A Big Brother's "Love" for His Little Brother

"Hiugo made it in just like that?"

"When Big Brother's in his room, Second Brother can't even get in. Hiugo was able to get pulled inside by Second Brother, so maybe they're close in age and have more to talk about. That's friendship."

"But we're brothers. Shouldn't that be family affection?"

"You're still young, so it's normal that you don't understand. Family can be friends, too."

"He's only a year older than me. What's so special about that?"

"Isn't Tobirama only a year older than me, too? Why do you admire him so much?"

"That's different. You're a kid, and Second Brother's a cool ninja."

Hashirama and Itama whispered to each other. When they saw their two older brothers come out of the room, they hurriedly covered their mouths.

Compared to their eldest brother Hashirama, their second brother Tobirama had more authority. They couldn't help feeling guilty about discussing someone behind his back.

"What are you two... doing?" Tobirama asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Based on my experience, they were probably talking about you, Tobirama."

Hiugo glanced at the pair and grinned mischievously.

"It wasn't about Second Brother. Hashirama and I were discussing some little problems with our training," Itama said quickly.

"What problems? I'll help you solve them," Tobirama said calmly.

Itama and Hashirama exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes:

At a time like this, we have to rely on the unspoken understanding between brothers. Don't let me down, Hashirama.

You're the one who'd better not let me down, Itama.

They spoke at the same time:

"How can I use the Substitution Technique faster?"

"How can I make my Clone Technique more realistic?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

After a brief silence, Tobirama said calmly, "One is a matter of practice, and the other is about Chakra control. It seems you've been slacking off in your training lately. When I get back, I'll use ninjutsu to whip you into shape."

Itama and Hashirama immediately turned to Hiugo with mournful faces, hoping he could change their fate.

Hiugo nodded. "Tobirama, that's not right..."

A hopeful light appeared in the eyes of the two little Senju. Their brother from outside really was useful at crucial moments.

"How about we take one each? That'll be more effective, and it'll be faster to teach them."

"..."

They'd thought he was reinforcements, but he turned out to be the enemy. Tears of sorrow welled in the eyes of the two little Senju.

Tobirama and Hiugo went to the training ground. To put it simply, it was a wide-open space surrounded by trees, with a lake in the middle for practicing Water Walking.

"The new technique is called Water Release: Water Severing Wave. The Hand Seals are Rat, Rooster, Snake. The key is controlling your Chakra. Otherwise, it'll either fail, lack power, or be difficult to control and end up hurting you."

As he spoke, Tobirama formed the Hand Seals. Then he pressed his palms together and spat out a stream of water that sliced through a line of trees like a blade.

Since he'd only just developed the technique and was still a young Tobirama, its power naturally couldn't match the future Impure World Reincarnation Tobirama's ability to sever the God Tree's roots. Still, it was more than enough for anyone below a clan leader's level.

Especially for the two of them, who were still Chunin. It made up for Water Release's lack of single-target damage.

Tobirama tossed him a scroll. "These are my notes on training this technique. If you can't figure it out, you can refer to them."

"Thanks," Hiugo said, taking it without hesitation.

Tobirama suddenly put some distance between them and formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"What's this?"

"It's been a while since I've fought. I'll teach you the technique, and you can be my target."

Hiugo nodded. Learning a technique and sparring with someone was no big deal, so he formed the Seal of Confrontation, too.

The two watched each other until a drop of water slid down one of the freshly cut trees. The instant it hit the ground, they charged at each other.

Their arms collided, and Chakra burst from their bodies, sending a gust of wind through the clearing.

A hint of surprise crept into Tobirama's voice. From that clash, he'd realized that Hiugo now surpassed him by a wide margin not only in strength but in Chakra reserves as well. Just over ten days ago, they'd been about evenly matched. How had Hiugo improved so much?

Hiugo smiled faintly and thought to himself:

You have your brains. I have my cheat.

The benefits of absorbing his clansmen's bloodlines had begun to show over the past ten days.

Perhaps it was because he'd absorbed the bloodline of Senju Kazama, an elite Jōnin. Hiugo had awakened not only Earth Release Chakra but Wind Release as well.

Now he had all five Chakra natures—Water, Lightning, Fire, Earth, and Wind—along with the Sharingan, which represented "yin," and his own Sage Body, which represented "yang."

With all of them gathered, Hiugo's Chakra reserves had surged. At this rate, in less than a week he'd be able to break through from Chunin to Special Jōnin.

Since Tobirama was trying to recover his strength, he didn't put any distance between them. Instead, he switched to another style of Taijutsu. They clashed, then quickly separated, leaving Hiugo no chance to bring his strength to bear.

The longer they fought, the more familiar Hiugo became with the style. He called out:

"Uchiha Style Taijutsu!"

The Senju and Uchiha had been fighting each other for who knew how long. Each side had picked up a thing or two from the other.

But ordinary people wouldn't bother learning the other clan's techniques. Both clans' Taijutsu had been tempered by the battlefield and suited their own people best. Learning the other clan's style offered little practical benefit outside of research.

For example, Tobirama used Uchiha Style Taijutsu. He briefly gained the upper hand, but Hiugo found an opening and kicked him away. Three Kunai followed close behind.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

After three clashes, Tobirama landed with a Kunai in each hand.

"Don't you usually throw a whole bunch of Explosive Tags? Why didn't you use any this time?"

"I didn't bring any Explosive Tags for training. The ones meant for war are better saved for the Uchiha. Want to keep going?"

"No need. A ninjutsu match would take too much time."

"That's enough?"

"A little exercise is all I need. I don't want my body getting rusty."

Tobirama put away his Kunai, a trace of worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I was thinking about what will happen when Itama and Hashirama have to go to war. They're too innocent. The battlefield isn't the right place for them..."

"Unfortunately, Father won't let his children hide in the clan compound."

Hiugo fell silent. He knew their fates better than Tobirama did: in the end, they wouldn't even be able to find Itama's body. Hashirama's body would still be there, but before he died, he'd been filled with despair...

As clan leader, Butsuma's words, actions, and authority wouldn't allow his children to spend their days in safety inside the clan compound. That was why he sent his sons into battle to kill their enemies, only for them to die. It was also why the young Hashirama had argued with him.

Tobirama sighed. "Hiugo, we're lucky. We have talent, and we have the right personalities."

The Warring States era was called a cradle of geniuses. Countless ninjas had shone brightly in it, but very few geniuses grew into powerful shinobi. Besides natural talent, the key difference was their personalities.

Their personalities suited the battlefield. By seizing every chance to survive, they'd managed to grow stronger in the end.

Hiugo thought for a moment, then said:

"I don't think teaching them ordinary ninjutsu will help much. We should teach them some 'Hiugo Style' thinking instead."

"You're sure that'll work?"

"Anyone can teach them ninjutsu. I'll first impress upon them how treacherous the battlefield is. As long as they remember that, they'll stay alert, even if they're innocent by nature."

"That makes some sense. How about this: you teach them how to think, and I'll teach them ninjutsu."

"Fine... I guess."

Tobirama thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you learned Sealing Jutsu?"

Hiugo raised an eyebrow. "You want to learn? Call me Third Brother."

"..."