Inside a restaurant on the street, Fumori Masaki pushed aside the cloth curtain and entered. The person sitting at the counter heard the commotion, looked back, and waved, "Yo, Masahiro, over here, over here."
"Have the others not arrived yet?" Fumori Masaki asked as he sat down next to him.
"Not yet. They're probably delayed by other matters. You know, Kagami is the captain of the Anbu, Haru is in charge of the Medical Department, En is busy with the Education Department, and Danzo is running around for the Anbu. Among our peers, only the two of us are relatively free. We don't have specific departments to oversee; we just need to offer general opinions and focus on training our students." The person sitting at the counter was Sarutobi Hiruzen. As he spoke, he poured Fumori Masaki a cup of sake.
"What about Torifu? He shouldn't have any departments to manage, right?" Fumori Masaki thanked him and then asked.
"Ah, he was originally supposed to come with me, but before I left, something happened with the Yamanaka and Nara clans, so he went to handle it," Sarutobi Hiruzen shrugged. "Currently, Torifu is the most senior person in their clan alliance. He's like a father and mother to the other two allied clans."
The heads of the Nara and Yamanaka clans had unfortunately died in the war, leaving behind very young heirs. Akimichi Torifu was their elder, and whenever disputes arose, only his personal intervention could convince the others.
"That sounds really tough." Fumori Masaki imagined the plump Akimichi Torifu comforting several children back and forth, and couldn't help but smile wryly.
"If it weren't for Torifu, I'd have to go help," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Our Sarutobi clan is the witness to the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. If there isn't someone in charge, our Sarutobi clan would have to step in. But no matter what, our Sarutobi clan is still an outsider, and dealing with things wouldn't be as natural as Torifu. It would always feel like we're pulling rank."
Fumori Masaki nodded slightly. After all, the Sarutobi clan was not a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho system. Even as witnesses, they would still feel a bit awkward in front of the three harmonious clans.
Just then, as if on cue, Akimichi Torifu's heavy footsteps approached. Then they heard him say, "Sorry, I'm late," and he pushed aside the curtain.
"Oh, you're here quickly. I thought it would take longer. How did things go?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked after Akimichi Torifu sat down.
"It was just some children's matters, nothing major," Akimichi Torifu shook his head. "They're really a handful. My clan's and the Yamanaka clan's are one thing, but the Nara child, despite being very smart, is just so lazy and goes with the flow, never doing anything himself. I think if it were him, he could solve the problem without me."
Fumori Masaki thought for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, the current young generation of the Nara clan should be Nara Shikaku's father, who is Nara Shikamaru's grandfather. These three generations truly inherited the same trait: little motivation when young, only becoming serious as they grew older.
"Nara children are always like that. He'll be fine when he grows up," Sarutobi Hiruzen comforted him.
"We can't wait for him to grow up now. Looking at the three of them, I don't think they'll perform well in the Chunin Exams. Hiruzen, Masahiro, in a few days, when you bring your students to meet, you two really need to educate them well," Akimichi Torifu said.
This time, it was because Fumori Masaki had Jiraiya tell Sarutobi Hiruzen that he planned to bring his students to meet in the future. So, Sarutobi Hiruzen took this opportunity to gather everyone who had students. Although among the seven, only Fumori Masaki, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Kagami, and Akimichi Torifu had taken students, Sarutobi Hiruzen still invited Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, treating it as a peer gathering.
"Speaking of which, Masahiro, what do you think of that boy Jiraiya?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a sip of sake and asked.
"Jiraiya, huh? From my current impression, he's somewhat clever, quite mischievous, but he's a persistent and never-giving-up child," Fumori Masaki said.
"Indeed, in the Ninja Academy, his talent is considered low among his peers, and his grades aren't good, but he has great perseverance. I think he has potential, so I took him as my student. If I can teach him well, it should be a good experience for those students with poor grades in the future," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded slightly.
