Hibari, you have many good qualities, but your curiosity is too strong

Hibari thought for a moment, then reached out to take it down, put it on carefully, and tied the cords tight.

Hibari looked at himself in the mirror, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. This outfit was truly not bad; it was sharp and neat, and he looked quite the part.

Once he was satisfied, he turned and drew a suitable sword from the rack, hung it at his waist, straightened his collar, and pushed the door open to head out.

As soon as the door opened, he saw Tsunade sitting cross-legged on the corridor floor. The little girl looked up, and upon seeing Hibari fully armed, her eyes lit up instantly.

"Wow! Brother Hibari, you look so cool!" Tsunade jumped up and rushed over to look him up and down.

Hibari chuckled and smoothed his hair. "Of course. I'm the face of the younger generation of the Senju Clan, after all. Looking cool is just the bare minimum."

Tsunade didn't take the bait. Instead, she tilted her head, looking curious. "But Brother Hibari, you're just going to see Grandfather and Great-uncle Tobirama. Why are you dressed like you're heading to the front lines?"

Hibari's expression faltered, then he cleared his throat. "You don't understand, Tsunade. Given Great-uncle's personality, he's definitely going to test my skills later.

Since we're going to spar, I naturally have to be serious so he can see that the men of the Senju Clan are all capable. Besides... it might also encourage him to pull out some of his hidden techniques to teach me."

"Huh?" Tsunade's eyes went wide. "Brother Hibari, you're going to fight Great-uncle Tobirama? Does that mean you can already beat him?"

Hearing this, Hibari nearly broke into a sweat and quickly waved his hands. "Cough... you can't just say things like that. Great-uncle is one of the top experts in the ninja world; you're underestimating him too much.

Although your brother Hibari is quite strong, I'm still young, so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage. Give it another eight or ten years, and once I'm fully grown, let alone Great-uncle Tobirama, even if Grandfather Hashirama and Great-uncle Tobirama came at me together, I could handle them with one hand. Believe it?"

Tsunade nodded, looking like she half-understood. Seeing that he had bluffed her, Hibari quickly quit while he was ahead. He closed the door, grabbed his ninja tool pouch from the table, slung it over his back, and led Tsunade toward the main gate.

The Senju estate was indeed grand, with a prime location and a large courtyard—it had the air of a prestigious family. However, the family wasn't exactly bustling with people. This generation only had Hibari and Tsunade, though a boy named Nawaki would be added later.

The previous generation still had some members, such as Senju Toka, who was Hibari's aunt, along with a large group of Senju clan ninjas, so it wasn't exactly small.

But the reason it felt like the family was waning... was mainly when compared to the Uchiha Clan next door. They had geniuses popping up one after another, while the Senju Clan's current generation didn't have anyone particularly outstanding.

Hibari knew clearly that once the boy Nawaki was gone in the future, the Senju Clan would decline even further, almost as if it were disappearing under the shadow of the Uchiha.

In the past, Hibari might not have bothered to dwell on these things. But now that he was the eldest son of the third generation of the Senju Clan, how could he just watch his own foundation collapse? Since he bore the name "Forest Senju," he naturally had to stand with the family.

So even if he couldn't revitalize the family immediately, he had to at least find a way to keep it from vanishing—this was a small wish Hibari kept hidden in his heart.

Lost in thought, he led Tsunade through the winding paths of the courtyard. The chaotic era hadn't ended many years ago, so the major clans hadn't let their guard down. The Senju courtyard carried an air of austerity, with half the grounds marked off as a training field where several clansmen were sparring, shuriken whizzing through the air.

In the pavilion, Grandfather Hashirama and Great-uncle Tobirama were sitting opposite each other, drinking tea. Hashirama spotted the two small figures at the entrance, and his face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Little Tsunade, Hibari, come here to Grandfather!" He set down his teacup, stood up, and opened his arms to beckon them.

Tsunade, who had been holding Hibari's hand, immediately let go and ran toward the pavilion on her short legs, ignoring the shuriken flying about the field.

As for Hibari, there was no joy on his face. Having lived two lifetimes, it was a bit difficult for him to act like Tsunade and throw himself into Grandfather Hashirama's arms to act spoiled.

While Hashirama was hugging and nuzzling Tsunade, Hibari could only shake his head and turn to walk toward Tobirama.

Tobirama examined his sharp, professional attire, and the corners of his stern mouth lifted slightly. "Hibari," he said in a low voice, "tell me, what trouble have you caused this time?"

Hearing this, Hibari blinked, his face full of innocence. "Great-uncle? You haven't even been back for an hour, and you're already in a rush to convict me? I just woke up; what could I have possibly done wrong?"

Seeing him like this, Tobirama almost laughed.

It was strange; when facing his brother Hashirama or little Tsunade, he never felt this urge to be both annoyed and amused. At the very least, he smiled at Hibari far more often than he did at the other two.

Tobirama picked up his teacup and took a sip. When he set it down, his expression was more serious.

"Yesterday morning, the door to the warehouse I had sealed was opened." He paused. "Although that seal was simple, it still requires the bloodline of the Senju Clan to break. Hibari, do you have nothing to say?"

Hibari shook his head immediately. "Great-uncle, I don't understand what you mean. Even if it requires the Senju bloodline to open, there are plenty of people in this house with that bloodline. Why are you suspecting me the moment you get back?"

