The moment Hibari's voice trailed off, Hiruzen followed his gaze to the window. Hibari said he wanted to introduce him to some promising talents, and Hiruzen saw nothing inappropriate about it.
The Sarutobi clan and the Senju clan had a close relationship, which led to Hiruzen becoming Tobirama's direct disciple. He had also lived up to everyone's expectations, becoming a formidable shinobi. Now, heading to the ninja academy as a teacher, Tobirama had previously instructed him to take good care of young Tsunade.
Hiruzen, of course, understood what that meant: it meant becoming Tsunade's teacher and taking her on as a disciple.
Having received Tobirama's mentorship, he naturally wouldn't refuse such a request. Although young Tsunade was mischievous, he was well aware that, with Senju blood flowing through her veins, she was a rare talent. She was absolutely qualified to be his student. Moreover, many people would jump at the chance to teach young Tsunade, even members of the Uchiha clan probably wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity.
Now, Hibari was recommending more promising talents, which piqued Hiruzen's interest. Following Hibari's gaze, he saw two youngsters approaching them after noticing Hibari.
"Who are these...?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
Hibari waved them over first, and once the two youngsters were by his side, he said, "These are the two promising talents I'm recommending to you. This one is Orochimaru... and this one is Jiraiya."
No need to say much about Orochimaru; Hibari had known him for a while. Jiraiya was actually the same. He and young Tsunade were good friends, often causing mischief together. Through their frequent interactions, Hibari naturally came to know him and became quite interested in him; he was very promising.
If Orochimaru's background wasn't considered great, Jiraiya's was even more tragic. Orochimaru at least had parents who were ordinary shinobi, but Jiraiya was directly an orphan. His parents were civilians who couldn't escape the chaos of the times. Now, he lived in Konohagakure, relying on the relief funds issued monthly by the Hokage Residence, or occasional aid from Hibari.
Moreover, this kid hadn't shown any remarkable shinobi talent yet, unlike Orochimaru, who had displayed his abilities early on.
Thus, most people in the village barely knew him, and even if they did, they didn't pay him much mind.
"Come on, you two, come say hello to this ojisan. I imagine you've heard of him, since he's only slightly less impressive than me. He's the famous Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm planning to introduce you two to him to be his disciples. Quickly, call him 'Sensei' and let's hear it," Hibari said with a chuckle, throwing an arm around both Orochimaru and Jiraiya's shoulders.
Orochimaru's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing Hibari's words. He had heard about the ninja academy that morning and was already thinking of enrolling to systematically study there. He never expected such good fortune to come his way that very afternoon.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a famous genius of the Sarutobi clan, proficient in all five nature transformations of ninjutsu, and highly regarded in the village. Normally, he wouldn't even have the qualifications to meet such a person. He never expected his 'Hibari-nii' to be so generous, not only buying him books but also recommending him to such a formidable individual as a disciple. This truly made young Orochimaru deeply grateful to Hibari in his heart.
However, despite his gratitude, true to his nature, he didn't show much emotion. He still calmly looked at Hiruzen and quietly said, "Sensei..."
Hiruzen often heard Hibari mention this young fellow named Orochimaru, saying he was very talented. Seeing Orochimaru's unruffled demeanor now, he grew even more appreciative, smiling as he said, "I often hear Hibari talk about you. Excellent."
In contrast, Jiraiya, upon hearing that Hibari was finding him a teacher, said impatiently, "Hibari, I only came here because you said you'd treat me to grilled meat. How did it turn into finding me a teacher?"
Hibari reached out and slapped Jiraiya's head, then said, "No manners! Call me Hibari-nii!"
After being disciplined by Hibari like that, Jiraiya somewhat reluctantly mumbled, "Hibari-nii."
Then Hibari continued, "I'm doing this for your own good, you brat! You run around all day with no one to supervise you, causing trouble. Tell me, how many messes have I cleaned up for you already?"
Chided by Hibari like this, Jiraiya lost his nerve, standing there obediently to be lectured. Then Hibari continued, "It's not good for you to keep wandering aimlessly like this. I see that although you don't have extraordinary talent, you have great perseverance and know how to stick with things. There are two kinds of people in this world: geniuses, and hardworking geniuses. Orochimaru here falls into the genius category, and you... in my opinion, are the hardworking type of genius. So, to prevent you from wasting your time, I specially went to the trouble of finding you a teacher. From now on, you'll honestly follow your Hiruzen-sensei and study hard, understand?"
