In the afternoon, several days later, at Konoha's First Training Ground.
The bright sunlight, like a golden veil, spilled over the lush green lawn and the clear river, while a subtle chill in the breeze rustled the leaves.
Senju Mori leaned languidly against a large wooden stake. Today, he wasn't wearing his white Hokage robe and Hokage hat, but instead chose a deep and elegant casual outfit.
Only a Kage with an unstable position would constantly wear clothes symbolizing the Hokage's identity. For Senju Mori now, there was no longer any need to do so.
Over his casual clothes was a dark black twisted silk haori.
The haori's fabric was soft, gleaming faintly in the sunlight, and it had no intricate patterns, only the Senju Clan's family crest outlined in blue silk on its back.
After the war with Kumogakure concluded, Senju Mori, who had firmly secured his position as Third Hokage through his distinguished military achievements, finally found some free time.
He had just dispatched Anbu to send out the first summons to his three disciples, who were nominally under his tutelage but whom he had never personally taught.
Senju Mori was quite satisfied with these three disciples he had chosen.
Even without considering the significance each represented, their individual potential alone suggested they all had the potential to become the next Hokage, and would certainly be of help to Senju Mori in the future.
He was hardly a conscientious teacher. After taking them as disciples, he had only met these three little ones once, which was when Uzumaki Chizawa was first welcomed... After all, ever since he became Hokage, he first received the Uzumaki Clan allies, then mobilized and led the war against Kumogakure, followed immediately by post-war negotiations, and handling various affairs within the Village... Now, Senju Mori ought to fulfill his duties as a teacher and as the Jonin in charge of their team.
The waiting period wasn't long.
Soon, three small figures appeared in Senju Mori's line of sight.
"Uncle Mori~"
Little Tsunade was the first to arrive. At seven years old, she was at a naive and innocent age, joyfully waving her small hand towards Senju Mori.
She was wearing a short, light-green kimono, with a clear Senju family crest on the outer side of each arm.
Her two wide sleeves were rolled up, revealing her healthy and fair forearms. An inconspicuous Ninja tool pouch hung at her waist, and on her feet were classic blue Ninja shoes.
"Thud—"
With a dull thud, Tsunade immediately squatted down, clutching her head, and only then did Senju Mori's slightly smiling voice come through:
"You should call me teacher."
For him, at only twenty-two years old, being called 'uncle' was not a pleasant thing, and now he finally had a reason to correct this awkward address.
"I know..."
Tsunade mumbled, covering her forehead and puffing out her cheeks.
Soon, the other two also arrived at the training ground.
Orochimaru stood quietly to the side, his waterfall-like black hair falling over his shoulders. His yellow slit pupils and purple eyeshadow were particularly striking, and combined with his unique aura, he looked just like a real snake.
He wore a light grey kimono with a purple sash around his waist, his hands hidden within the wide sleeves of the kimono, making him appear even somewhat shy.
Sakumo Hatake's attire was the simplest: a black, stand-collar short jacket on top, paired with dark Ninja pants below, with white bandages wrapped around both his wrists and ankles, and the exquisite short sword still on his back.
Three little ones, six or seven years old, still had their childish innocence, showing no hint of their future selves who would dominate the Ninja World.
Senju Mori's gaze swept over his three disciples, each with a different demeanor, and he smiled as he spoke:
"Since everyone is here, let's start by introducing yourselves."
"You can say anything, like what you like, what you dislike, and your dreams for the future..."
Tsunade immediately puffed out her chest, her voice clear and bright:
"My name is Tsunade! I love my family and the Village the most, I don't dislike anything, and my dream for the future is to become a powerful Ninja like my grand-uncle and my teacher, and protect everyone in the Village!"
Senju Mori nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the little white-haired boy beside her.
"My name is Sakumo Hatake. I like training and various sword arts. I dislike meaningless conflicts. My dream is to become a qualified Ninja."
Sakumo Hatake's small body stood ramrod straight, as if he were reporting on a mission.
Finally, everyone's gaze fell on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's voice was calm, and he seemed to be in a good mood, with a slight smile on his face:
"Orochimaru. I like observing all interesting things, I dislike boring things, and my dream is..."
His golden slit pupils shifted slightly, but he didn't continue, seemingly not yet having found a definite answer.
This answer made Senju Mori's eyebrow twitch slightly, but in the end, he just nodded and continued:
"Very good, I see great potential in all of you."
"But in this cruel Ninja World, no matter how beautiful your aspirations, you need to possess enough power to turn them into reality."
He took two exquisite bells from his sleeve. With a crisp jingle, he unhurriedly tied them one by one to his waist, and then placed an alarm clock on the wooden stake beside him.
"Before the countdown ends, use any method you can think of to snatch these two bells from my hand."
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61
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
With a soft shout, a high-pressure jet of water shot from the tree canopy nearby.
Although it differed by only one word from Senju Tobirama's advanced Water Release, it was merely a common C-rank Water Release Ninjutsu.
Tsunade followed closely behind the water stream, leaping down from the height without hesitation, swinging her small fists directly at him.
Though the "Mystical Palm Technique" was a secret technique of the Senju Clan, it required extremely profound Chakra control abilities, just like medical Ninjutsu, and Tsunade had not yet mastered it at this time.
But relying on the Senju Clan's naturally strong physical constitution, combined with the advantage of striking from above, this punch still carried considerable power.
Senju Mori below suddenly sped up, deflecting the short sword from Sakumo Hatake's hand with a single strike, then lightly leaped back, allowing the water stream to splash where he had just stood.
Just as he parried Tsunade's attack, three shuriken cut through the air—it was Orochimaru.
