You Should Be Calling Me Uncle!

But reading was different. It meant learning an entire system, pondering the principles behind it, and even exploring all sorts of things you didn't know.

There was no way it could make your fists harder overnight like learning ninjutsu. It broadened your horizons, strengthened your foundations, and improved the kind of soft skills you couldn't see.

"But I'm clever," Hibari said smugly, giving his head a little shake. "When I study all this theory, I can look into ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and all that stuff at the same time.

"Lately, I've been looking for information on combining chakra natures to create a Kekkei Genkai. I figure, even if I can't get the hang of Great-Uncle Hashirama's Wood Release secrets, coming up with something like Scorch Release or Lava Release for myself wouldn't be too shabby, right?"

"You haven't even figured out what's on your plate, and you're already eyeing what's in the pot." Uzumaki Mito shook her head helplessly. "You have to take things one step at a time if you want to make steady progress.

"You haven't even sorted out the problems with your own Water Release, and you're already thinking about trying to develop a Kekkei Genkai. What am I supposed to do with you?"

Hibari made a face at her. "There's no time to waste, Grandma Mito. I've decided what direction to take for my first step. If you don't have any other instructions, I'm off to the village officials' office to get the key from Second Uncle..."

"I just praised you for not being impatient, and now you're showing your true colors." Uzumaki Mito laughed, then reminded him, "Also, that's not a village officials' office. Don't go saying things like that outside. Your Great-Uncle Hashirama is the village's Hokage, so you have to..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hibari cut in with a grin before she could finish. "Outside, I need to show Great-Uncle Hashirama and Second Uncle Tobirama plenty of respect. Don't worry, I know how to keep my mouth shut."

"Good. As long as you understand." Uzumaki Mito had only mentioned it in passing. She knew Hibari had a good head on his shoulders, so she naturally reached out and took her bundle. "Looking at you, if I keep holding you back, you'll be hopping mad in no time. Go on."

"Sure thing! Princess Tsunade, you behave and study hard with Grandma Mito. If you act up again, I'll deal with you when I get back..." Hibari said goodbye to Mito, then turned and "threatened" little Tsunade.

Before little Tsunade could talk back, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished in an instant.

Only after Hibari had disappeared did Uzumaki Mito murmur softly, "The Senju Clan's third-generation fledgling...?"

She whispered the words, then looked at little Tsunade, who was nestled in her arms with a clueless expression, and sighed softly once more. "Little Tsunade... There's a reason they call you a princess.

"Nothing good just falls into your lap... Our Senju Clan has reached a critical juncture."

"Grandma, what are you talking about?" Little Tsunade chewed on her finger, her tiny brows furrowed. She hadn't understood a word.

Little Tsunade's question pulled Uzumaki Mito from her thoughts. She rubbed Tsunade's head and smiled. "Nothing. When you get old, you start mulling over useless things. You young ones have it best. Nothing to worry about."

"Grandma isn't old," little Tsunade said cheerfully. "You look about the same age as my big sister!"

"Hehe, is that so?" Uzumaki Mito laughed. "I like the sound of that." Holding little Tsunade, she turned and walked away at an unhurried pace.

But her steps seemed heavier than usual, as if some invisible weight were pressing down on the Senju Clan's home.

The Hidden Leaf Village had only been established a few years ago, and many things were still missing.

Take the iconic Kage Rock, for instance. At the moment, it was nothing more than a craggy cliff face. As for Ichiraku Ramen, it didn't even exist yet.

The village's population was nowhere near as large as it would become later, either.

At this point, Konoha was still mostly made up of ninja clans living close together, with a small number of civilians mixed in. Since the Ninja Academy system hadn't been created yet, ordinary people had little chance of even learning about "ninjutsu."

Most civilians living in the village made their living by setting up ramen stalls, selling snacks, sewing clothes, or otherwise serving the ninja.

Every now and then, a civilian got lucky and was born with good talent. If a ninja happened to take an interest in them, they might be brought back and trained as a promising recruit.

Still, unless they happened to meet an exceptionally selfless teacher, civilian ninja had no access to the secret techniques the clans kept under lock and key.

This wasn't unique to Konoha. The whole Shinobi World was much the same, and none of the Five Great Nations could claim otherwise. This rigid "class structure" was quietly choking the Hidden Leaf Village.

Of course, as a member of the Senju Clan, one of the most powerful clans around, Hibari had no need to worry about such things. On the contrary, he was one of the beneficiaries, and he had no shortage of ninjutsu to learn.

Hibari also knew perfectly well that once Second Uncle officially took the Hokage's seat, reforms would follow. Being Hokage and being a "clan head" were worlds apart. Given Second Uncle's temperament, putting the village first was a certainty.

But as he walked along, Hibari suddenly stopped, as though a thought had tripped him up.

"If I follow this line of thinking..." He narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "If Second Uncle establishes a Ninja Academy and trains large numbers of civilians as ninja, wouldn't that take a bite out of all the big clans' shares? Even our Senju Clan would probably have to give something up..."

Before he could think the matter through, someone suddenly clapped him hard on the shoulder. The blow sent him stumbling, and he nearly lost his balance.

"Hibari! You finally decided to leave the house?" A young man with an ordinary face, but a bit of good looks, stood behind him and teased him with a cheerful grin. "What are you spacing out for? People are coming and going. Don't block the street."

