The Little Girl's Face Turned Bright Red

But looking at little Tsunade and thinking of old man Hashirama's antics, he could only shake his head helplessly. "You were just an accomplice this time, acting on the 'bad guy's' orders, so I'll let it slide. But if you ever do this again, I really will give you a beating!"

"I won't do it again!" Little Tsunade nodded quickly, her expression utterly earnest.

"Good. If you really want pocket money in the future, just come ask me," Hibari reminded her. "Don't do anything embarrassing like this again. Got it?"

"Got it, Big Brother Hibari," little Tsunade answered obediently.

While Hibari was lecturing little Tsunade, things weren't going so well for the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Senju Hashirama.

The renowned "God of Shinobi" was sitting obediently on a cushion in Uzumaki Mito's home. The energetic look he'd had that morning when he took little Tsunade out was long gone, replaced by a thoroughly pitiful expression.

Across the room, Uzumaki Mito calmly poured tea, then gently pushed a filled cup toward Tobirama, who was sitting nearby.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Tobirama accepted the cup, his tone respectful.

Uzumaki Mito only smiled faintly and said nothing. Beside them, Senju Hashirama licked his lips and couldn't help cutting in. "I've been here for ages, and I haven't even had a sip of water..."

He would've been better off keeping quiet. The moment he spoke, the little smile on Mito's face froze. Her brows furrowed, and her voice dropped. "Water? You left home with over a million ryo. Wasn't that enough to buy yourself a drink?"

Scolded by his own wife, Hashirama immediately wilted and muttered, "You can't blame it all on me... Tobirama hasn't paid me my salary, so I was broke."

"What kind of excuse is that?" Mito glared at him angrily.

Then, without giving Hashirama a chance to defend himself, she launched into a thorough scolding. The Hokage couldn't even raise his head.

When she'd gone on long enough—and any more would truly bruise his pride—Tobirama finally put down his teacup and spoke at an unhurried pace. "Sister-in-law, I think my brother understands he was wrong."

"Right, right!" Hashirama hurriedly seized the chance to back down. "I just lost my head for a moment. I absolutely won't do it again!"

He was secretly pleased. He really is my little brother. He knows how to stand up for his big brother when it matters.

But before he could finish the thought, Tobirama's next words made his vision go black. He nearly passed out.

"The 1.5 million ryo my brother took from Hibari," Tobirama said calmly, "will be deducted from his future salary in monthly installments. His salary won't be restored to its original amount until it's all paid off."

Hashirama had just managed to catch his breath when he protested in a rush. "It wasn't 1.5 million ryo! That brat secretly spent 140,000 himself. I only took a little over 1.3 million, not that much!"

"You say you didn't take it, and that makes it true?" Mito shot him a glare. "Everyone in the village knows how hard Hibari worked to save that money. Since you took it, you'll have to pay back the whole amount!"

"I was worried he'd waste his money while he was still young! Look, he spent 140,000 in just two or three days..." Hashirama cried, his face full of misery.

"Even if he spends fast, could he possibly spend as fast as you?" Mito poked him in the forehead, furious. "You were gone for less than a day, and over a million ryo vanished! How dare you criticize someone else?"

Tobirama calmly twisted the knife. "Hibari used that 140,000 ryo to buy valuable books for the village children. He didn't throw it away gambling."

At that, Hashirama fell completely silent, sitting there with his head drooping.

Seeing him like that, Mito softened her tone. "You're the Hokage, yet your sense of responsibility is worse than a child's. If you'd spent the money on something worthwhile, I wouldn't have said anything. Don't you agree?"

"Yes..." Hashirama nodded glumly.

"And that 1.5 million ryo?" Mito asked, giving him a sidelong glance.

"I'll pay it... We'll do it Tobirama's way..." Hashirama replied, his heart bleeding.

But when he thought of Hibari using the money to help children read, he felt a little comforted. He realized he really hadn't been much of a grandfather, and what he'd done had been rather unfair.

After all that commotion, the Senju Clan's "grand theft" case was finally settled.

Early the next morning, while Hibari was still half asleep, little Tsunade came charging into his room. Without checking whether he was awake, she launched herself onto his quilt.

"Ugh!" Hibari grunted as she landed on him. He opened his eyes and saw her little face. "Princess Tsunade, are you trying to kill me?"

"Big Brother Hibari!" Little Tsunade grabbed his arm and shook it. "Let's go catch a bear in the back hills and eat it, okay?"

"What are you doing eating bear first thing in the morning?" Hibari pushed her off the quilt and sat up. "It's all greasy. Aren't you afraid you'll turn into a little pig?"

"It'll be noon by the time we catch one, so it'll be perfect for lunch!" Little Tsunade declared, as if it were obvious.

Before Hibari could reply, she grabbed his arm again and shook it hard. "Come on, come on! You're cooped up at home all day, Big Brother Hibari. It's so boring..."

"I'm already grown up. I need to focus on getting stronger and learning more. How would I have time..." Before Hibari could finish, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw little Tsunade clutching his arm, her eyes wide and glistening with tears.

Hibari was at a loss. He waved a hand and said, "Fine, fine, I'll go. Wait for me by the door. I'll get dressed and come out."

Little Tsunade, who'd been looking so pitiful just a moment ago, immediately sprang up and cried happily, "Then hurry up, Big Brother Hibari!" With that, she dashed out of the room.

Hibari got up, folded his bedding, and took the Black Layered Armor off the clothes rack and put it on.

