Fumori Masaki read through the roster of the Aerial Combat Unit, which consisted entirely of wind-style ninjas. While wind-style ninjas were relatively rare in Konoha, their numbers still grew with the overall increase in the village's population. For ninjas who primarily operated in small squads, there was no shortage of them.
In this roster, Fumori Masaki saw many familiar names, such as Sarutobi Hiruzen's eldest son, Sarutobi Shinsuke. In the original timeline, this was Konohamaru's father, whose details were scarce in the original work, only that he was said to be a captain in the Anbu under Sarutobi Hiruzen. Like Sarutobi Asuma, he inherited wind-style talent in addition to fire-style.
Then there was Shimura Danzo's daughter, named Shimura Kana. She was different from the Sarutobi clan; Sarutobi Shinsuke likely possessed wind-style talent because his father had chakra of all five elements. However, she, like the Kazemori clan, belonged to a very traditional wind-style clan.
Although the Shimura clan was small in number, in terms of strength, they were only a hair's breadth away from being as powerful as the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, and Sarutobi clans during the Warring States period, if not for their population issues.
Honestly, Fumori Masaki was quite surprised to learn that Shimura Danzo had married and had a daughter, as there was no mention of Danzo's descendants in the original work. Danzo's impression was not that of a man who would marry.
Considering Shimura Danzo's changed status in the current timeline, Fumori Masaki wondered if his own influence was at play, but it wasn't certain. Perhaps Danzo had a wife and daughter in the original timeline, but they never appeared because they weren't prominent or died in the war.
Besides these individuals, the person Fumori Masaki cared about most was someone he had mentioned to Kushina, thinking she might bring them over. As expected, Kushina truly did bring that person.
"Namikaze Minato…" Fumori Masaki murmured the name, looking at Namikaze Minato's file. According to the file, Minato was skilled in wind-style chakra, agile, and incredibly fast, which aligned with Masaki's impression of Namikaze Minato in the original timeline.
Perhaps, Namikaze Minato in this timeline also possessed the ability to use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't actually a difficult jutsu to learn. As for so-called spatial talent, everyone possessed it; the Summoning Jutsu was a type of space-time ninjutsu. Therefore, anyone with some talent could learn a bit of it.
Of course, they might not be able to use it alone, just like in the original timeline, where Namikaze Minato's guard squad needed three people to use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The biggest problem with the Flying Thunder God Technique was that using it flexibly was very troublesome.
Because during high-speed spatial movement, the constant change in position could easily confuse the user's senses. Without the ability to adapt to this high-speed movement, it would be impossible to perfectly use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Therefore, there were three thresholds for using the Flying Thunder God Technique. Since anyone with a certain amount of talent could learn a bit, the first threshold was using the Flying Thunder God Technique alone. The second threshold was being able to actually use Flying Thunder God in combat—to quickly mark an opponent during high-speed movement and then swiftly attack, which was not something an ordinary person could do—followed by the final threshold, which was rapidly leaping between multiple marks and still perfectly hitting the opponent.
Namikaze Minato's "Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three" involved continuous leaps during high-speed movement, achieving the astonishing feat of eliminating dozens of enemies in an instant. All that remained in people's minds was a flickering golden light. Compared to individual spatial leaps, this technique might be the true source of his "Yellow Flash" moniker.
It was precisely because the conditions for perfectly using the Flying Thunder God Technique were so stringent that only Namikaze Minato earned the title of "Yellow Flash." Tobirama Senju, who also used the Flying Thunder God, was merely known as the "First Fastest," and his level of usage did not reach Minato's height.
From this, one could see the talent of Namikaze Minato in the original timeline. This kind of ability was truly unique. Fumori Masaki sincerely hoped that Namikaze Minato in this timeline could also perfectly use the Flying Thunder God.
In one of Fumori Masaki's envisioned aerial tactics, the Aerial Combat Unit would drop a large number of Flying Thunder God kunai into enemy territory from the sky. Theoretically, as long as enough kunai could be deployed to reach a certain volume, Namikaze Minato could eliminate all enemies in the position within a few breaths.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Namikaze Minato went to support a collapsing defense unit by having Flying Thunder God kunai thrown, thereby eliminating fifty Iwa ninjas and saving that defensive line. At that time, kunai could only be thrown from the ground upwards. With the Aerial Combat Unit free from the limitations of ground defense, this tactic would undoubtedly be elevated to a new stage.
However, no matter how well it was conceived, it depended on whether the current Namikaze Minato possessed this ability. Fumori Masaki would observe closely during the upcoming training.
Although there weren't many ninjas in the shinobi world who could threaten the Aerial Combat Unit, Fumori Masaki believed that, in addition to basic flight training, the unit should also learn complex maneuvers. After all, being too predictable would inevitably expose weaknesses, and being able to move flexibly would naturally be better.
And the use of the Fenghuang Wings, in Fumori Masaki's view, strongly resembled the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear from a certain anime in his past life. He had been very fond of that anime at the time, and now it seemed he could recreate that feeling, though there would be no giants to slay.
"Alright." After carefully reviewing each person's file, Fumori Masaki signed his name and handed it to the person standing before him—Hattori Heizo.
"The task of leading the Aerial Combat Unit is yours. You will be its first captain," he said.
Hattori Heizo was also a wind-style ninja and a student of Fumori Masaki. His performance in the Anbu during the Second Shinobi World War was satisfactory. Both his age and reputation made him a suitable candidate for captain of the Aerial Combat Unit, though Hattori Heizo himself felt he might not be suited for it, as his past actions were in the style of an assassin.
Although Hattori Heizo was a man of few words, he had nothing he couldn't say to his teacher. He directly expressed his concern that he might not be up to the task.
