“Why do you look even happier than me?” Hanekawa asked, looking at Kurenai as she skipped along next to him.
“Because you used Genjutsu to defeat Asuma,” Kurenai said, tilting her head as she came up with a reason.
“Maybe I can do that too in the future.” “Then you still need to work hard,” Hanekawa said, recalling her future development.
“I know!” Kurenai huffed softly, looking a bit disgruntled.
“I’ll teach you when I have time,” Hanekawa chuckled.
Her pouting face was honestly quite adorable.
“You promised!” Kurenai’s ruby-like eyes lit up instantly.
“You have to teach me exactly how to beat Asuma!” “Why are you so eager to beat him?” Hanekawa raised an eyebrow, curious.
“Do you dislike him?” “Not really dislike,” Kurenai pouted.
“It’s just that he’s always acting so cocky and smug in front of me.” It was completely normal for kids to show off.
In the original series, that might have been exactly how Asuma eventually won Kurenai over.
But now that Hanekawa was in the picture, things were bound to go differently.
Hanekawa smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll teach you.” Under normal circumstances, Kurenai would definitely lose to Asuma in a straight brawl.
But with a bit of careful plotting, a calculated strategy, and some special training, taking a round or two off him wouldn’t be an issue at all.
After all, Asuma was only six years old right now; no matter how capable he was, his ceiling was limited.
The only real wild card was his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The old man was bound to step in and offer some guidance.
The two quickly arrived back at the house.
Kurenai pushed open the door, kicking off her sandals to reveal her bare feet while shouting, “I’m back!” “Welcome home,” Shinku soon appeared before them.
“Go wash your hands.
Dinner is almost ready.” Hanekawa nodded politely.
After dinner, Hanekawa focused his thoughts on his newly acquired Shippuden trait, which granted a 10% modifier to his Wind Style affinity.
Chakra natures were divided into five main elements—Water, Fire, Lightning, Wind, and Earth—alongside the special Yin and Yang components.
Everyone possessed an innate elemental affinity from birth, but it required a piece of chakra induction paper to test.
Hanekawa had no idea what his natural affinity was.
In the original timeline, Kakashi didn’t test Naruto’s affinity until after the Chunin Exams, which was remarkably late.
It was highly probable that elemental nature transformation training wasn’t typically introduced until a shinobi reached the Chunin rank.
For a Genin, mastering the Three Academy Jutsu and basic shape transformation was usually considered plenty.
Speaking of peak shape transformation, the Rasengan immediately came to mind.
The original series had explicitly detailed the steps required to master it, though Hanekawa wasn’t entirely certain if the theory would translate perfectly into reality.
“Shinku-ojisan,” Hanekawa looked up and asked.
“Do you happen to have any chakra induction paper?” “What’s chakra induction paper?” Kurenai asked curiously.
“It’s used to test your elemental chakra affinity,” Shinku explained.
“Though it’s a bit early for you two, there’s no harm in finding out early.” He stepped into his study and returned a moment later holding two small, square slips of paper, each roughly the size of a palm.
“Just channel a bit of your chakra into it,” Shinku instructed.
“The paper will react differently based on your specific elemental affinity.” “Let me try!” Kurenai eagerly took a slip, her face filled with anticipation.
Very quickly, the paper underwent a distinct transformation.
The right half abruptly caught fire and burned away, while the left half became completely damp and soaked through with water.
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Kurenai said, watching the contrasting elemental reaction.
“Fire and Water,” Shinku said, slightly surprised.
“Possessing two conflicting affinities right from the start is quite rare.” “Does that mean I can learn both Water Style and Fire Style ninjutsu?” Kurenai asked, blinking.
“Yes,” Shinku nodded, before adding in a serious tone, “But there’s no need to rush into it.
Mastering Genjutsu is more than enough for you.” Being able to seamlessly utilize two elemental natures was a hallmark of a Jonin, which spoke volumes about the sheer difficulty involved.
Given Kurenai’s innate talents, specializing solely in Genjutsu would allow her to reach the Jonin rank vastly faster than splitting her focus across multiple elemental releases.
While they were talking, Hanekawa’s test result manifested.
The paper split down the middle—one side crumpled up completely, while the other instantly turned to ash.
Lightning and Fire.
If I pick up a sword right now, can I start throwing out elemental slashes?
Hanekawa mused.
His natural affinities didn’t include Wind.
Under normal circumstances, he would have to dedicate an immense amount of time to manually cultivate a Wind nature from scratch.
But with the system cheat in play, he had a viable alternative pathway.
“Hanekawa, the same goes for you.
Focus entirely on mastering your Genjutsu foundations first,” Shinku reminded him, wanting to ensure the boy didn’t scatter his energy too early.
“Understood,” Hanekawa nodded without arguing.
