First Meeting

A young boy with a tender face walked over. He looked only a little older than Hatake Sakumo—no more than five or six years old. Despite his youthful and lovely appearance, his cold expression made others uncomfortable.

Sakumo felt uneasy about this boy but assumed that, since he was here, he must be another student studying under Fumori Masaki. Wanting to be polite, Sakumo stepped forward and introduced himself, "I'm Hatake Sakumo. You must also be studying under Fumori-sama, right?"

The boy nodded slightly, his half-closed eyes fixed on Sakumo. His expression was blank as he said, "You're Hatake Sakumo. I know you. You must have earned a high evaluation from the teacher to be admitted into the academy after switching from samurai to ninja."

Though this boy didn't seem particularly friendly, his tone was mild, and Sakumo felt a bit relieved. Not wanting any unpleasantness, he smiled and responded, "No, it's just—"

Before Sakumo could finish, the boy interrupted, "However, don't think you can be proud of that. Being a ninja isn't as easy as you might think."

Sakumo was caught off guard by the sudden change in tone. He hadn't expected such a shift and was left momentarily speechless. However, he quickly recovered and smiled, replying, "I didn't mean that. There's still a lot I need to learn to become a good ninja."

"Hmph, I hope so," the boy said, before adding, "My name is Hattori Heizo. Let's train our best in the future."

Upon hearing the name, Sakumo immediately recalled some clans background his father had shared with him. The Hattori clan was one of the ninja clans that joined Konoha when the village was founded. They were a smaller clan compared to many others, and for a simple reason—they upheld the ancient ninja traditions.

Historically, ninja missions were mostly assassinations, and the Hattori family adhered strictly to this principle. Their members never engaged in direct, public confrontations, unlike other clans that eventually took up battle armor and swords during the later Warring States period. The Hattori clan's commitment to assassination meant that their training was intense and had a high mortality rate. Even though adult men in the clan were allowed to marry multiple women to increase the family's numbers, few survived the rigorous training.

However, those who did become ninjas were some of the best assassins—trained to perfection. While they didn't stand out in large-scale battles, their assassination skills were unparalleled. Despite the changing times, the Hattori clan joined Konoha and began living within the village. Though their lifestyle evolved, their internal training methods remained the same, making their assassination skills unique.

During the First Ninja War, members of the Hattori clan were known for assassinating key enemy commanders and samurai leaders, earning them a strong reputation. However, the losses they suffered were immense, and by the end of the war, only five members of the clan remained.

Hattori Heizo attended the ninja academy but was in a different class from Sakumo. Despite this, Hattori's skills in practice sessions were well-known, and he often emerged victorious. Like the traditional Hattori approach, he focused on swift, precise attacks, aiming to defeat an opponent before falling into a disadvantageous position.

Sakumo realized that Heizo was trying to hone his frontal combat abilities while maintaining the clan's traditional assassination methods. This was because, during the war, the Hattori clan's inability to handle direct confrontations often led to their defeat. As Sakumo thought about all of this, a chilling realization hit him, if Heizo had wanted to attack him earlier, Sakumo wasn't confident he could have avoided it.

Sure enough, anyone chosen as a student by Masaki isn't easy to deal with, Sakumo thought, smiling as he said, "Pleasure to meet you as well."

Hattori Heizo remained silent, clearly uncomfortable. The Hattori clan was very traditional, and its members were typically cautious in their words and actions. This caution extended to their interactions with people outside their clan, including those like Sakumo, who came from a samurai background, which Heizo found displeasing.

"The other person hasn't arrived yet. Do you know who it might be?" Heizo asked.

"I don't know. The school didn't mention it. How about you?" Sakumo replied.

"No idea," Heizo said, shaking his head. "But if you're one of us, the other person shouldn't be far behind in strength. After all, we have important responsibilities ahead."

"You mean the chūnin exam? Hokage-sama plans to have the five villages jointly conduct it. It seems we're being trained to participate," Sakumo noted.

"Yes. We've been in the academy for over a year, but we were graduated early to train under someone as influential as Fumori-sama. According to the school system, even with our strength, we were supposed to complete the full curriculum. That rule was proposed by Fumori-sama, though in my opinion, it's unnecessary. What's the use of learning all that academic nonsense?" Heizo said, his tone dismissive.

"Really?" Sakumo responded, noncommittal. In the academy, commoners learned basic literacy, while those who were already educated focused on more advanced topics like history, the origins of samurai and ninja, and cultural studies. Sakumo found these subjects interesting, but he knew that people like Heizo, who came from a more traditional background, didn't see their value.

The two waited at the training grounds. Sakumo tried to engage Heizo in conversation, but the boy wasn't particularly talkative. Apart from the occasional necessary comment, Heizo stayed quiet, and Sakumo soon ran out of topics.

Just as the atmosphere became awkward, the third person finally arrived. It was a blonde girl dressed in practical ninja attire, though the quality of her clothing hinted at a wealthier background.

"Ah, you two must be Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo, the exceptional talents chosen by Masaki-Oji," the blonde girl said confidently. Sakumo and Heizo exchanged glances, surprised that she knew their names. Clearly, she had access to information they didn't.

More notably, she referred to Masaki by name and called him uncle, which implied familiarity.

"Yes, I'm Hatake Sakumo, and he's Hattori Heizo," Sakumo introduced them.

"I'm Tsunade. Pleasure," Tsunade said, placing her hands casually on her hips with a friendly smile.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," Sakumo responded, relieved by her cheerful demeanor, which contrasted sharply with Heizo's stoic personality. He immediately felt more at ease with Tsunade.

"You're from the Senju clan, aren't you?" Heizo asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes, my grandfather is Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage," Tsunade replied with a smile. "But don't worry—just treat me like any other companion."

Though she said this, studying alongside the granddaughter of the First Hokage was no small matter. Both Sakumo and Heizo exchanged nervous looks, realizing that their training was about to get even more intense. But if someone like Tsunade, from the prestigious Senju clan, was also a student of Masaki, it confirmed how extraordinary their teacher truly was.

Thus, three future legends of the ninja world met for the first time. For now, they were just children, preparing for their futures and starting to form the bonds that would shape their careers.