"You won't know until you try, and in a way, the Aerial Combat Unit is precisely made up of assassins descending from the sky," Fumori Masaki said with a smile. "This is still the first model of the Fenghuang Wings. In the future, I also want to develop models suitable for assassins. There will eventually be a time when I need you. Go and do your best. If it truly isn't suitable, we can always find someone else."
Hattori Heizo nodded slightly. He wasn't entirely confident in his ability to lead the Aerial Combat Unit well and wasn't averse to the idea of being replaced; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it. Having been in the Anbu for a long time, he preferred to work alone. He could see that this Aerial Combat Unit emphasized collective cooperation. Although the Anbu also emphasized it, the Anbu only had four or five members, while the Aerial Combat Unit started with thirty people. How could he be suitable for that?
Hattori Heizo looked at the list, noticed a detail, and said, "Teacher, I have a question."
"Ask away, what is it?" Fumori Masaki asked.
"Why isn't Asuna on the list? With her wind-style mastery, she can fully control the Fenghuang Wings freely. From a combat style perspective, she is also very suitable for using this. I believe that given time, she will surely become a key member of the Aerial Combat Unit!" Hattori Heizo said.
These were his genuine thoughts. How could he not know the strength of his teacher's daughter? Although Hattori Heizo had always been active in the Anbu, Hatake Sakumo was his fellow student and good friend, and when they chatted, they would talk about Asuna and others. As a fellow wind-style ninja, Hattori Heizo understood Asuna's strength very well. If he had the chance to meet her, he would offer some guidance.
Therefore, Hattori Heizo was very surprised when he saw that Asuna's name was not on the list. He couldn't imagine any reason why Asuna couldn't join the Aerial Combat Unit. She was suitable in every way; in terms of the combat style of the aerial combat ninja tools, it could even be said that they were tailor-made for a girl like Asuna, who was light as a swallow and moved like the wind.
Although the Aerial Combat Unit was a newly established force, every high-ranking Konoha official held high hopes for it. They all recognized the unit's potential, believing that in future operations, the Aerial Combat Unit would likely be able to change the tide of a battlefield. Participating in it was undoubtedly a promising career, and anyone with the ability would certainly try to arrange for their favored relatives and friends to join.
The presence of Sarutobi Hiruzen's son and Shimura Danzo's daughter on the list was clear proof. Hattori Heizo felt there was nothing wrong with it; it was natural for parents to wish for a good future for their children. If they held high positions and power, they would naturally make arrangements. Moreover, those arranged to join were not idle young masters or ladies; the ninja profession was destined for hardship and danger. While the Aerial Combat Unit showcased its powerful side, it also carried certain risks—after all, operating at high altitudes meant that if a problem suddenly arose, falling from a great height, even with chakra, could lead to unexpected accidents.
If it were non-combat ninja units, it might be possible for a few incompetent individuals to occasionally slip in, as the environment there wasn't as harsh. From the perspective of talented and skilled individuals, even if their value was proven in the Second Shinobi World War, it was undeniable that because those without talent or skill generally ended up in these departments, to some extent, it also became a place for the incapable to muddle through. At least proportionally, there would certainly be more of them than combat ninjas, because combat ninjas generally faced danger, while most ninjas in these departments did not.
For a typical combat unit like the Aerial Combat Unit, even if important family members joined, it was generally only to provide a better stage. It was highly unlikely for them to be merely filling a position without contributing. Moreover, the Aerial Combat Unit was a newly formed unit, and there was no way they would arrange for people to slack off at such a time.
Fumori Masaki's requirement for the children of high-ranking officials was: due to family reasons, they could enjoy greater power than others, but at the same time, they also had to bear greater responsibilities. With great power comes great responsibility. If they dared not shoulder responsibilities commensurate with their status, how could others be convinced? If they couldn't undertake higher obligations, then what was the point of the village spending large amounts of money and granting power?
As long as this condition was met, Fumori Masaki was fine with high-ranking officials' children going to better places. As long as they were capable and had the courage to take on responsibility, there was no need to worry about family reasons. Those who were reasonable would see the efforts of these children and naturally be convinced. As for those who couldn't understand or were jealous, let them talk; he couldn't elevate human morality to the level of saints overnight, as such people existed everywhere.
Therefore, Fumori Masaki never insisted that his children be equal to everyone else in every aspect, because differences arising from family education, personal bloodlines, and other reasons truly existed. Absolute equality was impossible, as it would be the greatest inequality for capable individuals and would affect people's initiative. At most, he maintained relative equality, for example, ensuring that every Konoha ninja—including the children of high-ranking officials—was treated equally before Konoha's laws. As for absolute equality, it had never been achieved in his previous life, and for him, it was something he would never witness in his lifetime.
From this perspective, Fumori Masaki would not be stingy in arranging a good future for his daughter, and it had always been this way. Therefore, Hattori Heizo absolutely could not understand why Fumori Masaki had not included Asuna on this list, especially when the Aerial Combat Unit was such a promising place.
"I have my own considerations for this; you don't need to worry about it." Hearing this question, Fumori Masaki was silent for a moment, then said.
Upon hearing this, Hattori Heizo understood that his teacher had other arrangements. After thinking for a moment, he said no more. After all, this was his teacher's personal matter, and he felt that Fumori Masaki would not mistreat his daughter. Asuna's decision to go to the battlefield was her own choice, and it was also an obligation she, as a combat ninja, should face.
"Alright, then I'll be going. I need to go to the Research and Development Department to see what this ninja tool is like," Hattori Heizo said.
"Alright, go." Fumori Masaki had nothing else to say, so he let Hattori Heizo take his leave. After Hattori Heizo left, he couldn't help but sigh.
Regarding Asuna's next destination, Fumori Masaki was actually quite hesitant, unsure whether to make such arrangements. He hadn't made up his mind yet.