Hearing Tsunade's address, the two immediately knew that the person in front of them was their teacher, Fumori Masaki.
They stood up from the ground and looked at Fumori Masaki, observing him silently.
They were all trying to judge what kind of person Fumori Masaki was in their own way, as Tsunade's previous answer was too vague and not very helpful.
However, even with Hatake Sakumo's keen insight, it was difficult to discern the other party's inner self.
In his eyes, Fumori Masaki was a young man with a clear, calm demeanor, as cool as spring water.
Beyond that, he could see nothing else.
Even though the other person's face was clearly visible, Hatake Sakumo only felt that Fumori Masaki's emotions were completely internalized, not a single trace showing through.
In Konoha Village, Hatake Sakumo had seen ninjas who could suppress their emotions, but such people often appeared cold, like weapons.
From his father, Hatake Sakumo often heard arguments like "a ninja is a tool in the hands of their employer."
Fumori Masaki also had internalized emotions, but Hatake Sakumo didn't feel he was like a weapon.
If he had to give a somewhat accurate description, he felt Fumori Masaki was like a plant found by the roadside, simply existing.
Hatake Sakumo turned his head and glanced at Hattori Heizo, who was standing beside him.
Hattori Heizo's expression remained calm, but unlike Fumori Masaki, he could discern some hidden emotions in Hattori Heizo's eyes.
Although he didn't know what they meant, at least they were discernible.
Even Hattori Heizo, who had received the most traditional ninja education, was like this.
Fumori Masaki, whom he couldn't read at all, was simply not human, Hatake Sakumo thought to himself.
While Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo were scrutinizing Fumori Masaki, Fumori Masaki was also observing them, with a particular focus on Hatake Sakumo.
This was his first time meeting Hatake Sakumo, a legendary ninja only briefly mentioned in the original manga.
Hatake Sakumo, rumored to be a master whom even the Sannin respected, was known as the White Fang in the ninja world because his chakra blade would reflect white light, striking like a sharp fang seizing an enemy's throat with every swing.
In the original setting book, Fumori Masaki remembered he was introduced in the same section as Hanzō the Salamander.
Although it might have been because that section was about legendary ninjas, Hatake Sakumo might not have had the same power as a demigod, but he was definitely a rare master.
Yet, such a master met his end by suicide, which was truly regrettable.
Regardless of the reasons behind it, since Fumori Masaki had seen this name, he would not let him meet such a fate.
Therefore, Fumori Masaki unhesitatingly chose Hatake Sakumo as one of his students.
Including Tsunade, he already had two people.
After careful consideration, he selected Hattori Heizo as the last one.
However, among these three, only Tsunade had been seen in person; the other two had not.
After all, at this time, there were no such things as cameras, and before realistic painting techniques appeared, portraits always contained artistic elements.
For example, Kana's "Sage Art Diagram" had very little realism.
Upon meeting Hatake Sakumo this time, Fumori Masaki seemed to understand why this person would commit suicide.
It was said that Hatake Sakumo possessed a discerning eye that could see through others' potential, but he wasn't a protagonist with a system like in novels.
How could such an unquantifiable thing as potential be perceived?
Meeting Hatake Sakumo's gaze, Fumori Masaki felt the emotions contained within it.
In his opinion, rather than a discerning eye that could see through others' aptitudes, it was more like an ability to see through their psychology.
As a samurai, Hatake Sakumo might value conviction more than tangible abilities.
Even if one's aptitude wasn't outstanding, with an unyielding spirit and conviction, they could still become a strong person in his perception.
Might Guy's talent couldn't be called outstanding; in fact, he was inferior to ordinary people in chakra control.
However, his perseverance led him step by step to the peak, even allowing him to open all eight gates.
Yes, Fumori Masaki knew this wasn't what was called talent.
He used to think Might Guy or Rock Lee had talent in taijutsu, but a conversation with Hyuga Masato changed his mind.
After the First Great Ninja War, Hyuga Masato accidentally lost an arm, thus giving up his position as the current head of the main family, passing it to his son, Hideaki, and retiring to a leisurely life behind the scenes.
Due to the relationship forged during the war, Fumori Masaki would sometimes visit Hyuga Masato.
Most of the time, they would discuss everyday matters, but occasionally, he would ask about other things.
The Eight Inner Gates Formation was undoubtedly a powerful forbidden jutsu in the ninja world.
Rock Lee, with the power of the Fifth Gate, could suppress Gaara, the One-Tails Jinchuriki at the time.
When Might Guy opened all Eight Gates, he could unleash power dozens of times greater than the Five Kage, earning him the title of "Strongest in Taijutsu" even from Madara, the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
Fumori Masaki certainly wouldn't forget this taijutsu.
In the novels of another world, this forbidden jutsu had a high appearance rate.
Even considering its side effects, just the amplification alone made it worth learning.
He remembered there were also some ingenious uses of the Eight Gates; perhaps he could try them.
However, Fumori Masaki immediately hit a wall.
Although Hyuga Masato didn't know about the Eight Inner Gates Formation, as a master of Gentle Fist, he had long understood the function of the Eight Gates.
After his explanation, Fumori Masaki realized his idea was futile.
