Fumori Masaki.
"Really?" Fumori Masaki hadn't expected Satomi to become pregnant with two at once. For the sparsely populated Kazamori family, this was truly a delightful surprise.
"Of course, it's true. Don't underestimate our family's secret techniques," Senju Touka said with a smile.
Although there were no medical instruments specifically for checking fetuses in the ninja world, there were secret techniques with similar functions. While the tools used by ordinary people were still in the 15th or 16th century in another world, the secret techniques used by ninjas could, in some areas, reach the level of modern civilization.
Fumori Masaki naturally believed in the Senju clan's medical secret techniques. He had personally witnessed Hashirama Senju's powerful Yang Release. Even putting Hashirama aside, the unique secret technique that maintained a healthy appearance and undiminished combat power was equally astonishing. He also knew that Hashirama had, before his death, preserved his cells using a secret technique for his brother's research, and they remained active to this day.
It was then that Fumori Masaki finally understood why Hashirama's cells could still be used by others in the future ninja world. It wasn't that Hashirama had active cells after death, but rather that he had left behind backups early on. Madara Uchiha must have used a similar method to preserve the vitality of the flesh he bit off, and later, when he summoned the Gedo Mazo, he used its immense power to cultivate Hashirama's cells.
"You've worked hard, Satomi," Fumori Masaki gently took Satomi's hand. He knew that carrying twins would place greater pressure on a mother than carrying a single child.
"Masahiro, do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" Satomi asked, touching her abdomen, seemingly able to feel the life within her.
"I don't know, but whether it's a boy or a girl, I'll love them all the same," Fumori Masaki said.
"Since they're twins, there might be both a boy and a girl," Satomi thought for a moment before replying.
Although Satomi knew from Fumori Masaki's earlier words that he didn't care much whether it was a boy or a girl, she still hoped to give birth to a boy. Boys always had an advantage, being more likely to survive than ordinary girls.
"It's possible. More importantly, Satomi, you should pay more attention to your body and ensure adequate nutritional intake. It's not easy to have two healthy children," Fumori Masaki said somewhat nervously. He remembered that twins were a double-edged sword: they meant two children, but also that the mother had to provide double the nutrition for their growth.
"Don't worry about that. I've already prepared everything. I even specifically asked some people who have given birth for advice on how to ensure a safe pregnancy, and with our family's secret techniques, these two children will definitely be born safely," Senju Touka said confidently. "You know, during the Warring States period, pregnancy and childbirth were also dangerous. If we didn't have a trick or two up our sleeves, and children died prematurely, our family wouldn't have been able to continue to this day."
"Yes, Masahiro, you're a bit nervous," Satomi chuckled, covering her mouth. Seeing the usually calm Fumori Masaki like this was truly delightful, and she could also see glimpses of his past self.
After teasing Fumori Masaki for a moment, Satomi asked, "Masahiro, do you still need to go on missions next?"
"No, my sensei's mission for me is to look for promising talents in the Ninja Academy. If I find good ones, I'll take them as my disciples and train them well," Fumori Masaki replied.
"Ah, Lord Tobirama also told me about this. He didn't ask anyone to take disciples, but merely to observe the students' abilities closely, and then select them according to the method you devised," Senju Touka said upon hearing this.
Currently, there was already a group of children studying at the Ninja Academy, mainly composed of children from ninja families, orphans who had lost their families due to war, and children of commoners. There was also a small, special group: families in the capital who had lost everything for various reasons. Although they had received higher education, they were no different from commoners due to other factors, but they were clearly more receptive to ninja training than commoners.
After all, commoners' children had to start by learning to read and mainly studied theoretical knowledge, while children from ninja families and those from formerly middle or upper-class families did not need this process and could directly begin other training programs.
Tobirama believed that for the Chunin Exam system to have its intended impact, the new generation of ninjas should perform well. Therefore, it was necessary to start with their training, using Fumori Masaki's specialized curriculum to select talented students and then assign them to suitable teachers.
Although they held the position of Jonin instructors, the students that Fumori Masaki and others took on were actually their apprentices, which was different from the meaning of Jonin instructors in the future. For example, Kakashi Hatake was just Naruto Uzumaki's teacher, not his master; Jiraiya was Naruto Uzumaki's master, because at that time, the main task of a Jonin instructor was to guide students through a beginner phase. Once students became Chunin, they were considered to have graduated from the beginner phase.
