第6章 怎么?跟你想的不一样?

Hibari's eyes lit up, and he quickly leaned in closer. "Second Granduncle, what do you mean by that...?"

"Just count your blessings, you brat." Tobirama snorted. "The village had too much going on before, and you know how efficient your Grandfather Hashirama is with paperwork. Plus, the other ninja villages were restless, and I was so busy I barely had time to stand still. When would I have had the time to train you personally?"

He paused, his tone softening slightly. "But the situation is much more stable now. Thanks to that 'performance' your Grandfather Hashirama put on at the Five Kage Summit, short-term peace should be maintained."

"My workload has lightened, too. From today on, if you really want to delve into the intricacies behind ninjutsu, follow me and learn properly."

"And while we're at it, we'll fix that problem of yours—" Tobirama said, his brow furrowing again. "A man of the Senju Clan who can't use Water Style or swim? What kind of nonsense is that! If you ever run into those Uchiha fellows, you won't even be able to hold your head up!"

"You got it! You're right, Second Granduncle. Let's get this issue of mine cured quickly. One of these days, I'll pay a visit to the Uchiha compound and take care of those so-called geniuses of their generation one by one!"

"I have to make them realize that the strongest clan is still us, the Senju!" Hibari was so happy when he heard Tobirama give the go-ahead that he nearly jumped for joy.

Tobirama frowned at this and raised his hand to rap Hibari on the head. "You're so young, yet you have no filter on that mouth of yours..."

However, he started to chuckle as he said it. "But your words are crude yet true. Those 'geniuses' are indeed little bastards who need a good lesson. Hibari, you remember this: you can lose to anyone, but you must never lose to those guys. Do you hear me?"

"You can rest easy!" Hibari rubbed his head and grinned. "I'm the top figure among the third generation of our Senju Clan; how could I lose face for the 'Forest Senju'?"

It was strange, but Tobirama's prejudice against the Uchiha Clan was deeply rooted, and he had been instilling this mindset in Hibari since he was a child.

Yet, Hibari didn't find it repulsive. At first, he thought his Second Granduncle was being too serious, but later, he encountered a few of those so-called geniuses from the Uchiha Clan... Good grief, they all acted as if their eyes were growing on the top of their heads.

Only then did he understand why their social skills were so ridiculously poor.

At least in terms of character, the Uchiha Clan's upbringing was truly lacking. Perhaps it would take years after they truly integrated into the village before they could raise decent people like Shisui or Itachi?

Tobirama was clearly pleased with Hibari's attitude and nodded. "Among the third generation, there's only you and Tsunade. The little girl is still playing in the mud, so your self-proclaimed 'top figure' title is actually well-deserved."

"However..." He changed the subject, his eyes filled with anticipation. "I believe you won't let me down, kid."

"Let's go. First, go back and record that Rasengan of yours in the family scrolls so everyone knows that I, Tobirama Senju, have a grandson as clever as I am."

Tobirama had several private rooms in the Senju mansion. In the past, whenever Hibari tried to sneak a peek, he was always blocked at the door.

So, he always wondered if these rooms were where his Second Granduncle conducted all sorts of messy experiments or developed new ninjutsu.

Today was the first time Hibari had followed Tobirama deep into the mansion to this private room. He had imagined many scenes before pushing the door open, but once it was open, the interior wasn't as terrifying as he had expected.

There were no experimental corpses soaking in chemicals, nor were there any eerie dissection tools.

Instead, it exuded an academic atmosphere. Both walls were lined with two neat rows of bookshelves filled with what looked like profound classics; the shelves in the room were also stacked with many scrolls.

A wooden desk sat in the center, with a few notebooks spread out on top, along with some unfinished techniques written on scrolls.

"Whoa... so this is what it looks like inside." Hibari muttered, stroking his chin.

Tobirama, who was walking in front, opened a window for ventilation and turned around upon hearing this, the corner of his mouth curling up. "What? Is it different from what you imagined?"

Hibari pulled out the chair by the desk and sat down, grinning. "It is a bit different, Second Granduncle."

Tobirama sat down behind the desk naturally and flipped through the notes, as if recalling where he had left off. He asked without looking up, "Then what did you originally think this room would look like?"

"Well, originally..." Hibari scratched his head. "For example, I thought there would be experimental equipment, jars with corpses soaking in them, walls covered in scary medical tools, and maybe some dried blood on the floor... In any case, it should have been much colder and gloomier than your warm 'study' here."

Tobirama was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Good kid, according to you, I've become a villain? Is that how you talk about your Second Granduncle behind his back?"

Hibari laughed sheepishly. After all, in his impression, there were only two people obsessed with developing ninjutsu and conducting experiments: his Second Granduncle and that future "pioneer of science," Orochimaru.

And Orochimaru's laboratory was exactly the kind of place Hibari had described, so it was no wonder he had assumed Tobirama's place was similar.

But before Hibari could respond, Tobirama stopped.

