The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the training ground outside Uzumaki Kushina's compound. Hanekawa stood at a distance, watching as Kakashi Hatake formed seals with practiced precision.
The air erupted into sound—a piercing, rhythmic chirping like thousands of birds singing in unison. Lightning crackled across Kakashi's body, violent and alive, transforming him into a figure wreathed in electricity. For a moment, he looked like the god of thunder himself.
One month of research finally paid off, Hanekawa thought, impressed despite himself.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Hanekawa formed his own seals, gathering chakra in his throat. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, roaring through the air toward Kakashi. The heat wave that followed was intense enough to make the grass wilt.
Kakashi didn't move. He stood motionless as the inferno engulfed him, lightning dancing around his form like a protective shield.
When the flames cleared, he remained unscathed.
"Good defense," Kakashi said, nodding with satisfaction. "I've been working on Chidori-Ryu as a defensive application. Most lightning jutsu focus on offense."
He raised his hand, and lightning shot outward in all directions. The ground beneath them blackened and cracked. Trees splintered. Weeds turned to ash.
Kakashi's visible eye brightened. "Stronger than most lightning techniques I've encountered."
Hanekawa stepped forward, clapping once. "Congratulations. You've created something genuinely impressive."
"I couldn't have done it without your advice," Kakashi said, dispersing the jutsu. "You pointed me in the right direction when I was stuck."
"Have you thought about renaming it?" Hanekawa asked. "Chidori-Ryu is functional, but what about Chidori-Ryu? It has a better ring to it."
Kakashi considered this for a moment. "Chidori-Ryu. Yeah, I like that."
"Kakashi!"
Both of them turned at the sound of Minato's voice. The Fourth Hokage approached with Obito and Guy in tow. Kushina followed behind them, her expression noticeably unhappy.
Kakashi's stomach dropped. He knew that look.
"The Hokage has issued orders," Minato said, his tone serious. "All available jonin and advanced genin are to report to the border immediately. The Hidden Cloud is making aggressive moves."
"Again?" Kushina's frustration was evident. "Can't those bastards ever stay put?"
"The Hidden Cloud has always been ambitious," Tsunade said, appearing from inside the compound. Her expression had shifted to something grave. "This could be more than just posturing."
"Will there be war?" Obito asked, worry creeping into his voice. Rin...
"Unknown," Minato replied carefully. "They're conducting what appear to be training exercises, but military exercises often precede conflict."
"Konoha will win!" Kushina declared, raising her fist with characteristic confidence. "We always do!"
"We will," Minato agreed, offering her a reassuring smile. "I'll take them to the Hokage Building first."
Kakashi suddenly remembered something. He pulled out a scroll from his pouch and handed it to Hanekawa. "This contains the training method for Chidori-Ryu. Study it when you have time."
"Thank you," Hanekawa said. "Be careful out there."
"Don't worry. See you at the Chunin Exams."
As they departed, Tsunade placed a reassuring hand on Hanekawa's shoulder. "There's no fighting yet. Don't let this distract you."
Kushina exhaled sharply. "While we have time, let's focus on sealing techniques. Hanekawa, you're ready for the next stage."
---
"Sealing techniques come in two varieties," Kushina explained as they settled into her training room. Uzumaki Miho had already begun her tree-climbing exercises in the yard. "Single-user seals and multi-person sealing arrays. We'll start with the fundamentals."
Hanekawa listened intently.
"Most sealing techniques are complex," Kushina continued, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But there's one that's relatively simple—the finger seal."
The finger seal? Hanekawa's mind immediately went to Jiraiya, using it to carve intelligence onto Fukasaku's back before his death. Interesting.
"Finger seals involve carving words or patterns onto objects using chakra-infused fingers," Kushina explained. "The main requirement is precise chakra control. Since you're already a medical ninja, this should be manageable."
Two weeks later, Hanekawa had mastered the technique. He could carve characters into stone, wood, and even flesh with perfect clarity. The practical applications seemed limited, though he supposed there were creative uses if one was sufficiently creative—or sufficiently unethical.
Best not to think about that, he decided, pushing the thought away.
---
"What do you think of this mission?" Tsunade asked, pointing to the bulletin board.
Hanekawa examined the posting. B-Rank. Eliminate a group of rogue ninjas in the northern Land of Fire. Leader confirmed as a Hidden Sand defector with chunin-level strength.
"We could take an A-Rank instead," Hanekawa suggested.
"No." Tsunade tapped his head—a gesture that had become increasingly common lately. "Kurenai and Rin aren't ready. You need to help them grow. That's what teammates do."
Hanekawa nodded. She was right. Both of his teammates had potential; they just needed experience.
"Take this mission," Tsunade continued. "Give them a chance to practice."
---
The mission went smoothly. Kurenai and Rin handled the initial infiltration with surprising competence, though things escalated when one of the bandits managed to alert the camp. The Hidden Sand defector proved to be a capable fighter, but Kurenai's genjutsu and Rin's medical knowledge combined effectively. By the time Tsunade would have needed to intervene, the mission was already complete.
Over the following months, they completed four C-Rank and one B-Rank mission. Kurenai and Rin grew noticeably stronger with each assignment. Hanekawa, meanwhile, had mastered Chidori-Ryu and made significant progress on his Yin Seal—already one-third complete, far ahead of Tsunade's initial projections.
