My Grandfather Is Hashirama

Outside Konoha.

Diejian was covered in dirt, wood shavings, and leaves.

Hidden in the bushes, he glared at Tobirama's back with bloodshot eyes.

This was absurd. A boy who dreamed of becoming the Pirate King had been reincarnated as the Hokage's own grandson.

Over the years, he had bided his time and gathered information.

Based on what he knew, the biggest obstacle to inheriting his grandfather's Hokage Position was Senju Tobirama.

Just being next in line? What was that if not a free pass?

According to the theory of bloodline, if the grandfather was strong, then the grandson would be strong too.

Hashirama was stronger than Madara.

Madara was stronger than Tobirama.

I'm Hashirama's grandson.

So I'm stronger than Tobirama.

After crunching the numbers, Diejian figured his chances were pretty good.

He quietly gripped the Kunai at his waist and widened his eyes, not letting a single opening in Tobirama's stance escape him. He looked downright unhinged.

"Gyaaaah! Great-Granduncle!!"

Diejian's shout was disorienting, but his terrifying expression was enough to make anyone who saw him faint.

Tobirama just stood there, his back to him.

Just as Diejian was about to crash into him, Tobirama crouched down to tie his shoelace.

Diejian tripped.

His momentum sent him tumbling through the air.

Tobirama stood up and kicked Diejian square in the butt with the toe of the shoe he'd just tied, putting all his strength into it.

"AAAHHH!!"

The lightning-fast jolt that shot through his backside made Diejian scream. The forest trembled slightly.

Diejian skidded face-first across the ground, his face smeared with dirt and tears, his lower lip clenched between his teeth.

"I'll kill you!!!!!"

He lay facedown, clutching his butt and trying to bear the pain, but Tobirama gave him no time to recover. He formed the Tiger Seal.

"Konoha's secret Taijutsu ultimate technique: One Thousand Years of Death!!"

"GAAAHHH!!"

With every kind of fluid running down his face, Diejian rolled around, screaming as he endured the hellish pain—a sensation that was both numb and scorching.

He managed to make a soundless noise and crawled away from Tobirama like a caterpillar. But when he looked back, he saw Tobirama facing the air, making "whoosh, whoosh" motions and demonstrating Shadow One Thousand Years of Death.

Tobirama's expressionless performance of such bizarre behavior made him the very embodiment of terror to Diejian.

Tears streaming down his face, Diejian wondered why things had turned out this way.

...It all went back to that morning.

Early that morning.

Still drowsy, Diejian sat down at the dining table, where his grandmother Mito had prepared breakfast.

His parents were away on a mission, so only Diejian, his younger sister Tsunade, and their grandmother Mito, who had come to help out, were home.

Hashirama had wanted to spend time with his grandchildren, but the village officials had taken him away to patrol the village.

Mito had felt sorry for her husband when she saw his sad expression, but soon forgot all about it when she got to spend time with her grandchildren, Diejian and Tsunade.

Diejian held his messy hair without a care. It wasn't bedhead; his hair was naturally like that.

If you asked who he looked like, the answer was Tobirama—

Or, more accurately, Tobirama and Hashirama's mother.

His looks might have skipped a generation, since he looked exactly like Hashirama, but his hair seemed to have come from an even earlier generation.

The delicious smell of breakfast whetted Diejian's appetite, drawing him over to the table in a daze.

After saying, "Let's eat," Diejian stuffed his mouth full of fried egg.

The runny yolk smeared his cheek, and his younger sister Tsunade scolded him for his bad table manners.

"Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" she said as she wiped Diejian's face with a handkerchief.

Seeing Diejian and Tsunade start their meal, Mito smiled with satisfaction at the heartwarming morning scene and went to the kitchen to tidy up.

"Is Diejian here?"

"Pfft—!"

Tobirama suddenly appeared in front of Diejian and Tsunade as they were eating.

Diejian hurriedly checked himself for Flying Thunder God marks, while Tsunade was so startled that she spat out the miso soup she'd been drinking.

