Did You Win or Not

"Rebellious son, you still dare to run! Do you believe I won't beat your backside to a pulp?"

"Old man, I already won, yet you're still hitting me?"

"You still dare to bring that up!"

Five-year-old Senju Shugo was struck on the buttocks by a rattan cane, letting out a miserable shriek as he made intimate contact with the ground.

He felt quite aggrieved, squeezing out two tears in a desperate attempt to evoke some of that lost paternal love.

Senju Genma merely snorted, ignoring his son's wretched state; the cane was designed to sting, not to cause any real harm to his rebellious son.

He had been quite satisfied with this child previously, as the boy was willing to learn and spent time training.

Although the phase where he wanted to buy balloons to develop ninjutsu had made him feel the boy was neglecting his proper studies for trivialities, he was generally quite pleased.

Today, he returned from the battlefield and heard the news that his son had defeated Tobirama. He was initially quite happy, thinking his own cub had inherited the style he possessed back in the day.

That was until the reporting ninja's expression grew increasingly bizarre. Only after persistent questioning did he understand the specific sequence of events:

Initially, Tobirama and Shugo were evenly matched. Both had exhausted their Chakra and resorted to a taijutsu duel. After a brief exchange, Shugo unleashed two taijutsu techniques:

Taijutsu Secret Art: Monkey Steals the Peach

Taijutsu Secret Art: One Thousand Years of Death

Tobirama had never seen such taijutsu before. Because the Senju-style taijutsu was open and aggressive, he failed to react in time. The resulting injuries and the shock left his state of mind unstable, leading to his eventual defeat.

Had he won? Naturally, he had won, but it would have been better if he hadn't. Senju Genma felt he had lost all face. How would others view this? It would inevitably be seen as a failure on his part as a father.

How could a five-year-old child possibly know such low-down, dirty moves?

"Rebellious son, get up and go apologize to Tobirama."

"A winner apologizing to the loser? Old man, I think you..."

Swish, swish. The rattan cane lashed out twice in front of Shugo, leaving marks on the ground.

Shugo immediately scrambled to his feet:

"Ahem, a great man knows when to bend and when to stretch. Isn't it just an apology? I'll go, I'll go."

Senju Genma nodded in satisfaction and took his child toward Tobirama's residence.

Because Tobirama was still young, he lived with his brothers and his father, Senju Butsuma. Senju Butsuma was the current patriarch of the Senju Clan.

Naturally, as someone capable of sparring with Tobirama, Shugo's father, Senju Genma, held a position of no small significance.

Genma was Butsuma's younger brother and the second of the three great elders beneath the patriarch. The only reason he wasn't the first elder was due to adjustments made by the previous patriarch to maintain a balance of power within the Senju Clan.

As a member of the patriarch's lineage, Senju Genma had done one other thing: he had changed his child's name.

At some point, a tradition had been left behind in the Senju Clan: only those with "ma" in their name were eligible to inherit the position of patriarch. Furthermore, not all Senju ninja had the right to name children; only the three great elders and the patriarch held that authority.

Originally, Senju Shugo should have been named Senju Shuma, but Genma changed the name later to signal that he had no interest in the position of patriarch. Consequently, the households of Genma and Butsuma actually got along quite well.

When Senju Butsuma saw the two arrive, there was no sign of anger on his face; instead, he smiled and gestured for them to sit.

Although Shugo hated sitting in the kneeling position, the other party was the patriarch, so he had to behave himself.

Under his father's gaze, Shugo feigned a loud voice:

"Patriarch, I have come here today specifically to apologize to Tobirama."

Senju Butsuma smiled:

"Why do you need to apologize? Is it because you won against Tobirama? Or because you caused Tobirama to be injured?"

Before Shugo could answer, Senju Butsuma continued:

"You did nothing wrong. On the battlefield, even if you win using dishonorable means, a win is still a win."

"To win is to live. To lose is to die."

