As the last remnants of sunlight faded from the horizon, the sky was left with only a dim, dusky hue.
After a day of battle, the Konoha base camp had returned to a state of calm.
Not far from the camp, a small river flowed, and the summer breeze brought a refreshing coolness.
Tsunade sat by the riverbank, watching the ripples on the water's surface.
She lifted her right leg and slowly reached out her hand, hooking her fingers around the hem of her pants. She rolled the fabric up along her fair skin, revealing her slender calf.
Her foot rested on a stone, her toes, round like pearls, twitching slightly. The red polish on her toenails appeared slightly dull in the evening light.
She lowered her right leg and then lifted her left, rolling up the pant leg to reveal the anklet on her ankle.
Tsunade stared at the anklet for a few seconds before tucking it away.
She dipped both feet into the water, the coolness making her squint her eyes in contentment.
As June arrived, the weather had warmed, and soaking her feet during moments of leisure had become a small indulgence.
After a while, Tsunade suddenly raised an eyebrow.
Her gaze shifted downward, and she noticed several streams of water swirling around her feet as if they had a life of their own, massaging them gently.
Tsunade instinctively curled her toes and tensed her legs.
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she asked, "Kid, who taught you to use Water Release ninjutsu like this?"
"Ninjutsu is a tool. Whether it's used for fighting or for washing feet, there's no problem with that," Hanekawa, standing behind her, replied with a grin.
"Such nonsense!" Tsunade snorted lightly.
"If you don't like it, Sensei, I'll stop," Hanekawa said, withdrawing his chakra.
"During wartime, don't waste chakra so casually," Tsunade said, patting the spot beside her. "Come, sit down."
"Alright," Hanekawa walked forward but suddenly felt his eyelid twitch.
Tsunade had taken off her tea-green jacket, revealing a sleeveless top.
As she sat by the river, Hanekawa's gaze naturally drifted downward, catching a glimpse of the snow-white skin at her collar.
Further down were her equally fair, long legs, submerged in the water like polished jade.
"What are you staring at, brat?" Tsunade turned her head to look at him, and when their eyes met, she suddenly realized what he was looking at.
"Sensei, have you eaten yet?" Hanekawa quickly sat down beside her, deftly changing the subject.
"I had a little something," Tsunade replied, instinctively tugging at her collar.
"Then you must still be hungry," Hanekawa noticed her movement and silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"What do you have to eat?" Tsunade asked, feeling her hunger grow at his words.
"How about some grilled fish?" Hanekawa pointed to the river. "Look over there."
Tsunade followed his gaze and spotted two crucian carp.
She tilted her head and said, "They're a bit small."
"No problem, we'll just catch a few more," Hanekawa said with a smile. "Watch this."
He formed hand seals, and the river's water began to change.
The nearby currents seemed to respond to a divine call, transforming into watery hands that suddenly reached out and grabbed the fish.
The crucian carp, having lived their entire lives in the river, never dreamed they would one day be attacked by the water itself.
"Your Water Release..." Tsunade was momentarily stunned.
This level of water manipulation was truly extraordinary.
To achieve such mastery meant that Hanekawa's control over the form and nature of Water Release had reached an unparalleled level.
Among all the Water Release users she had seen, only Tobirama Senju could compare.
"I don't know," Hanekawa said casually. "I just kept practicing, and it turned out like this."
"..." Tsunade's mouth twitched, and she felt the urge to stomp on his face.
Was this even human?
Once again, she was reminded of Hanekawa's monstrous talent for ninjutsu.
Of course, this was a good thing.
The stronger he was, the better his chances of survival.
Seeing her expression, Hanekawa couldn't help but laugh.
His earlier statement was, of course, a lie.
The reason his Water Release had improved so much was that he had successfully obtained the A-rank trait, 'Water Release Jonin.'
It had been about a month and a half since their battle with the thousand-man Kumogakure unit.
Danzo Shimura, perhaps realizing that he couldn't suppress Tsunade, had temporarily given up.
Hanekawa and the others' missions had somewhat returned to normal.
Though "normal" was a relative term, as their tasks mostly involved logistics and deep infiltration behind enemy lines, with few direct confrontations.
But fortunately, there were still plenty of battles.
Hanekawa had finally met the requirements for the A-rank trait, 'Water Release Jonin.'
Its effect was still an increase in the power of all Water Release techniques, but the boost had gone from 100% to 150%.
