This Little Rascal Will Be Spoiled Rotten by You One Day

Good grief. A chakra sphere suddenly spun up in Hibari's other hand with a "vmm," startling Tobirama. Why? Because he, Senju Tobirama, was known as the inventor of Forbidden Techniques. What kind of Ninjutsu hadn't he seen?

Water Release was his specialty, but he knew countless other techniques, too. Even if he couldn't use them himself,

he'd traveled far and wide over the years and faced all sorts of situations. His horizons were broad enough. And yet, he'd never seen the trick Hibari had just pulled out of nowhere. How could he not be surprised?

What made his heart skip a beat was that the thing looked powerful, and it was a convenient technique that didn't even require Hand Seals!

"A Tailed Beast Bomb???" Hashirama, who was holding little Tsunade, spotted it too and shouted, his face full of wonder.

Hashirama had the leisure to wonder whether it looked like a Tailed Beast Bomb. Tobirama didn't have that luxury—he was the one in the line of fire, and that Rasengan was about to hit him in the stomach!

One of his hands was restrained by Hibari's Adamantine Sealing Chains, and they were standing so close that he didn't seem to have anywhere to dodge.

But just as the chakra sphere came within a hair's breadth of his clothes, Tobirama raised the fingers of his free hand like a blade and flicked them upward, calling out, "Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder..."

The next moment, the attack that should have landed vanished with a whoosh, as if swallowed by an invisible black hole.

Before Hibari could react, the arm Tobirama had caught in the chains gave a violent jolt. His chakra surged—he wasn't the only one in the Senju Clan who could wield monstrous strength!

"Thump!"

With a dull impact, Hibari was slammed hard into the ground, sending dust billowing into the air.

"Brat." Tobirama rolled his wrist and glared at Hibari, sprawled on the ground. "You dare throw all sorts of nonsense at your second granduncle? Do you think I'm made of iron?"

He hadn't actually taken the hit, but he could tell from the chakra's density that anyone who took it head-on would be in trouble. That included him.

Hibari grimaced in pain. After catching his breath, he muttered, "Second Granduncle, my chakra control is precise! According to my calculations, I would've dispersed it when it was still a third of a centimeter from your stomach. At worst... at worst, it would've just knocked you off balance."

Tobirama shot him a look of utter disbelief. "Precise control? I'd sooner believe a ghost! You little brat..."

He scolded Hibari, but then paused. He might have worn a stern expression all the time, but he was even more curious than the boy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invented so many Forbidden Techniques.

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help asking, "Hibari, that technique you just used..."

"Forget about that for now!" Hibari cut him off before he could finish. He scrambled to his feet, dusted himself off, and asked, "Second Granduncle, how did I do in the test? Was that good enough?"

By then, Hashirama could see that the fight was more or less over, so he cheerfully came over with little Tsunade in his arms.

"Ahahaha, not bad, Hibari!" Hashirama clapped him on the shoulder, laughing so loudly it seemed to shake the heavens. "I've never seen that move before! Did you come up with it yourself?"

Hibari blushed, feeling a little embarrassed. But at a time like this, he couldn't think of anyone else who could use the Rasengan, so he had no choice but to take credit for inventing it.

He nodded solemnly. "I'd guessed that Second Granduncle would test me sooner or later, so I prepared thoroughly! That move was my trump card... Ahem, though it looks like it still needs some work."

"So that's how it was!" Hashirama ruffled Hibari's hair, delighted. "You were in control of the whole fight, weren't you?

"You even went out of your way to learn Adamantine Sealing Chains from Mito to set up your seal-less Ninjutsu, and took Tobirama's habits into account. Quite the clever one, aren't you?"

"Hmph. Just a cheap trick," Tobirama said, folding his arms and snorting.

But the satisfaction he couldn't quite hide in his eyes gave him away.

Thinking it over, Hibari really had figured him out this time. Why else would he have chosen to learn the dangerous Adamantine Sealing Chains instead of something else, if not to use them against him?

Tobirama might not say it aloud, but he knew the truth.

Hibari had figured out his habits. Whether that came from their family bond or something else, it was still a skill. He was the great Second Granduncle; he wasn't so petty that he couldn't admit as much.

Hashirama cheerfully spoke up first. "By the way, what was that ball you were making just now?"

Since the eldest had spoken, Hibari didn't bother pressing his second granduncle for a score.

He scratched his head and grinned. "I just wanted to surprise Second Granduncle! What kind of Ninjutsu is hardest to defend against? One that doesn't need Hand Seals, of course.

"I can already use some C-rank Ninjutsu without Hand Seals, but they're not powerful enough or impressive enough. So I thought it over and over and came up with this thing, which I call the 'Rasengan'... As for how it works..."

He explained it all in detail, holding nothing back. Hashirama and Tobirama were both seasoned shinobi, so they understood quickly. Before long, they'd grasped most of the Rasengan's principles.

"Hey, now that you mention it..." Hashirama nodded as he listened, and casually opened his free hand. "It does feel a bit like a Tailed Beast Bomb..."

Before he'd even finished speaking, a ball of chakra slowly spun in his palm. It was big and round, and Hibari stared at it in shock.

That wasn't all. Tobirama raised his arm beside him and added calmly, "That's true. Why didn't I think to use the principles behind a Tailed Beast Bomb to create a simple, practical Ninjutsu?"

As he spoke, an identical Rasengan lit up in his hand with a "vmm," its light nearly making Hibari lose his balance.

