---
The ANBU training ground echoed with the clash of taijutsu.
Two jonin circled each other—one from the Aburame clan, one from the Uchiha. They moved with controlled precision, each technique deliberate and measured. The internal exams Hanekawa had instituted had transformed the ANBU from isolated operatives into competitive specialists. Combined with the promised rewards and advancement opportunities, they trained like their lives depended on it.
Hanekawa watched from a nearby rooftop, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning lazily as he copied jutsu at will.
The Aburame clan's techniques remained beyond his reach—their secret arts were biological, not transferable. But the Uchiha's Fire Style ninjutsu? He'd been waiting for this opportunity.
Half an hour later, the Uchiha ninja claimed victory. After a brief rest, the next match began.
Hanekawa accepted every challenge, copied every jutsu he could. By the end of the week, he'd accumulated dozens of new entries. His Lightning Style, Wind Style, and Fire Style jonin entries were now just one step away from completion—proficiency was all that remained.
No wonder Kakashi became Konoha's number one technician, he thought. Though that title's about to change hands.
A knock interrupted his reflection.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal Samui, her expression troubled.
"You look like something's bothering you," Hanekawa said, taking her hand gently. Since their heart-to-heart talk at the Hokage Rock, their relationship had deepened considerably.
Samui's breath caught. "Mabui and the others... they've returned to the Hidden Cloud."
Right. The Fourth Raikage and Yugito had left weeks ago. Mabui had stayed behind to spend time with her best friend, but she was the Raikage's secretary—she couldn't remain indefinitely.
Hanekawa pulled her close, and she settled onto his lap with a soft gasp. Her hands fidgeted uncertainly as his warmth surrounded her.
"If you want to return to the Hidden Cloud, no one will stop you," he said, stroking her golden hair. "But the mission hall is right next to the ANBU base. Come see me whenever you can."
His hand moved lower, resting over her heart. Through the soft fabric, he felt it racing.
Samui's face flushed crimson. She turned away, burying herself against him, and after a moment whispered her response.
Then she suddenly stiffened, pulling back in shock. "I... I should go!"
She fled before he could respond, disappearing into her quarters. Hanekawa heard her crawl into bed, heard the muffled sound of her burying her face in the pillow.
Worth it, he thought with a slight smile.
---
The Hokage's office was quiet when Hanekawa arrived.
Tsunade lay sprawled across the sofa, fast asleep. The door was locked—only someone who knew the Flying Thunder God Technique could have entered undetected.
Hanekawa crouched beside her. She looked almost peaceful, her head tilted at an angle that was probably going to hurt later. He reached out and pinched her cheek.
Her eyes snapped open. "I finally got some sleep, and you disturbed me."
"Sorry," he said, stroking her face. She didn't pull away—hadn't, not since she'd changed her mind about their relationship.
"What is it?" she asked, her tone suggesting she didn't actually care about the disturbance.
"The ANBU discovered that Kazuma is collecting Nine-Tails chakra."
Tsunade's expression sharpened. "One of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas? What does he want with it?"
"He's trying to create a pseudo-jinchuriki. And I suspect it's meant as a weapon against Konoha."
"How bold," Tsunade snorted. She sat up, her mind already working. "Send someone to recover the Nine-Tails chakra. If the Daimyo complains, I'll handle it. We have every right."
Perfect. Hanekawa didn't need to go himself. He could leave it to Shisui's team.
And whatever Nine-Tails chakra they recovered would be his to do with as he pleased.
He was about to leave when Tsunade suddenly leaned forward and bit his finger—hard.
"That's for waking me up," she said, licking the corner of her mouth. "And for your disrespectful face-touching."
Hanekawa watched her movements, his throat suddenly dry.
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly at his reaction. She quickly looked away and stood, moving to her desk with forced composure. "Go deal with Kazuma. Now."
"Yes, Teacher," he said, turning to leave before she could see his smile.
---
Back at the ANBU base, Hanekawa drafted an S-rank mission commission. Involving the Daimyo and the Twelve Guardian Ninjas warranted the highest classification.
"Haru," he said, tossing the scroll to his aide. "Assign this to Team Hatake Sakumo."
The White Fang couldn't sit still even in an advisory position. And with Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan on the team, they were perfectly equipped to handle a pseudo-jinchuriki.
Next came the Box of Bliss.
Located in Hōzuki City on an isolated island, the only entrance was through imprisonment. Hanekawa had no intention of being captured like Naruto had been in the original timeline.
"Aoi," he instructed his assistant. "Find an ANBU willing to pose as a criminal and infiltrate Hōzuki Castle. Before they go, have them report to me."
He needed to carve a Flying Thunder God seal onto them. Once they reached the castle, he could teleport directly inside.
"And remind them—loyalty is rewarded."