"Compared to that Jiraiya, there's another person you must really admire, Hiruzen," Akimichi Torifu pulled a stack of dishes in front of him and said with a smile.
"You mean Orochimaru, right? Jiraiya mentioned him," Fumori Masaki said.
"Haha, yes, that boy is a genius! Despite his humble origins, his talent in ninjutsu surprises even me. Even among commoners, some talents can occasionally rival those of ninja clans!" Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed quite happy when talking about Orochimaru.
For his student Orochimaru, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have poured all his efforts, imparting all the knowledge he knew to him. However, while focusing on talent, Sarutobi Hiruzen overlooked Orochimaru's character, remaining unaware as he gradually strayed from the path.
It wasn't until Orochimaru committed a series of grave crimes, even using his village comrades as test subjects, that Sarutobi Hiruzen finally realized his student had deviated from his intended path. When he led the Anbu to apprehend him, despite having the power to easily suppress Orochimaru, he hesitated, allowing Orochimaru to escape from Konoha Village.
During the Konoha Crush, Sarutobi Hiruzen resolved to eliminate Orochimaru to atone for his mistakes. One wonders what his feelings were at that time.
"What kind of child is that Orochimaru usually?" Fumori Masaki asked calmly.
"Hmm, he's quite taciturn and doesn't like to interact much with others. Well, geniuses are often aloof, so that's not too unusual," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
"Hiruzen, you should pay attention to your students' thoughts. If they don't have someone to confide in, their hidden thoughts will never be discovered," Fumori Masaki said meaningfully.
"What do you mean?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was a bit confused.
"Nothing, just asking you to care more about your students and not neglect others just because Orochimaru is a genius," Fumori Masaki said with a smile.
After all, Orochimaru was only a child of about six years old at this time. No matter how twisted he was, he wouldn't be too far gone. If he remembered correctly, the first people to influence Orochimaru were his parents. Their deaths made Orochimaru revere life, and the tragic accidental death of Tsunade's brother, Nawaki, made Orochimaru feel the transience of life, gradually leading him down the path of seeking immortality.
Although these two events had a profound impact on Orochimaru, if Sarutobi Hiruzen or others had discovered it in time, perhaps Orochimaru wouldn't have become so deeply obsessed and unable to extricate himself. As a child, Orochimaru was still at an age where his values were relatively easy to shape.
"Hey, hey, I care a lot about Jiraiya and Asumi too, you know," Sarutobi Hiruzen defended himself.
"Ah, Mr. Kagami, you're here! Our shop has received a lot of your patronage." While the three were chatting, the busy shop owner saw someone enter from outside, recognized him, and quickly said.
"It's nothing, just our duty," Uchiha Kagami, who had just entered from the doorway with Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, said gently to the shop owner.
After sitting down, Uchiha Kagami said, "I happened to run into Homura and Koharu on the way, so we came together. Have we kept you waiting long?"
"Not too long," Fumori Masaki said, while Akimichi Torifu nodded beside him.
"You guys just arrived. The one who's been waiting the longest is me!" Sarutobi Hiruzen grumbled. "Shop owner, isn't that right?"
"The customer has indeed been waiting here for a while," the shop owner replied with a smile.
"It turns out Danzo is the slowest to arrive," Mitokado Homura said.
"That guy's always busy with Anbu missions, isn't he? I heard Lord Tobirama even asked him to help train the Anbu rookies," Utatane Koharu chimed in.
"I heard about that too. He's probably very busy," Fumori Masaki replied. Danzo, like in history, had begun training new Anbu members. Of course, unlike the Root, which was ostensibly Anbu training but actually a private army, this time it was genuinely just about training new recruits. After all, Tobirama wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had suddenly risen to power in an emergency, so he didn't need others to solidify his position, nor did he need to grant Shimura Danzo a great deal of autonomy.