He'd also acquired new entries:
[D-Rank Talent Entry: Seal Genin]
[Effect: All sealing jutsu power increased by 30%]
[C-Rank Talent Entry: Senior Chef]
[Effect: Deliciousness increased by 50%]
The cooking entry had been unexpected but welcome. Tsunade's reaction to his improved ramen had been gratifying.
---
December arrived with dropping temperatures. Hanekawa let himself into Tsunade's house early one morning, noting the gray sky overhead. Snow would come soon.
The living room was empty. Tsunade hadn't woken up yet.
Some things never change.
He headed to the kitchen and prepared a fresh bowl of tonkotsu ramen, keeping it warm with careful Fire Style chakra application.
When Tsunade still hadn't emerged thirty minutes later, Hanekawa took matters into his own hands. He knocked on her bedroom door. "Teacher! Breakfast is ready!"
"I heard you! Stop yelling!" came the muffled, irritated response.
He returned to the kitchen, shaking his head. This was their routine now.
When she still hadn't appeared, he opened her bedroom door directly.
Tsunade was curled up in her blankets, sleeping soundly, her blonde hair spread across the pillow. Hanekawa approached and pinched her nose gently.
A leg shot out from under the covers with terrifying speed, aimed directly at his head.
Hanekawa stepped back smoothly, avoiding the dangerous kick. He met her glare with calm composure. "It's time to eat, Teacher."
"Understood!" She sat up abruptly, revealing oversized pajamas. "You're so annoying, brat!"
"You're too lazy," he replied simply.
"Get out! I need to change!"
He left without comment, closing the door behind him.
When Tsunade emerged, freshly dressed, she found him sitting at the table with both hands wrapped around a bowl of ramen, warming it with gentle chakra.
"What are you doing?" she asked, slightly confused.
"Keeping it warm."
She sat across from him and picked up her chopsticks. After the first sip, her eyes widened. "This tastes much better than usual."
"I'm glad you like it, Teacher."
The improvement came from his new Senior Chef entry. Fifty percent increased deliciousness made a noticeable difference.
Next upgrade is probably 'Master Chef' or something equally pretentious, Hanekawa thought with amusement.
"We need to go to the Hokage Building this morning," Tsunade said between bites. "To submit your Chunin Exam application."
"I see. How many participants do you think there will be?"
Tsunade's smile turned predatory. "If you don't place first, you'll regret it."
Oh no. She's already planning my future embarrassment. "I'm sure it will be... competitive."
"You'd better believe it."
---
The Hokage's office was its usual organized chaos. Sarutobi Hiruzen was mid-pipe when Tsunade kicked the door open.
"You'll give me a heart attack one of these days," he muttered, recovering his composure.
Tsunade flicked the application form onto his desk without ceremony. "Application."
Hiruzen glanced at it and sighed. "It's unfortunate we can't hold a Joint Chunin Exam right now. With Hanekawa's abilities, you could have made quite an impression on the daimyo and nobles."
Tsunade understood the implication. Joint exams were held during peaceful times to showcase village strength and secure more lucrative contracts. With the Hidden Cloud threatening war, such displays were impossible.
"Show me the participant list," Tsunade said, glancing at Hanekawa.
Hiruzen's smile widened knowingly. Gathering intelligence for her student. How unlike her. But he said nothing, simply retrieving the document.
Tsunade scanned it briefly and handed it to Hanekawa without comment.
The list contained familiar names: Kakashi, Shisui, Asuma, and several others. A few new names caught his attention—Morino Ibiki, Ebisu, Mizuki, and Shiranui Genma. All capable ninja, though none would pose serious problems.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said, returning the document.
"It will be announced publicly soon anyway," Hiruzen replied. "Don't be late. The exams begin next Monday."
---
When they returned home, they found the house unexpectedly full. Kurenai, Rin, Kakashi, Obito, Guy, and Asuma were all present, along with their respective teams.
Tsunade excused herself without fanfare, leaving Hanekawa to socialize.
"When did you get back?" Hanekawa asked, settling in.
"Yesterday," Asuma said proudly. "Our team completed a B-Rank mission!"
"So did we," Obito countered. "Multiple B-Ranks, actually."
"We completed ours together," Kurenai added, hands on hips. "Rin and I."
Asuma's expression froze. "Rin? Alone?"
"There were some dangerous moments," Rin admitted, "but Kurenai handled everything."
Poor Asuma, Hanekawa thought, suppressing a smile. He just wanted to brag.
"By the way," Asuma said, clearly trying to change the subject, "do you know the Chunin Exam rules?"
"No," Kurenai and Rin admitted.
"The first stage is a written test," Asuma announced.
Obito's face went pale. "A written test? Why would they—"
"Because it tests tactical knowledge and information gathering," Kakashi said flatly. "You should have studied."
"The second stage is team combat," Asuma continued, "and the third is individual battles."
Hanekawa listened with mild interest. Written test first. That should be straightforward. He'd been academically superior to his entire class for six years. A chunin-level exam wouldn't change that.
What interested him more was the individual combat stage. That's where he could truly test himself against the other prodigies.
Kakashi, Shisui, maybe Asuma if he's improved significantly...
This should be interesting.