Although Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit puzzled, he didn't say anything. After shaking hands with Fūmori Masaki, someone called out to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Fūmori Masaki knew that person; his name was Danzo Shimura. The Shimura Clan and the Sarutobi Clan had been allies during the Warring States Period, so the two families were naturally quite close, and the two of them, as heirs, were also good friends.
Fūmori Masaki didn't have much of an impression of Danzo Shimura initially, but now he knew that this man would become a powerful figure in Konohagakure, assisting Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, and together they would usher in the golden age of Konohagakure. However, he later brought some hidden dangers to the Village, breeding darkness within it; he could be said to be the representative of the dark side of Konohagakure.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned back to answer, said to Fūmori Masaki, "Let's work hard together in the future," and then turned and walked towards Danzo Shimura.
Fūmori Masaki thought to himself that he indeed needed to work hard. As a descendant of an ordinary Ninja Clan, to become a top figure in Konohagakure, he would inevitably have to put in a lot of sweat. Sage Mode was not completely invincible either; if one's mastery was not deep, they would end up like Jugo, being trampled by Kimimaro, Uchiha Sasuke, and the Fourth Raikage.
If Jiraiya and Naruto, who also knew Sage Mode, saw Jugo like that, they probably wouldn't even dare to acknowledge that the other person was also capable of using Sage Mode.
Thirty-eight people walked into Konoha Academy. There was only one classroom in the academy, which was to be expected. The purpose of Konoha Academy was merely to provide elite training for the heirs of the Ninja Clans; it was never intended to gather many people. If that were ever the case, the function of Konoha Academy would no longer be what it was now.
The classroom was filled with desks, each with a family crest on it, and the person corresponding to that crest was meant to sit in that spot. Everyone began to look for their family's crest. Fūmori Masaki looked for a while and soon found the Fūmori Clan's crest. Just as he sat down, someone sat down next to him.
Seeing this person, Fūmori Masaki was slightly stunned. The person sitting next to him was one of the six, Uchiha Kagami. Uchiha Madara had no children, so he chose Uchiha Kagami, who was closest to him by blood, as his heir. Although Uchiha Kagami was young, his degree of development of the Sharingan was rare within the clan. Moreover, he was intelligent and had an excellent temperament, so having him inherit the Uchiha Clan was naturally the best choice.
Fūmori Masaki did not have a deep understanding of Uchiha Kagami. In that comic book, it seemed to only mention that Uchiha Kagami died at a young age. Honestly, it was a real pity. As a member of the Second Hokage's guard, he was the only one who passed away early. If he had been able to live, perhaps the Uchiha Clan would not have reached the point of near-extermination in the future.
Uchiha Kagami noticed Fūmori Masaki's gaze and smiled slightly at him. Although he was a member of the Uchiha Clan, he never displayed an arrogant attitude towards others. Everyone's impression of him was that he was humble, cheerful, and rational. If it weren't for that iconic Sharingan, I'm afraid no one would have taken him for a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Basically, no one would dislike a person like Uchiha Kagami. Fūmori Masaki also smiled and nodded, thinking to himself that if possible, it would be best to save his life in the future. However, there was too little information, and he didn't know which mission he had died in, which was baffling.
At this time, everyone began to discuss what Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama would teach them. Some said it would be powerful Ninjutsu, others said it would be Taijutsu, and some said it would be special methods for using ninja tools. There were various opinions, but the only thing that was certain was that what the two taught them would definitely not be ordinary things.
Just as it was getting lively, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to sense something and looked towards the door. Others were attracted by Hiruzen Sarutobi's movement and also looked over, only to see that Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were already outside the door, and they hadn't even noticed the two of them arriving because they were busy discussing.
Everyone quickly stood up and bowed to Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama. Senju Hashirama said without any airs, "It's fine, no need to be so formal." Then he smiled at Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Sarutobi, you were actually able to sense us; it looks like you're getting better and better."