Diejian rushed over to help Tsunade, who was choking, patting her back as he stared at Tobirama in disbelief. Tobirama, however, looked completely unconcerned.

"You were eating. Sorry for the trouble."

Tobirama apologized in a flat voice.

"...Great-great-uncle... Next time, use the front door!"

Finally done coughing, Tsunade yelled as she wiped down the table and cleaned up the mess.

Hearing the commotion, Mito came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

She blinked in confusion when she saw Tobirama in the living room, wondering why he'd come so early and when he'd arrived.

Tobirama nodded in greeting.

"Sister-in-law, I'd like to borrow Diejian for a while."

"Huh?"

Diejian was the one who was surprised.

He paused with his bowl of miso soup halfway to his mouth, his eyes darting between Tobirama and Mito.

Tsunade had already started retreating with her rice bowl, lamenting her brother's pitiful fate and bracing herself for what might happen next.

Mito tilted her head in confusion.

She knew Diejian was rather intimidated by Tobirama, but he had officially become Tobirama's student not long ago, so there was nothing wrong with lending him out.

But she'd heard that Tobirama was soon going to Kirigakure as an envoy, now that it had a new leader.

Was he planning to get Diejian through all his lessons ahead of time before leaving?

Seeing Mito's question, Tobirama nodded as if it were obvious.

A bad feeling rose in Diejian's gut.

That old bastard Tobirama had been coveting his grandfather's Hokage Position for ages.

When it came to training him, he really did work him to the bone.

If Diejian didn't strike first, Tobirama would surely send a young man like him to his grave.

Diejian's bad feeling was right.

Tobirama said, "Since I won't be able to teach you for a while, I'll be supervising your training in person for the next few days, starting today."

I knew it! Grandma, save me!

"Sure, off you go," Mito said cheerfully, handing Diejian over.

"I object—"

But before Diejian could finish protesting, Tobirama touched him, and the two of them vanished from the Senju Residence.

Tsunade, still eating her white rice, felt sorry for Diejian but could only pray for his safe return.

She lamented her brother's misfortune, so cruelly toyed with by fate. Three seconds later, she forgot all about it as she savored the fried egg filling her mouth.

Like grandmother, like granddaughter.

By the time Diejian realized what had happened, he was already in the forest. He knew Tobirama had kidnapped him.

Diejian tried to save himself, calling out in an affectionate voice, "Great-Granduncle, I haven't had breakfast yet~"

"Call me Lord Tobirama."

Tobirama frowned at that, looking like a mischievous middle-aged man.

In political settings and matters of state, Tobirama was a shrewd leader. But in private, he actually had a good sense of humor. He could joke around and was a reasonable person, too.

Tobirama exhaled and folded his arms. Then he said something ominous. "I was planning to bring you here before you ate..."

Diejian sensed that something bad was waiting for him. Cold sweat broke out on his back, and he looked up at the sky, wishing he could go straight home.

"Diejian. You've learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, but you've been focusing only on ninjutsu, haven't you?"

Tobirama's sharp eyes narrowed further at Diejian's response, which was to break out in a cold sweat.

When Diejian had first become Tobirama's official student, the first technique Tobirama taught him was the Shadow Clone Technique.

The Shadow Clone Technique had one drawback: a clone disappeared if it took damage. But if the user dispelled it voluntarily, the clone's memories returned to the original.

Used well, this was a very useful ability.

For example, you could create Shadow Clones and train in parallel, doubling or tripling your efficiency.

It was because the technique was so convenient that Tobirama had chosen it as the first one to formally teach Diejian. But it had an even more advanced form.

That was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

It was a relatively simple technique that created a large number of Shadow Clones, each sharing the user's Chakra.

But because of how it worked, people with little Chakra would grow weak if they used it. In the worst case, it could even kill them, making it extremely dangerous.

Despite being relatively easy to learn, it had been designated a Forbidden Jutsu. Still, anyone who could use the Shadow Clone Technique could easily use it, too.