Then he took his sword from the sword rack and hung it at his waist. He left the large scrolls behind. They were only going to catch a bear in the back hills, not go on a mission, so there was no need to take things too seriously.

Once he'd finished getting ready, he figured Tobirama should be in his room studying Sealing Jutsu by now. He ought to show his face, at least. Since he was going up the mountain with Princess Tsunade, he could send a Shadow Clone to check in instead. It would be a good chance to see whether Tobirama could spot the difference.

If even Tobirama couldn't tell them apart, then his Clone Technique would truly be flawless.

With that thought, Hibari formed the Hand Seals smoothly and decisively. The next moment, a Shadow Clone appeared beside him, while he himself swayed on his feet.

Fortunately, he'd been prepared this time and managed to steady himself without the clone's help. Since they were one and the same, the Shadow Clone naturally knew what he was thinking. Before Hibari could say anything, it grumbled, "Why can't I go up the mountain with Princess Tsunade while you stay here and do your homework?"

"Quit complaining. I'm the original, so I make the rules." Hibari rolled his eyes. "This is a test, too. Reading more will do you good."

The Shadow Clone was about to argue, but Hibari's eyes suddenly lit up. "We'll be dealing with each other a lot from now on, so I should give you a name..."

"Can you talk normally?" The Shadow Clone cut him off irritably. "Stop saying things that are so easy to misunderstand. Are you planning to marry yourself?"

"Hahaha, you know what I mean, and that's what counts." Hibari grinned. "My name is Hibari, so I think you should be called..."

"Cloud Eagle? Or Cloud Falcon?" The Shadow Clone raised an eyebrow, anticipation in his voice.

"Let's call you Yaoji," Hibari said casually.

"I'll say it again: we're one and the same!" The Shadow Clone stamped his feet in anger. "Could you treat me a little better? That name is ridiculous. Do you have a masochistic streak?"

"It's just a name. Why make such a fuss?" Hibari waved dismissively. "Yaoji sounds like a name that'll bring good luck."

"Don't call me Yaoji!"

"Sure thing, Yaoji. Got it, Yaoji."

Hibari couldn't be bothered to argue any longer. He opened the door and left, leaving the Shadow Clone staring after him in exasperation. What could he do? The original was Hibari, after all. He could only resign himself to being "Yaoji."

After walking a few steps, Hibari spotted little Tsunade waiting in the courtyard. The moment she saw him, she ran over and grabbed his hand. "Big Brother Hibari, who were you talking to in your room just now?"

"My Shadow Clone. I sent him to learn a few things from Second Grandpa," Hibari replied with a smile.

"Then why did I hear something about 'marrying yourself'..." Little Tsunade shook his arm. "Are you going to marry someone else, Big Brother Hibari? Didn't we agree you'd marry me when I grew up?"

"Hahaha, by the time you really grow up, you won't think that way anymore." Hibari burst into laughter.

"I will, too! I like you best, Big Brother Hibari!" Little Tsunade scrunched up her nose and declared firmly.

"But I heard you say just the other day that you wanted to marry old man Hashirama..." Hibari teased her on purpose.

The little girl's face turned bright red in an instant. She stomped her foot in frustration. "Big Brother Hibari!!!"

While Hibari took little Tsunade out to "hunt bears," Yaoji made his way over to Second Grandpa Tobirama's room. After steadying himself, he knocked twice, then pushed the door open without waiting for a reply.

Just as Hibari had expected, Second Grandpa Tobirama was sitting at the table, writing and drawing. He didn't even look up before saying, "You're early today."

Yaoji grinned. "That little Tsunade brat had me up before dawn."

Second Grandpa Tobirama didn't stop writing. "Find a book to read. I'll finish these few lines, then test your data."

They didn't do the physical examination every day. Usually, it only happened every few days. Yaoji couldn't help wondering why Tobirama suddenly wanted to test him today.

He might be a little special, but he was still a Shadow Clone. His data couldn't possibly be exactly the same as the original's.

"Second Grandpa," he said, clearing his throat twice. "Why did you decide to test me today? Don't you usually do it every few days?"

"How often we do it isn't set in stone." Second Grandpa Tobirama still didn't look up. "We test when we need to. What's the problem?"

"Cough, cough... Oh, my throat." Yaoji pretended to rub his neck. "I might've caught a chill during the night. I feel awful all over. Could we do it another day? The data might not be accurate."

That made Second Grandpa Tobirama look up. He studied Yaoji for two seconds. "You can catch a chill? I've never seen you get sick, not once since you were little." Then he seemed to grow interested. "That's a new development. All the more reason to test you!"

"I'm just worried you'll tire yourself out!" Yaoji hurriedly said. "We can take a break. We've made it this far; there's no need to rush..."

Second Grandpa Tobirama furrowed his brow and stared at Yaoji for a while. Then he suddenly reached out and jabbed him in the chest. The blow was forceful enough to send Yaoji stumbling back two steps. He clutched his chest and glared. "Second Grandpa, what are you doing?"

Only after seeing Yaoji's reaction did Second Grandpa Tobirama's brow relax. "I thought you'd learned the Shadow Clone Technique and sent a clone to fool me." He stood up and grabbed Yaoji by the shoulder. "What are you dawdling for? I knew something was off about you today. No more excuses. Lie down."

"Second Grandpa! Hear me out!" Yaoji struggled with both hands and feet as Tobirama forced him onto the bench.

"No need for explanations." Second Grandpa Tobirama tightened his grip. "I'll understand once I've finished the test."