He scanned Hibari's face for a moment before speaking slowly. "Your little head thinks quite thoroughly, but this is just a study for writing and drawing; how could it really be turned into that kind of mess? But then again..."

He paused, leaning forward slightly, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness. "Hibari, do you think your Second Granduncle actually has... the kind of laboratory you were imagining?"

Hibari was taken aback. His usually stern and upright Second Granduncle now had an undefinable expression, and the air around them seemed to grow heavy.

That was right; the man in front of him was the one who created the Reanimation Jutsu. For decades to come, the entire ninja world would revolve around this technique. To say he single-handedly changed the world was no exaggeration.

And Hibari knew clearly: that Reanimation Jutsu required living sacrifices. Could his Second Granduncle's hands be clean when he was researching such a technique?

Could a person who could develop such a ninjutsu not have a proper, eerie laboratory? The answer was obvious—he definitely had one!

But as Hibari looked up at his Second Granduncle's sharp-featured face, he felt reassured.

Even if his Second Granduncle had taken lives, they would never be the blood of the innocent. They were likely heinous criminals, and it served them right to fall into his hands.

In this regard, he was completely different from the unscrupulous Orochimaru of the future. His Second Granduncle had a line in his heart that he would not cross.

Thinking of this, Hibari curled his lips into a smile that resembled Tobirama's. Although he was young, the smile already held some depth.

"I believe you definitely have one." His tone was calm, though his words were not what a child his age should say. "What progress comes without a price?"

"Many bright and beautiful things are built upon dirty work that ordinary people cannot endure. But these things themselves are not inherently good or evil; what determines good or evil... is the person doing them."

He paused slightly, looking directly into Tobirama's eyes, his own filled with trust. "And I have never doubted why you would touch these things. That's why I want to follow you, to help you out while also broadening my own horizons."

After he finished speaking, Tobirama didn't respond, merely staring into Hibari's eyes in silence. After a long while, he let out a soft huff.

"Hmph, little brat, you've got a whole set of theories." He curled his lip, his tone as casual as if they were discussing dinner. "It's not that complicated. All that talk about darkness and good or evil—it has nothing to do with it. To put it simply... it's just an interest."

Having said that, he didn't give Hibari a chance to speak again and pointed to the back of the desk—where a long chair was placed.

"Take off your armor and go lie down there." Tobirama ordered. "I'll check to see if there have been any changes in your body lately."

Since his Second Granduncle had spoken, Hibari couldn't keep dragging the conversation on. Besides, he was truly concerned about the "problem" he had, so he stood up promptly and walked around the long table toward the chair.

What he didn't notice was that as he brushed past Tobirama's shoulder, the corner of his Second Granduncle's usually tense mouth curled up slightly. His typically cold eyes also revealed a rare hint of softness.

Once Hibari took off his black layered armor and folded it neatly on the side table, Tobirama walked over. As soon as Hibari lay flat, he pulled open the collar of Hibari's inner garment and pressed his palm directly onto his shoulder.

A gentle, stream-like chakra seeped in.

"Second Granduncle, this is a silk inner garment! It's comfortable and expensive!" Hibari muttered, looking at his collar with heartache. "Can you be a bit gentler next time? If you tear it, where am I going to get another one..."

Tobirama was nearly amused by his stinginess.

"What are you muttering about?" he said irritably. "Where did you get the money to buy these? Didn't you swindle it from Hashirama and me? By rights, this thing was bought by us anyway. Even if it tears, you don't have to pay for it!"

"You're too unreasonable for a grandfather figure!"

Hibari twisted on the long chair, his tongue sharp. "Learn from how Grandfather Hashirama dotes on Princess Tsunade! Can't you share a bit of that with me? Besides, Grandfather Hashirama's money has already been lost in the gambling dens along with Tsunade's, and all your money is dumped into weird experimental materials—how much can you give me?"

"This silk was bought with pocket money I begged from Grandmother Mito! If you tear it, I'm going to complain to Grandmother Mito!"

Tobirama chuckled, and the force of his hand suddenly increased.

"A man of the Senju Clan, you've already enjoyed enough blessings." He said slowly, his chakra shifting from gentle to surging. "If I dote on you any more, you'll probably float up to the sky. Complain? Hibari, don't forget who has you in their grasp right now."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—!" Hibari winced in pain. "And you say I'm petty? Your desire for revenge is too strong, Second Granduncle!"

"I'm teaching you a lesson." Tobirama looked at his scrunched-up face, his tone softening. "Don't talk back to the person holding your weakness, got it?"

With that, he withdrew his strength, pulled back his chakra, and let go.

But Tobirama's brow remained furrowed. He stared at Hibari for a long time before speaking. "Strange. Your body is perfectly fine, not a single issue, and your vitality is as vigorous as a little Tailed Beast."

"But yet..." He paused. "Your soul is still the same as before, obscure and difficult to read, exactly the same as the last check. This is likely why you can't practice..."