Early in the morning on the second day, Hibari had just woken up and was still feeling groggy when he heard his room door slide open. He opened his eyes and saw little Tsunade standing somewhat hesitantly by his bed, seemingly deep in thought.
This made Hibari a little confused. He rubbed his eyes slightly and murmured, "What are you doing, Tsunade?"
It seemed Tsunade heard Hibari's words, and she quickly said, "Hibari-nii, quickly close your eyes..."
"Close my eyes? I'm about to get up..." Hibari said, puzzled.
"You close them first..." Tsunade pouted as she spoke. Looking at her expression, it seemed she would burst into tears if Hibari didn't listen to her.
Seeing this, Hibari said somewhat helplessly, "I really don't know what kind of trick you're playing, little one... Alright, I'll close my eyes, okay?"
With that, Hibari lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes. Then he said, "Okay, I've closed them, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard little Tsunade let out a "Hmph!" Then Hibari's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly opened his eyes. What he saw was Tsunade having already leaped into the air, aiming to crash onto him.
"Hibari-nii, wake up~~~" Little Tsunade yelled.
"Damn it, you wild child!!!" Hibari swore in alarm, then was immediately slammed in the chest by little Tsunade, almost knocking the wind out of him...
After recovering slightly, Hibari unceremoniously reached out and pushed little Tsunade off his blanket. He said, "I was wondering why you were hesitating next to me just now. So you were planning how to ambush me? Is this even something a human would do?"
Tsunade rolled over, then patted her bottom and stood up, saying, "I wasn't thinking about how to ambush you. I was thinking whether or not to ambush you, since I'm a big girl now~"
Hibari rubbed his aching chest as he stood up, saying with some dissatisfaction, "You know you're a big girl, and you still pounce on me? Be careful, you might not get married in the future!"
"There's no one here to see, and besides, as soon as I saw you sleeping there, Hibari-nii, I instinctively wanted to pounce," little Tsunade made a face, laughing as she spoke.
"So you've gotten used to pouncing all these years? I heard you even beat up Orochimaru and Jiraiya a few days ago? So violent? You really might not get married," Hibari muttered as he tidied his bed.
"I told you, I'm going to marry Hibari-nii when I grow up!" Tsunade said somewhat grumblingly.
"You also said you were going to marry Hashirama-jiisan..." Hibari said nonchalantly.
This angered little Tsunade, who then started wildly punching his abdomen. After finally managing to appease the Senju clan's little princess, Hibari looked at the clothes hanging on the rack, pondering what to wear.
Normally, when he had nothing to do, he would wear his very warm and luxurious sable fur coat. But today, he was going out to spar with his granfather, so he naturally couldn't wear that. Not only was the clothing not conducive to various movements, but if it got damaged from bumps and scrapes, he could really lose a few million ryo. No matter how rich Hibari was, he couldn't be so wasteful.
Thinking of this, Hibari looked at the two combat outfits hanging nearby: one was the unique attire of Anbu members, and the other was the traditional layered armor of their Senju clan.
This black layered armor was a gift from Hashirama when he was young. Later, as Hibari's body grew, he had his family's craftsmen adjust the size, and it now fit him perfectly.
Considering that today wasn't an Anbu mission, Hibari thought for a moment, then took down the black layered armor and quickly put it on.
If three years ago, Hibari wearing this armor made him look a bit like a 'monkey in human clothes,' not quite formal, giving off the impression of a child pretending, then now, wearing this black layered armor, he truly looked heroic and handsome.
After securing the arm guards, Hibari reached out and took a standard-length katana from his sword rack. He weighed it in his hand and murmured softly, "I should find myself a good sword that can cut through anything when I get the chance..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hibari hung the katana at his waist, then glanced at the large scroll he had already prepared and hung on the wall. After some thought, he ultimately decided not to take it down and strap it to his back.
After all, he was just going to spar with his grandfather, not actually going to a battlefield. Many powerful ninjutsu and ninja tools probably wouldn't be needed, so there was no need to bring a large auxiliary scroll.
He turned around, grabbed his ninja tool pouch from the table, then chuckled as he placed a hand on little Tsunade's head and said, "Let's go. Today, I'll show you your Hibari-nii's skills~"
"Hibari-nii, you absolutely have to win today! I made a bet with Ojiisama; I've bet all my allowance on you~" Tsunade said, holding Hibari's hand as they walked, even waving her other small fist to cheer Hibari on.
However, Hibari's face was already covered in black lines upon hearing her words. As two of the Senju family's famous gamblers, Hashirama was slightly better; although he often lost so much he was almost down to his underwear, he could occasionally win a few small rounds. But little Tsunade had never won a single game; she basically lost every bet!
