Hokage Office.
The space twisted, and Hanekawa's figure appeared.
Tsunade instinctively opened her eyes.
When she saw it was Hanekawa, her body relaxed again.
"Sensei."
Hanekawa looked at Tsunade.
She was lying comfortably on the sofa, legs crossed, her right foot swaying slightly.
Since the establishment of the Hokage's advisory council, she had thrown most of the trivial work to Nara Shikaku.
As a result, she had become quite idle.
"Is there something?"
Tsunade squinted her eyes and asked.
"The peace delegation from Kumogakure has arrived. Who do you plan to send to negotiate with them?"
Hanekawa walked up to her.
"You."
Tsunade shifted her body, making room on the sofa.
"I'm not going."
Hanekawa sat on the sofa, right next to her plump thigh.
"If you don't go, then let Nara Shikaku handle it."
Tsunade had anticipated this.
Although Hanekawa was more diligent than her, his diligence was in training. When it came to work, they were about the same, teacher and student alike.
"Shikaku-senpai is indeed more suitable."
Hanekawa looked down at Tsunade and said, "Let the smartest ninjas from both villages negotiate and see who's smarter."
"You mean Mabui?"
Tsunade chuckled. "No matter how smart she is, it won't make a difference."
Strength reigns supreme.
Mabui couldn't possibly reverse Kumogakure's current dire situation.
"There's one more thing."
Hanekawa nodded and added, "Amegakure has ended their alliance with us."
"Why?"
Tsunade was somewhat surprised.
In her view, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan were all Jiraiya's students.
With that relationship, as long as the two villages didn't come into direct conflict, the alliance shouldn't have been broken.
"Unknown for now."
Hanekawa paused and asked, "Sensei, what do you plan to do?"
"If it's broken, it's broken."
Tsunade said indifferently, "After all, they are Jiraiya's students."
Konohagakure was currently at its peak, and a small village like Amegakure didn't concern her much.
If Hanekawa didn't know about the existence of Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha, he wouldn't have paid much attention either.
But those two were bound to cause trouble, executing the so-called "Eye of the Moon Plan."
Now that Hanekawa had sufficient strength, there was no need to sit back and wait. He would stop them in advance if possible.
"You've already learned the Flying Thunder God Technique. What do you plan to learn next?"
Tsunade looked up and noticed Hanekawa's eyes wandering.
His gaze was completely unsubtle, roaming over her body.
Tsunade couldn't help but glare at him.
"I plan to learn the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode."
Hanekawa coughed lightly, retracted his gaze, and said seriously.
"That's so like you."
Tsunade wasn't surprised at all.
"Sensei, why do you ask? Are you going to teach me a new jutsu?"
Hanekawa's heart stirred, already guessing something.
"It's the Sage Mode from Shikkotsu Forest."
Tsunade said unhurriedly, "If you can learn it, your strength will skyrocket. You might even catch up to my grandfather back in the day."
"When do we start?"
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow and asked.
As for catching up to Hashirama Senju, unless he had the Sage Body, even with Sage Mode, it would be hard to reach half of his strength.
"Since I'm free, let's go now."
Tsunade sat up, put on her shoes, and said, "Sage Mode is difficult. It will take a very long time to learn."
"I understand."
Hanekawa nodded.
Tsunade formed hand seals and pressed them on the ground.
*Poof!*
In the smoke, Katsuyu appeared.
"Lady Katsuyu, we're going to Shikkotsu Forest."
Tsunade got straight to the point.
"Understood, Lady Tsunade."
Katsuyu's body disappeared instantly.
A moment later, Tsunade and Hanekawa felt a summoning force. Their bodies trembled, and when they opened their eyes again, they were in Shikkotsu Forest.
Shikkotsu Forest (Damp Bone Forest), as the name suggests, was a forest.
A lush, humid, tropical rainforest-like forest.
As for the "bone" part, Hanekawa guessed it was because those who failed to learn Sage Mode would be devoured by the forest, leaving behind bones.
After all, the three great summoning animal sanctuaries all had side effects for learning Sage Mode.
Mount Myōboku turned you into stone.
Ryūchi Cave would have you eaten by the three snake princesses.
Shikkotsu Forest wasn't explicitly mentioned in the original work, but it could be guessed.
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Hanekawa, welcome."
A gigantic Katsuyu greeted them softly.
Hanekawa felt it was even larger than the Eight-Tails, so large that its end couldn't be seen.
And this wasn't even Katsuyu's main body, as there were countless Katsuyu clones nearby.
