While Katsura embarked on his journey to investigate the Shinobi World's paw ecosystem, Gintoki in Konoha had also reached the age to start school.
"Huh? School? Does someone as smart as Gin-san really need to go to school?"
Gintoki, tugging at the four-year-old Kakashi's face mask, rolled his listless, dead-fish eyes.
"Ow! You're pulling my skin, big bro!"
Kakashi's eyes welled up with tears.
Ever since he could remember, he had been bullied by his big brother almost every day.
"Kakashi, a shinobi is someone who can endure! If you can't even handle this little bit of pain, you'll never become a shinobi!"
Listening to his eldest son's words, Sakumo couldn't help but feel proud.
Despite his usually lazy demeanor, the boy understood everything.
Just like the words he had just spoken.
"No! You must go to the Shinobi Academy!" Sakumo said with unusual seriousness, then suddenly thought of something and gave a slight smirk.
"And don't worry. If it's you, I bet you could graduate in just a year if you put your mind to it."
As far as Sakumo was concerned, Gintoki might be a bit lazy, but he already wielded his wooden sword with impressive skill.
Lately, during their sparring sessions, Sakumo had to get serious just to keep up.
And all the jutsu Sakumo had taught him? Mastered.
Though only five years old, his chakra reserves were already on par with some elite chunin.
And there was still room for growth.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he became an outstanding Konoha shinobi!
Of course, there was just one thing Sakumo regretted—Gintoki hadn't learned the Hatake sword style.
Instead, he had developed his own wild, unorthodox style that suited only him.
"Anyway, no school means no more dango or any other treats."
With that, Sakumo turned on his heel, feeling inexplicably triumphant.
Think you can outsmart your old man? Not a chance!
Watching the utterly unsympathetic Sakumo, Gintoki tugged harder on Kakashi's cheek and retorted.
"I mean, can you stop boxing in the paths your kids want to take? Kids have the right to choose too! Can't you think about them for once? Like Kakashi here—he just wants to be a dessert chef. As a parent, shouldn't you support his dreams?!"
"No, I never thought that!" Kakashi, whose cheeks were already swollen from Gintoki's torment, instantly retorted.
Watching Sakumo walk away indifferently, Gintoki pondered for a moment before releasing Kakashi and standing up.
"Kakashi, I'll teach you the secret Konoha taijutsu technique that'll let you stab the future Hokage! Watch closely!"
After whispering this, Gintoki disappeared from Kakashi's sight using the Body Flicker Technique.
The next moment, Kakashi saw his big brother charging towards their father's back.
Seeing the tiger seal formed by Gintoki, Kakashi's eyes widened—this hand sign was for fire-...
Before he could finish the thought, Kakashi suddenly noticed his father had also used the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from Gintoki's front in an instant!
"Watch carefully, Kakashi! This is our family's secret Konoha taijutsu technique passed down through generations!"
Seeing his father appear behind Gintoki, Kakashi became alert when he noticed his father forming the same tiger seal!
"Dang..." Kakashi stood up, about to warn his brother when his father shouted the technique's name.
"...Thousand Years of Death!!"
Watching his father's spear-like fingers thrust toward Gintoki's rear, Kakashi instantly fell silent with dead-fish eyes.
But just as he thought the match was decided, Gintoki suddenly vanished with a poof of white smoke!
Shadow Clone!
Kakashi's eyes widened again—he hadn't seen any hand seals.
When had he...?
Poke!
The sound from behind forced Kakashi to stop pondering.
Mechanically turning his head, he saw Gintoki—who had somehow appeared behind him—delivering that painfully familiar finger thrust towards his butt.
Kakashi fell completely silent.
"YAAAA—!!"
Watching Kakashi jump up in pain, Gintoki felt this hands-on teaching method would surely help his little brother master this taijutsu secret!
"Good lesson, Gintoki," Sakumo remarked, crossing his arms with some amusement.
"Hmph, it was alright..." Gintoki shrugged dismissively.
His strike had been much gentler than when Sakumo had first taught him this technique!
"So... did you learn it, Kakashi?"
At his brother's question, Kakashi—kneeling on the ground with his small butt raised, trembling in pain—turned teary eyes filled with agony to glare at Gintoki.
Just you wait!
...
After seeing Gintoki off to the ninja academy with Sakumo, Kakashi watched his brother's retreating figure—hands behind his head, yawning incessantly—and felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
Though this big brother had never acted properly since Kakashi could remember, always slacking off and even frequently wiping boogers on his head...
He had always been by Kakashi's side.
With their father often away on missions, Gintoki had always been the one taking care of him.
"What's wrong? Feeling lonely?" Sakumo smiled.
"Who's lonely?!" Kakashi's face turned slightly red as he crossed his arms and looked away.
"I'm definitely not feeling lonely just because that bastard brother of mine is at school and I'm home alone!"
Looking at Kakashi's stubbornness, Sakumo smiled without a word, sighing in his heart.
Although his wife passed away early, the two children didn't "go astray" because of it, all thanks to the seasoning effect of Gintoki...
...
For Gintoki, life at the ninja academy was dull, but for Sakumo, the year Gintoki spent there was pure torture!
Parents bringing their children to complain about his son's misbehavior had become routine.
If a month passed without any parents coming to report his son's misconduct, that would be the real surprise!
And it wasn't just the parents—teachers, the auntie at the school's convenience store, the uncle at the bookstore, and even a few dogs from the Inuzuka family...
Thus, at the age of six, Gintoki successfully graduated from the ninja academy and became a genin of Konoha!
His outstanding talent had little to do with his early graduation; it was mainly because he caused too much trouble!
If he stayed any longer, he might have recruited all the students as his underlings!
On the day Gintoki graduated, over half the students came out to see him off, crying and wailing as they bid him farewell.
"Gin-san! Take care on your journey!"
"I'll never forget you, Gin-san!"
"Don't ever forget us, Gin-san!"
Witnessing this unprecedented and likely never-to-be-repeated scene, Sakumo was left speechless, a lump of exasperation stuck in his throat.
"What on earth did you do to them?!"
Seeing Gintoki, who had modified his Forehead Protector's strap into a white-and-blue floral one tied around his arm, Sakumo finally exploded.
"Huh? What did I do? Maybe they were just naturally bowled over by Gin-san's innate charisma."
"Who'd believe that?!"
Unlike the bickering Sakumo and Gintoki, Kakashi, standing nearby, felt a bit conflicted.
He had finally reached school age...
He had been looking forward to going to school with his brother, only for the other to graduate early!
So frustrating!