"Maybe it was..." He turned to look at Tsunade, who was lying on Hashirama's shoulder playing with his forehead protector. "Maybe it was little Tsunade who opened it?"

Tobirama followed his gaze to Tsunade, his expression turning slightly more serious. He was born with an aura of cold sternness, and even though Hibari knew it was put on, he still felt a bit of pressure.

If even Hibari felt that way, the younger Tsunade was naturally even more sensitive.

She stopped playing, looked first at Brother Hibari, who was constantly winking at her, and then at the stern-faced Great-uncle, before speaking timidly.

"Great-uncle... Brother Hibari told me to open it." The little girl's voice was filled with grievance.

Sure enough, Tsunade didn't hesitate for even a second before selling Hibari out.

"Tsunade! That five hundred ryo... cough, cough!" Hibari stopped mid-sentence, realizing he had let something slip.

"Oh?" Tobirama instantly dropped his serious expression, looking over with a half-smile. "Five hundred ryo? What five hundred ryo? Hibari, little Tsunade has already confessed. Do you still want to deny it?"

Seeing he couldn't get out of it, Hibari curled his lip. "Great-uncle, you can't blame this all on me, can you? From the moment I saw that note, I understood that this was a trap you set for me.

When you left, you mentioned the warehouse intentionally or unintentionally—weren't you just hinting at me? If you think about it, this is entrapment!"

"Hmph," Tobirama snorted. "I was testing your qualities as a ninja.

What does a ninja need with so much curiosity? There have been more than one or two ninjas killed by their own curiosity.

If you can't control yourself, sooner or later you will..." He stopped there, swallowing the rest of the ominous words, and continued, "Hibari, you have many good qualities, but your curiosity is too strong.

You must know that sometimes, the more you know, the more dangerous it is, and the easier it is to be targeted..."

Konoha Village had only been built for a few years, with the First Hokage, Hashirama, in charge, and various policies and facilities were still vague.

Everyone was building the village together for the first time, and everything had to be done by feeling their way across the river, so there were inevitably many omissions.

For example, the Ninja Academy that would later produce countless powerhouses didn't even have a shadow yet.

Most ninjas were still trained by their own clans, passed down from grandfather to father, and father to son. At most, clans with good relationships would invite powerful experts to teach their children.

The Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan had a good relationship. The current elite jonin of the village, Sarutobi Sasuke—the father of the future Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—was a capable assistant and close friend to Hashirama and Tobirama.

Thanks to this connection, the talented Sarutobi boy named Hiruzen had been personally trained by Hashirama and Tobirama since he was a child. Although he wasn't very old now, he was already a renowned ninja.

Tobirama was currently using his own methods to train the third-generation seedling of the Senju Clan, this boy Hibari.

After hearing those words, Hibari didn't rush to speak. He squinted and smiled before replying, "Great-uncle, I understand the logic. But then again, isn't curiosity the ladder that allows a ninja to move forward?

If we really want to talk about it, your curiosity is far stronger than mine. Otherwise, where did all those strange techniques you have come from?"

He paused, then added, "But I've taken your words to heart. From now on, I'll definitely weigh things carefully—be curious when I should, and keep my head down when I should."

Tobirama was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry. "You have a crooked argument for everything, Hibari." He glanced at the boy. "Going around in circles, you're just eyeing those secret researches of mine, aren't you?"

This hit the nail on the head. Hibari's eyes lit up, and his body leaned forward involuntarily.

"Of course I'm eyeing them! Great-uncle, with my current ability, even if I can't learn them all, at least let me have a look, right? You keep hiding things like you're guarding against a thief; how can I be at ease?"

Tobirama's mouth hooked up, but his voice remained indifferent. "Whether you have the qualifications... we'll have to test that to find out."

Before the words had even faded, Tobirama, who had been sitting on a stone stool, suddenly moved.

His leg, which had been resting, swept out like a whip, the wind it generated lifting the hem of Hibari's armor.

This move held absolutely no restraint.

Hashirama, who had been teasing little Tsunade, turned his head to watch the two who had suddenly started sparring, his eyes filled with curiosity. He also wanted to see just how much this little fledgling of the Senju Clan had progressed.

To be honest, Hibari's foundation was truly not bad. His experience from two lifetimes made him understand better than anyone that in this world, having a hard fist was the only truth.

So, ever since he started learning from Hashirama and Tobirama, he had been like a sponge, desperately absorbing everything from these two top experts. Although he wasn't even ten years old yet, he was already a cut above many adult ninjas.

The moment the wind of the kick reached him, Hibari's eyes changed instantly. He didn't dare to be careless; he lowered his body, his left hand moving so fast it left an afterimage, precisely pressing against Tobirama's toe.

With a flick of his wrist to dissipate some of the force, he used the momentum to leap into the air, performed a nimble somersault, and landed steadily, having already retreated several steps.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Hibari reached for his ninja tool pouch behind him. With a few swishes, several shuriken mixed with kunai flew toward Tobirama's face.

Tobirama rarely wore casual clothes, always wearing his layered armor. Facing the incoming ninja tools, he didn't even bother to block them properly, just casually parrying them with the back of his hand. With a few clangs, all the metal pieces were deflected.

But just as he knocked away the hidden weapons, he saw Hibari's fingers already flying, forming hand seals with a speed that was dizzying to behold.