Hanekawa knocked on Tsunade's bedroom door early that morning.
"Didn't I give you a holiday?" she mumbled, cracking the door open. Her white nightgown reached her knees, and her golden hair fell messily across her face. She looked like she might fall back asleep any second.
"I'm making breakfast," he said, reaching up to brush her bangs aside.
Tsunade blinked at him, taking a moment to process the gesture. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
"What do you want?" Hanekawa asked, already heading toward the kitchen.
"Ramen," she said finally. "I haven't had yours in forever."
Twenty minutes later, the rich aroma of tonkotsu broth filled the small house. Tsunade emerged from her room in her usual dark blue pants and the jacket with "gamble" emblazoned across the back. She settled at the table while Hanekawa set down a steaming bowl.
"I forgot to mention the Thunderswords: Kiba reforging to the Hokage yesterday," he said, sitting across from her.
"Give me both swords," Tsunade replied between slurps. "I'll stop by the Hokage's office when I head to the casino."
After she left, Hanekawa had the entire day to himself. No Kurenai. No Rin. Perfect conditions for serious training.
He stood in the courtyard and began channeling lightning chakra through his entire body. The sensation was intense—like being electrocuted from the inside out. Every cell tingled and burned simultaneously.
This is either genius or suicide, he thought grimly. Possibly both.
The Lightning Style Chakra Mode was exponentially harder than Chidori. Where Chidori only required arm activation, this demanded full-body coordination. According to the original timeline, the Fourth Raikage's chakra output in this mode rivaled a tailed beast's.
But the Yin Seal changed everything. Where normal ninja could only sustain this for an hour or two daily, Hanekawa could push through the entire day. His stored chakra meant recovery was nearly instantaneous.
By sunset, he was sprawled on the ground, completely spent.
Half a year, he estimated. Maybe less if I keep this pace.
The question was whether the world would give him that time.
Footsteps approached. Tsunade's shadow fell across him, blocking the dying sunlight.
"What are you doing lying around?" she asked.
"Finished training. Taking a break," he said, squinting up at her. "How'd the casino go?"
"Lost a little," she said, her expression carefully neutral.
Translation: lost about a hundred million ryo, Hanekawa thought with amusement.
"You'll win it back next time," he offered.
Without thinking much about it, he leaned left and rested his head against her shoulder. "Too tired. Do you mind?"
"What's the big deal?" Tsunade said, not moving away.
He closed his eyes, breathing in the faint scent of her perfume. The cool autumn breeze and her steady presence were oddly comforting. Within minutes, he drifted off.
When he woke, his head was resting on something softer than her shoulder. Tsunade had shifted, letting him rest his head on her lap while she gazed out at the darkening sky. Her hand rested gently on his hair.
This is nice, he thought drowsily before fully waking.
"For you," Tsunade said, handing him a passbook without comment.
Hanekawa opened it and his eyes widened. Five million ryō. That was equivalent to seven or eight S-rank missions' worth of compensation—for a single mission.
"That's a lot," he said.
"Not much," Tsunade replied, ruffling his hair. "Get up when you wake up."
He sat up reluctantly, leaving the warmth of her lap. "Thank you, Teacher."
"How what?" Tsunade asked, noticing his hesitation.
"Your hair was messy this morning," he said shamelessly. "I'm actually pretty good at ponytails. Want me to—"
Tsunade flicked his forehead hard enough to make him yelp. "Don't push your luck, brat!"
"That actually hurt!" he protested.
"With your conditioning? Please." She stepped on his foot for good measure. "I'm barely trying."
"The teacher must be reluctant to actually hurt me," he said with a grin.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles menacingly. "You guess?"
"I guess the teacher's hungry. I'll cook," he said, bolting for the kitchen before she could retaliate.
He heard her laugh behind him.
---
Two weeks later, Hanekawa arrived at the Tenten Ninja Tool Shop early in the morning. A young woman in a cheongsam greeted him at the door.
"Welcome—" She stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. "You're Hanekawa? The one who killed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Tenmura emerged from upstairs, beaming. "Hanekawa! Long time no see!"
"This is my wife, Tamayo," Tenmura said proudly. "Just got married."
Hanekawa nodded politely. Right. Tenten's born in a couple years. Timeline's accelerating.
"I'm here for the Thunder and Fire Sword," he said.
Tenmura disappeared upstairs and returned with the reforged blade. The appearance hadn't changed much, but the moment Hanekawa gripped it, new text appeared:
[A-Rank Ninja Tool Entry: Thunder and Fire Sword]
[Trigger Condition: Thunderswords: Kiba added during reforging]
[Effect: Lightning Chakra conduction speed +150%, Strength +150%, Lightning Chakra power +20%]
[Feature: Attracts natural lightning]
His eyes lit up. The upgrade from B-rank to A-rank was significant. The conduction speed improvement alone would make a massive difference.
"Thank you," he said.
"Would you mind if we used your name for promotion?" Tenmura asked hopefully.
"No problem."
"Excellent! As thanks, we'll cover all your future ninja tool needs," Tenmura offered.
Hanekawa accepted. It was a fair trade.
---
At the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore, Tsuchihashi greeted him with genuine enthusiasm. "Hanekawa! You're famous now!"
"I brought a new novel," Hanekawa said, handing over the manuscript. "Campus romance. Twin girls. Called 'Maple and Bell.'"
Tsuchihashi's eyes gleamed. "An everyday love story? Who wouldn't want twin girls like this?"
"Same publishing schedule as before. Novel and manga simultaneously," Hanekawa instructed.
"Absolutely! This will sell like crazy!"
---
Back at Tsunade's house, Hanekawa found the ANBU operative Aoi waiting outside. After a brief conversation, she handed him an intelligence scroll and departed.
Hanekawa didn't open it immediately. Instead, he raised the Thunder and Fire Sword, channeled chakra into it, and waited.
The sky darkened. Thunder rumbled overhead.
A bolt of lightning descended from the clouds and connected directly with his blade.
"Wow!" Hanekawa couldn't help but laugh. This is incredible.
For a moment, he was tempted to shout something ridiculous like "Thunder God, lend me your power!" But he restrained himself.
Instead, he headed inside to check the intelligence scroll.
Whatever news awaited, at least he had a new A-rank weapon and a teacher who didn't completely hate him.
Not bad for a Tuesday.