Hanekawa paused. He should cultivate a few loyal subordinates. Like Orochimaru's Sound Four, but better.
"Understood," Aoi replied, taking the scroll.
---
June arrived.
Aburame Shino was born. Before him came Haruno Sakura and Akimichi Choji. Both the Aburame and Akimichi clans extended invitations to their hundred-day celebrations. Haruno Sakura's father, a civilian ninja, received no such courtesy—but Hanekawa made note of her anyway.
She was a medical genius, after all. When the time came, he'd recommend her to Nonō Yakushi as a student.
---
The seaside of the Land of Grass.
Hanekawa closed his eyes and sensed his Flying Thunder God seal. There—Hōzuki City.
He'd waited this long because Hatake Sakumo's team had taken time recovering the Nine-Tails chakra. The Daimyo had interfered, and Kazuma had hidden his son Sora well. But they'd eventually found enough chakra—remnants from the Valley of the End and other locations where Uchiha Madara had left traces during his control of the Nine-Tails.
His body vanished.
When he reappeared, he stood in a cell. The ANBU ninja immediately saluted.
"Do you have Fire Release: Heavenly Prison?" Hanekawa asked.
The technique was unique to Mui—it imprisoned a prisoner's chakra, burning them if they strayed too far from their captor.
"Yes, sir."
"You've done well. I'll retrieve you later."
With the Heavenly Prison active, he couldn't extract the ninja yet. He'd have to work around it.
Hanekawa left the cell and made his way to the city lord's hall.
Mui was younger than in the original timeline, which meant weaker. Easier to control.
Using a transformation technique, Hanekawa became a jailer and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Mui looked up—and scarlet bloomed across his vision as the Sharingan took hold.
"Take me to the Box of Bliss," Hanekawa commanded.
"Yes."
Mui led him to an underground chamber. The Box of Bliss sat before them—a black iron construct carved with four faces on each side, each displaying different emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, happiness.
"How do I open it?" Hanekawa studied the strange material.
"Five people are required for the activation ritual. Myself and four elders from the Grass Village."
"Give me the activation spell. And the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique."
Mui complied, handing over a scroll containing both.
I'll need to visit the Grass Village, Hanekawa thought. But with the Sharingan, it shouldn't be difficult.
He released the ANBU ninja's Heavenly Prison and sent them away, then returned to the underground chamber with Mui.
"You'll forget everything that happened today," Hanekawa commanded, implanting the suggestion with his dōjutsu.
Then he vanished with the Box of Bliss.
Moments later, Mui's screams echoed through the chamber. "Who did this?!"
In a way, Hanekawa had saved him. In the original timeline, both Mui and his son Muku had died because of the Box of Bliss. Without it, they would live.
---
An underground chamber in Konoha's ANBU base.
Hanekawa set down the Box of Bliss and watched as text materialized before his eyes:
[S-Rank Ninja Tool Entry: Box of Bliss (Not Obtained)]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat Muku]
[Current Progress: 0%]
To defeat Muku, he'd first need to release him. And to do that, he needed to make a wish.
What should I wish for?
In the original timeline, Mui had wished to resurrect his son Muku. The resurrection had transformed Muku—a being of immense power, nearly matching weaker tailed beasts. Muku possessed two terrifying abilities: the capacity to sense and predict emotions, allowing it to foresee attacks, and near-total immortality as long as the Box of Bliss remained intact.
Hanekawa's mind crystallized around a single thought.
He opened the activation scroll and studied the sealing technique. Complex, but manageable.
---
Three days later, in the desert of the Land of Wind.
Hanekawa stood before the Box of Bliss, forming hand seals.
Bang.
Four shadow clones materialized around him.
All five Hanekawas performed the activation ritual simultaneously.
The air twisted. Dark clouds descended over the Box of Bliss. The four carved faces opened their mouths wide, releasing a cold, murderous aura that rose like thick smoke into the sky.
The evil energy coalesced into suction, drawing the five Hanekawas toward the box.
He withdrew a scroll.
As it opened, rich, corrupted Nine-Tails chakra poured out—collected from the Valley of the End and scattered across the ninja world, remnants of Madara's control. The Box of Bliss drew it in hungrily.
When enough chakra had been absorbed, the faces slowly closed their mouths.
"Live with enlightenment, move with enlightenment, end with enlightenment," a tempting voice whispered in his mind.
The Box was offering him a wish.
"I wish for the Nine-Tailed Fox," Hanekawa said without hesitation.
If defeating tailed beasts granted entries, perhaps defeating a pseudo-jinchuriki would too.
"As you wish," the voice replied.
The four faces opened again. Endless chakra poured forth—emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness intertwined—coalescing into a massive form.
A black Nine-Tailed Fox materialized before him, its eyes burning with purpose.
The battle was about to begin.
---
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