In the Fukimori Family home, Senju Hashirama and Fūmori Masaki sat facing each other. Senju Hashirama crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a soft murmur, appearing to be deep in thought about where to begin.
After a while, Senju Hashirama exhaled, looked into Fūmori Masaki's eyes, and said, "I'll start by talking about these markings. You must be very curious about what they are."
"According to Satomi, this seems to be called senmon," Fūmori Masaki said.
"That's right, that is indeed what it's called," Senju Hashirama said. "In this world, there is a Secret Technique called Sage Arts, which can only be learned in the secret realms of Summoned Beasts. I know of three places where one can learn Sage Arts."
In the past, many people have set out on the journey to seek Sage Arts, but only a very few have been able to master them.
However, once one learns Sage Arts, they will gain immense power, and that person can be called a Sage. As a Sage, they naturally possess some extraordinary qualities.
"Meaning?"
"Yes," Senju Hashirama nodded and said, "The so-called senmon is a phenomenon that only appears in those who have learned Sage Arts; it can basically be considered the mark of a Sage."
Fūmori Masaki's heart gave a slight jolt. As expected, these markings were the ones that appeared when entering Sage Mode, but why did he have them?
"But I have never learned anything like Sage Arts. Why do these senmon appear on my body?" Even with the knowledge from that manga, Fūmori Masaki still did not understand his own situation.
"Uh—" Senju Hashirama scratched his head, looking puzzled, and said, "Honestly, I don't know the underlying reason, but I do know why this is happening to you."
He then continued, "Masaki, you should know that Chakra is the power generated by the combination of our physical energy and spiritual energy."
"The power of Sage Arts is different. It is formed by adding another power from the outside world to the foundation of Chakra, and this power is called Natural Energy."
The Fūmori Masaki of the past didn't know, but now he understood what this so-called Natural Energy was. It was a miraculous, indescribable power flowing in the outside world that ordinary people could not perceive at all. Only certain people could sense it, draw it into their bodies, and circulate it, thereby mastering the power of Sage Arts.
"Although I don't know the reason, your body is indeed absorbing Natural Energy from the outside world," Senju Hashirama pointed at Fūmori Masaki and said. "But you have no way to control this power. In an unconscious state, the amount of Natural Energy being drawn into your body is growing, which is not a good thing."
"A Sage can achieve a harmonious balance between Natural Energy and the Chakra within their body; only in this way can they use Sage Arts. Once that balance is lost, it will have a huge impact on the Sage. If the Natural Energy is the weaker component, it might be fine, but once it exceeds one's own Chakra, then—"
Senju Hashirama's expression was serious as he said, "That person will turn into a part of the external environment, which for a human, is equivalent to death!"
Fūmori Masaki knew the consequences of losing balance in Sage Mode. Although he was terrified, he remained calm, though his voice still trembled slightly as he asked, "Lord Hashirama, why exactly am I absorbing Natural Energy from the outside world?"
Senju Hashirama shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Tobirama might have some insights. I will ask him when I go back, but before that, we must solve the problem you are facing."
He looked deeply at Fūmori Masaki and said, "Masaki, the speed at which you are absorbing Natural Energy is getting faster and faster. Previously, it took several days to spread to your neck, but I only went to attend a meeting, and when I returned, the senmon had almost reached your neck. If we leave it unchecked, you will definitely lose your life, unless I stay by your side at all times."
Fūmori Masaki gasped and then asked, "Lord Hashirama, is there any way for me to learn to control Natural Energy? Since you know about Sage Arts, you must know a method, right?"
He had already almost died once and didn't want to truly die from this in the future, and he knew that Hashirama himself could use Sage Arts.
Senju Hashirama's eyes widened slightly; he hadn't expected Fūmori Masaki's attitude to be this calm. The Fūmori Masaki of the past was someone who was easily agitated. He might have said the same thing back then, but his emotions wouldn't have been this calm. It seemed that after hovering on the edge of life and death, Fūmori Masaki had also grown.
Senju Hashirama held an appreciative attitude toward Fūmori Masaki's changes. If one's emotions are too impulsive, one sometimes overlooks certain things, which is not a good thing for a Ninja.
Just look at just now, didn't Fūmori Masaki realize that Hashirama might know a way to save him?
"The reason I'm telling you this is because I have a way to help you learn to control Natural Energy," Senju Hashirama said with a smile, then whispered, "Actually, I can use Sage Arts myself, so I have some experience. You don't need to worry; I will definitely teach you how to control Natural Energy. By the way, very few people know about this, so don't go telling anyone randomly."
For a Ninja, intelligence is extremely important. Once all intelligence is known, one will be restricted everywhere in battle. Therefore, no matter how close the relationship, a Ninja will hide some of their methods to avoid leaks. This is also why Ninja Clans do not allow outsiders to investigate their Secret Technique.
Although Fūmori Masaki didn't have much experience in combat, in that manga, there were many examples of being targeted due to intelligence leaks. Ninjas who could be confident that they wouldn't fail even if all their intelligence was known were rare, and Senju Hashirama could be considered one of them. However, as a Ninja, one naturally had to learn to protect one's own secrets; who knows when they might have a miraculous effect.
If it weren't for the fact that Fūmori Masaki was facing a life-threatening danger due to Natural Energy, Senju Hashirama certainly wouldn't have revealed that he could use Sage Arts. He probably said it to boost Fūmori Masaki's confidence.
Fūmori Masaki understood this and nodded quickly, indicating that he wouldn't tell anyone else unless he received permission from Hashirama himself.
Senju Hashirama nodded slightly and said, "There is one more thing that I need to tell you, the head of the Fūmori Clan. Originally, you were supposed to attend today's meeting, but because of your health, you had to stay at home."
"What is it?" Fūmori Masaki asked.
Although he said this, Fūmori Masaki didn't really take it to heart; it was just a notification anyway.
Nowadays in Konohagakure, only those powerful Ninja Clans had decision-making power, such as Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, etc. Some small Ninja Clans had no qualifications to participate at all, and the Fūmori Clan was left with only him; he didn't even have the qualification to be on equal footing with small clans, let alone participate in meetings about managing the Village.
However, he was also a bit curious about the content of this meeting. After all, since even he had to be notified, it was clear that this was a matter that involved all the Ninja Clans in the Village.
"Actually, I hope that the relationships between the Ninja Clans can be deeper, so Tobirama proposed establishing an academy, allowing the heirs of the major Ninja Clans to come and study together, growing up together. This way, everyone can forge deep bonds, and in the future, getting along in the Village will surely be more harmonious," Senju Hashirama said.
Upon hearing this, Fūmori Masaki immediately remembered that this Konoha Academy was the predecessor to the Ninja Academy. In the future, a large number of outstanding Ninjas would emerge from this place, and as the predecessor, Konoha Academy's first batch of students would include six who would form the leadership team centered around the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"That is to say, I will become a member of Konoha Academy," Fūmori Masaki said. Since every clan had to choose an heir, the Fūmori Clan would surely have to choose one, and that person could only be him.
"Yes. Once I teach you how to control the absorption of Natural Energy, and your body no longer has any issues, you can go to the Academy to study. You shouldn't underestimate this Academy. According to Tobirama, he wants to try establishing a new Ninja combat system, and another function of this Academy is to conduct tests," Senju Hashirama said with a smile.