"Lady Katsuyu, Hanekawa wants to learn Sage Mode."
Tsunade bowed slightly and said, "Please teach him."
"No problem."
Katsuyu opened its mouth and spat out a bucket.
Hanekawa instinctively looked over.
The bucket was filled with a transparent liquid, like water but more viscous.
"It's very difficult for humans to sense the presence of natural energy."
Katsuyu explained, "Applying this to your body will enhance your ability to sense natural energy."
Hanekawa thought of the toad oil from Mount Myōboku, which had a similar effect.
"The first step in learning Sage Mode is to sense and absorb natural energy."
Katsuyu said politely, "Lord Hanekawa, please remove your upper clothing."
Hanekawa nodded slightly.
In the original work, Naruto Uzumaki also trained shirtless.
Without much thought, he took off his shirt.
Tsunade instinctively glanced a couple of times.
His physique was quite impressive.
Hanekawa was slightly startled, meeting her gaze.
This was a loss.
He hadn't even seen Tsunade yet, and she had already seen him.
"Train well."
Tsunade averted her gaze and said, "I'll return to Konoha."
"Wait."
Katsuyu stopped Tsunade and said, "Lady Tsunade, please help him apply it."
"Me?"
Tsunade was taken aback.
"Lord Hanekawa can't apply it evenly by himself."
Katsuyu explained, "And I don't have hands, so I can't help him."
"Fine."
Tsunade walked over, looking at Hanekawa's body, feeling a bit strange inside.
She took a deep breath and used chakra to lift the liquid from the bucket.
The liquid landed on Hanekawa's back.
Tsunade reached out her hand, and when her fingers touched his skin, she couldn't help but purse her lips.
She slowly spread the liquid, covering his entire back.
"Do the rest yourself."
Tsunade took a step back and said.
"Huh?"
Hanekawa blinked and asked, "Sensei, how about you..."
"Do you want to die?"
Tsunade glared at him, her tone threatening.
She naturally knew what Hanekawa was hinting at.
"Then I won't trouble you, Sensei."
Hanekawa coughed lightly.
"Send me back."
Tsunade looked at Katsuyu and said.
*Poof!*
Tsunade's body disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"This is the first time I've seen Lady Tsunade like this."
Katsuyu said gently.
Others might think there was a significant age gap between Tsunade and Hanekawa, but Katsuyu didn't care.
After all, it had lived for over a thousand years.
Whether it was Hanekawa or Tsunade, they were both too young in its eyes.
"What?"
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
"Let's begin your Sage Mode training."
Katsuyu didn't explain and went straight to the point. "Close your eyes and sense the natural energy in the world."
Hanekawa took a deep breath and relaxed his body.
Soon, he felt a cool sensation throughout his body.
But other than that, there was nothing.
Hanekawa wasn't discouraged.
If Sage Mode were easy to learn, there wouldn't be so few people who mastered it in the original work.
___
Time passed, and it was now Sunday.
Hanekawa had made no progress in Sage Mode, not even a hint of it appearing in his system.
But he wasn't too concerned, letting things take their course.
His main focus was still on learning Wood Release.
Notably, he had finally mastered Hiruzen Sarutobi's Five Release Great Combo Technique.
In terms of power, his version surpassed Hiruzen's.
The reason was simple.
The Five Release Great Combo Technique was a composite jutsu, not a Kekkei Genkai.
This meant it benefited from system bonuses, and it benefited from all five elements: Lightning, Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind.
Among them, Water Release had the highest bonus.
But fortunately, composite jutsu didn't require a balance of the five elements, only that they could be used together.
__
Hokage Building, Meeting Room.
When Hanekawa arrived, the room was already more than half full.
Ninjas from Konohagakure and Kumogakure were seated on opposite sides, clearly divided.
"Lord Hanekawa."
Everyone quickly stood up to greet him.
The Kumogakure ninjas, though reluctant, had no choice but to bow.
"Is Hanekawa leading the negotiations?"
For some reason, Samui felt a sense of relief.
Mabui thought of her previous deal with Hanekawa.
Since he still retained his identity as a Kumogakure ninja, perhaps he still held some sentiment for the village.
Maybe he would make some concessions during the negotiations.
But how things would go remained to be seen.
After sitting down, Hanekawa glanced at the Kumogakure ninjas across the table.
Mabui looked quite haggard.
Samui was slightly better, but still not in great shape.
He suddenly remembered the previous punishment and instinctively clenched his hand.
Of the others, he only recognized Darui.
Though they had never met, Darui's features were quite distinctive.
