Konoha's future was secured. It was as if a massive boulder in his heart had been instantly shattered, leaving him feeling completely relaxed.
"When are you bringing Akihara back for a visit? I'll have your Mistress prepare something delicious."
"Will do."
Just as Torifu was about to hang up, Hashirama cautioned him again, "Don't overtrain Akihara. He is still growing, and excessive training won't do him any good."
"Don't worry, Master, I know all about it."
Reassured, Hashirama finally hung up the phone. What a great day. Losing a few games was worth the huge piece of good news. He felt truly refreshed, body and soul.
After hanging up the phone, Torifu had reported the news to everyone who needed to know. He didn't plan on letting the entire Konoha know about Akihara's talent; he only wanted a few close relatives to be aware. Sometimes, too much attention was not a good thing.
"Akihara, come test your Chakra nature."
Akihara stopped his practice and walked from the cushion to Torifu. "How do I do that, Papa?"
Torifu took out a Chakra paper and held it in front of Akihara. "Release a thread of Chakra onto this paper."
But Akihara had just practiced his first thread of Chakra and had no idea how to release it. It took Torifu a little more time to teach him.
The result was close to Torifu's expectation: all five nature transformations were present. The Yin and Yang Release were likely present too, but the Chakra paper simply couldn't test for them.
"That's very good, Akihara. Your talent is comparable to your Papa's back in the day!"
Akihara exclaimed excitedly, "Really! Did Papa also practice Chakra at three years old!"
At this statement, the smile on Torifu's face instantly froze. Three years old? When he was three, he was still playing with mud. What even was Chakra?
Having been nearly crushed by his son's words, Torifu quickly steered the conversation away.
"Akihara, you've only just extracted a thread of Chakra, but don't get complacent. Just continue to train steadily and surely."
"Mmm! I'll listen to everything Papa says!"
Akihara promised quickly, and Torifu was satisfied. He knew his son's character; he wasn't the type of child who liked to show off. Even when Torifu praised him to the elders in front of him, Akihara managed to concentrate on his training without changing his expression.
"Your plan for the immediate future is to continue your life as before. Keep playing as you play, but set aside one hour a day for training. How does that sound?"
Torifu didn't intend to let Akihara start high-intensity training immediately. That wouldn't do Akihara any good. This wasn't a time of existential crisis, so there was no need for Akihara to sacrifice his childhood for crazy training. Torifu also didn't want Akihara to turn into a training machine. One hour of training per day was more than enough, especially since Akihara was only three years old. As for how well he succeeded in his training, that was up to fate; even if he gained nothing, it was fine. Normal children didn't start serious training until they were six. Akihara could at least play happily for another three years. By the time he reached six, Torifu felt confident Akihara would be able to control himself.
"Good, I agree!"
Akihara strongly approved of Torifu's suggestion. Children his age loved to play. If their right to play was taken away, they might grow to hate training.
The teaching method of the Hatake Clan was not suitable for all families. They were descended from samurai, and although they had become a ninja clan, the samurai spirit in their bones hadn't changed. They were expected to endure hardship and train from a young age. Even though the samurai of the Land of Iron no longer trained that way, the Hatake Clan still maintained this tradition. However, the fact that Kakashi became a Chunin at five was absolutely not only due to starting early; that was only one part of it. The main reason was that he truly was a genius.
Torifu snapped his fingers. "Alright, then we're settled. You decide when that one hour of training will be each day, but once you decide, you cannot change it unless there is an unforeseen circumstance. Understood?"
Akihara said seriously, "Understood! I will think about it carefully!"
Seeing his son's adorable face, Torifu couldn't help but laugh. "Good, go play now."
After Akihara happily ran off, Torifu began to relax.
By the time Naori returned, it was already dinner time. The couple talked about Akihara while cooking. Naori thoroughly praised Torifu after hearing his decision. She thought Torifu's approach was exactly right; a child's time for joyful play should not be taken away. Children this age were meant to be carefree, and their play should be wholehearted.
After dinner, Naori also talked a lot with Akihara. Seeing that Akihara was still quite interested in training, Naori was reassured. After a few more words of praise, they both went back to their own business.
Soon, the night passed.
The next morning, around eight o'clock, Torifu was fully dressed and ready to leave the clan compound for the Hokage Tower. Today, he was scheduled to meet with Danzo and Hiruzen to discuss the construction contract for the Land of Rain. Torifu intended to hand this task over to the two of them, but he first needed to see if Danzo and Hiruzen had the time and energy.
Upon arriving at the office, Anka had already started working, carrying stacks of documents in and out. These were all official documents that had been processed yesterday. Anka generally finished work early, but the puppet had to wait until its task was complete before leaving. This led to a situation where official documents piled up. Anka now had to clear them up every morning to prevent confusion. Torifu simply pointed, and the puppet moved the large stack of documents to another desk to work on.
Torifu then asked Anka to call the two clan heads to discuss the matter. Danzo and Hiruzen were very quick. Only ten minutes after the call went out, the two appeared before Torifu, dressed formally.
"Hokage-sama, what business do you have for us?"
Hiruzen had initially thought Torifu had only called for him, but when he saw that Danzo had also arrived, he understood that a mission was likely involved.
Torifu nodded. "You both arrived quickly. I do have a project I want to assign to you, and it's a very important one. Personally, I am very optimistic about this project."
The two were puzzled. "A project? What project?"
Torifu didn't keep them guessing and went straight to the point. "I imagine you Big Brothers have heard about the Aquaculture Industry in the Land of Rain."
At this, Hiruzen and Danzo felt a surge of excitement! Who hadn't heard about the recently popular Aquaculture Industry? Konoha was coordinating with three other ninja villages to jointly develop the Land of Rain. This wasn't just boosting economic development; it was also strengthening the alliance between the three countries.