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"Lacking flexibility?"
Tsunade summed it up in one line.
Leo nodded. "Yeah. From where I'm standing, high-level ninja definitely need a lot of theory. But for genin and even chunin, hands-on experience is way more important."
Then he used tree-climbing and water-walking as examples.
"As a genin, do I need to understand why climbing trees and walking on water improves chakra control? Nope. I just need to know that doing it makes me stronger!"
Tsunade fell into thought.
What he said…
She'd never considered it before, but hearing it now, it actually made a lot of sense.
For most genin, tons of theoretical knowledge is completely useless. Studying it deeply does nothing for them.
However—
If you want to move from genin to chunin, some knowledge becomes essential.
"But this system was created by the Second Hokage…"
"The Second was incredible, sure, but even he had limits. Systems should evolve with the times."
"But a lot of that knowledge is useful."
Tsunade frowned.
She wasn't arguing for the sake of arguing. She was debating seriously — with Leo and with herself.
This kind of thing deserved caution. They needed to make sure the direction was right before making changes.
"You mean that chunin should be the ones learning that stuff, right?" Leo asked.
Tsunade nodded.
"In that case," he continued, "if it's only needed at the chunin level, then the academy shouldn't be teaching it. It should come after becoming a genin — something you learn while leveling up."
Tsunade considered that, and found herself quietly agreeing.
Genin…
In real missions, the most useful things were practical experience and combat skills.
"Categorized. Tiered…"
Tsunade's thoughts grew clearer.
They crammed a bunch of theory into the academy, but for most civilian kids, that theory didn't "solve the thirst." It didn't make them stronger.
From their perspective…
Instead of memorizing all that stuff, it'd be better to get a basic overview and spend more time boosting actual strength. At least then, after graduation, they could survive missions and war.
And only those who survive have a future.
The logic was sound.
Tsunade thought a moment and said, "Your idea's good. Anything else?"
"I'm just talking about things I've run into and thought about. As for the actual execution… how would I know?"
Leo scratched his head with an awkward smile.
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"So you just dumped it all on me?"
"Well yeah! You're staying in the village waiting for updates anyway. You'd be bored doing nothing. Better to find something productive to do — it's definitely better than losing money at the casino."
He said it naturally.
At first, Tsunade thought that made perfect sense. But the more he spoke, the more the veins on her forehead twitched.
"You little brat, you looking for a beating?"
What kind of comment was that!
Did she have to lose money?
But… thinking about her luck…
Fine.
Losing really was more likely than winning.
Tsunade calmed herself. "Alright, bring these inside. This is only the first batch. After you finish, I'll bring the rest."
"There's more?"
Leo stared.
Tsunade nodded. "Of course. Without enough knowledge and practical experience, how could anyone create so many jutsu?"
She sat off to the side, looking relaxed, clearly not planning to help.
But in truth, she was deep in thought about what Leo had told her.
The academy's jutsu were extremely basic. As for combat skills — they taught kunai throwing and basic taijutsu. That was about it.
Clan kids could manage.
But civilian children? It was horribly unfair.
Leo's meaning…
He was obviously suggesting she push for an academy reform.
She had the prestige — but also her own concerns.
Leo quietly read while she pondered.
Neither disturbed the other.
After a long while, Tsunade stood up.
"Take your time with the books. I'm heading out. If you've got questions, go ask your teacher."
"Okay."
Leo didn't look up.
He was completely absorbed.
The diary in his hands contained scattered thoughts, notes, and theories. Judging from the content, it was related to the creation of the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Tobirama really was a genius…"
Leo couldn't help sighing.
Before he knew it, his stomach growled loudly.
He was starving.
He glanced outside.
The sun was blazing, heat pouring down, and his clothes were drenched in sweat.
"It's already noon?"
He couldn't believe it.
He looked down at the books.
He'd only read four or five notebooks…
How was he ever going to finish all of them?
"There's a priority to things. I should pick out what I need most and take my time with the rest."
Reason returned.
These notes were precious — but incredibly time-consuming. He couldn't afford to bury himself in them all day.
Focus on what mattered first, then convert it into strength.
What he needed most right now…
Obviously, Shadow Clone.
He left the house, grabbed lunch, then went searching — and finally found Jiraiya at home.
Judging by the faint ink stains on his hand, Jiraiya had been writing something.
"What's up?"
"Teacher, I want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique."
Leo got straight to the point.
Jiraiya blinked. "You want to use it to read books?"
"Yep. I'll train the techniques I'm working on right now, and have the clone study. That way I don't waste time."
Leo nodded confidently.
Jiraiya's expression grew serious. "It's a smart idea, but dangerous. If you're careless, you could die. You need to stay within your limits and never take risks."
"I understand."
Jiraiya taught him the hand seals and key principles immediately.
It was a B-rank jutsu.
Leo had already read about the theory behind it, so now that he had the actual seals and tips, he could skip a ton of trial and error.
Back home, he studied for a while, tried it out…
Thanks to his improved chakra control and Tobirama's notes, he grasped the essentials quickly.
Soon—
His skill list showed "Shadow Clone."
After a few more attempts and practice, he reached the "proficient" level.
"These theories and insights save me so much time. I can improve so much faster."
Leo understood completely.
And that only motivated him to read more.
He formed the Shadow Clone.
They made eye contact, said nothing, and the clone quietly sat down to read.
Leo began training.
Following Tobirama's notes and his own ideas, he worked on refining the process of compressing chakra nature changes — a perfect exercise for boosting chakra control.
…
By evening, Tsunade found Jiraiya again.
"How's it looking?"
"I thought it over carefully — it's doable. These are my ideas. The resistance shouldn't be too heavy."
Jiraiya handed her his outline.
It included:
Tree-climbing and water-walking training.Basic jutsu training.Taijutsu.Teamwork.
Tsunade also handed him her own outline — her ideas for structural changes.
Early training.
Jiraiya looked it over and was surprised.
"You want to pre-train potential medical ninja?"
"More accurately, I want to give early training to ninja who show interest and talent. Medical skills require a lot of knowledge. You can't learn it all at once."
Tsunade explained calmly.
Jiraiya nodded.
He understood — he was just surprised Tsunade was pushing something this ambitious.
This wasn't just adding a class. This would directly reshape the academy's system and operational model.
This woman had been depressed for so long, and suddenly she was full of energy again.
Was Leo really that influential?
Did that mean…
She might actually stay because of him?
Jiraiya fell into thought.
Tsunade spoke softly.
"What worries me are the old man, the senior Anbu guy, and those two advisors. They're all stubborn. They didn't support me back when I pushed for medical ninja on the battlefield."
"Hey, hey… don't talk about Danzō like that. He was still a student of the Second Hokage, and he's done a lot for the village."
Jiraiya cleared his throat.
Tsunade clicked her tongue in disdain.
"That was back then. Now? Please. Look at the things they've done."
"Well…"
Jiraiya sighed. She wasn't wrong.
Forget the distant past.
Look at Sakumo Hatake's case. The Third at least had to shoulder the blame of indifference and inaction. And the head of the Anbu… that whole situation was even worse. Jiraiya had sensed something off at the time but never imagined Sakumo would take things to such an extreme.
Talking about all this left both him and Tsunade with mixed feelings, tinged with disappointment.
But—
When they looked at the outlines in their hands, their spirits lifted again.
"Should we ask Orochimaru?"
"Him?"
Tsunade thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. If we get his support, the three of us submitting together should be basically a sure win."
"Right."
"....."