Saying these things to a five-year-old child—you really are a maniac, Shugo muttered to himself, though he nodded repeatedly in agreement on the surface.

Senju Butsuma looked at his younger brother, his tone flat yet brooking no argument:

"Genma, Shugo is a very good child. Since you don't have time to teach him properly, why not have him study alongside Tobirama?"

Senju Genma thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. It would be a good way to cultivate his rebellious son's character and prevent him from coming up with any more strange ideas.

Shugo had no right to resist, and this minor matter was settled on the spot.

After Genma and Shugo left, Butsuma opened another room and walked to Tobirama's bedside: "Did you hear what was said just now?"

"I heard, Father."

Lying on the bed, Tobirama's expression was somewhat gloomy, but he replied respectfully.

"Those words were meant for him, but they were also meant for you. Tobirama, you only have one life; once it's gone, it's gone."

"I understand, Father."

"Although Shugo does things in a strange way, he also has aspects worth learning from. Starting tomorrow, he will study with you, and you will also learn from him."

Tobirama frowned slightly, but in the end, he nodded.

Senju Genma didn't take Hiugo back home. His identity made things difficult, and since the Senju Clan Compound was already safe, he decided to let the rebellious son go back by himself.

As Hiugo walked, he recalled Tobirama's dumbfounded expression and thought to himself, "No matter what, I've defeated a Forbidden Jutsu Master now."

He remembered being held by his father and shuttled through ninjutsu right after he transmigrated, and he already knew it was the Naruto World.

He thought he could develop stealthily by relying on his memories and the plot, but he never expected his father to be a Senju! This surname didn't offer as much security as the Uchiha surname. In the plot he knew, the Senju Clan either weakened or perished.

It wasn't until later, when his father held him and he saw the white-haired Tobirama Senju, that he realized he had been wrong. The good news was that the Senju Clan was still powerful. The bad news was that he had arrived in the Warring States period.

What was the use of knowing the plot? The plot hadn't even begun.

The Senju Clan was indeed formidable, with the future God of Shinobi and Forbidden Jutsu Master among them. They even founded Konoha as elders.

But in the current Warring States period, these two had not yet grown up, and their younger brother would die a few years later. Adhering to the principle of relying on oneself rather than others, Hiugo understood that only through training could he survive.

Hiugo pushed open the door, and a scroll lay quietly on the table.

Senju Genma was very busy. As the second elder, he had many things to do, so his way of showing care was simple: give money, give ninjutsu, buy whatever he wanted, buy whatever he lacked...

Frankly speaking, Senju Genma gave him more money than all other children his age combined.

Perhaps for a child, a life without a father's companionship is incomplete, but for a transmigrator, a father who is often away and provides money and ninjutsu is a wonderful existence.

"It's a shame that cultivating the Rasengan is completely unrealistic."

Hiugo expressed his regret. In the current Warring States era, there was no way to have so many "useless" things. Moreover, Tobirama, who invented the Shadow Clone Jutsu, was still a kid like himself.

"In the future, it's better to run far away when the two 'Gundams' clash. In the meantime, it's appropriate to maintain a good relationship with Tobirama."

Hiugo knew well that in this world of bloodlines, the closer one's bloodline was to their ancestors, the stronger they were. The Senju's Wood Style and the Uchiha's Sharingan were both manifestations of returning to one's ancestral origins.

When Senju Hashirama later summoned the Wood Golem and Uchiha Madara activated Susanoo, they would surpass ordinary ninjas.

As for himself, awakening Wood Style was a distant prospect. Currently, his Chakra reserves were similar to Tobirama's at the same age, and his future potential would be lower than this Forbidden Jutsu Master's, as he invented ninjutsu after ninjutsu, each designed to counter the Uchiha.

"A cheat, a golden finger, anything would do!"

Hiugo grumbled, then quietly began his studies and training for the day. Since it was already late evening upon his return and he would be learning from Tobirama tomorrow, he went to bed early for his own well-being.