Diejian had completely ignored Tobirama's warning not to use it until he could control the Shadow Clone Technique well. He had immediately demonstrated the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

But Diejian was just an immature child with a good bloodline.

His awareness of his own talent only made him more difficult.

Overconfident in his Chakra reserves, he created a number of clones close to the limit, instantly filling the largest training hall in the Senju Residence.

Seeing Diejian's clones burst through the hall's paper doors like an avalanche, Tsunade screamed, but Diejian was too busy to care.

Afraid they would be crushed to death, Tobirama escaped the hall in an instant with the Flying Thunder God Technique. From outside, he quickly dispelled Diejian's unconscious clones one by one, rescuing the original.

After being rescued, Diejian had grown weak from creating more clones than his body could handle. He couldn't get out of bed for some time.

When Hashirama and Tsunade heard what had happened, they worried that he might be in danger. Once they found out he was fine, one burst out laughing, while the other was too dejected to speak.

They said that Tobirama had been more genuinely frantic than ever before. As if to prove it, he even used Genjutsu to give Diejian a severe scolding, warning him never to disobey Tobirama's instructions again.

Perhaps thanks to all that effort, Diejian recovered without a hitch and mastered both the Shadow Clone Technique and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Whenever he had free time, he used Shadow Clones to practice ninjutsu over and over.

Since Diejian had followed Tobirama's instructions, Tobirama wasn't all that angry. But there was one problem he couldn't ignore.

"How's your Taijutsu, kid?"

Diejian fell silent. But his expression was clearly flustered, especially the way his eyes darted wildly from side to side.

That was right.

Diejian had been having so much fun learning ninjutsu with Shadow Clones that he'd completely slacked off on Taijutsu training.

Tobirama was speechless and wanted to facepalm, but he couldn't do that in front of his student. Keeping his expression blank, he stared at Diejian.

Unable to withstand Tobirama's blank stare, Diejian blurted out:

"Today, I'm going to train you properly. I, Senju Tobirama, will personally oversee your training."

The trees in the forest suddenly shook.

It was the pressure of Tobirama's Chakra that made the entire forest tremble.

The astonishing impact made Diejian suck in a breath. He froze with fear.

Senju Tobirama.

He was a man who had made his name during the Warring States Period.

One of the strongest shinobi.

A genius creator of techniques, he had developed many ninjutsu that would go down in history, including the Shadow Clone Technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation.

Though he had a scholarly side, he was not only brilliant but physically extraordinary as well. His movements were said to be the fastest of all shinobi.

The Senju Brothers of the forest were famous throughout the Shinobi World as mighty warriors. Now that Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had died in their battle, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Tobirama the second-strongest shinobi in the world.

The pressure radiating from Tobirama was overwhelming. For an average shinobi, simply facing him would be enough to leave them unable to move.

Even though Diejian had become his student, it wasn't easy to get used to.

"Still, I don't have time to waste."

The pressure abruptly vanished.

Diejian slumped down and let out a sigh.

The relief of being freed from Tobirama's crushing pressure soothed him immensely.

Now, he felt he could handle even the pressure of an average shinobi as easily as a breeze.

Apparently satisfied with the imposing display he'd given Diejian, Tobirama's expression brightened, too.

He formed Hand Seals with an easygoing expression.

Diejian recognized the Shadow Clone Technique.

A puff of smoke appeared, and Tobirama's clone emerged.

Diejian's question—why a Shadow Clone?—was answered at once.

"From here on, you'll fight my Shadow Clone as if you're trying to kill it. If you can defeat it, you pass. Until then, you stay right here."

Tobirama's sudden announcement.

Diejian's eyes widened, and he screamed at Tobirama not to be ridiculous.

He'd just been shown the difference in their strength.

His confidence had already been crushed, and he'd even been about to start addressing Tobirama as "Lord Tobirama."

The shock of the announcement blew that thought right out of his mind.

Diejian begged Tobirama to reconsider, but Tobirama shook his head and refused to hear it.

A heavy sense of despair settled over Diejian's heart.