Hanekawa now had three traits that enhanced Water Release techniques:
- A-rank trait: 'Water Release Jonin'
- B-rank trait: 'Rain God'
- B-rank trait: 'I Am the Mizukage'
In other words, his Water Release power could theoretically reach a 350% boost.
Water Release was currently his strongest element, surpassing even his Lava Release.
In theory, kekkei genkai should be more powerful than single-element techniques.
But Hanekawa's elemental techniques all had trait bonuses.
This was why he still preferred using Water Release and other elemental techniques.
Compared to Water Release, Earth Release was slightly behind.
But it was close.
Hanekawa estimated that in about half a month, he would reach 100% progress and be able to synthesize Wood Release.
"That's enough, no need to catch more," Tsunade said, seeing the ten fish he had caught.
"I'll go grill them," Hanekawa said, snapping out of his thoughts. "Sensei, just wait a moment."
"Alright," Tsunade nodded and continued to play in the water.
Hanekawa put on his shoes and went to a nearby spot to build a fire.
After cleaning the fish, he skewered them and placed them over the fire.
He extended his hand, using Fire Release chakra to intensify the flames, making them burn hotter.
He had grown accustomed to using chakra as a versatile tool.
A little bit of chakra could enhance almost anything.
Soon, a tantalizing aroma filled the air.
"Is it ready?" Tsunade licked her lips and turned to look at Hanekawa.
She leaned forward slightly, her clothes straining under the weight of her ample chest, as if they might tear at any moment.
"Almost," Hanekawa replied, feeling a bit concerned.
"Hurry up," Tsunade said, pulling her gaze away and patting her stomach as she waited.
A few minutes later, the aroma grew stronger.
"Here," Hanekawa sat down beside her and handed her a skewer of grilled fish.
"Thanks," Tsunade said before eagerly biting into a piece of fish.
But it was too hot, and she instinctively opened her lips, blowing on it to cool it down.
"Sensei, you're so cute," Hanekawa chuckled.
Tsunade shot him a glare but didn't say anything, focusing on eating the fish.
Hanekawa could guess what she wanted to say—something about respecting one's elders and so on.
He picked up his own skewer and began eating.
"Danzo hasn't made any moves for a while. Should we have Rin keep an eye on him?" Hanekawa suddenly asked, thinking of something.
He didn't want Danzo to ruin things at the critical moment of synthesizing Wood Release.
"Keeping tabs on Danzo is risky, but we can monitor his Root subordinates," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "Coincidentally, Hizashi is returning to Konoha tomorrow. I'll have him get a list of former Root members from the Anbu."
"Why is he going back to Konoha?" Hanekawa asked curiously.
"His child is likely to be born this month, so he's going back to check on things," Tsunade explained.
Hanekawa's eyebrows rose at this.
He remembered that Neji Hyuga's birthday was July 3rd, which wasn't far off.
By next year, it would be Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga's turn.
In other words, Madara Uchiha's life was nearing its end.
Both he and Sasuke were reincarnations of Indra's chakra.
When one died, the other would be born.
Hanekawa pondered this.
Since Obito Uchiha had been severely injured, there had been no news of him.
Given what he knew of Madara, he was likely busy training Obito and setting up the Eye of the Moon Plan.
If Madara died, would Obito become restless?
But fortunately, there was still time.
Hanekawa could learn the Flying Thunder God Technique before next year.
"Don't worry too much," Tsunade said, glancing at him. "As you said before, in the face of absolute strength, schemes and tricks are useless."
Hanekawa knew she had misunderstood but didn't explain.
After all, she didn't know about Obito.
"I just want to deal with Danzo as soon as possible," Hanekawa said with a smile. "That old man is quite annoying."
"He won't be arrogant for much longer," Tsunade exhaled a breath of hot air. "If it weren't for the war, I would have arrested him long ago."
She was referring to the Wood Release experiments.
"Right," Hanekawa handed her another skewer of grilled fish after she finished the first.
"What a pity," Tsunade said with a hint of regret. "It would be nice to have some alcohol."
"How about a few sips?" Hanekawa suggested with a wink. "With your strength, a little wouldn't affect you."
"Forget it. If I start, I won't be able to stop," Tsunade said, though she was tempted for a moment.
Especially since she was now the deputy commander.
If Danzo found out she had been drinking, he would surely use it against her.
She didn't want to deal with his accusations.
"Then drink when we get back," Hanekawa said, smiling at her conflicted expression.
"Alright," Tsunade finished the grilled fish, stretched lazily, and let out a soft moan.