His target was quite clear: not Senju Mori himself, but the two bells tied to Senju Mori's waist. At the same time, Sakumo Hatake quickly picked up his short sword and attacked Senju Mori once again.
"Good coordination."
Senju Mori evaluated in his mind, but his movements were not slow at all. With a few crisp clangs, he easily deflected the shuriken with his Kunai.
The subsequent battle proceeded entirely within basic parameters—Sakumo Hatake acted as the main attacker, constantly trying to entangle Senju Mori using his excellent speed for his age.
Tsunade, after using Water Release once, clearly had insufficient Chakra, and switched to using Kunai and Taijutsu in combination attacks.
Orochimaru always moved along the edge of the battlefield, frequently launching sneak attacks with shuriken throwing Jutsu, and constantly changing positions using terrain and the Substitution Jutsu.
Senju Mori consistently suppressed his strength to the Chunin level. He did not use any Ninjutsu or Body Flicker Jutsu, only responding with basic Taijutsu and shuriken throwing Jutsu.
In Senju Mori's view, although Orochimaru was the top student of this year's Ninja Academy class, that was achieved through a comprehensive score of theoretical exams and practical combat results.
Orochimaru's combat intelligence was indeed surprising, always able to interfere at the most opportune moment.
However, the Ninja Academy only taught the most basic Three-Body Jutsu and shuriken throwing Jutsu. These limited means, even if he used them creatively, posed no real threat.
If only considering individual strength, Sakumo Hatake was actually superior.
After all, no matter how talented Orochimaru was, he came from a civilian Ninja background, while Sakumo Hatake's father, Hatake Shuuichi, was a genuine elite Jonin.
Fifteen minutes later, all three children were already panting. Their seven-year-old bodies simply couldn't sustain high-intensity combat for long.
Senju Mori felt he had observed the three enough.
When Sakumo's full-power slash was dodged, and his body uncontrollably lunged forward due to inertia, Senju Mori lightly tripped him, and the short, white-haired boy immediately lost his balance.
Almost simultaneously, he sidestepped Tsunade's lunge, flicked her wrist with his finger, and her Kunai clattered to the ground.
Orochimaru silently walked out from behind the tree. Three shuriken were stuck at his feet. He knew there was no point in continuing to hide.
Senju Mori looked at the somewhat disheartened trio, took the bells from his waist, and jingled them. After the soft sound attracted their attention, he smiled and commented:
"Sakumo, your swordsmanship foundation is very good, but your attacking style is too singular and easily seen through. A mature Ninja will use Ninjutsu in conjunction with swordsmanship..."
Having said that, he looked at Tsunade beside him:
"Your Chakra reserves and physical constitution far exceed your peers. This is your advantage as a member of the Senju Clan."
"But your Chakra control ability is too poor, resulting in a great waste during the Jutsu's execution, which is why one Water Release Jutsu consumed most of your Chakra."
"As for Orochimaru..."
Senju Mori paused, then said with considerable praise:
"You are very clear about your strengths and weaknesses. Your grasp of timing and tactical choices are the best among the three of you. You truly are this year's top student."
"But you still have much to learn. Relying solely on the Three-Body Jutsu will not make you a powerful Ninja."
The three children's faces fell, but Senju Mori couldn't help but laugh.
"You didn't manage to get the bells today, but that doesn't mean you failed. I saw your potential, your teamwork, and... each of your strengths and weaknesses."
Senju Mori clapped his hands, dispelling the slightly heavy atmosphere, and walked towards a nearby tree trunk under the slightly surprised gazes of the three:
"Now, I'm going to teach you the techniques for controlling Chakra."
Saying this, Senju Mori walked step by step up the tree trunk as if walking on flat ground, explaining:
"Like me, refine Chakra and gather it at the soles of your feet, allowing your body to adhere to the tree trunk. The soles of the feet are the most difficult part to gather Chakra, which means..."
...In the subsequent free time, Senju Mori, in addition to his own cultivation and handling of political affairs, also dedicated some time each day to teaching the three little ones.
Senju Mori was almost an all-rounder Ninja.
The Senju Clan's inherited swordsmanship, Mystical Palm Technique, Taijutsu, and the Chakra nature and shape transformations of Water, Earth Release, and Wind Release... Therefore, after spending less than a week leading the trio through basic exercises like tree climbing and water walking, he gradually began to impart more knowledge to them.
"There are two most important points for executing Ninjutsu: first is speed, and second is concealment."
On the training ground, Senju Mori was explaining the essentials of Ninjutsu.
"Speed needs no further explanation from me. Whether it's increasing hand seal speed or simplifying the hand seals for a particular Jutsu, it's all about being able to use Ninjutsu faster than your opponent."
"And concealment is equally not to be overlooked."
At this point, Senju Mori suddenly laughed, looking pointedly at Tsunade:
"Only an idiot would shout out the name of their technique. If you want a Ninjutsu to be effective, the best way is to launch a surprise attack, making it difficult for the enemy to prepare."
"Do you understand?"
"Understand—"
Before the three had finished speaking, the solid ground beneath their feet suddenly cracked open, and a terrifying sense of weightlessness abruptly struck them.
They had no time to react and fell straight down.
A moment later, a large rock hand scooped the three back up, and the cracked ground closed again.
Looking at the three frightened children, Senju Mori smiled and continued to explain:
"Earth Release: Earth Split Jutsu. This is just a common B-rank Earth Release Ninjutsu, but if used properly, it can cause very effective damage."
"The essence of Ninjutsu is to achieve a goal more efficiently with less Chakra..."