The three of them chatted while sitting on the ground. The soft grass was quite comfortable. Hatake Sakumo looked at the two people in front of him. Though Hattori Heizo appeared a bit gloomy, he didn't seem like an unkind person. Tsunade, despite being the princess of the Senju clan, didn't carry even a hint of arrogance; her demeanor was quite natural.
—No, perhaps a bit more restrained.
Sakumo thought silently before asking Tsunade, "From what I gathered earlier, you seem to be quite familiar with Fumori-sama. What kind of person is he?"
"Huh? Masaki-Oji? Of course, I'm familiar with him. I've known him since my grandfather was alive," Tsunade said, frowning slightly as she pondered. "How to describe him? He's just... an amazing person."
"An amazing person?" Sakumo and Heizo echoed in unison.
Tsunade nodded, reflecting on her memories of Fumori Masaki since she could remember, and added, "Oji-san knows things even my Kaa-san and Obaa-san don't. Jiji liked talking to him a lot, though most of it was too deep for me to understand. I preferred playing the games Oji-san taught me—those were a lot more interesting! I've never seen anything like them elsewhere in the village."
"Games?" Heizo said with a slight frown. "What's the point of such things?"
"They're fun! And maybe they can give you new insights," Tsunade replied with a smile.
"Better to practice ninjutsu than waste time on games," Hattori retorted bluntly. "By the way, why hasn't Fumori-sama come yet? Do you know, Tsunade-Hime?"
"Oh, no need for formal titles! Just call me Tsunade, like Sakumo does," she said with a smile toward Sakumo before answering Heizo. "Originally, Masaki-Oji was supposed to come with me, but Second Grandpa Tobirama suddenly called him for something. He told me to go ahead and get to know you all first."
"I see," Sakumo nodded. "How about we do a brief introduction—our hobbies, future goals, and so on?"
"Sure," Tsunade agreed easily, while Heizo also nodded in assent.
"Well, even though you already know, I'll say it again. My name is Sakumo Hatake, I'm seven years old, and my hobby is reading. As for my future goal..." Sakumo paused, glancing at the other two before continuing, "I hope to forge bonds with the people of the village, as if we were all brothers and sisters."
"Just like my grandpa," Tsunade said, surprised. "Alright, I'll go next. My name's Tsunade, I'm six years old, and my hobby is... gambling! If you want to play, I can teach you the rules. My goal is to travel the entire country and try every kind of game there is!"
Heizo shook his head in disapproval. "Gambling and playing around... as a ninja, how can you be so carefree?"
"Well, that's my goal—enjoying myself," Tsunade responded with a huff. "Now it's your turn."
—Ah, she's getting irritated.
Sakumo noticed Tsunade's subtle shift in demeanor. While she wasn't visibly angry, it was clear her pride as the princess of the Senju family was only being held in check by her self-restraint.
"I'm Hattori Heizo, eight years old..." Heizo began but was abruptly cut off by Tsunade's surprised exclamation.
"Eight years old?! Really?" Tsunade looked shocked, and Sakumo shared her astonishment.
Heizo was thin, shorter than Tsunade, and his face was still quite boyish. Both Sakumo and Tsunade had assumed he was the youngest of the three, but in reality, Hattori was the eldest.
"Yeah, really," Heizo replied, his expression darkening. "Is that a problem?"
"No, just surprising," Tsunade said, her shock still evident. Sakumo quickly added, "No problem, Heizo, continue."
After a brief pause, Heizo resumed, "I don't have any hobbies. If I had to say something, it'd be training in ninjutsu. My goal is to avoid repeating the mistakes of my ancestors and to become a ninja feared across the world."
The Hattori clan was known for its expertise in stealth assassinations, but their weakness in direct combat had been exposed in the Ninja World Wars. Heizo was determined to develop his abilities in head-on confrontations to overcome that flaw.
"I'm curious—are your frontal combat skills really that weak? From what Masaki-oji told me, no one could beat you at the Ninja Academy," Tsunade said.
"That's just because I can usually take them down with one blow. If that fails, the outcome could easily be different," Heizo explained, closing his eyes momentarily before reopening them and turning to Sakumo. "Sakumo, how about we spar? As a samurai, you specialize in direct combat, unlike ninjas who may use underhanded methods to win."
Sakumo hadn't expected such a request, but he was intrigued. After a moment of consideration, he nodded.
"Alright, we'll get started shortly," Heizo said, preparing to rise.
Sakumo followed suit, but suddenly, he felt his legs struck by an unseen force, throwing his body off balance. In the next instant, Heizo's hand was already aimed at his head in a sharp, stabbing motion.
Sakumo's instincts kicked in, and the chakra in his body flowed rapidly, transforming into lightning nature to stimulate his cells and regain his balance. He narrowly blocked Heizo's strike with his arm and immediately countered with a swift kick to Heizo's abdomen, sending the boy sprawling and coughing.
Tsunade had been expecting a drawn-out match, but the battle ended in an instant. Both boys didn't look too pleased—Heizo knelt, coughing, while Sakumo stood, breathing heavily, sweat beading on his brow.
"What just happened?" Tsunade asked, confused.
"No need to be surprised, Tsunade," Heizo said, having calmed his breath. "This is how a real ninja fights. We aren't honorable samurai; there are no rules for us. Our sole aim is to kill the target using any means necessary."
Heizo spread his hands, continuing, "As you saw, I could only land one sneak attack on Sakumo. Once he reacted, I was easily knocked back. That's the gap in our abilities when it comes to frontal combat."
"Still, if there's such a gap, how were you able to almost land that first attack?" Tsunade asked, still puzzled.
"It's because of the blind spot technique," Sakumo answered. "Heizo used the blind spots in my vision to create an opening, and then he struck. His technique relies on exploiting weaknesses like this. In terms of raw power or speed, he doesn't surpass me."
"Exactly," Heizo agreed. "But once the blind spot method fails, I'm no match for someone trained in direct combat. Those swordsmen from the end of the Warring States era far outclass me in that regard."
Heizo let out a quiet sigh before turning back to Sakumo. "Don't think that was my full strength though. If I had truly been trying to kill you, that hand strike wouldn't have been so ordinary."
"Right, in a real fight, you wouldn't just use a simple hand knife," Sakumo said solemnly.
Heizo gave a faint smile, but there was no warmth in it—only a chilling coldness. He left the rest unsaid, allowing the secret of the ninja to remain with him.
"It seems I missed some excitement," came a voice from the distance. Tsunade turned quickly, recognizing it immediately.
"Masaki-Oji!" she called, waving at the approaching figure.