Keiji paused when he heard the unfamiliar ninja say he would guide him. He turned and looked over.
Not everyone had the privilege to teach him. Tsunade was his sister, Orochimaru was his teacher, and he wanted to see what kind of skills this Konoha ninja, from the Hatake family, had.
"This is Jonin Hatake Kawakawa, a close friend of mine," Tsunade introduced her brother to the ninja, knowing his thoughts.
"Kawaki Shigeo is no match for him."
According to Kawakawa's words, he had used the pitiful Kawaki Shigeo as a background to highlight Keiji's strength—quite a hardcore move.
Hearing his sister's words, Seiju's eyes lit up, and a bright, sincere smile appeared on his face.
"Well, then there's Old Chūnke, my big brother."
His brother-in-law was a reasonable man. Kawakawa slowly walked toward Seiju, giving his brother some face.
It wasn't that his older brother was weak, but rather, Keiji was just too strong.
"My brother and I were just sparring."
"I see your taijutsu is average. What about your ninjutsu?"
Keiji had no intention of showing Seiju any mercy. Things had already gotten ugly enough. If he didn't want him dead, he'd have to be ruthless.
As soon as Keiji finished speaking, the person was already in front of Seiju. Tsunade's eyes widened—such speed!
Seiju looked at Keiji, who had just been far from him, suddenly appearing before him, looking down from above. An overwhelming pressure flooded over him.
This felt nothing like the oppressive presence of his teacher, Orochimaru. Kawakawa's energy felt like sunlight and thunder, hot and explosive, causing Seiju's heart to race uncontrollably.
The resentment from earlier vanished in an instant, and his expression became serious.
"I hope to learn from you, Brother Kawakawa," Seiju said respectfully, bowing. Keiji accepted without hesitation.
"Use everything you know. If you make a move, I lose."
As Keiji spoke, he didn't show any intention of drawing his Eight-Sided Sword. He crossed his arms, his face filled with amusement as he watched Seiju.
Tsunade saw Keiji's arrogance and finally understood that the true strength of a ninja didn't just lie in battle.
"Kawakawa-kun…"
Her voice drifted over, but Keiji waved her off.
"Don't worry."
Before Tsunade could finish her sentence, she was cut off and could only silently watch, hoping that her medical skills wouldn't be needed on Keiji.
"Brother Kawakawa, I'll take my turn then."
What boy isn't a little arrogant? Feeling disrespected like this, Seiju got angry. He hadn't expected he wouldn't even have the strength to move Keiji.
But reality was often not what you expected. There were always people better than you.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu."
Seiju formed hand signs, and a water dragon emerged from his mouth, transforming into a stream of water, rushing toward Keiji.
However, his chakra was too weak, and compared to the water dragon used by the second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, this was nothing but a tiny snake.
Keiji's expression didn't change at all. He still wore a warm smile.
Without making a move, he flashed with lightning. The little snake collided with him but didn't cause any ripples, instantly evaporating.
"Thunder Armor?"
Tsunade furrowed her brows, recognizing a forbidden technique from the Cloud Village.
Keiji was using lightning chakra to stimulate the cells of his entire body, a technique that greatly enhanced both his offensive and defensive capabilities. It was similar to the Thunder Armor technique.
But since lightning chakra was so wild, without a golden finger, Keiji couldn't maintain it for long.
Seeing his best ninjutsu fail, Seiju felt frustrated. He quickly formed more hand signs.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu."
As the hand signs completed, a dragon head shot up from the ground next to Seiju, opening its massive mouth and spitting at Keiji.
Seeing the incoming rock ball, Keiji let the lightning chakra dissipate and drew his Eight-Sided Sword with ease.
With graceful movements and a calm expression, he sliced the rock balls in half and tossed them aside.
Tsunade, watching Keiji standing there with his sword and silver hair flowing in the air, was stunned.
Keiji's actions not only shocked Seiju but also showed off in front of Tsunade, accomplishing two goals in one.
"Brother Kawakawa, I want to learn swordsmanship from you."
Seiju's eyes brightened. The sword was so cool! He hadn't even used his two best jutsu, and now he didn't even plan to make another move.
"No problem with learning swordsmanship, as long as you agree to one small condition."
Keiji's goal was accomplished, so he sheathed his sword and walked over to Seiju, his smile turning sly.
The strategy for dealing with his brother-in-law had begun.
"Ah, what condition?"
Seiju thought the cool older brother in front of him suddenly seemed a bit sleazy.
Tsunade continued watching from the side but remained motionless.
"I'll teach you swordsmanship if you help me pursue your sister."
Keiji was straightforward as always, leaning in to whisper to Seiju, leaving him frozen in surprise.
Is this how adults are?
"How can I help you?"
Seiju didn't think his sister was particularly beautiful, nor did he think she was particularly strong. He didn't believe she'd be that hurt if someone hit her.
She was just pale, had a good figure, and was a bit richer than others. Was that all?
As he looked at Tsunade, he shivered, making it clear he would never like a woman like his sister.
You're too young. You don't understand!
"When we need you, just agree, and the Hatake family's door will always be open to you."
"I'll also give you a sword."
Keiji understood the psychology of young boys. Every boy had a dream of becoming a warrior.
"I want you like this."
If Seiju hesitated even for a second, it would be disrespecting the dream of a warrior.
"Let's make a deal."
Keiji patted Seiju on the shoulder, feeling proud. This kid had a bright future.
"How much chakra do you have left?"
After taking care of the important things, Keiji didn't forget about the details.
"Enough for a few uses, but it's useless for you, big brother."
Seiju looked innocent, even omitting "Kawakawa" and calling him "big brother."
"You've got a good chakra capacity for your age. But your hand signs need to be faster. Your taijutsu lacks practical ability and isn't lethal enough."
"And remember, there are no useless jutsus, only useless ninjas."
Keiji pointed out Seiju's flaws and gave him some warnings.
This kid, as expected, was a direct descendant of the Senju clan. His chakra level far exceeded that of his peers.
Tsunade might not want to get involved, or perhaps Orochimaru's teaching was concerning.
Such a good seedling, and he was still just a Genin, far from the level of Keiji's future nephew, Kakashi.
Kakashi was already a Jonin at twelve, just a little behind Keiji.
"Then I'll leave it to you, big brother. I'll do my best."
"My teacher is always so busy. He hasn't guided me in a long time."
"I'll visit your house tomorrow."
"Bring my sister along."
Keiji smiled, thinking this kid was quite talented. He answered quickly to everything.
"Alright, alright, alright."
Keiji grinned, slapping Seiju's shoulder hard, nearly knocking him over.
Tsunade watched the two interact and smiled. Seiju seemed to like Keiji a lot.
"Kawakawa-kun, what would you like to eat? I'll ask the kitchen to prepare it."
Tsunade walked over gracefully, clearly not the super-strong bull one might expect.
"Just some sake. I'm not picky."
Keiji wasn't wrong. He could barely eat Japanese cuisine, but the sake was definitely a bit off.
"Okay, I'll go to the kitchen. If the service isn't up to your standards, please forgive me, Mr. Kawakawa."
Tsunade showed her elegant manners, completely different from her strong exterior.
"You go ahead. I'll practice with my brother for a bit more."
Seeing his sister about to say more, Seiju immediately cut in, wishing she would hurry up and leave.
"Lunch is calling you two."
Tsunade gave Seiju a hard look. He was such an ungrateful guy, still calling him "big brother."
With that, she turned and walked away.