Those Two Little Troublemakers at Home

Outside the warehouse of the Senju clan compound in Konoha, two children stood. The older boy was talking incessantly to the little girl who stood a head shorter than him.

"Don't let the name 'village' fool you; it's essentially a military camp for the Land of Fire," the boy gestured wildly. "But ninjas have to live their lives, too. It's only when they bring their families along that the place starts to feel like a home."

He pointed into the distance. "Look out from here—all of Konoha looks quite grand, doesn't it? The territory is as big as a city. And it hasn't been built for many years; it was established by the two most powerful clans working together."

The little girl blinked, and the boy grew even more enthusiastic. "As for those two clans, one is the Uchiha, the ones whose eyes turn red. The other is our own, the Senju."

He patted his chest. "We don't have those flashy bloodline limits, but our clansmen are tough, our chakra is endless, and we're proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu alike. If you really want to get down to it, the Senju clan is the all-around type."

Tsunade tilted her head. Senju Hibari crouched down and lowered his voice. "Actually, the reason both clans are called the strongest is that our ancestors were once gods. Even though the blood has thinned by our generation, we still retain something special."

He suddenly grinned. "If this were the world next door, nobody would dare make a peep if you went around saying you were a descendant of gods."

"So," Hibari changed the subject, "it's only reasonable that our family occupies a prime spot in the village, right? Besides, the current Hokage is our Great-Grandfather. Is it really that strange for the Hokage to have a few privileges?"

He poked Tsunade on the shoulder. "If the Hokage has privileges, his own family should get to enjoy some of the benefits. What's more..." the boy intentionally drew out his tone, "you are the 'Princess' officially named by the Daimyo, a proper princess, Princess Tsunade! What does opening a warehouse seal matter? Who would dare say anything to you?"

The little girl being led astray was none other than the little princess of the Senju clan, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. And the one spouting all this nonsense was the protagonist of this book, Senju Hibari.

The Senju clan was once a sprawling family, but after the ravages of war, their numbers had dwindled significantly. Counting three generations back from Hibari, the old men hadn't survived to the present day.

The previous clan head, Senju Butsuma, had passed away before Hibari was born, and other elders had sacrificed themselves one after another. Now, the person with the highest seniority in the clan was the current head, Senju Hashirama.

Tsunade was Hashirama's direct granddaughter, while Hibari came from the branch of Senju Butsuma's brothers. In terms of legitimate bloodlines, Hibari was indeed a step behind.

However, the current head, Grandfather Hashirama, was open-minded and didn't care for those old rules. Plus, with only these two saplings left in the Senju clan, there was no point in distinguishing between the main and branch families.

Hibari was born a few years before Tsunade. By then, the Warring States period had just ended, Konoha had just been established, and the entire clan was hoping for a stable life. The birth of the third-generation eldest son was a heartening event.

Therefore, Hibari was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and because he was precocious, he was very doted upon by the clansmen. The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, practically raised him like his own son; even his name was chosen by Tobirama himself.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. A few years later, Tsunade was born, and the true little princess of the Senju clan arrived. Hibari's exclusive share of affection was naturally split in half.

But to say Hibari was jealous of Tsunade because of that would be an exaggeration. He was someone who had lived two lives, after all; how could he really compete with a little brat? Besides, this little girl was cute and lively, which was indeed endearing.

However, he did have a bit of a "mischievous streak"—occasionally teasing her or making her take the fall for harmless trouble. For instance, right now, he was tricking the young Tsunade into breaking the seal on Second Grandfather Senju Tobirama's warehouse.

As for why he was interested in that warehouse? Did he even need to ask? Who was Senju Tobirama?

He was the ninja world's recognized inventor of forbidden jutsus; aside from Water Style, everything he held in his hands was dangerous. The materials he used and the scrolls he recorded while tinkering with those strange and bizarre jutsus were all kept in that warehouse. Who wouldn't be curious?

What if they actually found some treasure inside?

"Brother Hibari, what is this world next door you were talking about? What are Celestial Dragons? Are our ancestors really descendants of gods?"

Tsunade held a casino chip in her hand, flipping it back and forth, her dark eyes blinking as she looked at Hibari. "Does that mean I'm a little fairy?"

Hibari glanced at the little girl, who had picked up a gambling habit from Grandfather Hashirama, and felt a headache coming on.

"Yes, yes, you're a little fairy, our family's little fairy," he coaxed. "But let's not worry about that for now. Be a good girl and help your brother get this seal off."

"But... this is Second Grandfather's warehouse," Tsunade wrinkled her small face, looking very hesitant. "If the seal is torn, Second Grandfather will definitely know, and both of us will get a beating!"

Hibari clicked his tongue internally. This little girl was getting smarter; she wasn't so easy to fool at just five or six years old. He would have to change tactics in the future.

"What are you afraid of?" He waved his hand, looking certain. "Second Grandfather and Grandfather Hashirama are at the Five Kage Summit; they won't be back for a while. Go ahead and do it, I'll take the blame if anything happens."

Tsunade tucked the chip into her pocket and stared at the paper talisman on the warehouse door, still looking worried.

"But I don't know how to break this seal..."

As soon as Hibari heard this, the corners of his mouth curled up.

"I've been studying it for several days," he said with a hint of pride. "This seal uses an even-numbered seal, and the pattern is simple. Perform the hand signs in the order of Shen, You, Xu, and Hai, then channel our Senju clan's bloodline, and it will be very easy to break."

"Channel the bloodline?" Tsunade's eyes widened. "Doesn't that mean I have to draw blood? That hurts!"

As she spoke, she took two steps back.