"On that note, I need to talk to you too, Masahiro." Utatane Koharu shifted the topic to Fumori Masaki. She glared at him and said, "Your suggestions in the Medical Department have really piled on an incredible amount of work for me! I know all your suggestions are good, but don't just dump them all on me at once! You only have to take care of your students every day, but I'm responsible for the entire Medical Department!"
"I... I understand." Fumori Masaki involuntarily leaned back, feeling as if Koharu Utatane's voice was a wave of pressure assaulting him.
Utatane Koharu was never a gentle girl. She was relatively mild-mannered with people she knew, but if you really angered her, she was not much different from Tsunade, Uzumaki Kushina, and Haruno Sakura. And right now, Utatane Koharu was on the verge of collapsing due to the medical suggestions Fumori Masaki had given.
"Bring a shadow clone here. Since these are your suggestions, you should have a good understanding of them. You can at least help me alleviate some of the pressure," Utatane Koharu said with a dark expression.
After Utatane Koharu finished, Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and said, "Me too, Masahiro. Don't think that just because you're teaching students, you can stay out of it."
In the past, Fumori Masaki and Mitokado Homura had collaborated on writing the Ninja Academy's textbooks. After teaching students, Fumori Masaki had withdrawn from that. Although Mitokado Homura himself was clever and astute, Fumori Masaki's new educational ideas were beyond the imagination of people of this era, and implementing them would still encounter difficulties. Despite Mitokado Homura's efforts, things could still be handled, but the mental pressure was immense.
"I understand, I will, I will," Fumori Masaki quickly promised.
"That's good." Utatane Koharu was just venting. Seeing Fumori Masaki agree to help, her anger subsided. After all, they were all peers and wouldn't really fall out here.
"Haha, Masahiro, it's rare to see you so flustered," Uchiha Kagami laughed.
"Well, I should definitely help out, since they were my suggestions after all," Fumori Masaki said, a little embarrassed. "Compared to Koharu and Homura, I'm not particularly busy, so I can spare some time."
"How are things on your end, Kagami? The Security Department should be the same as other departments, right?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"Not really. It was quite busy at first, but now more and more clan members recognize the policies I've set, and they actively handle things during their work, which has greatly reduced my burden," Uchiha Kagami said with a smile. "Even those more troublesome people within the clan have started to change, and that makes me very happy."
"Change? What about that guy Uchiha Setsuna?" Fumori Masaki asked.
Hearing the name Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Kagami couldn't help but smile and said, "He's working very hard now. He's learned how to make himself appear friendly and cares deeply for the clan members. Whenever someone has a baby, he goes to visit them warmly. Last time, when Mizuki was born, he even brought a generous gift. I asked him why, and he confessed to me that it was because his mistakes led to the deaths of clan members, so he wants to wholeheartedly care for the next generation of the clan, ensuring they grow up healthy, as a form of atonement."
At this point, Uchiha Kagami said with a sigh of relief, "I originally thought Setsuna would always oppose me, but seeing him now, it's truly wonderful."
Uchiha Kagami was still very concerned about his clan members. He didn't like being at odds with the village, nor did he want his clan to be incompatible with the village. And with Uchiha Setsuna, the hawk-faction representative within the clan, expressing willingness to integrate into the village, the Uchiha clan could truly live and die with Konoha Village. How could this not make him rejoice?
Fumori Masaki, however, felt something was off. While it was true that people could change due to certain events, for the Uchiha clan, whose minds often veered towards extremes due to stimulation from the Sharingan's bloodline limit, it wasn't particularly rare. However, Uchiha Setsuna hadn't awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan or anything of the sort. Before any stable mental stimulation, even if he truly regretted the deaths of his comrades, the stark difference in Uchiha Setsuna's before and after demeanor was significant.
Moreover, Uchiha Setsuna always went to see newborn children, which always made one feel there might be other motives. Fumori Masaki's gaze narrowed slightly. Uchiha Setsuna couldn't be... He silently made a mental note, deciding to observe him later. For now, he chatted with his peers, discussing the things he had encountered.