Hanekawa instinctively glanced at her, his gaze drawn to the rise and fall of her fair skin.
"What are you looking at, kid?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and she reached out to pinch his cheek.
"Sorry," Hanekawa apologized quickly.
"Then why are you still looking?" A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead.
"It's because Sensei is too captivating," Hanekawa said, reluctantly tearing his gaze away.
Tsunade snorted lightly and began kneading his face like dough.
"Ouch!" Hanekawa winced. "That hurts!"
"Does it?" Tsunade's lips curled into a smile, her mood improving as she continued to play with his face.
"..." Hanekawa briefly considered retaliating but thought better of it for the sake of his life.
"Alright, let's go back and rest," Tsunade said, finally releasing him.
"Right," Hanekawa said weakly.
"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked, seeing him look like a wilted eggplant. "Not happy with your Sensei?"
"Wouldn't dare," Hanekawa replied casually.
Tsunade simply smiled at him.
Just as Hanekawa began to feel uneasy, she suddenly leaned in close.
Her fair skin was smooth and flawless, like fine jade.
Hanekawa was momentarily stunned.
Then, he felt himself being pulled into a warm embrace.
"Goodnight," Tsunade said, kissing him on the forehead before standing up and walking away.
"Wait..." Hanekawa watched her retreating figure, feeling a pang of regret.
Damn it!
Another sneak attack!
Hanekawa paused, then couldn't help but smile.
He got up, put on his shoes, and returned to his tent.
The next day, Hizashi Hyuga returned to Konoha.
He had originally intended to wait for Neji's birth, but his timing was off.
After a few days, he had no choice but to return to the Konoha base camp.
Tsunade and Hanekawa obtained a list of current Root members from the Anbu.
Comparing it with the Root members in the Konoha base camp, they found there were only eight.
These were the same eight Root members Hanekawa had beaten up before.
The next steps were straightforward.
Rin would use her Spirit Transformation Technique to monitor them when she had free time.
Hanekawa, aside from training in Earth Release, used his Mind's Eye to track the movements of the eight Root members.
With both of them working together, they soon had a complete picture of the Root members' activities.
Time passed, and July arrived.
"Congratulations," Hanekawa greeted Hizashi Hyuga upon his return from Konoha.
He had gone back to Konoha earlier but missed Neji's birth. This time, he had made it just in time.
"How did you know?" Hizashi asked, surprised.
"Even though you didn't say anything, your expression gave it away," Hanekawa said with a smile.
Hizashi's personality was similar to his brother's—serious and reserved.
But now, he was beaming.
"It's a boy!" Hizashi said, still sounding excited.
"What's his name?" Hanekawa asked curiously.
"Neji Hyuga," Hizashi replied with a smile.
"He'll surely grow up to be as strong as you, Uncle Hizashi," Hanekawa said, offering his congratulations.
From the original story, Neji's talent was indeed greater than Hizashi's.
After all, he had taught himself the Hyuga clan's secret techniques, Chakra Rotation.
It was a shame he died so young.
"Hmm," Hizashi said, hesitating for a moment before adding, "Thank you."
He had considered asking Hanekawa to take Neji as his student, but he knew it would cause friction with his brother and the main family.
Even if his brother agreed, Tsunade and Hanekawa would likely refuse.
After all, given Hanekawa's status, it would be impossible for him to take on two Hyuga students at once.
"Let's talk more later," Hanekawa said with a smile. "My task today is to help you move the supplies you brought back to their designated locations."
Hizashi was momentarily stunned.
Danzo was truly something, making Hanekawa do such menial tasks.
But Hanekawa didn't mind. The reason was simple.
Danzo's time was almost up.
Because yesterday, Hanekawa had obtained the A-rank trait, 'Earth Release Jonin.'
Its effect was similar to 'Water Release Jonin,' increasing Earth Release power by 150%.
But the real focus was Wood Release.
[A-rank Trait: Wood Release (Yamato Version)]
[Activation Condition: Synthesized from A-rank traits 'Earth Release Jonin' and 'Water Release Jonin.']
[Effect: Automatically master Wood Release.]
[Note: Combine with A-rank traits 'Medical Jonin,' 'Sealing Jonin,' and S-rank trait 'Chakra Reserves' to synthesize S-rank trait 'Wood Release (Hashirama Senju Version).']
The Yamato version of the Wood Release trait was nothing special—just the ability to use Wood Release.
But its upgrade path gave Hanekawa a huge surprise.
It could actually evolve into Hashirama Senju's Wood Release?!
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