第5章 这小混蛋迟早被您宠上天

Good grief, a chakra sphere hummed to life in Hibari's other hand, startling even the venerable Tobirama. Why? Senju Tobirama was known as the inventor of forbidden jutsu; what kind of ninjutsu hadn't he seen?

Although his specialty was Water Release, he was well-versed in countless other techniques. Even if he couldn't perform them himself,

after years of traveling far and wide and surviving countless battles, his perspective was broad enough. Yet, he had never seen this trick Hibari had suddenly pulled out of his sleeve. How could he not be surprised?

What made his heart skip a beat was that this thing looked powerful, yet it was a convenient technique that required no hand seals!

"A Tailed Beast Bomb???" Hashirama, holding little Tsunade, had also spotted it and shouted at the top of his lungs, his face full of wonder.

Hashirama had the leisure to ponder whether it resembled a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Tobirama did not—he was the target, and he could see that Rasengan about to smack right into his stomach!

One of his hands was pinned by Hibari's Adamantine Sealing Chains, and since they were standing so close, it seemed he had no way to dodge.

But just as that chakra sphere was about to graze his clothes, Tobirama's free hand formed a sword-finger, flicked upward, and he whispered, "Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder..."

The next second, the strike that should have landed solidly was swallowed as if by an invisible black hole, vanishing with a "whoosh."

Before Hibari could even react, the arm Tobirama had pinned suddenly surged, chakra erupting violently—the Senju clan's super strength wasn't something only this kid knew how to use!

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, Hibari was slammed hard into the ground, sending dust flying.

"You brat," Tobirama said, shaking out his wrist and glaring at the sorry sight on the ground, "daring to use all sorts of messy tricks on your uncle. Do you really think I'm made of iron?"

Although he hadn't actually taken the hit, he could tell from the density of that chakra that anyone who took it head-on would be in trouble, and he was no exception.

Hibari winced in pain, caught his breath, and muttered, "Uncle, my chakra control is precise! According to my calculations, I would have dissipated it a third of a centimeter before it touched your stomach. At most... at most it would have just made you stumble."

Tobirama glanced at him, clearly unconvinced. "Precise control? I'd be a fool to believe you! You little rascal..."

He scolded him, but his words trailed off. Despite his constant cold expression, his curiosity was actually far more intense than Hibari's—otherwise, he never would have invented so many forbidden jutsu.

He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Hibari, that technique you just used..."

"Let's not talk about that for now!" Hibari didn't give him a chance to finish, scrambling up and dusting himself off. "Uncle, how was the assessment? Did I do okay?"

At this point, seeing that the fight was over, Hashirama walked over happily, still holding little Tsunade.

"Hahaha, Hibari, you're something else!" Hashirama slapped Hibari on the shoulder, his laugh booming. "Even I haven't seen that move before! Did you come up with it yourself?"

Hibari blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. But at this juncture, he couldn't find anyone else who knew how to use the Rasengan, so he had to brazenly accept the title of "original creator."

He nodded and said with a serious face, "I guessed that you would test me sooner or later, so I prepared well! That move was my trump card... ahem, though it seems it still needs a bit more polish."

"So that's how it is!" Hashirama ruffled Hibari's hair, looking very pleased. "The rhythm of the whole fight was within your calculations, wasn't it?

To coordinate with your seal-less ninjutsu, you specifically went to learn the Adamantine Sealing Chains from Mito, and you even accounted for Tobirama's movement patterns. You're really something!"

"Hmph, just playing clever tricks," Tobirama scoffed, arms crossed.

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

Come to think of it, this brat Hibari had indeed figured him out quite thoroughly this time; otherwise, why would he choose to learn the dangerous Adamantine Sealing Chains specifically to deal with him?

Tobirama didn't say anything, but he knew it like the back of his hand.

The fact that Hibari could figure out his movement patterns, whether through family ties or otherwise, was a skill in itself. He was a dignified man; he wasn't so petty as to lack that much grace.

Hashirama spoke up cheerfully, "By the way, what's the deal with that ball you were spinning?"

Since the boss had spoken, Hibari stopped pestering his uncle for a grade.

He scratched his head and grinned. "I just wanted to give you a surprise! What kind of ninjutsu is the hardest to defend against? Definitely one without hand seals.

Although I can perform some C-rank ninjutsu without seals now, they lack power and flair. So, after thinking it over, I came up with this thing called a 'Rasengan'... as for the principle..."

He rattled off the explanation without holding anything back. Hashirama and Tobirama were both veterans, so they understood quickly, and within moments, they had grasped the essence of the Rasengan.

"Hey, you know," Hashirama said, nodding as he listened, and casually opened his free hand, "this feeling really is a bit like a Tailed Beast Bomb..."

Before he even finished, a chakra sphere began to spin lazily in his palm, large and round, making Hibari's eyes widen.

That wasn't all; Tobirama also raised his arm and added calmly, "Indeed. Why didn't we ever think of creating a simple, effective ninjutsu based on the Tailed Beast Bomb?"

As he spoke, an identical Rasengan hummed to life in his hand, its light so bright that Hibari nearly lost his footing.

