Sis, Where's My Present?

After struggling for a while, Tokiju finally broke free of the bed demon's hold.

After getting dressed, Tokiju left his room and headed for Uzumaki Mito's.

On the way, he wondered what Grandma Mito wanted him for.

He had only just turned six, the perfect age to enter the Ninja Academy.

Maybe that was why she had called him over?

But it wasn't especially important. With his current mastery of Sealing Jutsu, he could already hold his own against some Chunin.

Of course, that didn't mean he could skip the Ninja Academy.

Besides, the Academy had been founded by his granduncle, Senju Tobirama. As his great-nephew, he ought to show his support.

Tokiju knocked on the door to Uzumaki Mito's room, then pushed it open and walked in.

As soon as he entered, he saw little Nawaki sitting primly, and his older sister Tsunade sprawled in a bold, unladylike pose.

Then there was Uzumaki Mito, seated at the head of the room. Though she was well over fifty, her features were still lovely.

And Kushina?

Village Hidden in the Whirlpools hadn't been destroyed yet, so Kushina hadn't come to Konoha.

"Grandma Mito, you called for me. Is something the matter?"

As he spoke, Tokiju went to his place and sat cross-legged.

Why not kneel properly?

Because he'd never sat that way in his previous life. Even after six years here, he still couldn't get used to it.

And with Tsunade setting the example, Uzumaki Mito could only turn a blind eye.

Once Tokiju had settled in, Uzumaki Mito said, "Tokiju, you and Nawaki are both six now. It's time to get ready to enroll in the Ninja Academy."

Tokiju thought, I knew it.

At their age, it was indeed time for him and Nawaki to enter the Ninja Academy.

But first, there was something he needed to do.

Tokiju grinned and asked Uzumaki Mito, "Grandma Mito, I'm happy to enroll in the Ninja Academy, of course. But shouldn't I get a reward for getting in?"

Uzumaki Mito's brow furrowed slightly, then she smiled helplessly. "Tokiju, you're still always looking for a bargain..."

"Tell me, what reward do you want this time?"

Tokiju rubbed his hands together and said, "Well, Grandma, I've finished studying the Sealing Jutsu scroll you gave me last time."

"Could you give me a scroll with some more advanced Sealing Jutsu this time?"

Tsunade, sitting nearby, couldn't help rolling her eyes.

Her little brother was great in every way, but he was far too competitive. He was so relentless that even Grandma Mito was starting to find him hard to take.

But when she thought of his talent for Sealing Jutsu, she couldn't help feeling humbled.

With Tokiju's current mastery of Sealing Jutsu, even she might get caught off guard if she wasn't careful.

And ever since Tokiju had shown his talent for Sealing Jutsu, Tsunade had felt that her place in the family was gradually being overshadowed.

The thought immediately annoyed her.

No, I need to find a chance to teach this brat a proper lesson. Otherwise, I'll lose all my authority as his big sister.

Tokiju had no way of knowing what Tsunade was thinking. And even if he did, he would only chuckle and give it little thought.

His big sister was famous for being sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. The fact that she was pursuing medical ninjutsu was proof enough.

As for Uzumaki Mito, she narrowed her eyes, apparently considering whether to grant Tokiju's request.

A moment later, Uzumaki Mito nodded. "All right. Since you're so eager to learn, I'll grant your request."

With that, Uzumaki Mito picked up a scroll from beside her and tossed it straight to Tokiju.

Tokiju caught it, his face lighting up at once. "Thank you, Grandma! You're the best!"

Why was Tokiju so excited?

Because Uzumaki Mito had tossed him a sealing scroll.

As a Sealing Jutsu enthusiast, he could tell what kind of scroll it was the moment he touched it.

And a sealing scroll was a big deal—it could store a large amount of supplies inside.

By giving him this sealing scroll, Uzumaki Mito was showing that she intended to pass down the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu to him.

At the thought, Tokiju immediately opened the scroll and saw all sorts of Sealing Jutsu inside.

There was the Four Symbols Seal, the Contract Seal, the Seal of the Tail-Sealing Method, and even the Adamantine Sealing Chains.

There were also many Sealing Jutsu that didn't belong to the Uzumaki Clan, at least a dozen in all.

The only pity was that the Dead Demon Consuming Seal wasn't among them.

That made sense. Though the Sealing Jutsu in the scroll were all powerful, they wouldn't cause any problems as long as he was careful while practicing.

Uzumaki Mito, who had been teaching Tokiju for years, was confident of that.

But the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was different. That technique could genuinely cost him his life.

Uzumaki Mito would never gamble with her own grandson's life.

Tokiju understood that too, so he wasn't very disappointed.

Seeing Tokiju's excitement, Uzumaki Mito smiled, then looked over at Nawaki, who was watching him with envy.

"Nawaki..." Uzumaki Mito called.

"Huh?" Nawaki quickly stopped staring enviously and looked at his grandmother, confused.

"Grandma, wh-what is it?" Nawaki asked.

Uzumaki Mito smiled helplessly and took out another scroll, tossing it to Nawaki.

"Nawaki, you were born with an abundance of Water Release chakra."

"These are Water Release Ninjutsu left behind by your granduncle. I hope you'll study them carefully."

"If you don't understand something, you can ask me, or ask Tsunade."

Before Nawaki could respond, Tsunade complained, "Grandma! I'm not a little girl anymore!"

Uzumaki Mito smiled indulgently. "All right, all right. Our little Tsunade has grown into a fine young lady."

"Grandma!"

When Nawaki saw his older sister and grandmother starting to bicker, he swallowed the thank-you he'd been about to say.

Nawaki might be a bit timid, but Tokiju wasn't. He immediately cut in, "Come on, Sis. Grandma got us both gifts for entering the Academy. Where's yours?"

Tsunade immediately shrank back and fell silent.

What could she say? She couldn't exactly admit she hadn't prepared a gift. She didn't have much money.

And where had it gone? Don't ask.

Seeing this, Tokiju immediately realized she hadn't prepared anything, so he pressed his advantage. "No way! Nawaki and I are your own flesh and blood!"

"We're about to leave home to study, and you, our big sister, didn't even prepare us a little gift?"

"Sigh... The love between us is gone."