I'm Not Afraid, So What Are You Panicking About?

After a pause, Tobirama reached out and ruffled Hibari's hair.

"Secondly, you're a clever kid, but you spend all day with us old fogies and don't have any friends your own age. Doesn't that get boring? You'll make plenty of friends at school..."

At that, Hibari broke out in goosebumps. He didn't mind patiently playing childish games with his little sister, but hanging out with a bunch of brats? He couldn't bring himself to do it.

"No, no, Second Grandpa, stop right there. I'm all for sending Tsunade to school. It might finally cure her habit of making trouble around the house all day..." As he spoke, Hibari glanced at little Tsunade, who was amusing herself with the bear cubs, and grinned. "That makes three little bears now."

"Besides, sending Tsunade to school will give her some supervision and keep Grandpa Hashirama from taking her places she shouldn't go." Hibari's tone was firm. "As for your point about the Senju Clan needing to lead by example, having the rightful princess, Tsunade, attend will carry plenty of weight.

"As for the second point, honestly, I really don't want to hang out with a bunch of brats."

He paused and counted on his fingers.

"There might be one or two I can stand, like Orochimaru. He could be fun to tease. But apart from Tsunade, I really wouldn't have much to say to the others."

Seeing that Second Grandpa Tobirama was about to try persuading him again, Hibari quickly cut in.

"Lastly, Second Grandpa! If you really make me attend that Ninja Academy on a regular schedule, it'll be a complete waste of time!" He looked utterly aggrieved. "I mastered those basic, ridiculously basic things ages ago.

"Think about it. I've already come up with an S-rank compound Ninjutsu and an A-rank Ninjutsu that needs no hand signs. Why would I need to learn that stuff?"

He leaned closer and put on a pitiful expression.

"Instead of wasting my time, I'd rather keep training by your side. You can't sacrifice me for your political goals! I'm still not fully recovered!"

After listening to Hibari's airtight string of arguments, Second Grandpa Tobirama and Sarutobi Sasuke exchanged a glance and laughed.

"What do you think, Sarutobi?" Tobirama said with a smile, turning to his old friend. "I told you this kid wouldn't agree to go to school."

Sarutobi Sasuke shook his head helplessly.

"Looks like I was worrying for nothing. I kept wondering whether Hibari would feel... spending all his time with us old fogies..."

"I'm not lonely! Not even a little!" Hibari quickly cut in, shaking his head like a rattle. "I couldn't be happier!"

So it turned out Grandpa Sarutobi had been the one to bring it up. Hibari felt warm inside, and couldn't help finding it a little funny.

"If you're that set against it, then we'll drop the idea of sending you to school." Second Grandpa Tobirama glanced at him and spoke unhurriedly. "I'd already guessed you'd refuse. But there's one thing you must keep up with, or I'll cut off your allowance for three months!"

"What thing? What do I have to keep up with?" Hibari furrowed his brow, sensing trouble.

"You don't have to attend classes regularly. That's fine." Second Grandpa Tobirama turned serious. "But as you said, there are 'political' considerations behind establishing the Ninja Academy. As a member of the Senju Clan, you enjoy the clan's privileges. When it's time to do your part, you have to step up.

"Now, the Senju Clan needs to take the lead."

He paused, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"So whether you want to or not, your name has to be on the school's roster. And you'll have to go 'study' there now and then, just to keep up appearances and show the other clans in the village that we're serious about running the school, not playing around!"

"Couldn't I be a teacher instead?" Hibari had an idea. "I already know all the basics!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Second Grandpa Tobirama glared at him. "Think about what the other clans would think if we did that. Would the Uchiha Clan send some kids who know a little 'basic stuff' to teach, too? Would we even be able to run the school then?"

"That's right, Hibari." Sarutobi Sasuke chimed in with a smile. "If you, the 'village's greatest genius,' went to the school and showed your face, it'd make all the difference.

"Once people saw you attending, wouldn't they hurry to send their own little ones, even if they couldn't hold a candle to you? And before long, the school would be up and running."

To get Hibari to agree, the old man had even gone so far as to flatter him with the title of "greatest genius."

But when he thought about it, Hibari had developed the signless Ninjutsu Rasengan at such a young age, completed an S-rank mission, and recently worked with Sarutobi Hiruzen to develop an S-rank compound Ninjutsu... There were plenty of geniuses in the village,

but no one else had achieved so much so quickly. Calling him the greatest genius wasn't much of an exaggeration.

Seeing that Second Grandpa Tobirama had a point, and that Grandpa Sarutobi had swallowed his pride to praise him, Hibari felt it would be unreasonable to keep refusing.

As Second Grandpa had said, as a member of the Senju Clan, he enjoyed its benefits, so he should do his part when needed. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

With that in mind, he sighed and prepared to agree. But out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Yaoji hiding in a corner, trying to make himself invisible. A glint flashed in Hibari's eyes.

