The moment Chirori heard him, she cast every stray thought from her mind and, at the top of her lungs, answered with the three words that came fastest to her: "I'm willing!!!"
Her voice was deafening, and her reply came so fast that Kumonaka Torikaze couldn't help glancing at her. This girl's incredible. My ears are still ringing.
"Haha, good! From now on, you two will train under me."
"But what about the village's affairs, Big Brother?"
Senju Hashirama replied casually, "Leave them to my Wood Clone. Besides, aren't you here?"
Tobirama stared at his big brother with a face full of dismay. He'd known this would happen! His big brother was never good at handling official business, though he usually took care of some of it. Now that he'd taken on disciples, he was probably going to dump all of it on him.
Hashirama felt a little embarrassed under his younger brother's death glare, so he simply changed the subject. "Torifu, come by my house tonight. I'll have Mistress cook you something delicious, and we can talk about your Crystal Release while we're at it."
Torifu understood that his teacher was inviting him for some special tutoring, and happily agreed. Though he'd developed a few Crystal Release techniques on his own, their power was limited, and they weren't suitable for dealing massive damage.
His teacher was unquestionably an authority on the subject. With his help, things should be much easier.
Tobirama suddenly spoke up. "Starting tomorrow, you don't need to go to the Academy. Train with my big brother and me, and get to know my disciples while you're at it."
Torifu and Chirori answered in unison. They chatted for a while longer, until a ninja came to report on a mission. Then Torifu and Chirori left.
As they walked through Konoha's streets, Chirori still felt as though everything that had just happened was a dream. It didn't seem real.
"If this really is a dream, I hope I never wake up."
Torifu couldn't help laughing at her. This girl really did admire Lord Hokage.
Hearing him laugh, Chirori turned toward him, looking a little embarrassed. "Thank you, Torifu. I owe you a huge debt for this. I never imagined Lord Hokage would let me train under him!"
"This is only the beginning. Keep working hard, and becoming my teacher's disciple won't be out of reach. Your talent speaks for itself."
That was the truth. Chirori had far more talent than Koharu and Mitokado Homura. If she awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan someday, who knew what she'd be capable of?
Chirori listened with a look of longing. She was already very satisfied, but becoming Lord Hokage's disciple would be even better!
"I'll work hard!" Chirori declared, brimming with determination.
The two of them chatted as they walked, both looking forward to their training.
Torifu began thinking about his next plan. He'd already achieved his goal of becoming a Hokage's disciple—and then some!
He'd become a disciple of the First himself, which meant no one in the village would outrank him in the future! After all, he was the only true Hokage's disciple!
As a student of the First, he was bound to become an elder with considerable influence someday. But Kumonaka Torifu wasn't interested in power. His main goal was to live peacefully and enjoy a good life.
Still, now that he was his teacher's disciple, he had a duty to protect the home his teacher had built with everything he had.
"By the way, Torifu, when are we starting the sparring match we talked about?" Chirori asked, eager to find out how far behind him she was.
"Whenever you like. You pick."
Chirori thought it over. "You're going to Lord Hokage's house tonight, and we'll be training tomorrow during the day. Then let's do it tomorrow night!"
"Sounds good." Kumonaka Torifu agreed at once. In his fight with Kyō Uchiha, he hadn't used even a fraction of his strength. That idiot had managed to defeat himself.
Over the month since he'd killed the Kumogakure spy, Torifu had trained relentlessly in Taijutsu and ninjutsu, while also continuing to develop Cloud Release. His strength had grown considerably.
His Chakra had long since reached Jonin level, but he lacked actual combat experience, which was why the system panel still rated him as a Chunin.
Sparring with Chirori would also give him a rough idea of his current strength.
"Hehe, all right, I'll head back to the clan grounds first. See you tomorrow!" Chirori waved goodbye with a bright smile.
"See you tomorrow."
Torifu watched Chirori's figure gradually disappear into the distance, then prepared to head home and begin that day's Cloud Release training.
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
"Have you seen your younger brother?" a hoarse, frail voice asked.
"I have. He took the forbidden drug! He probably won't survive. Who gave it to him?" asked a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, his eyes bloodshot, three Tomoe spinning in each iris.
"Put them away! Setsuna! Are you going to attack me?" The old man barked.
At the old man's shout, Uchiha Setsuna reluctantly put away his Sharingan. Still furious, he shouted, "He's only six! He had his whole future ahead of him. How could he just die like this?"
The old man sighed softly. "He stole the drug himself. He thought it would enhance his Chakra, and wanted it so he could defeat a classmate."
The old man was deeply conflicted. After all, Kyō Uchiha was his grandson. He wasn't a genius, but he was still far superior to those commoners. How could he have thrown caution to the wind just to beat a classmate, stealing a drug without even knowing what it did?
And in the end, he'd not only lost the match, but his life as well! The clan would also have to pay compensation because he'd deliberately hurt someone. Even as an elder of the Uchiha Clan, the old man couldn't sweep such a disgrace under the rug.
"Which clan was he from?"
The old man's expression turned stern. "Let this matter end here! Kyō brought this on himself. Don't make things worse, or our branch will lose what little standing it has left in the clan!"
But Uchiha Setsuna wouldn't hear it. Kyō Uchiha was his own younger brother, his only younger brother. He couldn't just let him die like this!
"If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself! I'll make him pay!" Uchiha Setsuna roared, then slammed the door behind him as he left.
The old man was so enraged by this that he spat out a mouthful of blood! A plan he'd spent years painstakingly putting into motion was about to be ruined by those two cursed kids!
His only goal was to follow in Madara Uchiha's footsteps and restore the Uchiha Clan to its former glory. But if those two fools brought the clan disgrace again and again, he might well lose his position as an elder!
"Why is my life so miserable?!"
His son and daughter-in-law had died, leaving him with these two children. They had mediocre talent, and neither of them had much sense. Now he was the only one left to support their branch, an old man with one foot in the grave—and even in his final years, he was about to lose face!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he spat out another mouthful of blood!
Before you continue