So, as soon as Hibari heard little Tsunade say she had put all her bets on him, his heart turned cold...
"You're trying to change my fate with metaphysics, Tsunade. I might have won, but you'll probably curse me into losing..." Hibari muttered with a dejected face.
Tsunade, who hadn't heard what Hibari was muttering, looked up at Hibari in confusion and asked, "Hibari-nii, what are you saying?"
Looking at little Tsunade's innocent expression, Hibari finally shook his head helplessly. After all, little Tsunade had good intentions, so what else could he do?
"Nothing, just praising you for being so sensible. After I win, I'll treat you to snacks from the entire street~" Hibari said, rubbing little Tsunade's head.
Walking together with little Tsunade to the front gate of the Senju clan's residence, they saw Hashirama and Tobirama already waiting there. Beside them stood Hiruzen, who had heard the news from somewhere and seemed to be joining the fun.
After briefly greeting his two elder leaders, the group walked together towards the training grounds.
After a few steps, Hibari asked, somewhat confused, "Say, Hiruzen, why are you here? Did you know Ojiisan was going to test me today? That shouldn't be right, should it? Wasn't this something we just decided last night? You wouldn't be spying on me, would you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? Why would I spy on you when I have nothing better to do?" Hiruzen said, somewhat annoyed by Hibari's words.
"Don't pretend! A few days ago, I saw a crystal ball on your desk in the Anbu office. You'd better explain to me what that thing is for! You wouldn't actually be spying on me, would you? Hiss~~ I'm getting goosebumps!" Hibari said, shivering as he spoke.
Hiruzen's expression also became a little awkward. That crystal ball was indeed what he used for 'spying,' or more precisely, it was to assist with some Anbu work. Hiruzen had painstakingly spent a lot of time developing a 'Crystal Ball Jutsu' that allowed him to observe many places using the crystal ball, thereby helping Anbu members complete tasks like clearing out spies in the village.
As for whether Hiruzen used this jutsu for any other miscellaneous things in his spare time, that was hard to say. So, when Hibari suspected him at this moment, he found himself unable to explain clearly.
"Don't talk nonsense, kid! I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stand upright and sit straight; I've never done any spying! Besides, what do you even have to spy on? I heard that First Hokage-sama came back yesterday, and thinking it's been a long time, I came to visit early this morning. Then I heard Sensei and the others mention testing you, so I came to join the fun," Hiruzen quickly explained.
"You really think I just met you yesterday, huh? 'Stand upright and sit straight,' my foot! Do you dare swear you haven't used that crystal ball for any hanky-panky?" Hibari said, glancing disdainfully at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's face flushed, then he said, "Those were all for work, for work..."
However, after hearing Hiruzen's explanation, Hibari felt relieved. He also didn't think this guy would be perverted enough to spy on him when he had nothing else to do...
"Tsk tsk, I'll have to set up some barriers in my house from now on. Who knows if you'll gradually descend down a path of lawlessness?" Hibari playfully taunted, clicking his tongue.
These words angered Hiruzen greatly. To think that he, the Anbu Commander, had researched such a convenient ninjutsu purely for the village's development, only to be slandered by Hibari like this. How could he not feel distressed?
Amidst the laughter and chatter, the group arrived at the training grounds. Pushing aside a branch blocking their way, Hibari smiled and said, "Oh right, Hiruzen-jisan, you know I'm very busy here, and I'll probably be even busier after this. I won't have too much time to keep an eye on the company. Why don't you teach me this 'spying jutsu'? Then I can find time to check on the company's situation, saving me from running around everywhere, right?"
"What 'spying jutsu'? That's a 'Crystal Ball Jutsu'! You want to learn it? Dream on!" Hiruzen said unceremoniously.
"If you don't want to teach, then don't teach; why such an aggressive tone?" Hibari chuckled playfully.
Just as Hiruzen was about to curse Hibari again, Hashirama and Tobirama, who were walking ahead, stopped. After observing the surroundings slightly, Tobirama said, "Here is fine. Any further and we won't make it back for dinner."
Hibari squeezed past Hiruzen, then stretched his wrists and said smugly, "It's been a long time since I've fought a master. Ojiisan, don't disappoint me..."
Tobirama was also amused by Hibari's words, then said, "I was originally going to go easy on you, kid, but with words like that, if I, your Ojiisan, don't beat you till you cry, you won't know your place!"
Hiruzen also chimed in, "That's right, Sensei! This kid is getting more and more arrogant. If you don't show him some serious power, he'll think he's perfected his skills and is invincible!"
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