Nohara Rin ultimately couldn't bear the embarrassment. She stepped back a few paces, turned around, and ran off.
Hanekawa watched her retreating figure and chuckled softly.
No matter what, it seemed his efforts had comforted her.
The night passed uneventfully. When the sun rose, a new day began.
February was a time between winter and spring, and the early mornings weren't warm.
After waking up, Hanekawa opened the tent, and a gust of cold wind greeted him.
"Good... good morning."
When Nohara Rin saw him, her face suddenly flushed red. She lowered her head and greeted him softly.
"Is Sensei and Kurenai still asleep?"
Hanekawa walked up to her and glanced at the tent behind her.
Since they were camping outdoors, they kept things simple, setting up only two tents. Hanekawa slept in one, while Tsunade, Kurenai, and Rin shared the other.
Initially, the four of them used just one tent, as they all slept in sleeping bags anyway.
But starting last year, Tsunade had kicked him out and made him sleep in his own tent, citing gender differences.
"No... not yet," Rin stammered.
"Why is your face so red?"
Hanekawa reached out and touched her flushed cheek with the back of his hand.
Rin froze instantly. The redness visibly spread down to her neck and ears.
She felt dizzy and couldn't hear what he was saying anymore.
"You're really adorable," Hanekawa said, smiling as he gently patted her head.
Rin didn't dare look at him, standing there awkwardly while letting him do as he pleased.
"Go wash up," Hanekawa said, withdrawing his hand.
Rin instinctively let out a breath of relief, said nothing, and walked away.
"Hanekawa!"
After she left, Kurenai Yuhi emerged from the tent and happily ran up to him.
"How was your sleep?" Hanekawa gently stroked her silky hair.
"It was fine," Kurenai said with a smile. "At least no annoying Iwa-nin disrupted my rest."
On the battlefield, nighttime ambushes were practically a tradition.
It wasn't just Iwagakure; every ninja village had done it.
"Rin went to wash up. You should go too. We'll have breakfast after you return."
Hanekawa pinched her cheek before letting go.
Kurenai blinked, then playfully touched his face before skipping off happily.
Hanekawa withdrew his gaze and turned his head, only to see Tsunade standing at the tent entrance.
For some reason, he suddenly felt like he'd been caught red-handed.
"Good morning, Sensei. You're even more beautiful today," Hanekawa said, maintaining his composure.
"Flatterer," Tsunade huffed softly. "Did you just say the same thing to Kurenai?"
"Absolutely not!" Hanekawa replied seriously. "Kurenai is just mostly cute right now."
"So you're saying I'm not cute?" Tsunade asked abruptly.
"I'm saying that Sensei is mainly beautiful, with cuteness as a secondary trait," Hanekawa said, sweating nervously.
"You're quite the smooth talker. I wonder how many people you've deceived," Tsunade remarked, staring at him for a few seconds before smiling faintly.
"But I've never lied to you, Sensei," Hanekawa said, emboldened by her smile as he leaned in. "I promise!"
At such close proximity, his gaze instinctively lowered, skimming over her flawless skin.
"I don't believe you."
Tsunade smiled, raised a finger, and pushed him away. "I'm hungry."
"I'll cook right away!" Hanekawa said, grabbing her finger lightly before letting go.
Tsunade was slightly taken aback. This kid was becoming more and more audacious.
Not that she minded.
Hanekawa knew his limits and turned to prepare breakfast.
After eating, the four of them continued their journey, arriving at Konoha by dusk.
"This time, the old man didn't make things too troublesome," Tsunade said, glancing around. She noticed the lack of welcoming villagers or ninja and felt relieved.
With her personality, she didn't enjoy such formalities.
"Maybe it's because we returned later than expected," Hanekawa said casually.
In truth, being the center of attention felt nice, but once or twice was enough. Any more than that would lose its charm.
"Rin and Kurenai, you should head home first," Tsunade said after Nohara Rin finished registering at the gate.
"Understood," Rin and Kurenai replied in unison.
Before leaving, both of them glanced at Hanekawa.
Kurenai's look seemed to say, Come home early.
Rin's was harder to interpret.
While Hanekawa was pondering this, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his foot.
"Stop spacing out and head to the Hokage's office," Tsunade said flatly, as though the kick she just delivered wasn't her doing.