“Let me tell you, Dad—Hanekawa completely dismantled Asuma today!” Kurenai suddenly interjected proudly.
“Genjutsu is way more awesome than Wind Style!” The sudden influx of information caught Shinku thoroughly off guard.
Hanekawa, who had only been introduced to chakra for a single week, had defeated the Hokage’s son?
What a terrifying prodigy.
Calming his mind after a few seconds, Shinku smiled warmly and said, “Excellent work.
Genjutsu will grant you a massive tactical edge in combat.” The statement was fundamentally accurate—provided one didn’t run face-first into an Uchiha.
The Sharingan’s ability to cast instant, signless illusions was a structural hard-counter to ordinary Genjutsu users.
Hanekawa remained composed, but Kurenai was suddenly bursting with unprecedented motivation.
After a brief rest, she immediately dashed off to resume her Genjutsu practice.
Hanekawa, meanwhile, headed out to the backyard woods, utilizing the porch light to resume his projectile throwing grind.
The next day.
Hanekawa discovered that his popularity within the classroom had spiked dramatically.
He was constantly surrounded by classmates eager to chat, particularly the girls.
The shinobi world respected raw strength above all else.
Since Hanekawa was both exceptionally good-looking and Formidable, the other kids naturally gravitated toward him with pure, straightforward admiration.
Watching Hanekawa get thoroughly crowded, Kurenai felt a strange, subtle sensation in her chest for the first time—almost as if something that belonged to her was being swiped by outsiders.
As for Asuma, he glanced at the crowd but didn’t make a move.
The previous evening, Hiruzen had taught him the core principles of Genjutsu Dissipation.
But instead of recklessly rushing to demand an immediate rematch, he resolved to patiently hone his execution until victory was fully guaranteed.
The school week bled away in a flash, and Saturday arrived.
Hanekawa woke up exceptionally early.
Aside from his mandatory physical conditioning, today was the day he was scheduled to visit the orphanage—and meet a certain legendary figure.
He completed his standard running circuit along the streets before sprinting toward his old residence.
Just before he reached the perimeter gate, several lines of text materialized across his vision.
[E-Rank Talent Trait: Robust Physique (Acquired).] [Trigger Condition: Bring physical fitness up to the bare minimum baseline of a Genin.] [Effect: Stamina recovery rate is increased by 10% on top of your existing foundation.] [Note: Possesses two synthesis pathways.] [Pathway 1: Combine with E-Rank Trait ‘Fleet-Footed’ and E-Rank Trait ‘One Thousand Years of Death’ to synthesize D-Rank Trait: ‘Taijutsu Genin’.] [Pathway 2: Combine with D-Rank Trait ‘Medical Ninja’ and E-Rank Trait ‘Fleet-Footed’ to synthesize C-Rank Trait: ‘Innate Monstrous Strength’.] Hanekawa ground to a halt.
The materialization of Robust Physique was a natural result of his consistent daily grind, so it didn’t catch him by surprise.
The passive stamina recovery modifier was a fantastic addition, allowing him to sustain much longer training sessions.
The real shock lay in the two synthesis blueprints.
Although the structural difficulty had scaled massively, Hanekawa didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second—he immediately locked his sights onto the second pathway.
Given the C-Rank modifier Innate Monstrous Strength, combined with his existing Innate Full Soul trait, this pathway was almost guaranteed to unlock a potent Yang Release affinity.
“Hanekawa?
You’re here early.
Have you eaten breakfast yet?” Nonō Yakushi’s gentle voice echoed out as she stepped through the doorway.
“Director,” Hanekawa snapped out of his thoughts.
“I had a few rice balls before heading out.” “Here,” Nonō handed him a warm glass of milk.
“Drink up.
Once you’re finished, I’ll take you to meet Lady Tsunade.” “Thank you!” Hanekawa chugged the milk down in one go.
The two set off immediately, navigating through the streets until they pulled up before the prominent structure of the Konoha Hospital.
Following Nonō up the stairwell, Hanekawa was eventually led into a spacious chief administrative office.
Sitting gracefully on a central leather sofa was Tsunade.
She wore a loose, grass-green haori, her long slender legs crossed elegantly over one another, displaying a soft, healthy curves.
Her iconic golden hair was tied back into two loose ponytails, and the distinct violet diamond of the Strength of a Hundred Seal rested perfectly in the center of her refined forehead.
Her sleeveless mesh shirt was pushed to its absolute structural limits by an incredibly heavy, ample bust, creating a breathtaking, stark curvature.
Hanekawa’s gaze subconsciously dipped into that abyssal depth for a fraction of a microsecond.
Size is justice, truly a masterpiece.
It was vastly more breathtaking in reality than any animation could ever convey.
It wasn’t until his eyes locked onto her direct, amber-brown pupils that a violent shiver ran down his spine.
Crap.
My aim-bot was locked on.