"No way?!" Hibari slapped his own forehead, laughing and crying at the same time. "Even if the principle is simple, you two shouldn't be able to learn it just by hearing me explain it once! Are you two monsters?"

As he muttered to himself, he turned his head and saw little Tsunade, tucked in the crook of Hashirama's other arm, stretching out her tiny hand with an eager expression.

"Ngh..."

The little girl's face turned red with effort, and two or three wisps of chakra flickered in her palm, spun twice, and then "poofed" away. Hibari finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that if even this little tot could do it after one explanation, he would have nowhere to show his face.

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

"Alright, alright," Hashirama dissipated the Rasengan in his hand and patted his granddaughter's head. "Little Tsunade, it's normal that you can't do it yet. Grandpa believes you'll be an amazing ninja one day, keep it up!"

"Exactly," Hibari added, intentionally putting on a stern face. "Little brat, stop worrying about this for now.

I should ask you, you took my five hundred ryo bribe and then sold me out completely... just wait until Hashirama and Tobirama aren't around, see how I deal with you!"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade immediately stopped thinking about the Rasengan, put her hands on her hips, and said righteously, "Brother Hibari, I've thought about it carefully. What kind of brother are you? I can't be an accomplice with you! I want to be Grandpa Hashirama and Grandpa Tobirama's good granddaughter!"

"Then give me back my five hundred ryo first!" Hibari glared, furious.

"What's wrong with a brother giving his sister some pocket money?" Tsunade pouted, standing on the moral high ground and pointing fingers. "Stingy!"

Seeing the two of them about to argue, Hashirama quickly mediated. "Alright Hibari, it's just five hundred ryo, consider it pocket money for your sister."

"Grandpa Hashirama, you spoil her too much!" Hibari shook his head helplessly. "This little rascal will be spoiled rotten by you sooner or later."

Hashirama acted as if he hadn't heard, thick-skinned as ever, and turned to ask his granddaughter with a smile, "By the way, little Tsunade, now that you have five hundred ryo, what are you going to do with it?"

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

"Go gamble!" Hashirama happily finished the sentence for her.

The grandfather and granddaughter left the courtyard, having no intention of staying longer.

Tobirama and Hibari didn't even need to ask; where else would those two gamblers go? They were definitely heading straight for the gambling den.

Once the old man and the little girl were far away, Hibari turned to look at Tobirama, who was still studying the Rasengan. He scratched his head and asked, "Uncle, how was my assessment? Can you give me a straight answer?"

Tobirama kept staring at the spinning sphere of light in his hand, muttering, "To achieve this level with just chakra... if you were to combine it with nature transformation..." He paused, looked up at Hibari, and added, "This technique has quite a lot of potential."

Hibari clicked his tongue internally; as expected of the inventor of forbidden jutsu, it hadn't taken long for him to see through the foundation of the Rasengan.

"You're right," he nodded. "Maybe all five elements could be integrated into it; there's plenty of room for future development."

Tobirama didn't respond, seemingly not intending to delve deeper. After all, this was Hibari's own technique, and what he did with it later was his own business.

Tobirama closed his fingers, snapping the Rasengan out of existence, and a few wisps of air escaped through his fingers. He turned to Hibari, thought for a moment, and said, "By the way, speaking of elements... what is the status of your water-style chakra?"

Hibari's face fell, and he shook his head helplessly. "Wind, lightning, fire, and earth are all fine, but I just can't seem to master water. As for water-style ninjutsu? I can't even conjure a splash, let alone anything else."

Tobirama frowned, muttering to himself, "Still the same? That's troublesome..." He looked up at Hibari, his tone tinged with regret. "If you can't even master the water element, who am I supposed to pass my water-style expertise on to?"

"There's still Tsunade, Uncle," Hibari grinned. "Besides, the family might grow in the future; you never know when you might have another grandchild."

"Heh, perhaps," Tobirama smiled, but the warmth didn't reach his eyes. "But setting water-style aside, your grandfather Hashirama's Wood Release is also rooted in the water element.

Wood Release is a bloodline limit combining water and earth chakra. I've never been able to grasp the method, and I always thought it was because my chakra levels were far lower than my brother's,

which is why I lacked that life force..." He paused and looked at Hibari. "When you were born, your chakra levels far exceeded those of the clan, and I was hoping you would inherit Wood Release.

But as it turns out, you can't even master the water element... Fate truly has a way of playing tricks on us."

Hibari sighed as he listened. It was just as his uncle said; water-style ninjutsu was manageable—at worst, he could write it down in a scroll, and when a suitable genius appeared in the Senju clan, they could learn it.

But the Wood Release secret arts were a headache. If this generation couldn't figure it out, it might truly be lost forever. Would they really have to rely on "knock-offs" like Yamato to perform the Wood Release of the Forest Senju? Just thinking about it was embarrassing.

"That's why I want to learn more from you, Uncle, and fix this problem as soon as possible," Hibari said, spreading his hands.

Tobirama studied him for a moment and nodded. "This problem... or rather, this weakness of yours, we must find a way to solve it. I refuse to believe it can't be fixed."