What kind of reaction is that? Hanekawa quickly followed her.
Even though it was after office hours, the Hokage's building was still bustling with ninja, most of them from the Anbu.
Hanekawa suddenly thought about how miserable life in the Anbu must be—working 24/7, year-round, with an endless workload.
No wonder they were called the "ninja among ninja." They truly embodied endurance.
If it were him, he wouldn't join the Anbu even if his life depended on it.
Bang!
Tsunade kicked open the Hokage's office door.
Hanekawa blinked.
This kick seemed even stronger than before, as cracks had appeared on the door.
"Back already? It must've been a tough journey," Hiruzen Sarutobi said warmly, smiling at them.
Compared to capturing the Four-Tails alive, a broken door was trivial.
If Tsunade wanted to kick it, so be it. He didn't mind.
"You've done an excellent job this time—far beyond my expectations," Hiruzen said with a tone of admiration. "You've truly surprised me in the best way."
"How's the situation in Kirigakure?" Tsunade ignored the compliment.
"No significant movements for now," Hiruzen replied with a shake of his head.
"Let's get to the rewards," Tsunade said, moving on after addressing her concern.
"There's no rush for that," Hiruzen said after a moment's thought. "I'm not sure what to give you yet. How about we decide after the negotiations with Iwagakure?"
Capturing a tailed beast alive was a tremendous achievement, so significant that it was difficult to assign an appropriate reward.
Besides, Iwagakure would likely be willing to pay a hefty price, which could also serve as part of the reward.
"Then Hanekawa's requests—his compound jutsu training and Lava Release," Tsunade said without pushing further.
"Not a problem," Hiruzen said, surprised but agreeing readily. Compared to capturing a tailed beast, these were minor matters.
"Hanekawa," Hiruzen said, turning to him. "Have you mastered the two combined jutsu from before?"
"He mastered them long ago," Tsunade said with a huff. "And his proficiency is no worse than yours."
"...?"
Hiruzen opened his mouth, then closed it again.
As your teacher, am I really completely outmatched by my own grandstudent?
And you're even saying it out loud!
Hiruzen couldn't believe that Hanekawa, after only a few months of training, could surpass him in proficiency.
He figured it was Tsunade's bias speaking.
"Here, this is for you," Hiruzen said after some thought, handing Hanekawa a scroll.
"Just one?" Tsunade asked, clearly dissatisfied.
"It's the Five-Element Grand Bullet Technique," Hiruzen replied.
Tsunade's expression turned to surprise.
As Hiruzen's student, she knew this combined jutsu was one of his ultimate techniques, terrifyingly powerful.
Suddenly, Tsunade felt a bit conflicted.
Hanekawa had already learned Tobirama Senju's Water Release and Hiruzen's combined jutsu.
If she, the Fourth Hokage, taught him medical ninjutsu, he'd have mastered techniques from three Hokage.
The only thing missing would be Hashirama Senju's Wood Release to complete the skill set of the Hokage lineage.
But Wood Release was something Hanekawa could never learn, lacking the Senju bloodline.
Even combining Earth and Water Release wouldn't suffice—it was simply too difficult.
In all of Konoha's history, no one had succeeded in recreating Wood Release, not even Tobirama or Hiruzen.
Though he lacked Wood Release, Tsunade could already envision Hanekawa's future.
Hiruzen's title as the "Strongest Hokage" would likely be claimed by him.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said happily, accepting the scroll for the Five-Element Grand Bullet Technique.
This combined jutsu was more powerful than most kekkei genkai and could truly be called a trump card.
Of course, it would also be extremely challenging to master.
"This jutsu is very difficult. If you run into any issues, feel free to consult me," Hiruzen said with a smile.
Although the reward was given due to Hanekawa's significant contributions, it was clear that Hiruzen already saw him as a half-student.
After all, this combined jutsu was one of Hiruzen's signature techniques.
"It's late. You should head home and rest," Hiruzen said, glancing at the window. "If anything comes up, the Anbu will inform you."
"Got it," Tsunade said with a nod, turning to leave.
"Goodbye, Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said before following her.
"The old man did alright this time," Tsunade remarked casually as they walked down the street. "Even Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I haven't learned the Five-Element Grand Bullet Technique."
"Do you want to learn it, Sensei?" Hanekawa asked.
