You're Being Far Too Modest

He was furious. He grabbed Tsunade and was about to give her a good talking-to, so she'd understand that being a "little princess" and being a "brat" were two entirely different things.

But before Hibari could get more than a couple of words of scolding out, Tsunade was already riled by his angry tone. She raised a fist and landed a solid punch in his eye, then stuck out her tongue in an exaggerated grimace.

"I'm never playing with you again, Hibari!"

She shouted her childish declaration and then turned and ran off, her little feet pattering away.

Tsunade had never known her own strength, even as a little girl. No wonder she'd be able to beat Jiraiya so badly in the future. That punch had the first hint of Strength of a Hundred behind it, and it caught Hibari completely off guard. He was stunned for a moment, and by the time he came to his senses, all he could do was watch her short legs carry her out of sight.

And that was how they'd ended up here: Hibari chasing Tsunade all around the Senju estate.

"Big brother Hibari!" Tsunade ran as fast as she could, but still remembered to glance back and "warn" him, a little fearfully. "As a man of the Senju Clan, what matters most is having a broad heart and being magnanimous. You can't get angry over everything! That's what Great-Grandpa said, so don't forget!"

"What you did wasn't exactly decent!" Hibari's anger flared even hotter. "You even hit your big brother! If I don't teach you a lesson today, will you set the whole house on fire tomorrow?!"

But though he shouted fiercely, his pace slowed of its own accord. He was worried that if he chased her too hard, she might fall. He figured he could wait until she ran out of steam and stopped, then give her a proper lecture.

But as they rounded a corner, Tsunade disappeared from view. When Hibari chased after her, he found her already nestled in someone's arms, making faces at him.

"Hibari."

A soft, gentle voice with a dignified warmth came from ahead, giving Hibari a moment to catch his breath. He looked up at the person holding Tsunade.

She was a beautiful woman with wine-red hair and a graceful bearing. Her features were lovely, but her brows held a touch more strength than those of an ordinary woman, giving her a unique charm. A diamond-shaped mark sat on her forehead.

Hibari knew it was the famous Yin Seal. That technique was what had allowed her to keep her youthful appearance.

She was his and Tsunade's grandmother, the lady of the Senju Clan, and the wife of Senju Hashirama, the First: Uzumaki Mito.

"What's going on? Why are you chasing little Tsunade around so early in the morning?" Grandma Mito asked with a smile.

Hibari shot a fierce glare at Tsunade, who was still making faces at him, then answered, somewhat indignantly, "Grandma Mito, don't even get me started. This is infuriating! If Princess Tsunade doesn't get reined in, she'll become completely impossible to handle!"

Then he "embellished" the story of little Tsunade's "good deeds" as he told it to Grandma Mito, making her cover her mouth and laugh from time to time.

"She even sneaked into the box of pastries I bought especially for you and ate most of them! She took two or three bites out of each one and left them scattered all over the table!"

After rattling off his complaint, Hibari walked over to Grandma Mito and naturally took the few light parcels from her hands. "Tell me, doesn't this little rascal deserve a scolding?"

Seeing how considerate Hibari was, Mito smiled and said, "Little Tsunade really is being rather unruly. I thought she was young and wanted her to be lively, but your Grandpa Hashirama spoiled her, and now she's getting naughtier by the day. Hibari, I'll have a proper talk with her. As her big brother, don't keep getting into a temper with her, all right?"

Hearing his grandmother say that, Hibari could only nod. "I understand, Grandma Mito. If I'd really wanted to hit her, would I have let her run this far? I was only trying to scare her..."

Uzumaki Mito knew better, and smiled as she nodded. Her gaze fell on little Tsunade, who was looking rather dejected in her arms, and she lightly flicked her on the forehead.

"Tsunade, you have to remember that you're not just a child of the Senju Clan. You're also the 'Princess' of the Land of Fire. If you're a princess, you need to act like one. There's nothing wrong with playing around, but you still have to know where to draw the line. Do you understand?"

Little Tsunade bit her lip and nodded, looking terribly aggrieved. "I understand, Grandma Mito..."

Then she turned to Hibari, her big eyes blinking as she drew out her little voice. "Big brother Hibari... forgive me, too..."

Since Grandma Mito had said she'd keep an eye on her, Hibari had no intention of holding a grudge. Besides, one look from the little girl had already made his anger disappear.

"Hmph, you're lucky Grandma Mito's here to protect you," Hibari said, deliberately putting on a stern face. "If you act like such a brat again, I'll really have to pull rank as your big brother and teach you a lesson... Forget it. I'll let you off this time."

Seeing that the fuss had settled down, Uzumaki Mito smiled and turned to Hibari. "It's funny you should mention that. I was thinking of coming to see you this morning. Hibari, I heard you've started training under your Second Uncle Tobirama. Is that right?"

Hibari's skills were a patchwork, assembled from all sorts of odds and ends. One day he'd learn a little from one aunt, the next he'd pick up a couple of moves from an uncle. Piece by piece, he'd managed to learn quite a few Ninjutsu.