"Speaking of which, Lord Tobirama seems to want to entrust Lady Tsunade to you. I heard it was Lord Hashirama's wish before he passed away," Senju Touka seemed to recall something.
"Ah, yes, there was such a thing," Fumori Masaki remembered. He had initially hesitated, worried about making the Legendary Sannin disappear, but now that he thought about it, Tobirama hadn't died early, and the future Third Kazekage had passed away. What were the Legendary Sannin compared to that? Since it was Hashirama's request, what was there to be coy about?
"However, Lord Tobirama's intention is only for you to teach Lady Tsunade how to use chakra. As for other things, you shouldn't teach her, just satisfy her curiosity," Senju Touka said.
"As expected, I wondered how Lord Tobirama could be at ease letting her become a ninja," Fumori Masaki said, shaking his head with a smile. As long as a strong figure like Tobirama was alive, if he didn't want Tsunade to be a ninja, he would absolutely not permit it. Just like Kana, in the original history, it must have been because Tobirama died that no one could stop Tsunade from becoming a ninja.
"In that case, there's already one spot taken. The remaining two will be chosen from the Ninja Academy, right?" Fumori Masaki thought to himself.
Afterward, someone from the Ninja Academy brought over a student roster. This list was compiled based on student performance to select those suitable for Fumori Masaki's instruction. Surprisingly, there were quite a few names. As Fumori Masaki looked through them one by one, he suddenly saw a familiar name.
—Hmm, he… While he was deep in thought, someone came to visit. Fumori Masaki got up and went out, only to find that the visitor was Kana. After following Fumori Masaki's advice, Kana had begun to collect some records about the Sage of Six Paths within her family, searching for clues about Ninshu. Now that she had come, could it be that she had made some progress?
"Long time no see, Kana-nee," Fumori Masaki greeted her.
"Mr. Kazamori, long time no see," Kana bowed slightly. "I heard that Satomi-nee is pregnant with twins, so I brought some nutritional supplements this time." She then handed over the items she was carrying.
"Thank you," Fumori Masaki didn't refuse Kana's kindness, reaching out to accept them and leading Kana towards the living room.
After Kana sat down, Fumori Masaki poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of her. They exchanged some pleasantries, and then Kana stated her purpose: "The reason for my visit this time is to ask for your advice, Mr. Kazamori."
"What kind of advice? Is it that you've made progress in collecting information on Ninshu but don't know what to do?" Fumori Masaki asked.
Kana shook her head and said, "No, I haven't found anything yet. The era of Ninshu is too ancient; there aren't many records even in our family. Honestly, if it weren't for the Sage of Six Paths' treasures as proof, I would doubt whether the Senju are truly descendants of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Don't doubt it, you definitely are," Fumori Masaki said.
Kana didn't know where Fumori Masaki's confidence came from, but she accepted it gladly, smiling slightly, and then said, "The princess of the capital is about to celebrate her birthday, and I plan to send her a gift. Mr. Kazamori said that we should influence the world with the teachings of Ninshu, and I think this is an opportunity. I've interacted with the princess a few times before and know that she's very interested in Ninshu."
Fumori Masaki nodded. When he went to the capital back then, he had met this princess. At that time, he had sensed her interest from her words, and an inspiration had also surfaced, but he hadn't grasped it at the moment. Now, recalling it, that inspiration was that he could start from the princess's direction to spread the new concept of Ninshu.
"So you don't know what gift to send?" Fumori Masaki asked.
"Hmm, I want to send books, but I can't organize anything useful, and to be impactful, it's not something that can be written in a short time. Later, I thought about it carefully and decided to send her a painting. In our circles, sending calligraphy and paintings is also a trend, and calligraphy and paintings embody emotions and thoughts, so this should be a suitable gift."
—Ah, truly worthy of a noble family's daughter, so convenient.
Fumori Masaki thought to himself, if it were him, he wouldn't necessarily be able to send calligraphy and paintings to someone, but Kana could easily make contact. It seemed that guiding her in this direction back then was the right choice.
"My idea is to paint a picture depicting the Sage of Six Paths, but I don't have much of a clue, so I wanted to ask, Mr. Kazamori, do you have any suggestions?" Kana asked.
Fumori Masaki nodded in surprise upon hearing this. The theme Kana had chosen could be very traditional, but if painted well, the ideas expressed would be extraordinary. He definitely had to help her create this painting. So, after some thought, Fumori Masaki offered his suggestions.