His Money Box Had Already Been Opened

Well, they hadn't even reached the gambling den yet, and Hibari's hard-earned money was already flowing out like water.

Time always slipped away quickly when one was buried in research. Neither Tobirama nor Hibari noticed that the sun had quietly climbed to its zenith.

Knock, knock.

A soft tapping sounded at the door. Hibari looked up from his book, and seeing that Tobirama was still fully engrossed in his writing and sketching, he stood up to open the door himself.

Standing outside was a middle-aged maid he recognized. She smiled and said, "Young Master Hibari, Lady Mito asked me to invite you and the Second Master to lunch."

Hibari glanced at the sky outside and gave a sheepish smile. "Oh, is it that late already? Sorry to make you run this errand; we'll be right there."

After seeing her off and closing the door, Hibari turned to the desk. "Second Master, it's time to eat. You can ponder these tasks later; we shouldn't keep Grandma Mito waiting."

"Hmm." Tobirama responded, quickly adding a few more strokes to his work before decisively setting down his brush. "Let's go."

He was accustomed to such interruptions due to his heavy workload, so he didn't mind.

The two tidied up the desk briefly and left the room one after the other.

The dining hall was quite lively. As Hibari pushed the door open, he saw the long table laden with food. Many clan members were already seated, seemingly waiting for Tobirama.

He scanned the room, naturally walking over to take the empty seat beside Uzumaki Mito, and asked curiously, "Huh? Grandma Mito, why don't I see Tsunade? Grandfather Hashirama isn't here either... is he busy with official business again?"

Tobirama took his seat as well; though he didn't speak, his eyes held the same question.

Once everyone was settled, Uzumaki Mito said gently, "No need to wait for those two. Everyone, let's start eating."

Hibari didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his bowl, grabbed a mouthful of food with his chopsticks, and continued his questioning with his eyes while he chewed.

Seeing this, Uzumaki Mito smiled and said, "Those two? They went out in high spirits. I heard from the staff that your Grandfather Hashirama somehow got his hands on some money and took little Tsunade to the gambling den to play."

Upon hearing this, Hibari's face fell. "It's one thing for Grandfather Hashirama to go, but why take Tsunade... he's going to lead the child astray. Besides, where did he get the money? Doesn't the Hokage's salary only come at the end of the month?"

The words were barely out of his mouth before he paused, then realized with a start, "Oh! Was it that mission from before? I got 1.5 million ryo, so as Hokage, he must have received at least 2 million, right? So he really did strike it rich..."

Uzumaki Mito shook her head slightly, indicating she didn't know the details. "Perhaps. I didn't ask. He's busy most days, so let him have this one hobby."

"That's true," Hibari nodded, feeling quite understanding. "The Hokage's job is tough and stressful; it's understandable he needs a hobby to relax."

Tobirama shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, swallowed, and spoke slowly, "I don't know where Big Brother got that money, but it certainly isn't the way you're thinking. He didn't get a single cent for that mission.

I know him too well. No matter how much money passes through his hands, it never lasts until the next morning. He's bound to lose it all after one stroll through the gambling den."

"Hahahaha, really? Grandfather Hashirama's life is just too..." Hibari started to laugh, but stopped mid-sentence.

Suddenly, he remembered his eyelid twitching incessantly over the past few days, and his face went pale. "Second Master... I think I know where my ominous premonition came from."

Tobirama was a sharp man. Seeing Hibari's devastated expression, he immediately understood and nearly burst out laughing.

"Oh? Tell me about it?" Tobirama set down his chopsticks and asked with interest, his lips already struggling to suppress a smile.

Hibari looked miserable, his words squeezed through his teeth. "If I'm not mistaken... that pair of troublemakers in our family must have snuck into my room while I was away and swiped my remaining million-plus ryo of 'custody fees'!!!"

As soon as he said this, the Senju clan members in the room burst into laughter.

Even Uzumaki Mito covered her mouth to hide a smile and gently consoled him, "Look on the bright side, perhaps... they left you a little bit?"

Hibari felt even more dejected. "Grandma Mito, the way you say that... even you think there's no doubt about it, right? If you ask me, either they didn't touch my money box at all, or..."

"They didn't leave you a single coin," Tobirama calmly added while picking up a piece of fish.

"Exactly! The Second Master understands them best!" Hibari muttered with a dark face, resentfully stuffing a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Just then, a woman in her thirties sitting nearby looked at Hibari with a smile. "If that's the case, Hibari, how do you still have the heart to eat? Why don't you hurry back and check?"

Hibari waved his hand listlessly. "Aunt Toka, what's the point of checking?

If they didn't take it, the money is still there. If they did, it's probably already lost. If I don't look, I can still lie to myself and hope for the best, and at least I can finish my meal.

If I go and confirm this 'tragedy,' I won't even know how to cry, let alone have an appetite..."

This woman was Hibari's aunt, Senju Toka, a capable assistant to both Tobirama and Hashirama.

Senju Toka laughed. "Well, I didn't realize you were so good at finding excuses for yourself."

"Can't help it, life goes on," Hibari sighed.

