The sharp ring of the end-of-day bell echoed through the classroom—music to the ears of every student at the Academy.
Backpacks were hoisted, friends grabbed each other by the arms, and the class surged toward the door like a mini stampede. Even Jiraiya was tugging Hoshiyomi's sleeve, eager to be the first one out—as if escaping the classroom a few seconds earlier were a grand victory.
Tsunade and Yako had already packed their bags and stood hand-in-hand. Just before leaving, Tsunade turned back and stuck out her tongue at Hoshiyomi.
"You'd better get ready—I'm going to beat you!"
With that, she yanked Yako along and dashed out the door.
Hoshiyomi chuckled to himself at her little act.
So this is what the future badass Lady Hokage looked like as a kid—just a tiny tsundere in pigtails.
He packed his things slowly, unaware that several students had turned their eyes toward him. Uchiha Iwa and three other Uchiha clan kids exchanged a glance before swaggering out of the classroom together, arms slung around each other.
Sakumo noticed, but said nothing. He quietly followed after them.
By the time Hoshiyomi finished securing the wooden sword on his back, he looked around and blinked."Huh? Where's Sakumo? I thought we were training together?"
Jiraiya shrugged."He got tired of waiting for your slowpoke ass. Probably waiting by the school gate. Come on already—if you dawdle any longer, the sun'll be down."
The two walked out and had barely rounded the stairwell when four familiar figures came strutting up to meet them—Uchiha Iwa and his little entourage.
The three lackeys wore smug, mocking grins. Iwa, meanwhile, stared down Hoshiyomi with a sneer.
"You've been acting real cocky these past two days," he said coldly. "Trying to steal my spotlight, huh?"
Hoshiyomi blinked, unimpressed.
Wow. Is this… is this actually happening? Is this the Uchiha clan's signature technique—'Random Schoolyard Confrontation no Jutsu'?
Watching Iwa spew edgy dialogue like a knockoff villain made Hoshiyomi feel like he was trapped in some cringey middle school drama.
He nearly broke into laughter imagining Iwa in one of those over-the-top TikTok "dark lord" parodies.
You dare challenge the Rock King, Master of Mayhem?
No. He needed to stop this mental nonsense before it spiraled further.
Iwa saw the stifled laughter on Hoshiyomi's face and went red with rage.
Is he mocking me?! He's mocking me, isn't he?!
"You little punk!" Iwa snapped, reaching out to grab Hoshiyomi's collar.
But before he could land a finger, a figure dropped from above and caught his wrist in mid-air.
Sakumo.
He'd been keeping an eye on the situation from above, and now that things were escalating, he stepped in without hesitation.
"If it's a fight you want," Sakumo said flatly, tightening his grip, "then bring it."
Iwa froze."You're siding with Hoshiyomi? You're going against me? Against the Uchiha?!"
Sakumo's voice remained cold and steady."Don't throw your clan name around. You haven't even awakened your Sharingan—you don't speak for the Uchiha."
Iwa's expression twisted in fury.
This damn Sakumo…
But he knew he couldn't do anything about it. As much as he hated to admit it, Sakumo was strong—stronger than him, actually. And he wasn't stupid.
He glanced at the three boys behind him, then at Hoshiyomi and Jiraiya.If this turned into a real fight, Sakumo would keep him busy, and his flunkies would get steamrolled by those two. He'd be outnumbered and outmatched.
He gritted his teeth, then hissed,"Fine. Enjoy it while it lasts. In two months, during the combat exam, I'll expose you for what you are—a poser. Not even Sakumo will save you then."
With a final glare, he snapped his fingers and stormed off with his crew.
The trio left behind exchanged glances.
After a beat of silence, Jiraiya blinked and muttered,"…Wait, that's it? They're leaving? I thought we were gonna brawl?"
Sakumo shot him a look that could melt steel. He wasn't about to entertain that kind of idiocy.
Hoshiyomi finally snapped out of his mental spiral—he'd spent the entire exchange trying to force "Lord of the Rock" memes out of his head.
I don't need that kind of trauma in my brain.
"Whatever," he said quickly. "Let's just go train."
Meanwhile, at the Senju Compound...
Tsunade had just finished her training under Grandma Mito. Now back in her room, she pulled out a pencil and set it carefully on her desk.
She hadn't forgotten the bet. Not for a second.She couldn't wait to see the look on Hoshiyomi's face when she beat him.
Determined, she tried spinning the pencil again… and again.
But before she could get far, a quiet voice spoke up behind her."Tsuna-chan, what are you doing?"
She flinched, startled, and scrambled to hide the pencil behind her back."N-Nothing! Grandma, I, uh—I finished all my training already!"
Tsunade both adored and feared Mito Uzumaki. The elderly matriarch was usually gentle, but the moment training was involved, she turned into a strict taskmaster.
As Mito often said:
You're Hashirama's granddaughter. You carry his legacy. You must be strong enough to protect Konoha.
Mito chuckled softly and ruffled her hair."I know you finished. I'm just curious—what's with the pencil? Did one of your teachers assign this?"
She'd actually been watching Tsunade for a while. At first, she assumed it was just some childish game… but the more she observed, the more she noticed its hidden value.
Spinning a pencil wasn't just play—it required fine motor control, keen eyesight, and subtle mastery of timing and balance.
All of which were essential traits for a shinobi.
Not enough on their own, of course—but every elite ninja she'd known had excelled at these exact details. Whoever taught Tsunade this "game" was no ordinary person.
So she had to ask.
But Tsunade's answer surprised her.
"Oh, it wasn't a teacher. Hoshiyomi showed me! We made a bet—three days, and I'll be better than him!"