Senju Kyogawa, the Child King

We shall not dwell on the severe sanctions Senju Hashirama faced for sneaking Senju Kyogawa to the casino that night.

In any case, following that incident, Senju Butsuma once again issued a stern order throughout the Senju clan: gambling was strictly prohibited.

Meanwhile, Senju Kyogawa was currently basking in the various forms of care and affection from his clansmen.

On the battlefield, Senju Kyogawa served as a medical ninja in the rear, treating the wounded and helping to increase the survival rate of the Senju clan's fighters, which allowed the Senju to maintain a firm upper hand in their current war against the Uchiha.

Senju Butsuma was practically grinning from ear to ear, wishing he could let the whole world know that he, Senju Butsuma, had finally bested Uchiha Tajima.

Of course, treating the wounded also brought Senju Kyogawa quite a few benefits.

First and foremost, Senju Kyogawa gained a massive amount of Cuddle Points and Healing Jutsu experience.

Secondly, Senju Kyogawa's reputation within the Senju clan was improving by the day; almost no one mentioned how he had once been viewed as a monster.

Added to this was the exceptional flair Senju Kyogawa had displayed at the casino—devising strategies at the table and winning a fortune—which made him highly sought after by the gambling-addicted members of the Senju clan.

Furthermore, Senju Kyogawa was so exquisitely beautiful, like a doll carved from white jade, that even the neighboring Uchiha clan didn't have many children who could surpass him in looks, and people naturally loved all things beautiful.

Consequently, Senju Kyogawa had become something of a mascot within the Senju clan.

He was doted on by the lucky grandparents who had lived to their fifties or sixties, cherished by the young adult ninjas on the battlefield for his Healing Jutsu, and respected as a big brother by the group of children below him.

Yes, Senju Kyogawa was currently doing quite well among the younger generation of the Senju clan, and the reason for this could be traced back to that one day—

Senju Kyogawa was at the central farmland, checking on the growth of his crops.

Those few days were the hottest of the summer, and as the temperature climbed toward noon, Senju Kyogawa worked the fields alone, his face flushed bright red from the sun.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, straightened his back, and rubbed his aching waist and shoulders.

Looking at the vast expanse of weeds still covering the remaining land, he couldn't help but feel troubled.

For a five-year-old body, such high-intensity labor was still a bit of a stretch.

Even after working for several hours, Senju Kyogawa had only cleared a small portion; the efficiency was simply abysmal.

It was too exhausting.

Senju Kyogawa sat directly on the ground, hands on his hips, panting as he complained.

"Little Kyogawa! It's time for lunch, why are you sitting there?" A tall man noticed Senju Kyogawa sitting in the field and walked over.

Senju Kyogawa squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, and finally made out the man calling to him from afar.

It was Senju Mui, Senju Toka's cousin. Senju Kyogawa often saw him around Senju Butsuma, and he had already harvested quite a few Cuddle Points from him.

"I'm weeding!" Senju Kyogawa cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back to Senju Mui.

"Weeding? So you're clearing out the weeds... but what are you growing in this field? I've never seen seedlings like these before..." By now, Senju Mui had walked closer, observing the potato patch where Senju Kyogawa was sitting, and asked with a puzzled expression.

"This field is for potatoes, a crop that can yield five thousand per mu. Potatoes can be steamed, stir-fried, boiled..." Senju Kyogawa explained to Senju Mui with a look of disdain that clearly said, "You don't even know this?"

As a "potato lover," the mere thought of all the various potato dishes he had eaten in his past life made Senju Kyogawa swallow hard.

Senju Mui gave him a strange look, clearly not believing a word of it and assuming the child was just spouting nonsense. He said:

"I've never heard of a crop that can yield five thousand per mu."

However, he then grinned and encouraged Senju Kyogawa: "Keep it up, little Kyogawa!"

"If these potatoes really can yield five thousand, we'll be able to take on fewer missions! Hahahaha!"

"I will! You'll be able to eat them by this autumn!"

Since he had already made such a bold claim, Senju Kyogawa had no reason to give up.

But these fields were simply too large; what was he to do?

Missions in the clan territory had increased over those few days, and with both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama away on assignments, there were very few adult ninjas left in the village, leaving Senju Kyogawa with no one to ask for help.

Thus, Senju Kyogawa told a few of the Senju "little sprouts" around his age that he was going to farm.

The young ninjas, who had never farmed before, were very curious about it, so they all went to the central farmland together.

Of course, upon arriving, some of the young ninjas didn't understand why Senju Kyogawa would do such a thing.

"Kyogawa-kun, why do you want to farm?" Senju Miwako asked Senju Kyogawa, looking confused.

Senju Miwako was two years older than Kyogawa, and because she was pretty and trained hard, most of the boys her age were fond of her.

"Let me think... once these crops are harvested, our moms, dads, brothers, and sisters won't have to go on missions anymore!" Senju Kyogawa tried his best to choose an explanation that even a child could understand.

Senju Miwako's eyes instantly lit up; clearly, Senju Kyogawa's explanation had successfully tempted her.

Furthermore, many of the children around them began to laugh happily.

At that moment, a boy next to Senju Miwako—Senju Yuya—said with disdain: "As a future ninja, Senju Kyogawa, you're actually here farming? How are you fit to be the clan leader's son!"

"Don't let Senju Kyogawa fool you, everyone! These crops will never grow!" Senju Yuya shouted loudly.

A few boys nearby began to whisper among themselves.

"My dad used to farm, it was so tiring, but the grain still wasn't enough to feed even him alone..."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that's the reason why the Senju clan chose to go out and take missions instead..."

"Could Kyogawa really be lying to us?"

Hearing the children around them begin to question Senju Kyogawa, the boy couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

"Kyogawa-kun isn't that kind of person! I believe in Kyogawa-kun!" Senju Miwako stood against the crowd, supporting Senju Kyogawa.

Seeing the girl he liked place such firm trust in Kyogawa, Senju Yuya's cheeks flushed red with anger, and he shouted at Kyogawa:

"I'm their leader! If you want us to help you, you have to beat me first!"

Senju Kyogawa looked at Senju Yuya with a hint of amusement; he could see right through the little boy's petty motives—he was just desperate to show off in front of the girl he liked.

Senju Kyogawa accepted Senju Yuya's challenge.

The result was—

The Water Style that Senju Yuya usually took such pride in before the other children turned into a stagnant puddle the moment it met Senju Kyogawa.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A tiny water dragon, only the size of two adult fists, was spat out by Senju Yuya.

Though the water dragon was small, it was fast, rushing toward Senju Kyogawa in the blink of an eye. However, as it neared him, the flames radiating from Senju Kyogawa's body evaporated it into steam, not even dampening his clothes.

Seeing this comical scene, the other children couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Senju Yuya's composure shattered instantly, and he pulled a kunai from his waist to stab at Senju Kyogawa.

Senju Kyogawa leaned backward to dodge the incoming kunai, then, using the agility of a five-year-old boy, he circled behind Senju Yuya and gave him a light kick.

Senju Yuya fell face-first onto the ground with a heavy thud, letting out a cry of pain.

From that moment on, Senju Kyogawa made a name for himself—among the children, at least—and successfully got them to help him pull weeds.

Ever since the battle between Senju Kyogawa and Senju Yuya, Kyogawa had reigned supreme, becoming the king of the children in the Senju clan.

Furthermore, through the children's gossip, the adults of the Senju clan learned of the so-called five-thousand-catty-per-mu potatoes, though they merely dismissed it as Senju Kyogawa's exaggeration and treated the whole affair as a joke.