His demeanor drew another round of laughter from the group.

"Go take a look, maybe there's a surprise?"

"Exactly, what if Grandfather Hashirama had a change of heart and put it back? Little Hibari?"

Watching his family eat and chat happily, Uzumaki Mito kept a gentle smile on her face.

Once the meal was nearly finished, Hibari leaned toward Uzumaki Mito and whispered, "Grandma Mito, if I go back and find the money is really gone... you have to stand up for me and give Grandfather Hashirama a good talking-to!"

"Hehe, alright. If that's the case, Grandma will vent your frustrations for you," Uzumaki Mito promised with a smile.

Hibari knew perfectly well that getting money back from Grandfather Hashirama would be difficult. He rolled his eyes and looked toward Tobirama.

Before he could speak, Tobirama, who had also set down his bowl, cut him off.

"Don't worry about it," Tobirama smiled. "If it really happened, I'll deduct it from the 'Hokage's' salary this month and reimburse you."

Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Hibari's face. "Got it! With your word, Second Master, I feel much more at ease. I'll go back and check now..."

With that, he stood up, greeted his elders, and hurried toward his room.

Before he even reached the door, he saw from a distance that his heart sank—the door he had carefully closed that morning was now left slightly ajar.

He looked at the floor and, sure enough, a trail of dusty little footprints was clearly visible. It was obvious that Tsunade hadn't changed her shoes and had been stomping around carelessly.

"I give up. Princess Tsunade, so Grandfather is family, and the brother is just something picked up off the street?" Hibari gritted his teeth and muttered to himself.

Yet, looking at those tiny footprints, he couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and amusement... Grandfather Hashirama, you really have led little Tsunade astray.

Hibari pushed the door open and looked inside. Sure enough, his money box had been opened, it was completely empty, and the box itself had been tossed carelessly onto the floor.

"Lawless, simply lawless!" Hibari stomped his feet in anger. "Is there no sense of order left? Huh?"

Hibari picked up the wooden box, put it away, and efficiently cleaned up the floor Tsunade had dirtied.

Although he knew Grandfather Hashirama was likely enjoying himself at the gambling den in the village with little Tsunade, he didn't intend to chase after them to argue.

For one, Lady Mito had already promised to give Hashirama a piece of her mind when he returned; for another, Tobirama had explicitly stated the money would be deducted from the Hokage's salary to compensate him.

Since he wouldn't suffer any actual loss, Hibari felt there was no need to make a scene across the village—running to the gambling den to cause a ruckus wouldn't look good for the Hokage's image.

Besides, family matters should be resolved behind closed doors; there was no need to let outsiders laugh at the Senju clan.

Furthermore, Hibari wasn't truly angry. Even though Grandfather Hashirama often led Tsunade into mischief, his kindness toward Hibari was genuine.

After cleaning the room, Hibari took out the scroll Tobirama had given him, sat down in the shade of a tree in the courtyard, and spread it out to study carefully.

The Shadow Clone Technique was, at its core, a variation of the basic Clone Technique. Hibari already knew the basic version, so he didn't find the scroll overly complex.

"It's nothing more than injecting chakra into a standard clone to create a physical entity. The clone has independent consciousness and can even take a hit..." he muttered as he read. "Oh, and the experiences of the clone are transmitted back to the original upon dispelling..."

This was consistent with what he already knew. The back of the scroll included some precautions, such as the fact that the fatigue experienced by the clone would be transferred back to the original upon dispelling.

Seeing this, Hibari finally understood why Tobirama wanted to classify the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique as a forbidden jutsu—if one were to dispel too many clones at once, the sudden influx of fatigue could potentially kill a person.

After reviewing the hand seals and the details of chakra manipulation, Hibari felt confident and prepared to try the technique.

Hand seals were ultimately just an auxiliary tool, a way to release ninjutsu through a specific sequence of gestures linked to the chakra within the body.

In essence, they weren't strictly necessary for the jutsu itself—much like solving a math problem, some experts didn't need complex steps and could provide the answer at a glance.

If one were familiar enough with a specific jutsu, simplifying the hand seals was common, and some could even release powerful techniques with a single seal.

Of course, if one's ability was great enough, they could even forgo hand seals entirely and rely solely on chakra control.

Take Grandfather Hashirama, who stole his money; despite his lack of seriousness, he was formidable in battle. He could release many powerful techniques just by clapping his hands together, with no need for seals at all.

However, since this was Hibari's first time learning the Shadow Clone Technique, he didn't get ahead of himself and honestly set up the hand seals.

He followed the sequence taught in the scroll, and his chakra began to circulate accordingly. As he completed the final seal, Hibari whispered, "Shadow Clone Technique!"

But just as his chakra was about to split into two streams to create the clone, he felt his body seize up, and the chakra within him suddenly surged violently.

With a soft "pop," the technique failed to manifest. The sudden failure left Hibari's chest feeling tight and uncomfortable.

"That shouldn't be..." he rubbed his aching chest, full of confusion. "This is clearly just a B-rank jutsu, one of the simplest among them. My chakra manipulation was correct, and the hand seals didn't go wrong... how could it fail?"