Uchiha Gin chatted with Senju Momoka for a while, making her laugh softly. Looking up at the serene and antique Senju residence, he asked,
"Where's Hashirama, the jailbird?"
"He's meditating in the inner courtyard~"
In a much better mood, Senju Momoka replied with a smile. Lately, Hashirama had been busy training in some kind of secret art, leaving all the Hokage's duties to Tobirama and Madara. At such a young age, he was already acting like a hands-off leader—it was truly enviable.
"Then we'll go find him first."
"All right, but remember to join me for a meal later."
"Oh my~ how could I impose? Can I choose the dishes?"
"..."
"Mr. Gin, you're such an amusing person."
Waving goodbye to the smiling Momoka, Gin led the little ones toward the inner courtyard.
Before they even entered, Gin suddenly sensed a familiar power. The air was thick with natural energy, so dense it was almost tangible. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
So, the jailbird cousin was practicing Sage Arts. Judging by the feel of it, his Sage Mode training was nearly complete.
Sigh~ Big cousin, you're already a grasshopper after autumn—you won't be hopping for long~
"Hashirama, we're coming in~"
Pushing open the inner courtyard's door as if it were his own home, Gin looked at Hashirama, who was sitting cross-legged in the center, and greeted him with a smile.
"Phew~ Gin-aniki, what brings you here?"
Hearing the sudden voice, Hashirama slowly opened his eyes, his honest face breaking into a hearty grin as he stood up.
"I had nothing to do today, so I came to sit in on Kagami's training."
Patting his nephew's head, Gin stated his true reason for coming.
"I see!"
Hashirama looked at the pale faces of the little ones and suddenly understood.
Since starting Sage training, he had forced Tobirama and Madara to act as substitute Hokage, freeing himself up for a leisurely life.
But Tobirama being Tobirama, he would never sit idly by while his big brother slacked off.
So, he handed over the responsibility of teaching the little ones to Hashirama, declaring there would be assessments later to make sure the big brother wasn't shirking.
"Greetings, Great Teacher!" x6
The moment they saw Hashirama, the previously whispering children straightened their backs and greeted him loudly, their eyes full of admiration. Clearly, the Hokage still held a high place in their hearts.
"Mm~ hello."
Truth be told, teaching disciples gave Hashirama a bit of a headache. Aside from charging into battle, he wasn't like Tobirama, who excelled at instructing others.
But when he learned the children's backgrounds, he relaxed.
All of Tobirama's chosen disciples were from shinobi clans. Apart from Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane, who came from lesser-known families, the rest were from prestigious houses.
And everyone knew—clan heirs would inevitably focus on the clan's long-developed secret techniques, so the apprenticeship was more for political purposes than actual training.
Still, these children truly were exceptional.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had all five chakra natures. Akimichi Torifu could already use his clan's secret arts at such a young age. Uchiha Kagami's shurikenjutsu and fire style showed shades of a young Madara.
As for Shimura Danzō… at this age, he was already exploring his own secret techniques—talent beyond the norm.
Even the seemingly unremarkable Koharu and Homura had their unique gifts: Koharu's precise chakra control made her a prime candidate for medical ninjutsu, while Homura had a strong aptitude for space-time ninjutsu—specializing in it could bring great future achievements.
"Hashirama, what do you usually teach them?"
Looking at the eager little ones, Gin asked curiously.
In his view, putting Hashirama in charge of early education was like using a cannon to swat a fly.
"Haha, well…"
Scratching the back of his head, Hashirama looked nervous and tried to laugh off the awkwardness.
"Great Teacher usually lets us bring up our training questions, and he answers them one by one."
Standing beside Gin, Kagami spoke up to explain for his uncle.
"tsk tsk tsk~"
This was the very definition of laid-back teaching. No wonder his background music felt like chanting to Buddha.
"Gin-aniki, don't misunderstand—I just can't teach them much."
Seeing the teasing look in Gin's eyes, Hashirama hurriedly explained,
"These kids already have better basic ninja skills than most. I can't teach them basic jutsu they've already mastered."
It wasn't entirely Hashirama's fault. The clan heirs had been so well trained at home that regular basics were child's play to them. Teach them something too simple, and they'd already know it. Teach them something too advanced, and they might not be ready for it. In the end, Hashirama chose a hands-off approach, offering only Q&A guidance each day.
"Hashirama, that's a bit shady, isn't it?"
Gin was indignant. He'd paid Tobirama tuition money, and now the brothers were slacking off like this—it was borderline fraud.
"Uh…"
Sweat beaded on Hashirama's brow. He couldn't even meet Gin's righteous gaze.
"I'm really not good at teaching. Gin-aniki, have mercy~"
"You're wasting their talent!"
Gin couldn't help but speak up for the children. In his eyes, they had great potential—if nurtured well, they could become the pillars of Konoha and burn brightly for the Will of Fire.