Diejian suggested using Shadow Clones for Taijutsu training too, but because they were so fragile, Shadow Clones weren't suited to intensive Taijutsu practice.

After all, it was only natural for one to disappear after taking a single punch.

"For ninjutsu, you can practice Hand Seals, shape transformation, and nature transformation with Shadow Clones. But Taijutsu is different. You can only improve through steady, hard work."

Faced with Tobirama's thoroughly sound reasoning, Diejian had nothing to say.

Just as he was racking his brain for a way to escape, Tobirama seemed satisfied with his reaction and nodded.

"Besides, I'm not a monster. My Shadow Clone won't use ninjutsu this time. Of course, I won't use Flying Thunder God or the Body Flicker Technique, either."

Diejian thought that maybe there was still hope, but then he remembered Tobirama's nickname and felt dizzy all over again.

What difference did it make if he didn't use ninjutsu?

The Senju Clan was a family that wielded its own powerful physique as a weapon.

Even without ninjutsu, Tobirama was sure to be formidable.

Diejian gave a helpless laugh, but Tobirama seemed to think he'd "accepted it." He said, "I'll leave the rest to you," and patted his Shadow Clone on the shoulder.

"Well then, Diejian. I'll use Flying Thunder God to head back."

Diejian's desperate plea of "Wait!" was futile. Tobirama disappeared.

All that remained was Diejian, sprawled on the ground as if he'd been beaten senseless, and Tobirama's clone, looking down at him sympathetically.

But there was no time to dawdle. Tobirama's Shadow Clone signaled the start.

After that, whether Diejian tried to run or hide, Tobirama's Shadow Clone doggedly targeted his backside. As the long hours wore on, Diejian felt something inside him gradually wear away.

In the end, he began fighting Tobirama's Shadow Clone with murderous intent.

While Diejian struggled against Tobirama's Shadow Clone, Tobirama watched him from the shade of a tree.

He hadn't used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the village.

He'd teleported to a marked spot some distance away, so he could observe Diejian from afar.

As a direct male descendant of the Senju Clan, Diejian was the Hokage's grandson.

Tobirama believed the hardships awaiting Diejian in the years to come would be no less than those Hashirama and Tobirama themselves had faced.

Sooner or later, when he formally inherited leadership of the Senju Clan—or perhaps even before then—Diejian would become a target.

Even Hashirama, widely known as a doting grandfather, didn't believe that the current peace would last forever.

Of course, Hashirama and Tobirama were staking their lives on politics to ensure the peace endured as long as possible. But how long could it truly last—

Though Uchiha Madara had disappeared, those who sought to carry on his will were still lurking within the Uchiha Clan.

The village system had only existed for a short time. No one knew what might happen in the future: betrayal by other villages, internal rebellion, or something else entirely.

In such a crisis, Diejian—the grandson of the man who founded the village and a direct descendant of the strongest clan in the Shinobi World—would likely be thrust into the eye of the storm, whatever form it took.

If Hashirama and Tobirama were still alive, they would want Diejian to live as he pleased. But no matter how strong they were, Hashirama and Tobirama were only human. They couldn't live forever.

Hashirama, who seemed superhuman even to his younger brother Tobirama, was one thing. But Tobirama himself had already begun to feel the "slowing down" that came with age.

Time was limited.

Hashirama was generous and had a natural charisma that drew people to him, but he tended to spoil his own family and wasn't used to being strict with them.

So, to nurture the next generation and protect Diejian himself, he needed a teacher who wouldn't hesitate to be strict.

That was what Tobirama thought.

"But... even if it's my Shadow Clone, isn't this a little excessive...?"

Watching his Shadow Clone relentlessly attack the battered Diejian, Tobirama felt a little uneasy.

Sure enough, after a full day of sparring, Diejian finally reached his limit and collapsed, motionless.

Tobirama dispelled his Shadow Clone and landed beside Diejian.

He fed the exhausted, sleeping Diejian a Military Ration Pill, hoisted him onto his back, and silently disappeared into the forest.