"Since Second Grandpa and Grandpa Sarutobi both say so, it'd be rude of me to keep refusing." Hibari looked sincere. "I'll do it. But..."

He turned and pointed at the corner.

"What do you think of Yaoji? Wouldn't it be fine if he went to school instead?"

"Are you out of your mind, Hibari?! I swear, I'm going to..." Yaoji burst out of his "invisible" state and started to curse.

"I get it, I get it." Hibari cut him off with a grin.

Second Grandpa Tobirama glanced at Yaoji, then at Hibari, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

"That's between the two of you. I won't get involved. As long as one of you takes care of the task, that's all I care about."

After lunch, Grandpa Hashirama went out for a walk with Uzumaki Mito. Sarutobi Sasuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't leave; instead, they stayed in the courtyard with Second Grandpa Tobirama, enjoying the shade and chatting.

Meanwhile, Hibari was helping little Tsunade feed the two new bear cubs some fish. Little Tsunade found it fascinating and giggled every so often.

After the cubs were full, Second Grandpa Tobirama waved Hibari and little Tsunade over from the gazebo.

Hibari took little Tsunade by the hand and went over. He plopped down on a stone stool and immediately said, "Come on, Yaoji. Pour Tsunade and me some tea, too."

Yaoji, who was making tea for Second Grandpa Tobirama and the others, darkened at once.

"I'll say it again: we're two halves of the same whole! Sooner or later, everything I'm suffering now will come back to bite you. Do you have no shame?"

"That hasn't happened yet, so I might as well enjoy myself first... I'm not afraid, so what are you panicking about?" Hibari replied nonchalantly, not taking it to heart at all.

After they joked around for a bit, Yaoji finally poured the tea. Only then did Hibari ask, "Second Grandpa, what do you need? Are you sending me on a mission? Don't worry, you can count on me!"

Second Grandpa Tobirama smiled and exchanged a glance with Sarutobi Sasuke before speaking. "Well, the other day, didn't you bring up buying books for the village children? And that idea you had about establishing a system?"

Hibari was taken aback, then nodded. "I did. What about it? Don't tell me you're planning to dump that responsibility on me. You think too highly of me."

Sarutobi Sasuke laughed. "At least you've got a little self-awareness."

"Haha," Second Grandpa Tobirama picked up the conversation, looking at Hibari with a smile. "We discussed it today and decided some changes really are needed. So we have to start with the children.

"We're planning to open a Ninja Academy for the village's children and teach them the basics of being a ninja!"

Hibari was taken aback again. If he remembered correctly, Second Grandpa Tobirama didn't establish the Ninja Academy until after he became the Second Hokage. Princess Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and the others had been among its first students.

So why was Second Grandpa Tobirama already thinking of doing this so early?

Then he reconsidered. Maybe his arrival and the things he'd done had influenced events?

In any case, Hibari had never imagined that buying books for Orochimaru—and the whole "theft of a huge sum of money"—would have moved Grandpa Hashirama so much that he'd gotten involved, speeding up the plans for the academy.

After collecting himself, Hibari said, "That's a good thing! Why are you telling me this... Are you short on teachers? Sigh, I may not be worthy in either virtue or talent, but if you're really desperate, I suppose I could reluctantly agree."

Seeing Hibari's "humble" act, Second Grandpa Tobirama and the Sarutobi father and son laughed.

"You really do have some self-awareness. You know you're not worthy of the position and lack the talent. That's why we never considered it." Second Grandpa Tobirama chuckled. "I've already discussed it with Hiruzen. He'll go teach there for a while."

"Then why are you telling me this, Second Grandpa...?" When Hibari heard that he wasn't being asked to teach, there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Second Grandpa Tobirama looked at Hibari, then at little Tsunade, who was crouched beside him, playing with the two bear cubs.

Then he lowered his voice. "I was thinking that once the Ninja Academy opens, you and little Tsunade could enroll as students."

Hibari's eyebrows shot up, and he was just about to object—

But Second Grandpa Tobirama raised a hand to signal him to listen first. "Let me finish. First, you two are representatives of the Senju Clan. There are a lot of political considerations involved in establishing the Ninja Academy,

so the Senju Clan needs to lead by example. Your Grandpa Sarutobi is on our side, too, which is why Hiruzen is going to teach there."

He paused and ruffled Hibari's hair. "Secondly... you really are clever, but you don't have any friends your own age around,

and you spend all your time with us old fogies. Doesn't that get boring? You'll make plenty of friends your own age at school."

Hibari broke out in goosebumps. He didn't mind patiently playing childish games with his precious little sister, but joining a bunch of brats? He couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Come on, Second Grandpa! I'm all for sending Princess Tsunade to school. It might finally cure her habit of doing nothing all day and acting like a little terror around the house..." As he spoke,

Hibari glanced at little Tsunade, who was playing with the bear cubs, and grinned. "That makes three little bears now."