"No," Tsunade said with a shake of her head. "Medical ninjutsu is already more than enough for me."
Of course, there was another reason she didn't mention.
To master the Five-Element Grand Bullet Technique, one had to have control over all five chakra nature transformations.
She was undoubtedly talented, but not to this extent.
"Breaking news! Konoha repels Iwagakure, achieving a major victory!"
Hanekawa suddenly noticed a promotional poster in front of a bookstore displaying a newspaper headline.
He paused in surprise. There really were newspapers in the ninja world.
In the original story, it was mentioned that Minato Namikaze often read newspapers.
"I'll go buy one," Hanekawa said, curious about Konoha's newspapers, especially since this seemed to involve them.
He quickly stepped into the bookstore.
"Tsunade and Hanekawa capture the Four-Tails, forcing Iwagakure to flee in disgrace!"
The first thing he noticed was the bolded, black-font headline on the newspaper.
After paying for the paper, Hanekawa began reading.
The content wasn't very detailed but was comprehensive, recounting several major battles involving Konoha.
By the time he finished, Hanekawa was genuinely surprised.
This section even covered reactions and discussions from other ninja villages.
Was this newspaper actually produced by Konoha?
"You're famous now. Ninjas from all the major villages know your name," Tsunade said with a smile after reading the paper.
"Still nowhere near as famous as you, Sensei," Hanekawa replied earnestly. "I think your reputation has even surpassed Lord Hokage's."
"Don't talk nonsense," Tsunade said, glaring at him.
She didn't need to guess his real intentions.
"I'm just stating the facts," Hanekawa said, clearing his throat. "While Lord Hokage earned his fame during the first two Shinobi Wars, he never captured a tailed beast."
Tsunade froze for a moment.
Thinking it over, it was true.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had done much for Konoha, but truly world-shaking feats were few and far between.
And even if there were, none could compare to the shock of capturing a tailed beast.
Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples.
This brat was really giving her a headache.
Although defeating the Four-Tails was Hanekawa's accomplishment, she had been there, so both the ninjas and villagers naturally assumed she had played a major role. They wouldn't believe she was just a bystander.
After all, she was one of the Legendary Sannin, with a reputation that preceded her.
Oh well, she thought. What's done is done. Let's just focus on dinner.
Reputation wasn't something she could discard even if she wanted to.
"Go buy groceries," Tsunade said, putting away the newspaper. With renewed energy, she added, "Tonight we're having a feast—and plenty of sake!"
---
In the Land of Grass
"Lord Madara,"
A White Zetsu emerged from the ground. "Obito has regained consciousness."
"Mm."
Madara Uchiha nodded slightly. "Take care of him for a while. Once he recovers, I'll speak with him."
"Understood."
The White Zetsu sank back into the ground.
Not long after, another White Zetsu appeared.
"What is it?"
Madara glanced at it.
Though all White Zetsu looked alike, he could tell them apart.
"Lord Madara, Hanekawa and Rin Nohara have both returned to Konoha," the White Zetsu reported.
"Konoha, is it?"
Madara frowned. "That's troublesome."
As the former strongest of the Uchiha, he naturally knew how to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan—especially for someone as straightforward as Obito.
All it would take was for him to witness something happening to the person he cared about most.
But Konoha… he currently didn't have the strength to storm the village outright.
Fortunately, the ninja world was already in chaos, and Tsunade wouldn't remain safely in Konoha forever.
Once they left the village, he could act.
Still, it wouldn't be easy.
Especially after learning Hanekawa had captured the Four-Tails.
That meant this team had two jōnin among jōnin, making them a formidable challenge.
Madara fell into deep thought.
Was there another way?
"Do you think Rin Nohara likes Hanekawa?" Madara asked after some thought.
"What is 'like'?" White Zetsu asked curiously.
"..."
Madara opened his mouth, then decided against explaining.
"Never mind. Leave."
"Understood."
White Zetsu disappeared from view.
Madara resumed his contemplation.
He had observed many Uchiha awaken their Sharingan, and the two most significant emotional triggers were familial bonds and romantic love.
For Obito, familial bonds tied back to the grandmother he helped across the street. But romantic love? That was undoubtedly Rin Nohara.
And clearly, the latter had a far stronger impact.
_
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