"Dismissed."
As the applause died down, Kawaki bowed and stepped off the stage.
With that, the opening ceremony concluded successfully.
At the word 'dismissed,' the orderly formation instantly broke apart as children rushed toward their parents.
"See you."
Hayate Gekkō, Yūgao Uzuki, and their new friends quickly vanished into the crowd after exchanging greetings.
Once most of the crowd had dispersed, only Ginji and four others remained.
"Where are we supposed to regroup?"
Shisui broke the silence with an innocent question.
"In hell."
Ginji's voice was lifeless, filled with despair.
"Be optimistic. Maybe Uncle Kawaki is in a good mood today. You might get off easy."
Kinoto knew Ginji had practically no chance of escaping punishment but still tried to comfort him.
"Sigh~"
Ginji sighed deeply; he knew exactly what she meant.
What Kinoto suggested had practically no chance of happening.
"So what? Could be worse. We've all been there before."
Naruto spoke with the tone of someone who'd been hit plenty of times himself.
"What are you guys just standing there for?"
"Let's go."
Before Aoi Tsukigami could speak, Kakashi's voice cut in from a distance.
"Coming, bro."
Ginji responded glumly, trudging toward Kakashi, all traces of his earlier swagger gone.
"You're too slow. We've been waiting for you."
Kakashi and Kurenai hadn't been around earlier and didn't know what had happened.
"Bro, you'll save me, right?"
Ginji suddenly brightened, rushing forward to grab Kakashi's arm.
"Did you cause trouble again?"
Kakashi looked helpless, clearly frustrated.
"They were messing around during Uncle Kawaki's speech and ruined the formation."
Kinoto, being an honest child, spilled everything without holding back.
"Take your hand off."
"I can't save you this time."
Kakashi harshly pried Ginji's hand away and walked off without looking back.
It's not that I won't help—it's because you brought this on yourself.
Besides, you overestimate me. As if Dad never beat me up before.
"Might as well face it head-on. Either way, it's just one punch."
Looking like he had accepted his fate, Ginji resolutely followed behind Kakashi.
The six of them finally met the adults outside school.
Seeing Orochimaru wasn't around, Aoi Tsukigami let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Shisui knew Fugaku had gone to fetch Mikoto, so he obediently stayed close to his playmates.
"Dad, where are we going to eat?"
With newfound resolve, Ginji even dared to ask Kawaki directly, acting like he didn't care either way.
"We're going to the barbecue restaurant next to our weapon workshop. Your mom is already waiting there."
Kawaki gave Ginji a meaningful look, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Dad, I suddenly have a stomachache. Can I skip dinner?"
Upon hearing that Tsunade was waiting, Ginji felt his knees go weak.
Speak of bad luck—misfortunes never come alone.
"Even better. Mom can check you out herself."
Of course, Kawaki knew exactly what Ginji was thinking.
"Pfft!"
Aoi Tsukigami couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
Ginji must've lost his mind. Out of all excuses, why did he pick such a dumb one—faking illness?
Doesn't he know his own mother is a Medical Ninja?
"No need to bother Mama—I'm already fine."
Ginji clearly accepted his fate. He smacked his forehead, practically laughing at how dumb he'd been.
"In that case, then let's go."
Kawaki, Jiraiya, and the others chatted while walking, often bursting into cheerful laughter.
To Ginji, though, it all sounded like devilish whispers.
Upon arriving at the barbecue restaurant, Tsunade had already been seated for a while.
She warmly greeted everyone, then flashed a bright smile before yanking Ginji by the ear and dragging him off.
"You guys go ahead and sit down. I'll go check on things."
Using "checking things out" as an excuse, Kawaki followed close behind.
"Ahhh!!"
A string of screams erupted from the next room. Aoi Tsukigami could already imagine her own future.
Even though Orochimaru doted on her, when it came time for punishment, he never held back.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Will you dare do it again next time?"
Kawaki and Tsunade nailed the good cop–bad cop routine, leaving Ginji no choice but to submit.
That dual-parent scolding combo was just too much.
While the beating happened lively in that room, Shinryu Yūhi's family arrived.
Actually, Kawaki had asked Kurenai to bring them here. Sakumo and Natsuki were also on their way.
"Where's Kawaki?"
Shinryu asked offhandedly, assuming Kawaki hadn't shown up yet.
"He's in the next room giving Ginji a lesson with Lady Tsunade."
Jiraiya smirked and nodded toward the next room.
"What did Ginji do wrong?"
Kurenai leaned closer to Kakashi, eager to gossip.
They whispered back and forth until Kakashi filled her in on what happened.
"Haha~ What bad luck for Ginji to have a big brother like you."
Kakashi's retelling of how he separated Ginji's hands had Kurenai laughing so hard she couldn't straighten her back.
"What was I supposed to do? Just walk in there and get beat up too?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. Did he look like a freaking punching bag or something?
"I seriously cracked up."
Kurenai wiped a tear from her eye, finally calming down.
About ten minutes later, Kawaki's family of three returned from the next room.
Not a single tear stained Ginji's face, despite how loud he'd screamed earlier.
The pain was real, but no actual injuries. Well, having parents this powerful isn't always a blessing.
"Finished the 'education' huh?"
"Sometimes, hitting alone doesn't solve anything."
Shinryu began sharing parenting advice, which carried weight since Red was such a well-behaved and considerate daughter.
This short chapter isn't over yet—more exciting parts are coming!
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The adults talked amongst themselves, while the kids talked amongst themselves.
"Did it hurt?"
As soon as Ginji sat down, Aoi approached with concern.
"Of course it hurt! My throat almost went hoarse from screaming."
Ginji dramatically pinched his throat, acting like it really hurt.
"If it hurt so much and you still didn't cry, just wait until we get home—I'll definitely cry tonight."
Aoi frowned deeply—she could never hold up like Ginji did.
"It probably won't be that bad. Uncle Orochimaru would never hit you."
Though Aoi always talked about being punished, Ginji had never actually seen it happen—not once.
It wasn't like fighting outside—I've cried so many times from being beaten at home.
Aoi Tsukigami's words instantly earned Kurenai's approving gaze. They understood each other's pain.
Don't let Shinryu's current tone fool you—when he truly lost his temper, he had hit Kurenai just as often.
When the topic of getting beaten came up, all the kids chimed in with their own complaints. Only Shisui looked wistful.
Being an orphan, Shisui actually longed for parents who'd scold or even hit him occasionally.
But things weren't so bad anymore. At least the clan leader treated him really well.
As time dragged on, everyone finally started arriving.
Orochimaru arrived last, followed closely by Misaki and Nawaki.
Minato and Kushina came with Fugaku and Mikoto, just minutes ahead of the rest.
"Hey brother-in-law, did you forget we were coming?"
Nawaki sat down beside Tsunade and directed his complaint at Kawaki.
"How could I? I told Kakashi already."
The truth was Kawaki really had forgotten about them, so he quickly tried to shift the blame onto someone else.
"Oh right, that's right."
"Uncle Nawaki, it was my mistake."
Kakashi caught on quickly and didn't hesitate to take the blame for his uncle. He even shot Ginji a pointed look, as if to say, "Take note."
"You simply forgot about us."
Unfortunately, Nawaki wasn't buying it. He immediately saw through Kakashi's false testimony.
"I promise it won't happen again."
"Time to eat, food's here."
Realizing he couldn't hide it any longer, Kawaki made a show of declaring there would never be a next time. Using the arrival of the food as an excuse, he successfully diverted everyone's attention.
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