Hibari turned around and saw who it was. His interest immediately waned, and he clicked his tongue. "I thought it was someone important... So it's Big Brother Hiruzen."

That was right. The man who looked not yet thirty was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen, the future successor to Second Uncle Tobirama and the Third Hokage of Konoha.

"Big Brother Hiruzen?" Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately protested. "I'm more than a dozen years older than you! Going by our families' generations, you should be calling me Uncle!"

"Fine, fine. Uncle Hiruzen. Happy now?" Hibari replied helplessly. "Why are you so eager to take advantage of me? And just so you know, I'm training under Second Uncle now, too. If you ask me, that makes us fellow disciples."

"Hm?" Sarutobi Hiruzen perked up at that. "You're really training under Teacher Tobirama now?"

"Of course," Hibari said, nodding as if it were obvious. "You should've guessed I was planning on it. Second Uncle has a little free time lately. Why wouldn't I hurry and join him? If I don't get moving, who knows when he'll be so busy I can't even catch a glimpse of him..."

"Hahaha! That's great news!" Sarutobi Hiruzen burst out laughing. "With you there, things will be a lot easier for me. Teacher Tobirama really doesn't go easy on people."

In fact, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the only one under Second Uncle Tobirama. Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu had all been personally trained by him as well.

But when it came to talent, Sarutobi Hiruzen really was the best of the bunch. Plenty of people said he was even more talented than Second Uncle Tobirama had been in his youth, and Second Uncle himself seemed to agree, at least in private.

Though Sarutobi Hiruzen was still under thirty, he was already a renowned figure in Konoha. He had mastered all five chakra natures, and there wasn't a famous ninjutsu he couldn't use.

Even more impressive, after years of training under Second Uncle Tobirama, he'd long since outgrown the mindset of "knowing how to use it without understanding why." He understood the ins and outs of all kinds of ninjutsu as clearly as if they were written on a page.

Thanks to his solid foundation, he was especially good at combining different techniques. With a few seemingly unremarkable C-rank jutsu, he could produce an effect that rivaled a B-rank or even A-rank technique.

Hibari knew that Hiruzen was still young, but sooner or later, he'd earn the title of "Professor of Ninjutsu."

With a genius like Sarutobi Hiruzen right there in front of them, the likes of Shimura Danzō, who studied under Tobirama, didn't stand out as much. But if you looked at them individually, anyone who made it into Second Uncle's personal guard was a standout among their peers.

It was just that Hiruzen was such a monster that it was hard not to feel overshadowed.

On top of that, they had limited talent for investigating the secrets of ninjutsu and couldn't help Second Uncle much in that area. So for now, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the one most likely to inherit Second Uncle's legacy.

No wonder Hiruzen had been so delighted to hear that Hibari would be training under Second Uncle.

After all, staying by Second Uncle's side was exhausting. Even if he'd had a little more free time lately, he was still one of Konoha's top officials, with mountains of work to do.

Whenever there was tedious work to be done developing ninjutsu, he would wave it off and dump it all on Hiruzen, keeping only the most difficult problems for himself. As a result, Hiruzen had to "assist" Second Uncle every few days and was constantly rushed off his feet.

Now a "junior disciple" had suddenly appeared, and Hiruzen knew Hibari's background. Naturally, he was eager to have someone share the load.

"Don't worry. I'll do my best not to hold anyone back. I'm sure I can help out a little." Hibari grinned. "But, Big Brother Hiruzen... Or should I say Uncle? Look, now that I'm officially training under Second Uncle, shouldn't we sort out our family seniority?

"So we don't end up awkwardly addressing each other in public later. I'd say you should stop taking advantage of me. We're fellow disciples, after all. Calling you Big Brother is respectful enough, right?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shot a sideways glance at Hibari's sly grin and quickly cut him off. "Don't try that on me! You can't just rearrange the family generations like that. Think about it: when you see my father, don't you have to call him Grandpa?

"Then when you see me, shouldn't you call me Uncle? Training is one thing, but even when you're with Teacher Tobirama, you still call him Second Uncle, don't you? It's not like you're going to start calling him Second Cousin.

"So even if we're fellow disciples, you still have to call me Uncle Hiruzen!"

"Then I'll call you Grandpa Hiruzen." Hibari pursed his lips. "Being young really is a disadvantage. Everyone's a generation above me... Does that mean I'm supposed to call everyone Grandpa?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed loudly and patted Hibari on the shoulder. "I understand how you feel! We all had to go through being in the grandson generation. It's a necessary part of growing up, Hibari."

Hibari glanced at him and thought, I already went through this in my previous life.

But he didn't feel like arguing about family seniority any longer, so he changed the subject. "Hiruzen, are you on your way to see Second Uncle and the others too?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at him. "Call me Uncle!"

Even so, he didn't really take it to heart.

He and Hibari got along well. Maybe it was because Hibari acted far more mature than a child his age, or because they were both considered geniuses by the people around them. Or maybe Hibari really was like him in certain ways.

Whatever the reason, despite the difference in their generations, whenever Hiruzen ran into Hibari, it felt like meeting a friend his own age.

"That's right." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded readily. "My father sent word. He has something to report to Lord Hokage and Teacher Tobirama, so I'm on my way to find them."