Inside the Hokage’s office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi peered into the crystal ball before him like an old wizard.
The translucent orb shimmered, shifting its focus to reveal the ongoing scene inside Class 1-A.
Hiruzen had two sons.
His eldest had already joined the Anbu, developing into an exceptional shinobi.
However, his second son, Asuma Sarutobi, was currently at that notoriously rebellious age—constantly defying him, which left the aging leader thoroughly exhausted.
Watching for a moment, Hiruzen couldn’t help but chuckle.
Kids will be kids.
But healthy competition breeds growth.
Because of his status as the Hokage’s son, Asuma’s life at school had been entirely too smooth sailing.
With Hanekawa in the mix, perhaps his rebellious son would finally find the drive to change.
“Hare,” Hiruzen spoke into the empty room.
“I want a complete dossier on everything Hanekawa has done over the past three days.” “Understood,” a voice echoed from the shadows.
It was the Anbu operative, Hare.
Hiruzen placed considerable hope in Hanekawa.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to snatch him from Danzo Shimura’s grasp.
Now that the boy had successfully reignited Asuma’s competitive fire, it was a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone scenario.
“Hokage-sama.” In less than three minutes, Hare materialized before him.
She wore a frog mask, leaving only her short hair visible.
Hiruzen took the files and flipped through them, his brow quickly furrowing.
Unsurprisingly, Danzo hadn’t entirely given up, though fortunately, he hadn’t caused any major waves yet.
Reading further down, a small smile finally returned to the Hokage’s face.
He was a hardworking, good kid.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Hiruzen said, casually setting the files aside.
The door swung open, admitting a young man with striking golden hair.
“Minato,” Hiruzen’s gaze sharpened, his voice turning serious.
“What brings you here?
Did something happen with Kushina?” Kushina Uzumaki was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
The nine Tailed Beasts possessed enough raw power to fracture the earth, and among them, the Nine-Tails was indisputably the strongest.
A Jinchuriki, who housed these beasts within their own bodies, served as a village’s ultimate hidden trump card.
However, the erratic nature of the Tailed Beasts meant a Jinchuriki was always at risk of flying into a rampage.
Beyond that lay the constant scheming of rival villages—such as Kumogakure’s recent plot to kidnap Kushina.
If Minato Namikaze hadn’t intervened, Konoha would have permanently lost its ultimate deterrent.
“It’s just that Kushina snuck out of the barrier again today,” Minato offered an embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of his head.
“She used a sealing jutsu to completely immobilize the two Anbu guards assigned to protect her.” “Minato, I understand your feelings for Kushina, but the Nine-Tails is a matter of absolute gravity.
We cannot let her act so recklessly,” Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, counseling seriously.
“I understand!” Minato’s expression turned resolute.
“No need to be so tense,” Hiruzen shifted his tone, offering a warm smile.
“Now that you’ve mastered the Flying Raijin Technique, I doubt anyone will ever manage to kidnap Kushina under your watch again.” The Flying Raijin Technique—a Space-Time Ninjutsu that allowed instantaneous teleportation using a specialized formula.
With a Flying Raijin seal placed on Kushina, Minato could instantly flash to her side regardless of the distance.
To put it without a shred of exaggeration: from this day forward, he was officially the shinobi world’s fastest man.
“Is Jiraiya still in the village?” Hiruzen asked, suddenly remembering his student.
“Yes,” Minato explained.
“Sensei has been helping me develop a brand-new ninjutsu recently.” “A new ninjutsu?” Hiruzen’s curiosity was piqued.
“What kind of technique requires the joint effort of both you and Jiraiya?” “It still needs a bit of fine-tuning,” Minato smiled warmly.
“I’ll properly demonstrate it for you once it’s fully complete.” “Then I shall look forward to it,” Hiruzen replied, exchanging a knowing smile with the young prodigy.
The Hokage’s office was momentarily filled with a harmonious, warm atmosphere.
Meanwhile, inside Class 1-A.
Hanekawa’s lips twitched in sheer disbelief.
Why on earth does being a shinobi require learning advanced mathematics?
There was a popular saying in his past life: If you push a man hard enough, he can do anything—except math.
The question sitting right in front of him required calculating the parabolic trajectory of a thrown kunai under shifting wind resistance.