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a little proud and smiled, "This is all thanks to my father's teachings; you two are too kind."
Senju Hashirama smiled. Hiruzen Sarutobi had naturally long been on the two brothers' list of disciples; this didn't even require an assessment, as Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength had already proven it. Originally, he was the only one slated to be a disciple, but recently Fūmori Masaki had appeared, and possessing the aptitude for Sage Mode, he naturally had to be taken in as well.
Fūmori Masaki knew this himself. Senju Hashirama had taught him many times; to say that he didn't even have the qualifications to become a disciple would be a joke.
Therefore, Fūmori Masaki was not worried that he wouldn't be able to become their disciple. The only thing he needed to worry about was whether he could surpass Hiruzen Sarutobi and become the successor in the minds of Senju Hashirama or Senju Tobirama.
"Today is the first day of Konoha Academy, so I will just say a few simple words." Hashirama smiled, "You should all know that the reason for establishing Konoha Academy is the hope that everyone, as members of Konohagakure, can get along harmoniously and recognize each other as companions within the same Village. This is what I hope for—of course, there is one more point, and that is to train your abilities as Ninjas. In about six months to a year, we will test your abilities and then select some people from among you to be our disciples. If there is anyone who has this idea, you must study hard in the days to come."
Although they had already heard it from their fathers, knowing from the First Hokage himself that it was possible to become his and Senju Tobirama's disciples made everyone very excited. Even those who initially only wanted to add to their family's legacy were thinking about whether to give it a try; maybe they would be selected.
Senju Hashirama said he would just say a few simple words, and he really just said a few simple words. He didn't say any more, nodded to Tobirama, and stepped aside. Senju Tobirama walked to the center, looked at the thirty-eight students, and said, "That is all Hokage-sama has to say. In the days to come, I will be the teacher guiding you. Regarding Doton, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and the use of ninja tools, I will explain them all. I hope you can practice diligently. Do you understand?"
Senju Tobirama's oppressive presence far surpassed that of his brother. Looking at his cold face, people couldn't help but become serious. Everyone quickly nodded. Senju Tobirama said, "Good. At the beginning, we won't conduct any arduous training; I will just tell you my views on Ninjas."
Senju Tobirama was a person with a great thirst for knowledge. His craving for knowledge led him to constantly explore the essence of things, which was also the reason why he could create a series of Forbidden Jutsu and establish the basic institutional framework of the Ninja Village. And his view on Ninjas was also based on the needs of the Ninja Village: what kind of person a truly excellent Ninja should be, and what skills they needed to master to reach that level. Simply put, what Tobirama was about to say was the general syllabus for the future training of Fūmori Masaki and the others. He would train them according to the standards of excellent Ninjas, and only those who could master these skills and stand out would be able to become his and his brother Hashirama's disciples.
Regarding these theoretical matters, Hashirama listened for a while and then left. He didn't have as deep an understanding of theory as Tobirama, so there was no need to make a fool of himself here. Moreover, he had his own things to do. Although the detailed handling of government affairs was entrusted to Tobirama, the general direction of the Village still had to be controlled by Hashirama. As Hokage, Hashirama couldn't really just ignore everything.
He believed that Tobirama could manage Konoha Academy well. Compared to these heirs of the Ninja Clans, he still had to care about the current situation of the Ninja Clans, especially that guy Madara. In the early days of establishing Konohagakure, Madara was still willing to build the ideal Village together with Hashirama, but because of their different philosophies, the two had quarreled more than once, and later they gradually stopped interacting.
Hashirama naturally didn't want the relationship with his best friend to be so stiff, but he had his own bottom line to adhere to, and Madara had exceeded his tolerance level, so the relationship between the two was getting worse and worse.
He should still have a good talk with Madara, Hashirama thought to himself. He didn't want the bond formed in childhood to be broken just like that, but Hashirama didn't know yet that the current Madara was already different from the Madara he knew.