Of course, Great-Uncle Hashirama and Second Uncle Tobirama had both taught him plenty over the years. But they were busy men, and Hibari was still quite young, so neither had given him especially strict or systematic instruction. Grandma Mito's question was perfectly reasonable.

Hibari nodded. "That's right. The Five Kage Summit just ended, and Second Uncle said the peace agreement had been signed, so there probably wouldn't be any fighting for a while. Now that he has some free time, he thinks my old problem shouldn't be left untreated any longer, so he's planning to train me properly."

Uzumaki Mito's smile deepened. "That's good.

"As for me, Sealing Jutsu is about all I can teach you. There's a limit to what I can offer. Your Second Uncle Tobirama has plenty of excellent techniques, and you're a clever child. If you can learn his skills, the Senju Clan will have someone to carry on its legacy."

Taking into account the trouble Hibari had with water, Mito naturally left Hashirama's Wood Release out of the conversation, so she wouldn't put any extra pressure on the boy.

Hibari smiled. "Grandma Mito, you're being far too modest. The last time I used the Adamantine Sealing Chains you taught me, I really impressed Great-Uncle Hashirama and Second Uncle!

"Please don't stop teaching me new things just because I'm training under Second Uncle. I've had my eye on the Yin Seal for ages. I've just been waiting for a day when you're in a good mood so I can find an excuse to 'con' it out of you!"

Although he'd said he'd "con" her, Uzumaki Mito wasn't annoyed at all. If anything, she was pleased.

She reached out and ruffled Hibari's hair with a smile. "The Yin Seal, huh... When the time is right, and Grandma's in a good mood, you can come and see if you can 'con' it out of me... You little rascal."

Mito had been planning to visit Hibari anyway, so running into him along the way saved her a trip. The three of them chatted as they headed toward Mito's residence.

"Grandma Mito, have Great-Uncle Hashirama and Second Uncle Tobirama already gone out?" Hibari asked casually as he carried the light parcels beside her.

"What, are you already eager to start training?" Uzumaki Mito turned her head and teased him with a smile.

"Not really." Hibari scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "We only decided yesterday that I'd start training, after all. You know that most of Second Uncle's signature techniques involve Water Release, which I can't learn for now.

"As for his other odds and ends, my theoretical foundation isn't strong enough for me to get my head around them. So I haven't figured out how to take that first step in my training yet. I was just asking."

Truth be told, Hibari had never really had proper theory lessons. As Second Uncle Tobirama was always telling him, he knew how to use jutsu, but he didn't understand how they worked. He could perform Ninjutsu, but that was all.

Why did making these Hand Seals produce a fireball? Why did those movements summon a water dragon? To Hibari, it was probably like using a refrigerator without understanding how it cooled things. If everyone else could make the Hand Seals and get it to work, he could just learn to do the same.

So he'd learned quite a few Ninjutsu, but when it came to the principles behind them, aside from the most basic knowledge and the parts Tobirama and the others had explained to him, he was still in the dark.

But things were different now. Hibari was thinking of following Second Uncle Tobirama down the path of "scientific ninja training," hoping to find a reliable way to cure the problem he had.

Besides, a better grasp of theory could support his training, and maybe he'd even manage to develop a few stronger Ninjutsu in the future. Wouldn't that make his strength shoot up?

So at the moment, Hibari was in the position of someone who wanted the refrigerator to cool things but had realized he really did need to learn how it worked. Still, as he'd said, he hadn't figured out exactly how to take that first step.

"Then you really will have to think it over carefully," Uzumaki Mito replied. "If your theoretical knowledge can't keep up, things will only get harder as you go. Many complex Ninjutsu can't be performed just by memorizing the Hand Seals.

"Honestly, I was surprised you could use the Adamantine Sealing Chains. But Hibari, you can't rely on luck forever. Take the Yin Seal you want to learn, for example..."

She paused, then continued. "It's much more complicated than the Adamantine Sealing Chains.

"It's a Sealing Jutsu that acts directly on your own body. The slightest mistake could cause serious problems. Teaching it to you now wouldn't be caring for you; it would be harming you. Wait until your Second Uncle Tobirama thinks you're ready, then come and ask me for it... Heh."

"Now that you put it that way, you're right." Hibari thought it over, then grinned. "All right... I'll go to Second Uncle's place in a bit, swipe his keys, and start by hitting the books."

At that, Uzumaki Mito smiled, her expression touched with approval. "Your Second Uncle Tobirama didn't spell it out for you. He probably wanted to see if you could work out for yourself how to take that first step. It seems you haven't been so impatient as to disappoint him."

There was a big difference between reading books and learning Ninjutsu. A Ninjutsu was a distinct technique.

Even with a teacher, as long as they explained the technique's principles and how it worked, that was generally enough for a ninja. Learning a few techniques could noticeably increase their strength in a short time.