He understood the underlying physics, but against a literal Susanoo, was this going to help?
He couldn’t exactly pull a Danzo and try to stab a giant chakra avatar with a handheld kunai.
A sudden wave of excited chatter broke out across the classroom.
Hanekawa looked up to see a crowd of students rushing toward the door, led by Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha.
“Obito is challenging Kakashi again,” Shizune said, shaking her head with a sigh.
“Ever since the term started, I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened.” “Who wins?” Hanekawa asked casually.
“Kakashi wins every single time.
He is the village’s universally recognized prodigy, after all,” Shizune stated as if it were an absolute law of nature.
Hanekawa nodded subtly.
Even though he had only been here for three days, he could already feel Kakashi’s overwhelming popularity.
To put it simply, he held the exact same school-idol status that Sasuke Uchiha would enjoy in the future.
Study more and stay away from the Uchiha, folks.
Hanekawa glanced outside.
Within the brief span of his conversation with Shizune, Obito had already been utterly defeated—and Kakashi hadn’t even bothered to properly unleash a counterattack.
Obito had accidentally singed his own throat trying to cast the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, and was currently coughing so violently it looked like his lungs might pop out.
Yet, he was caught in a state of painful bliss because Rin Nohara was hovering over him, gently tending to his burns.
That kind of tender care always gave a guy the classic illusion: She definitely likes me.
Unfortunately, neither of them knew that fate had already marked a brutal price tag on their peaceful days.
For the sake of his own skin, Hanekawa lowered his head and resumed studying.
He absolutely refused to be ‘streamlined’ out of existence when Obito inevitably decided to reboot the universe down the line.
After school, Hanekawa headed home, ate a quick dinner, and immediately launched into his shurikenjutsu practice.
Unlike yesterday, he now had Kurenai training right alongside him.
A week quickly flew by.
Hanekawa successfully integrated into the class, managing to familiarize himself with every single student.
Aside from famous names like Kakashi and Asuma, he even spotted a minor character named Mizuki—the future Academy instructor who would manipulate a failing Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals.
Mizuki’s greatest contribution to history, of course, was handing the protagonist his ultimate cheat code: the Multi-Size Shadow Clone Technique.
On Sunday morning, the crisp sound of a strike echoed through the backyard.
Thud.
Hanekawa casually flicked his wrist, sending a kunai dead center into the wooden post.
Instantaneously, several lines of text materialized in his field of vision.
He finally let out a massive sigh of relief.
[E-Rank Talent Trait: Weapon Tool Throwing (Acquired).] [Trigger Condition: Reach introductory proficiency in shuriken and kunai throwing.] [Effect: Increases raw arm strength by 10% on top of your existing foundation.
Static targets within a hundred meters are guaranteed hits.] [Note: Possesses a single synthesis pathway.
Combine with E-Rank Trait ‘Seven Varieties of Ninja Tools’ to synthesize D-Rank Trait: ‘Ninja Tool Mastery’.] Hanekawa subconsciously clenched his right fist.
A distinct surge of power flowed through his forearm.
While it wasn’t a world-breaking amount, he had undeniably grown stronger.
Achieving a mere introductory level already granted a 10% boost; if he pushed this trait to absolute mastery, wouldn’t he end up with a literal iron arm?
He could practically transition into a professional basketball career with elbows that heavy.
Shaking off the absurd thoughts, Hanekawa directed his focus to the new progress bar that had appeared.
[E-Rank Talent Trait: Seven Varieties of Ninja Tools (Not Yet Acquired).] [Trigger Condition: Achieve a high level of proficiency with seven distinct varieties of ninja tools.] [Current Progress: 10%.] Despite being the same E-Rank, Seven Varieties of Ninja Tools was clearly vastly more demanding than basic Weapon Tool Throwing.
Was the difficulty cranked up because it served as a prerequisite for a D-Rank synthesis?
The current 10% progress indicated that his mastery of shuriken and kunai already counted toward the total.
He simply needed to pick up and learn five additional types of auxiliary shinobi gear.
Hanekawa gathered the scattered kunai and shuriken from the ground, packed them away, and headed out the front gate.
He had already excused himself from Shinku Yuhi beforehand, claiming he needed to visit the orphanage.
In reality, he was heading straight toward his clandestine rendezvous with the Kumogakure handler.