Hibari almost laughed out loud. This girl never made a peep when she climbed trees, fell down, fought, or scraped her skin, but now she knew how to cry about pain? Looking at the way her eyes were darting around, Hibari immediately understood—she was complaining that the reward wasn't enough!

"You little gambler..." he huffed. "Did you lose your allowance to Grandfather Hashirama again?"

Tsunade lowered her head, counting on her fingers, her voice small. "Just three hundred ryo... I'll definitely win it back next time..."

"Next time, huh." Hibari sighed helplessly, fished a few banknotes from his pocket, and handed them over. "Here, five hundred ryo. Let's get this straight: once you take the money, if Second Grandfather finds out about this later, you know who's taking the fall..."

Before he could finish, Tsunade had already snatched the banknotes and skillfully stuffed them into her pocket.

"Don't worry, Brother Hibari!" She patted her small chest, looking very loyal. "I will never sell you out!"

Seeing their practiced routine, it was clear this wasn't the first time they had done such "bad things."

As the little princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade's talent was indeed outstanding; otherwise, she wouldn't have become one of the "Legendary Sannin" later on, let alone the Fifth Hokage. Once Hibari explained the key points of breaking the seal, the little girl assumed a horse stance in front of the talisman quite professionally.

Faint chakra surged from her, her hands flying so fast they were a blur. Finally, she squeezed a drop of blood from her fingertip and pressed it onto the paper talisman—

The seal fell off lightly.

"Done!" Tsunade clapped her hands triumphantly, her chin held high as she looked at the talisman on the ground.

Hibari smiled, his gaze turning toward the warehouse door that was slowly swinging open.

"I see it..." he whispered, his eyes shining. "The gates of knowledge... are opening for me."

Meanwhile, in a ninja squad returning to Konoha, a carriage was swaying as it moved forward.

Senju Tobirama, who was talking with his elder brother Senju Hashirama, suddenly stopped mid-sentence. A faint, helpless smile appeared on his face, which was usually devoid of expression.

"Hmm? What is it, Tobirama?" Hashirama noticed his brother's anomaly and turned his head to ask.

"It's nothing," Tobirama shook his head, the trace of a smile still lingering. "It's just those two little troublemakers at home; I reckon they're causing me trouble again."

At the first light of dawn, Hibari was still wrapped in his quilt, feeling groggy, when the bedroom door was shoved open with a loud "clatter."

Before he could even open his eyes, a series of "thump-thump-thump" footsteps approached from far to near. Then, a crisp "Brother Hibari!" rang out, and a figure flew through the air, landing solidly on his stomach.

Even though Tsunade was only five or six and not very heavy, Hibari himself wasn't even ten yet. This sudden impact in his sleep nearly knocked the wind out of him, but fortunately, the Senju clan had sturdy constitutions, and he recovered after a couple of gasps.

"Ouch... Tsunade!" Hibari grimaced as he sat up and hauled the little girl who was still lying on him to the side. Watching Tsunade roll a couple of times before stopping, he rubbed his chest and complained, "What are you doing this early in the morning?"

Tsunade, having been tossed aside, wasn't annoyed; she patted her bottom and stood up, her eyes sparkling. "Brother Hibari! Great-Grandfather and Second Grandfather are back! They're drinking tea in the courtyard! You haven't seen them for a long time, don't you miss them?"

As soon as he heard that Grandfather Hashirama and Second Grandfather Tobirama were back, Hibari's remaining sleepiness vanished in an instant. But the moment he felt energized, his face fell again.

"You're still happy?" Hibari pressed his hands on Tsunade's small shoulders, looking serious. "Second Grandfather is definitely going to settle the score for the warehouse incident yesterday. We have to agree on this: that five hundred ryo wasn't for nothing. You know what to say later, right?"

That's right, they had snuck into Second Grandfather Tobirama's warehouse yesterday. As it turned out, there weren't any valuable treasures inside, just a bunch of miscellaneous items. Come to think of it, how could Second Grandfather keep important forbidden jutsu scrolls in a place that children could break into?

However, Hibari hadn't returned empty-handed. He had found a few old books containing some quite interesting knowledge, as well as some notes written by Second Grandfather.

What was troublesome was that they had found a note on the table, and the handwriting was clearly Second Grandfather Tobirama's:

"Hibari, I knew it would be you, you little brat, who would pick the lock and come in. A ninja must follow the rules. This seal isn't difficult, but it should be enough to keep you busy for a few days. So, by the time you see this note, I should be just about at the village gates. Since you dared to open the door, be prepared for a beating!"

Clearly, Second Grandfather had anticipated that a curious child like Hibari wouldn't be able to sit still before he left, so he had left a message to let him know everything was under control.

"Don't worry, Brother Hibari! I will never betray you!" Tsunade patted her small chest with a thud, acting very loyal.

"That's the spirit! Once we get past this, I'll treat you to takoyaki, all you can eat!" Hibari ruffled her hair in satisfaction.

What are little sisters for? Isn't it just to "fight side-by-side" in critical moments?

After coaxing Tsunade out of the room, Hibari quickly changed out of his pajamas. He had inherited the good features of the Senju clan: short, silver-white hair like his Second Grandfather, dark eyes, and a handsome face that made him quite likable.

Once dressed, Hibari looked at the casual coat hanging on the rack and touched his chin like a little adult. He hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to the black layered armor next to it—a gift from Grandfather Hashirama for his birthday last year.

The men of the Senju clan seemed to like this style. Grandfather Hashirama wore red, Second Grandfather Tobirama wore blue, and when it came to him, Grandfather had prepared a black set.

This armor was quite good, as it could be resized by a craftsman as he grew taller.