Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo greeted Fumori Masaki with polite respect. After all, he was their teacher. Tsunade, however, who was quite familiar with Masaki, had no such reservations and boldly said, "So slow, Masaki-Oji. We've been waiting here for a long time."
"It's been a while, sorry about that," Masaki replied apologetically. "And Tsunade call me sensei from now on,"
"What," Tsunade pouted, looking a bit helpless. "Masaki-Oji always gets distracted with other things and forgets the time. Rimi Bachan has even come looking for him a few times."
As the situation in the village slowly stabilized, the focus shifted toward development. As a jōnin, Masaki, of course, couldn't remain idle. He had to lay a foundation for the village, just like Tsunade, who often immersed herself in her tasks and lost track of time.
"Well, I'm here now, and I hope you've had enough time to get to know each other, and you Tsunade I told you to called me sensei" Masaki said while Flickering Tsunade forehead. "So, Sakumo, Heizo—is it okay if I call you that?"
"Of course, Masaki-sensei," Sakumo responded quickly. While Tsunade keep pouting
"Yeah sensei," Heizo replied with a single word, keeping his usual calm demeanor.
"Alright, let's not just stand around. Let's sit over there for a bit," Masaki suggested, pointing to a nearby area with some simple wooden training equipment and a place to sit.
After they all sat down, Masaki asked, "So, let me ask you—what do you each want to learn from me?"
"The method of frontal combat," Heizo quickly answered, speaking first. This had always been his goal.
Masaki, having heard about the struggles of the Hattori clan, nodded. "No problem." Then he looked at Sakumo and Tsunade. "What about you two?"
Sakumo's expectations were more about securing a respectable place for his clan in the village, so they would no longer be looked at with suspicion. Regarding his training, he hadn't given it too much thought but was aware of his own strengths and weaknesses.
"I heard you are skilled in high-speed combat and swordsmanship, Masaki-sensei. My chakra nature is lightning, and I come from a clan of samurai, so I'd like to learn your fighting style," Sakumo explained.
"Using lightning chakra to stimulate the body and increase speed is the most basic method for those with lightning chakra. Almost everyone in Kumogakure uses it. The more advanced technique is the Lightning Armor used by the Raikage, which can be sustained for long periods. For someone from a samurai background like you, this should be the most suitable method of combat," Masaki said. Then he turned to Tsunade. "And you?"
"Um… I don't know," Tsunade admitted, looking a bit annoyed. While she had agreed to study under Masaki, she hadn't given much thought to what she wanted to learn. The Senju clan had a natural advantage with their strong bodies, but they didn't have any unique secret techniques or bloodline limits. The ninjutsu they practiced was quite varied, like how Hashirama used Water and Earth Release to create Wood Release. Although Hashirama had never really used Water or Earth Release since mastering Wood Release, her cousins, Senju Tōka and Senju Risa, specialized in illusion and medical ninjutsu respectively.
"You don't know?" Masaki asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sakumo and Heizo both glanced at Tsunade. Feeling their gaze, she blushed slightly before finally blurting out, "I don't know what I want to learn."
"Well, if that's the case, you can just learn whatever comes along. Based on Tobirama-sensei's request, I think I have an idea of how to teach you," Masaki said.
" Ni-jiji's request? What is it?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"You'll find out soon," Masaki replied with a smile. He wasn't going to reveal everything right away. He intended to guide Tsunade in a way that wouldn't overwhelm her, especially considering her temper. It might be tricky, but not impossible.
As a ninja, mastering the use of chakra was essential, but Masaki believed that chakra didn't have to be limited to ninja techniques. He was confident that if people explored new ways to use chakra, they wouldn't have to confine themselves to the role of a ninja.
The samurai in the ninja world were a good example of this. They used chakra too, but they focused on physical abilities more than technical ones. While ninja could use chakra to enhance their physical abilities, they didn't have as many techniques as the samurai, who had developed methods to infuse chakra into their weapons over the years.
"I want to make it clear that while I'll meet your expectations, I don't want you to simply follow my instructions and copy what I do," Masaki said. "What I want you to learn is how to understand power, how to recognize yourselves, and how to think about what power means in the world."
The three students looked puzzled. They were still young and didn't fully understand what Masaki meant. But Masaki wasn't expecting them to grasp it immediately. He just wanted to plant the idea in their minds, like a seed, so that it could grow as they gained experience and wisdom over time.
If the ninja world was to enter a new era, Masaki believed that the old methods of training ninjas solely as weapons of war had to change. Ninjas needed to learn how to think critically about their own power, how to develop moral values, and how to view the world from a broader perspective.
"At the Ninja Academy, many of you may think the literature courses aren't important. I'm sure you've had that thought," Masaki said, looking at his students.
Tsunade and Sakumo glanced at Heizo, who had been the most vocal about his disdain for the more academic side of ninja training. He was a traditional ninja through and through. Tsunade didn't have much interest in the subject either. She found it mildly entertaining, but the only one who seemed genuinely intrigued was Sakumo.
Their reactions didn't escape Masaki's notice. He knew many in the village criticized the ideological education he insisted on, thinking it was unnecessary. Some believed that ninjas didn't need such teachings, particularly the more traditional ones who had lived through the early years of the village.
But Masaki was adamant. This was necessary for the new era. The children at the Ninja Academy were at a critical stage in their development, and they were the future of the village. If they didn't embrace new ideas, no matter how much Masaki pushed for change, Konoha would remain stuck in its old ways. The foundation of the village lay with the people, and without their support, change was impossible.
Students like Tsunade and Heizo, who were receiving better education than most, had the potential to progress faster and rise to high-ranking positions in the village. It was vital that they embraced new ideologies to ensure unity between the upper and lower levels of the village.
"According to the rules, even if students are skilled enough to graduate, they must still complete their literary education," Masaki said. "Don't think that just because you're proficient in ninjutsu, you can skip out on studying. I'll be teaching you the same. Don't feel burdened by it—believe me, learning this knowledge will help you grow in ways beyond combat. It will bring you comprehensive improvement."
Though Heizo was a traditionalist, he was still a child, and Masaki's words held weight. Coming from such a high-ranking and respected figure, he was willing to listen. Neither he nor Tsunade were as resistant as they had been initially.
Seeing their softened expressions, Masaki smiled and said, "Alright, let's not rush into training today. First, let's go over what you've learned so far and see what you understand. If there's anything you don't grasp, I'll explain it, and maybe offer you a new perspective."