Jiraiya felt a warmth in his heart listening to Hibari's words. Although he was a bit 'reckless,' having experienced the highs and lows of life at an early age, he could still distinguish between those who treated him well and those who treated him poorly. It was just that he was a bit reserved at the moment.
Seeing Jiraiya's somewhat conflicted expression, Hibari smiled again, patted Jiraiya's head, and said, "Jiraiya, though you're young, you're sensible. You need to seriously consider how you'll walk your future path. Don't you often say you want to be a shinobi? In my opinion, this is a good path forward, which is why I found you this excellent teacher. With Hiruzen looking after you, you won't have to worry about three meals a day anymore..."
Hearing Hibari's words, Jiraiya stopped his playful remarks and instead nodded, saying, "Thank you, Hibari-nii..."
Then he looked at Hiruzen and said, "Sensei..."
Hiruzen also nodded, accepting the title, and said, "A hardworking genius, you say? Then you'll have to show me what you're capable of..."
"Hahahaha, don't worry, Hiruzen, I guarantee you won't be disappointed," Hibari said with a big laugh.
Then he turned to Orochimaru and Jiraiya and said, "Come, sit, sit. Order whatever you want to eat. Today, your Sensei will treat you well, so don't be shy."
Hiruzen, who had been cheerful, suddenly froze upon hearing this. He quickly said, "Hey, hey, what nonsense are you talking about? Didn't I come because you invited me to eat this grilled meat? How did it turn into me paying?"
"What nonsense? You know I don't have any money, right? All my money was taken by Hashirama-jiisan... Ahem, anyway, if Hokage-sama doesn't pay me, I don't have money. So, of course, you have to pay..." Hibari said self-righteously.
Hiruzen stared at the shamelessly honest Hibari, at a loss for words. After a long moment, he quietly asked Hibari, "Then, how about we split it three ways?"
Hibari froze upon hearing this, then said, "Why did you become so stingy? Is that how an ojisan acts?"
Hiruzen was fuming. This brat treated him like an ojisan when he needed something, but when he didn't, he was insufferably arrogant.
However, he also said with some embarrassment, "It's just that I really don't have any money left."
"Where's your money? Didn't we both get over a million ryo recently? What? Did Sasuke-jiisan swipe your money too?" Hibari asked, utterly shocked.
Hiruzen's old face flushed, and he quickly waved his hand, saying, "It's not like that..."
He then glanced at the two youngsters who were eating, and whispered to Hibari, "I recently started dating a girlfriend... All that money went to buying her gifts."
"Ah, Biwako-nee? I thought you were being too extravagant! One and a half million ryo, all spent on Biwako-nee in just two or three days?! I truly admire you," Hibari said with a very shocked expression upon hearing this.
"Ahem, isn't that just what's expected? You'll be like this too someday," Hiruzen said awkwardly.
While his own money could still be traced back to Hokage-sama's salary, Hiruzen's money was truly gone in a flash.
Seeing that he couldn't even afford the grilled meat, Hibari helplessly reached into his wallet and pulled out the last few banknotes young Tsunade had left him, handing them to Hiruzen. "Then... let's split it. I can't believe I, the great young master of the Senju clan, have to haggle with you, the young master of the Sarutobi clan, over grilled meat. How pathetic have I become?"
"Once I take on a challenging mission in a few days, or when I start getting paid as a teacher, I'll treat you to something good," Hiruzen quickly snatched the money Hibari offered and said with a chuckle.
"Let's not talk about that for now. How are things with Biwako-nee? Can you be reliable? You're not getting any younger..." Hibari raised an eyebrow, asking with some curiosity.
Hiruzen first looked left and right, then beckoned Hibari closer. Only after Hibari leaned his ear in did he whisper, "Listen, you have to keep this a secret for me, or I'll be in big trouble..."
"What is it? Hurry up and tell me!" Hibari said, very curious.
"Biwako-chan is pregnant..." Hiruzen suddenly dropped a huge bombshell.
This greatly shocked Hibari. Then, under Hibari's surprised gaze, Hiruzen continued, "So I'm also preparing to arrange the wedding. Otherwise, if word gets out, it would be bad for Biwako-chan's reputation. So, it won't be long until I'm getting married!"
Recovering from his shock, Hibari looked at Hiruzen and involuntarily said, "And here I thought you, Hiruzen, were so upstanding, with your clean flak vest and that 'model shinobi' image... I don't even know what to say to you. Just hurry up and get it done. I'll keep your secret!"
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