"No way!" Hibari slapped a hand to his forehead, torn between laughter and tears. "Even if the principle is simple, you two can't both master it just because I explained it once! Are you monsters?"

As he muttered, he turned and saw little Tsunade, nestled in Hashirama's other arm, stretching out her little hand with an eager look.

"Ugh..."

The little girl strained until her face turned red. Two or three wisps of chakra flickered in her palm, spun around twice, then dissipated with a soft puff. Hibari finally breathed a sigh of relief. If even this tiny girl could do it after hearing the explanation once, he'd never live it down.

Seeing Tsunade still struggling, Hashirama and Tobirama couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"All right, all right." Hashirama let the Rasengan in his hand dissipate, then rubbed his granddaughter's head. "Little Tsunade, it's perfectly normal that you can't do it yet. Grandpa believes you'll grow up to be an amazing shinobi. Keep at it!"

"Exactly," Hibari chimed in, deliberately putting on a stern face. "Little girl, stop worrying about that for now.

"I've got something else to ask you. You took five hundred ryo from me, then turned around and sold me out completely... Just wait until Hashirama and Second Granduncle aren't around. I'll show you!"

At that, Tsunade stopped trying to make a Rasengan, planted her hands on her hips, and declared indignantly, "Hibari, I thought it over carefully. What kind of older brother acts like you? So I can't be your accomplice! I'm going to be the good granddaughter of Granduncle and Second Granduncle!"

"Then give me back the five hundred ryo!" Hibari glared at her in outrage.

"What's wrong with an older brother giving his little sister some pocket money?" Tsunade pursed her lips and pointed accusingly from her moral high ground. "You cheapskate!"

Seeing the older and younger one about to start arguing, Hashirama hurried to smooth things over. "That's enough, Hibari. It's only five hundred ryo. Just think of it as pocket money for your little sister."

"Hashirama, you spoil her too much!" Hibari shook his head helplessly. "This little rascal will be spoiled rotten by you one day."

Hashirama pretended not to hear. Thick-skinned as ever, he turned to his granddaughter with a smile. "By the way, little Tsunade, what are you planning to do with those five hundred ryo?"

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she waved her hands excitedly. "Of course..."

"Have a gamble!" Hashirama cheerfully finished for her.

Grandfather and granddaughter headed out of the courtyard, making no attempt to stay longer.

Tobirama and Hibari didn't even need to ask where the two gamblers were going. They were obviously headed straight for the gambling house.

Once the old man and little girl had gone some distance, Hibari turned to Tobirama, who was still studying the Rasengan. He scratched his head and asked, "Second Granduncle, how did I do in the test? Could you give me a straight answer?"

Tobirama kept his eyes on the spinning sphere of light in his hand and murmured, "To achieve this with chakra alone... If it were combined with nature transformation..." He paused and looked up at Hibari. "This technique has a lot of potential."

Hibari clicked his tongue inwardly. As expected of an inventor of Forbidden Techniques—he'd already seen through the Rasengan's fundamentals in no time.

"You're right," he said with a nod. "It might be possible to incorporate all five chakra natures. There's a lot of room to develop it further."

Tobirama didn't respond, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper. After all, it was Hibari's technique, and what he did with it in the future was up to him.

Tobirama closed his fingers and crushed the Rasengan in his hand with a pop. A few wisps of air slipped through his fingers. He turned to Hibari and thought for a moment before speaking. "By the way, speaking of chakra natures... how are you doing with Water Release?"

Hibari's face fell. He shook his head helplessly. "I can manage Wind, Lightning, Fire, and Earth, but I just can't train in Water Nature. As for Water Release Ninjutsu? I can't even squeeze out a splash. Don't ask."

Tobirama furrowed his brow and muttered, "Still the same? That's troublesome..." He looked up at Hibari, a hint of regret in his voice. "If you can't even master Water Nature, who am I supposed to pass all my Water Release techniques on to?"

"Isn't there Tsunade, Second Granduncle?" Hibari grinned. "Besides, our family might have another child someday. Who knows? You might be holding another grandchild before long."

"Heh, maybe." Tobirama smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "But setting Water Release aside, the foundation of your Grandpa Hashirama's Wood Release is Water Nature, too.

"Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai created by combining Water and Earth chakra. I've never been able to figure it out. I originally thought I couldn't replicate its vitality because my chakra reserves were so much smaller than my elder brother's..."

He paused and looked at Hibari. "When you were born, your chakra reserves far surpassed those of the rest of the clan. I'd hoped you might inherit Wood Release.

"But look at you—you can't even train in Water Release... Fate really does enjoy playing tricks."

Listening to him, Hibari sighed too. As Second Granduncle had said, Water Release Ninjutsu wouldn't be too hard to pass down. They could always write the techniques onto scrolls, and when a suitable genius was born into the Senju Clan, they could learn from them.

But Wood Release techniques were a real pain. If this generation couldn't figure them out, they might truly be lost forever. Would the Senju Clan have to rely on someone like Yamato, with his "knockoff" version, to use Wood Release? Just thinking about it was embarrassing.

"That's why I wanted to learn as much as I could from you, Second Granduncle, and find a way to fix this problem as soon as possible," Hibari said with a shrug.

Tobirama studied him for a moment, then nodded. "This problem of yours... or weakness, if you prefer, really does need to be addressed. I refuse to believe there's no way to fix it."