technique," Tōka said with a smile.
Although ninjas do not have medical equipment specifically for examining fetuses, they possess a corresponding secret technique. While the tools used by ordinary people were still in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in another world, the secret techniques employed by ninjas could reach the level of modern civilization in certain places.
Masaki firmly believed in the medical secrets of the Senju family. He had personally witnessed the powerful Yang Release of the Senju Hashirama. Even aside from Hashirama, the unique secret skills that maintain a healthy appearance and preserve fighting power were equally impressive. He knew that before his death, Hashirama had used secret techniques to preserve his cells for his younger brother's research, and those cells had maintained their vitality to this day.
At that time, Masaki understood why the cells of Hashirama could still be used in the future Ninja World. It was not that there were still active cells after their death, but that backups had been made early on. Uchiha Madara likely used a similar method to preserve the activity of the tissues he collected. When the Outer Path was later summoned, the immense power of the Outer Path was utilized the cells of Hashirama.
"Thanks for your hard work, Rimi." Masaki gently took Rimi's hand, knowing that the pressure on a mother pregnant with twins would be greater than that of bearing an only child.
"Masaki, do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?" Rimi asked, touching her abdomen, as if she could feel the life within her.
"I don't know, but I would be happy with either a boy or a girl," Masaki said.
"Because they are twins, there may be both boys and girls," Rimi considered.
Although she knew from Masaki's previous words that he didn't care about the gender, she still hoped that having boys would always have some advantages and that they would survive more easily than ordinary girls.
"It is possible. But more importantly, Rimi, you should pay more attention to your body and ensure you're getting enough nutrition. It's not easy to give birth to two healthy children," Masaki said nervously. He viewed twins as a double-edged sword. While it meant two children, it also meant the mother needed to provide double the nutrition for their growth.
"Don't worry about that. I've been prepared for a long time. I've even asked some mothers about their experiences during childbirth. By using our family's secret technique, these two children will definitely be born healthy," Senju Tōka confidently stated. "You know, during the Warring States period, pregnancy and childbirth were also dangerous. If someone wasn't careful, the child could die halfway, and the clan wouldn't be able to continue."
"Yeah, Masaki, you're being a little too nervous," Rimi chuckled, covering her mouth. It was a pleasant sight to see the usually calm Masaki like this, reminiscent of the past.
After teasing Masaki, Rimi asked, "Masaki, do you still need to go on a mission next?"
"No, the task Tobirama-sensei gave me is to evaluate potential students at the ninja school, and if I find promising ones, I'll recruit them as my disciples," Fumori replied.
"Ah, Tobirama-sama mentioned this to me as well, but he's not accepting disciples himself. He's just focused on observing the students' abilities and will choose according to your criteria," Tōka explained.
Currently, there were a group of children studying at the Ninja School, primarily made up of children from ninja clans, orphans who lost their families due to the war, and children from common families. A small number of them were a special group in the capital, families who had lost everything for various reasons. Although they had received higher education, they still blended in with ordinary people, making them easier to train as ninjas.
After all, the children from common families still needed to learn basic skills like reading, focusing on theoretical knowledge, while the children from ninja families and those from once middle- or upper-class families could skip that and dive directly into training.
Masaki believed that for the ninja testing system to exert its proper influence, the new generation of ninjas should perform well. Therefore, it was necessary to start training and select suitable students through Masaki's criteria, then pass them on to the appropriate teachers.
Although they were positioned as instructors for genin, the students led by Masaki and others were actually their apprentices, which was different from instructing genin in the future. For instance, Hatake Kakashi was merely Jōnin instructor Uzumaki Naruto, not his master. Jiraiya was also considered Master of Minato, because during that time, the primary task of guiding chunin was to help students through their novice period until they became genin and graduated.
"Cheer up, Tobirama-sama seems to be entrusting Tsunade to you, as Hashirama-sama intended before his passing," Tōka recalled.
"Ah, I remember that," Masaki said, hesitating at first. He was worried about the implications of Konoha Sannin disappearing, but now he thought it through. Since the first Hokage had passed away, and he already change few things, what did it matter about Konoha Sannin? With Tobirama still around, he had nothing to be hypocritical about.
"However, I mean that you'll will teach Tsunade how to use Chakra at first. As for everything else, don't satisfy her curiosity," Tōka cautioned.
"Sure enough, I think Tobirama-sensei cannot rest easy knowing she'll be a ninja," Masaki smiled and shook his head. As long as a powerful figure like Tobirama was still alive, it was unlikely he would let Tsunade become a ninja. Just like in the original manga, her becoming a ninja was likely due to the death of Tobirama, which no one could stop.
"In that case, I already have one spot filled. I just need to pick two more from the ninja academy?" Masaki thought to himself.
Soon after, the Ninja School sent over a list of students. This list was based on the students' performances, selecting those suitable to be taught by Masaki. To his surprise, there were many names, but as he scanned through, one name stood out.
—Huh, he...
While he pondered this, someone came to visit. Masaki got up and went outside, only to find that it was Kana. After following Masaki's suggestion, Kana had started gathering records about the Sage of Six Paths in her family, searching for clues about the Ninja Sect. Had she come to share fruitful findings?
"It's been a long time, Kana-chan," Masaki greeted.
"Masaki-Nii, long time no see," Kana replied with a slight bow. "I heard that Rimi-Nee is pregnant with twins. This time, I brought some nutritional products." She then handed over the items she had brought.
"Thank you." Masaki didn't refuse Kana's kindness; he accepted her offering and led her to the living room.
After Kana sat down, Masaki poured her a cup of tea. They exchanged pleasantries, and then Kana expressed her intentions: "The purpose of my visit this time is to hope that Nii-san can give me some advice."
"What kind of advice? Are you making progress in collecting information about the Ninja Sect, but aren't sure what to do next?" Masaki asked.
Kana shook her head. "No, I haven't found anything yet. The era of the Ninja Sect is too distant, and there aren't many records in our clan. Honestly, if I didn't have the Six Paths treasures as evidence, I would doubt that Senju clan is a descendant of the Six Paths."
"Don't doubt it, you must believe," Masaki replied.
Kana didn't know where Masaki's confidence came from, but she smiled and continued, "The princess in the capital is about to celebrate her birthday, and I plan to send her a gift. I believe this is an opportunity to influence the world with the Ninja Sect. I've contacted the princess several times and know that she is very interested in it."
Masaki i nodded, recalling that he had met this princess during his visit to the capital. He had sensed her interest from her words. An idea had sparked, but he hadn't caught it at the time. Now, reflecting on it, that inspiration could start with the princess, spreading the new concept of the Ninja Sect.
"Do you know what gift to give?" Fumori asked.
"Well," Kana replied, "I want to send books, but I can't seem to organize anything useful. If I want it to be impactful, I won't be able to write anything substantial in a short time. So I thought about sending her a painting instead. In our circle, sending calligraphy and paintings is also a popular trend, as they convey emotions and thoughts. This should be a suitable gift."
Ah, she's truly a noble girl; it's convenient.
Masaki thought that if he wanted to send paintings and calligraphy to others, he wouldn't necessarily succeed, but Kana could be easily approached. It seemed he was right to guide her in this direction.
"My idea is to draw a painting of the Sage of Six Paths, but I don't have any clues. I want to ask Nii-san if you have any suggestions," Kana said.
Masaki listened and nodded in agreement. The subject matter Kana chose was traditional, but if the painting was executed well, the ideas expressed could be extraordinary. He was determined to help her create a stunning piece. After some thought, Fumori Masaki came up with his suggestion.