A meeting

Ever since Itō Yuying had said those things last time, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had stepped up their training. To be fair, once Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō took their training seriously, both made tremendous progress. Tobirama Senju went without saying. As their teacher, he would not allow himself to fall behind anyone, and besides, he had Itō Yuying give him private lessons every day. Now he could fly proficiently. When the people of Konoha saw Tobirama Senju flying back and forth on his commute, everyone was filled with envy. Tobirama Senju was delighted every day.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi could manage a simple flight of a few meters. Shimura Danzō was much the same and could lift off from where he stood. Geniuses were geniuses. Previously, missions had left them no time to train, but now that they had time, putting in just a little effort brought marked improvements.

Were the other companions still gathering Ki? The one doing slightly better was Might Duy, who could rise five centimeters off the ground, leaving everyone so envious that they kept asking him for advice.

Now, apart from training his Ki, Orochimaru worked with Tobirama Senju on researching the Shinobi World Gravity Chamber. Word was that they had made great progress and had already produced a test version.

Itō Yuying was still training in the Gravity Chamber and could now withstand eight times normal gravity. His strength was shooting up, and his tremendous progress made Tobirama Senju so envious that he put in extra hours researching the Shinobi World Gravity Chamber.

Tobirama Senju also made time now to train in Itō Yuying's Gravity Chamber, but always had Itō Yuying accompany him. He could now withstand three times normal gravity, which was also why he had mastered the Flight Technique so quickly.

That day, just as Itō Yuying was about to go in to train, an Anbu summoned him to Tobirama Senju's office. By the time Itō Yuying reached the Hokage Building, many people were already inside. Tobirama Senju's six students and the heads of Konoha's clans had all arrived, filling a large table. Seeing a child walk in, they all gave him friendly smiles. Itō Yuying greeted everyone, then went straight to his seat.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Tobirama Senju announced the start of the meeting. Everyone applauded. He pressed his hands down, and once the room quieted, he said, "Recently, you've all seen that we've expanded the training grounds, building on Yuying and the others' existing grounds. They're fully equipped with every facility. Here's the plan: we intend to establish a new department. What will this department primarily do? Essentially, we'll select more outstanding children who love the village more deeply from the Konoha Ninja Academy to join it. Here, Itō Yuying will teach them how to cultivate 'Ki,' along with his other moves."

When the prominent figures present heard that they could learn Itō Yuying's techniques, the office instantly buzzed with discussion. Tobirama Senju did not interrupt the discussions, giving them time to digest the news.

A quarter of an hour later, Tobirama Senju continued, "You've all heard about Itō Yuying's current reputation in the shinobi world and know about his deeds. Younger members of several clans represented here are also training with Itō Yuying. Though they're still Chunin, they've long had the strength of Special Jōnin. They'll also assist Itō Yuying in teaching the new students." Every single person present was utterly astonished. The heads of those few clans felt as though they were about to soar into the heavens!

The happiest was the Uchiha Clan. Its head grinned so broadly that his eyes disappeared. Their bootlicking plan had been a resounding success. Through the entire clan's tireless efforts, they had finally gained Itō Yuying's friendship.

The heads of the Hyuga Clan, Senju Clan, and Hatake Clan were all very happy, while the other clan heads were deeply envious. Right, there seemed to be a few civilian children too. The other clan heads began thinking about which girls in their clans were the same age as those children. If they let them spend time together, perhaps they could land a prize son-in-law? Each clan was busy with its own little schemes.

Seeing the discussion going off track, Tobirama Senju hurriedly said, "All right, you can take your time discussing how to land prize sons-in-law after the meeting. Let's continue. We've set the official enrollment date for five years from now, because apart from Itō Yuying, everyone else is still too weak. Sending them out now would only embarrass us, wouldn't it? So we'll let them train properly first. We'll also improve the training grounds, making the facilities more comprehensive and better equipped."

"Next, let's discuss a few details. There will be two categories of enrollment. The first will be selected from outstanding Ninja Academy students. I'll explain the selection criteria to everyone in detail shortly. The second will be adult shinobi, who must be Jōnin and pass through Konoha's multiple rounds of selection. Finally, to guard against spies and traitors who betray those who support them, we'll apply certain seals. Let me make the unpleasant part clear first: this is mandatory. Whether you let your clan's children come is for you to decide."

"One other detail: when candidates reach a certain level through hard training, the next generation they produce will be able to cultivate 'Ki' without Itō Yuying having to inject a trace of Ki into their bodies. Moreover, they won't be subject to any restrictions, so don't let them marry too early."

The clan heads were all somewhat astonished. Could this be another kind of kekkei genkai? This-this was wonderful! That would give their clans two kinds of kekkei genkai. The Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan thought this and resolved that they absolutely had to join. The other clan heads also realized it, their faces flushing before they revealed rows of gleaming white teeth so dazzling that Tobirama Senju could not keep his eyes open.

"Please close your mouths, everyone. It's too dazzling," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. Once the clan heads had calmed down, Tobirama Senju continued, "Don't celebrate too soon, everyone. The aptitude and requirements for cultivating 'Ki' are extremely stringent. If your clan has even one or two suitable people, your ancestors will have blessed you beyond measure. So please view this rationally. Don't start punching and kicking your clan's children when they return after failing to be selected. Everyone must be rational."

After the clan heads verbally agreed, Tobirama Senju said, "Next, the head of this department, Itō Yuying, will speak. Please welcome him with applause." The clan heads present gave him plenty of face, clapping until their hands turned red. Itō Yuying rose and bowed. "Thank you. Thank you all for your support. My level is limited and my abilities are average. Before all you seniors, I'm still just an elementary school student. If there's anything I fail to do properly, please don't hold it against me. I'm young, and when I don't handle things thoroughly, I'll still have to ask you seniors for advice. I hope you won't neglect me because I'm young."

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed good-naturedly.

"I'll just mention a few things. First, as my teacher said earlier, if a clan's child isn't selected, they must not be beaten, scolded, treated differently, or even abandoned once they return to their clan. If I find out about it, I won't accept a single person from that clan for ten years, no matter how talented they are, because Konoha has never lacked geniuses. Second, once selected, everyone must follow orders, because training will be especially grueling. Don't send those pampered young masters here. Those with real ability are another matter. If someone is selected but can't endure the hardship and wants to withdraw midway, we won't recruit from that clan for five years. Third, training will be entirely closed once you enter. No one may leave without permission. If anyone is caught, we won't recruit from that clan for three years. That's all I'll say for now. I'll add more later if anything comes to mind."

Everyone applauded, and Itō Yuying sat down. Tobirama Senju nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "By the way, Yuying, what will this new department be called?" Itō Yuying thought for a while, then stood and said, "Let's call it the Konoha Elite Training Base for now! If we come up with something better later, we can change it."

Tobirama Senju nodded. "A fine name. All right, when you return, tell your clans about this. Meeting adjourned." Everyone applauded. Only after Tobirama Senju and the others had left the meeting room did the rest leave together in twos and threes, talking among themselves.