The so-called Eight Gates are the chakra-binding pressure points within the human body, and the purpose of the Eight Inner Gates Formation is to release these chakra restrictions.
Hyuga Masato knew that once all Eight Gates were opened, immense power would be gained, but the side effects were also obvious.
The Eight Gates exist precisely because the chakra they restrict is beyond what the human body can withstand.
Hyuga Masato explained that when everyone refines chakra, the actual chakra produced is much greater and more powerful.
However, this chakra exceeds the body's strength.
Perhaps out of self-protection, the Eight Gates' pressure points appeared, restricting the inappropriate chakra and only releasing the suitable chakra.
Precisely because it is a subconscious self-protection mechanism, opening the Eight Gates is so difficult.
In the past, some ancestors of the Hyuga clan used Gentle Fist to unlock some of their body's pressure points, which helped them.
These were secrets of the Hyuga family, so they would not be discussed in detail.
However, Hyuga Masato mentioned that at that time, some people tried to unlock the Eight Gates in their bodies, but incredibly, almost no one succeeded.
Only a handful of people, after arduous training, managed to open the Eight Gates, but at most, only one or two gates; no one ever opened the subsequent gates.
Because the Eight Gates are restrictions for human self-protection and subconscious needs, it is impossible to open the true Eight Gates without going through self-transcending training.
Hyuga Masato frankly stated that it would require dedicating one's entire being to the training of opening the Eight Gates, letting go of everything else, and having a mental state as if one were burning their entire life, to break through oneself and unleash the true Eight Gates.
He smiled at Fumori Masaki at the time, saying, "Honestly, perhaps an ordinary person with nothing to lose might be more likely to open the Eight Gates.
After all, for a genius, there's no need to put effort into such demanding Eight Gates.
If they had that much time, practicing other things would be easier and faster.
Moreover, even if they really opened the Eight Gates, an excellent body wouldn't be able to withstand it."
Fumori Masaki asked, "Is there no way to open the Eight Gates without harming oneself?"
"How could there be? The Eight Gates restrict chakra that exceeds one's own endurance.
The chakra they contain is necessarily something you cannot withstand.
Even if physical fitness is increased, chakra itself is a combination of physical and mental power.
In other words, as physical fitness increases, the chakra restricted by the Eight Gates also becomes stronger.
No matter what kind of body, once the Eight Gates are opened, it will definitely cause harm to the body; there will be no exceptions," Hyuga Masato said.
"The greatest benefit of physical training should be to increase the body's tolerance to pain, so that when subjected to the ravages of the Eight Gates' chakra, one can continue to fight."
Hearing this, Fumori Masaki knew he couldn't expect much from the Eight Gates.
According to Hyuga Masato, without an all-in attitude, no matter how much one trained, they could at most open two gates.
He obviously couldn't dedicate himself to taijutsu training like Might Guy and Rock Lee.
Moreover, with his body, which had been tempered by natural energy, it wouldn't be easy to break through his limits.
From then on, Fumori Masaki recognized the strong will of Might Guy and Rock Lee.
Only those without much talent in ninjutsu and genjutsu, like them, could possibly train in the Eight Inner Gates Formation.
And to train the Eight Inner Gates Formation to a high level, the price paid would surely be their entire being.
Perhaps Hatake Sakumo in the original story saw Might Guy's conviction and believed he could break through himself, which is why he considered Might Guy a rival for his son.
At that time, Hatake Sakumo already had rich experience, so it was not surprising that he could see this, but Fumori Masaki now realized that Hatake Sakumo's observational skills were already present at this moment.
That is to say, Hatake Sakumo didn't rely on his experience but on something else.
Fumori Masaki felt that it should be Hatake Sakumo's sensibility; he seemed very sensitive to the emotions of others.
This ability, called empathy, allowed him to put himself in others' shoes and interpret them more easily.
However, once empathy becomes too strong, one can be infected by the other person's emotions and unable to break free.
Especially since Hatake Sakumo came from a samurai family, he must be very stubborn in certain aspects.
Abandoning a mission to save comrades went against the traditions of the ninja world.
He must have had his own considerations for making that decision, but he clearly couldn't ignore the opinions and pressures of others.
Fumori Masaki clearly knew that missions were paramount—this was a long-standing tradition in the ninja world and the very foundation of a ninja's existence.
Once betrayed, it meant becoming an enemy of the entire ninja world.
This kind of pressure was not something an ordinary person could bear.
Although Hatake Sakumo was not an ordinary person, his rich sensibility prevented him from becoming ruthless.
Although it was just Fumori Masaki's guess, he felt it was highly probable.
For someone like Hatake Sakumo, if he couldn't adapt to this world, he would rather choose death.
To some extent, he really was a rather troublesome student, but as a teacher, Fumori Masaki also had to take responsibility here and prevent him from getting stuck in a rut.
Whether it was Hatake Sakumo's ideas or the traditions of this ninja world, Fumori Masaki would change them and bring about a more suitable living environment.
Fumori Masaki walked up to the three, his gaze slowly sweeping across each of their faces.
He smiled slightly and said, "Nice to meet you all.
I am Fumori Masaki, and from now on, I will be your teacher."