"As a symbol of power, a ninja also carries responsibility. When we possess power, we must use it to protect those precious to us."
Tsunade folded her arms, her voice steady as she passed on her understanding of what it meant to be a ninja to Uchiha Tatsumi.
"A ninja without conviction can't control their power—nor can they mature into someone capable of standing alone."
"Now then, what's your dream? As your teacher, I need to know that."
Tsunade pushed up a pair of nonexistent glasses with theatrical flair.
She was fully immersed in the role of a teacher.
Cosplay much?
As expected of Tsunade-hime—she sure knew how to commit to a bit.
Of course, asking about one's dreams was a classic move in Konoha. The true purpose was to assess the aspirations of future shinobi and guide those who might stray off path.
And as always, the end result was often ironic. Very few ever had their dreams come true—outside of the protagonist, that is.
Tsunade was genuinely curious about Uchiha Tatsumi's answer. After all, geniuses often had unconventional perspectives.
More importantly, as a child of the Uchiha Clan, his demeanor was oddly different from most of his clanmates.
And considering that Tatsumi's father was once a comrade of the Third Hokage, and a student of Tsunade's grandfather, the Second Hokage, there was already a layered relationship between them.
Tsunade felt a responsibility to guide this Uchiha kid properly.
"Dreams, huh?" Uchiha Tatsumi tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, his expression solemn. He gazed up at the drifting clouds as the breeze fluttered his cloak and tousled his dark hair.
Just as he prepared to strike a cool, contemplative pose—
Tsunade ruined it by messing up his hair impatiently.
"Spit it out! You're dragging more than Orochimaru during a science rant."
Orochimaru: "?? I'm composed, thank you very much."
...
When it came to dreams, Uchiha Tatsumi still held onto some pieces of his past life. While he'd adapted to this world, there were parts of his old self that hadn't fully faded.
He could be erratic, a bit ridiculous, and prone to saying outrageous things—but he genuinely cherished his friends.
After a moment's thought, he replied, "I want to be a ninja who earns a decent living. Then I'll marry a woman who's neither too pretty nor too plain, have two kids—the first a daughter, the second a son."
"When the daughter gets married and the son can take care of himself, I'll retire. Spend my days playing shogi or go in peace. Then, ideally, I'll die before my wife. That's the life I imagined."
Uchiha Tatsumi had just quoted Shikamaru's iconic dream.
He knew it was a fantasy. The world wasn't kind enough for such peace.
Whack.
Tsunade punched him on the head.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a washed-up novelist. You're more dramatic than Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya: "??? I'm a passionate artist!"
"Can't you have a dream with a little ambition? That was a cop-out."
To Tsunade, his answer sounded like avoidance.
"Shallow woman. When you've lived as many lives as I have—mentally—you'd know just how lofty that kind of peace really is," Tatsumi muttered under his breath.
"Alright then, haven't you ever considered becoming Hokage?" Tsunade asked.
"Huh? That's Rope Tree's dream. If I became Hokage, what would he have left to aim for? It'd be cruel to crush his hopes."
"…You really do look out for your friends, huh." Tsunade sighed.
Of course. You think becoming Hokage is easy?
Rope Tree boasted the loudest and still died at age twelve. Obito also charged toward Hokage status and got buried under a mountain for his efforts. Minato became Hokage… and then promptly died.
The position was clearly cursed.
Uchiha Madara? He dreamed of it first. But the First and Second Hokage snatched the title right out of his hands. No wonder he held a grudge for decades.
Hiruzen knew better. He kept Danzo as far from the role as possible. When Danzo finally claimed the hat for five minutes—boom. Dead in the street.
…
After some light banter, Tsunade finally began the real training.
"This is the Senju Clan's private training ground. Normally, it's off-limits. But for the next week, you'll be staying here."
"Of course, water, food, and shelter are conditional. If your performance isn't up to par, consider your rations cut."
"As a ninja, strength is everything. It's our foundation for survival. So understanding your own capabilities is crucial."
She paused, then continued, "I won't be teaching you loads of jutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu. What I'll focus on is the foundation of it all: chakra control."
"You probably noticed during the fight with my shadow clone—you struggled despite your strong ninjutsu, genjutsu, and shuriken skills."
"That's because your chakra control is still lacking. And don't assume that having a lot of chakra means you can ignore that. There's always someone with more."
"A ninja who finely controls their chakra can cast more powerful jutsu using less chakra. That efficiency makes a huge difference."
"Even mastering a single jutsu depends on chakra control. When you get to more advanced techniques—chakra nature transformation, shape transformation—it's all built on this."
"I know you're talented in genjutsu. I'm no genjutsu user, but even I know it demands precise chakra flow. With better control, your illusions will be harder to detect, and more potent."
Tatsumi nodded. Chakra control was crucial. While chakra volume often came down to genetics—like the Uzumaki and Senju clans—control could be trained.
Tsunade really was a solid teacher. Aside from being short-tempered, impatient, a gambler, lazy, and kind of a bully… yeah, she was great otherwise.
Uchiha Tatsumi felt strangely at ease around her. There was none of the emotional numbness that defined her in the original story.
In the manga, Tsunade lost her little brother, Nawaki, and her lover Dan, and spiraled into despair and gambling. Her hemophobia made her avoid the village and her responsibilities for years.
But right now, she was still bright. She still gambled, sure, but it was just a hobby—not a coping mechanism.
"What are you spacing out about, Tatsumi?" Tsunade's voice snapped him back.
"Nothing," he shook his head. "I was just wondering what kind of dreams you have, sensei."
"Me…?" Tsunade's eyes softened for a moment, her voice tinged with nostalgia. A small smile flickered across her lips—then vanished.
"…Just a small dream," she said quietly.