"No choice—it's just not my specialty!"
If you asked Hashirama to slaughter his way from the Land of Water to the Land of Wind, he could do it without blinking. But teaching kids? Not so much.
"Hmph~ It's just tutoring. I think you're just lazy!"
"Kagami, your uncle isn't that much older—how can he scold the Hokage like that?"
Among the curious kids, Koharu couldn't resist whispering to Kagami.
"Yeah, yeah~"
"Being able to scold the Hokage to his face—money really does let you do whatever you want!"
"Don't be fooled by Gin-uncle's looks. He's actually over forty."
Kagami had long grown used to such scenes. This was the same man who once knocked on the clan leader's head in a meeting.
"What? He's that old?"
Little Danzō's mind was full of question marks. He'd thought Gin was around thirty.
"Then why does he look so young?"
Koharu was more interested in Gin's age-defying appearance.
"Uh… maybe some secret technique~"
Only a few top-level Konoha members knew about the Yin Seal, and Kagami only had vague rumors about it.
"How about this—Gin-aniki, make me a teaching plan, and I'll count it as an S-rank mission."
"Hah?"
Gin, mid-rant, nearly choked. An S-rank mission? Was that all he thought Gin was worth?
"Uh…"
Seeing Gin unimpressed, Hashirama scratched his head, then brightened as if remembering something.
"Gin-aniki, the Konoha prison is almost finished…"
"Say no more, cousin! A teaching plan? Consider it done!"
In an instant, Gin's demeanor flipped. Smiling, he clapped Hashirama's shoulder and accepted the task.
As Madara said—Gin had an odd obsession with prisons.
The two, having struck some shady deal, approached the nervous little ones together.
"Ahem… kids, Gin-aniki will be your substitute teacher today and tailor a learning plan for you."
Putting on a serious expression, Hashirama introduced today's special instructor.
"Gin-aniki, as a veteran Uchiha, has eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. Make the most of this chance—today could be your big break~"
"Huh???"
"But I can eat ten pounds of rice in a day?"
While the others were surprised, Torifu focused only on the food reference—typical of the Akimichi clan.
"Ah~ who said I'm the most caring Uchiha?"
Smiling warmly, Gin spoke to the children.
"Hashirama's methods had some flaws, but he is the Hokage and very busy. We can understand that."
"..."
The kids didn't argue, but they did give Hashirama some odd looks. "Some flaws" was putting it mildly—his teaching had been basically free-range.
Still, they kept quiet out of respect for the Hokage, and at home only told their parents the good parts.
"But you don't have to worry anymore. With me here, you have a future!"
Gin raised an eyebrow, producing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from somewhere. Once he put them on, his whole aura changed—gone was the lazy air, replaced with a reliable presence.
Even those who had doubted him now felt reassured and eager for the lesson.
"Gin-aniki, here are their usual assessment records."
Hashirama handed over a thick stack of data, personally recorded by Tobirama.
"From now on, don't call me aniki—call me Gin Sansan!"
Slipping fully into his role, Gin pushed up his glasses and spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Uh… Gin Sansan, please take a look!"
Flipping through the records, Gin saw detailed notes on each child's physical growth, character, and elemental mastery. It was clear Tobirama was meticulous in tracking his disciples' progress.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, you've got a good foundation—all five elements."
Gin walked to the nervous young Hiruzen, smiling slyly.
"All thanks to my ancestors."
Having suffered under Gin before, Hiruzen didn't dare show the slightest pride.
"No need to be modest. This alone puts you ahead of most your age."
While the concept of elemental affinities had become watered down in later years, mastery of all five was still a rare gift among non-kekkei genkai ninja.
"Hehe~"
Despite his maturity, Hiruzen was still a child, and the praise brought out a genuine smile.
"But if you keep training like this, you'll only reach your father's level."
"Really?"
Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
Wait—why are you happy about being told you'll be as 'bad' as your dad?
"Ahem… Hiruzen, do you have a dream?"
"If I can achieve half of Father's greatness, I'll be satisfied~"
Sure, sure. There are no Sarutobi spies here—drop the act.
"That's a shame. You could surpass him…"
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
"Gin-uncle, you—"
"Call me Sansan!"
"Gin Sansan, are you serious? I can really surpass Father?"
Surpassing one's parents was every child's dream, and for Hiruzen, his father's strength was an ever-present shadow.
"Absolutely! Buy my course, and in ten years, you'll be beating your dad black and blue~"
"For real?"
Hiruzen eyed him suspiciously.
"Don't you know the wisdom of going all in?"
"I don't… and I don't respect it."
So you just want my New Year's gift money, huh? I'm not a three-year-old!
"Bet big—Clan Head becomes Hokage!"
"I'm buying the whole package!"
(End of Chapter)
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