Aside from the captured Yugito Nii, most of Kumogakure's young geniuses were here.
Today was the first negotiation between Konohagakure and Kumogakure. Since Hanekawa had nothing else to do, he decided to drop by and see how things went.
"Lord Hanekawa."
A moment later, Nara Shikaku walked in, holding a document.
"Shikaku-senpai."
Hanekawa nodded slightly. "Let's begin."
"Greetings, everyone. I am Nara Shikaku, the representative for Konohagakure in these negotiations."
Nara Shikaku sat beside Hanekawa and introduced himself to the Kumogakure delegation.
Mabui's heart sank.
It wasn't Hanekawa after all?
She had thought Hanekawa was leading the negotiations since he was seated in the center.
This was going to be troublesome.
The Nara clan was renowned throughout the ninja world for their intelligence. Negotiating with Nara Shikaku would undoubtedly be perilous.
Especially since Kumogakure was already at a significant disadvantage.
The negotiations officially began.
Hanekawa already knew the terms Konohagakure had proposed.
Unsurprisingly, Kumogakure was quite resistant.
Hanekawa estimated it would take some time before they reached an agreement.
But it probably wouldn't drag on as long as the negotiations with Iwagakure and Kirigakure.
After all, Kumogakure had suffered heavy losses, with two tailed beasts and the Fourth Raikage in Konohagakure's hands. In the end, they would have no choice but to compromise.
Halfway through the negotiations, Hanekawa slipped out of the meeting room.
Given his high status, no one dared to criticize him.
Besides, Nara Shikaku was the one in charge.
Hanekawa entered the Hokage's office.
Tsunade was sitting at the Hokage's desk, chin resting on her hands, looking distracted.
When she saw Hanekawa, her eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up.
Her perfect figure trembled slightly, making Hanekawa worry that her slender waist couldn't support her ample curves.
"Come here!"
Tsunade beckoned him over.
"What is it?"
Hanekawa asked, puzzled.
"You're the acting Hokage for today."
As he approached, Tsunade pushed him into the Hokage's seat and said with a smile, "As for me, I'm off to the casino."
Without waiting for his response, she jumped out the window and left.
"..."
Hanekawa shook his head helplessly.
Even as Hokage, Tsunade's nature remained unchanged.
Hanekawa picked up a document from the desk.
It detailed the reorganization of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Overall, things were going well.
As Hanekawa had expected, replacing the Uchiha with ninjas from other clans had eliminated conflicts with the villagers.
The Konoha Military Police Force had not only improved its reputation but was also receiving positive feedback.
Hanekawa picked up a second document.
He raised an eyebrow.
It was a mission request.
Normally, all mission requests went to the mission desk.
Unless it was an extremely important mission, like an S-rank request.
"Land of Snow?"
Seeing the familiar name, Hanekawa read through the contents.
Just two days ago, a coup had taken place in the Land of Snow.
Daimyo Kazahana Sōsetsu was killed by his younger brother, Kazahana Doto, and his daughter, Kazahana Koyuki, was captured.
The Land of Snow's minister, Asama Santōshi, had sent a request to Konohagakure, asking for help in rescuing Kazahana Koyuki.
In the original work, the Land of Snow was indeed mentioned.
More accurately, it was in the movie *Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow*, where the "Snow Princess" referred to Kazahana Koyuki.
Hanekawa remembered that it was during his time in the Anbu that Kakashi Hatake rescued her.
After being rescued, Kazahana Koyuki became one of the most famous actresses in the ninja world, starring in popular movies.
It wasn't until she met Team 7, with the help of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, that she reclaimed her position as the daimyo of the Land of Snow.
No wonder the request had been sent to the Hokage's office.
This mission involved the Land of Snow and was classified as a highly confidential S-rank mission.
But what Hanekawa remembered most about the Land of Snow wasn't Kazahana Koyuki, but its chakra-based technology.
Such as chakra armor, airships, trains, and environmental modification machines.
Hanekawa thought for a moment and decided it might be worth a trip.
Especially the airships and trains—he had to bring those back.
But he wouldn't go himself. He'd send Kakashi and his team.
Such a small mission wasn't worth his time.
He picked up a pen and wrote a few lines at the end of the document.
"Haru."
Hanekawa called out.
"Lord Hanekawa."
Haru walked in, not surprised to see him sitting in the Hokage's seat.
If it were anyone else, she would have thought they were trying to stage a coup.
"Take this document to Team Minato."
Hanekawa instructed.
"Yes."
Haru took the document and left.
__
Patreon.com/rashta