While Hinata Haruki stood there, staring blankly at the two newcomers, they were just as intently sizing him up.
Haruki had grown quite a bit since before—still wearing his naturally straight black hair, with a long, slanted fringe covering part of his forehead. His large, bright Byakugan eyes were striking against his pale, flawless skin, and his features carried the sharp charm of a handsome seven-year-old boy.
Senju Nawaki studied him from head to toe and asked,
"Hey, are you the prodigy who made chūnin at age five? My sister's student, right? Hinata Haruki?"
Haruki didn't answer—he was lost in thought.
"Hey! Hey!" Nawaki waved his hand in front of Haruki's eyes until Haruki finally snapped back to reality.
"I'm Hinata Haruki. And you are…?"
He had to play along—he couldn't exactly say, Oh, hey, Fourth Hokage. Hey, Nawaki-who's-supposed-to-be-dead.
"I was wondering what you were daydreaming about. I'm Senju Nawaki, your master Tsunade's younger brother. That makes me your uncle in the shinobi arts! Hahaha!" Nawaki was clearly the friendly, outgoing type, slapping Haruki on the shoulder without hesitation.
"Nice to meet you, Haruki. I'm Namikaze Minato, a student of Lord Jiraiya. Since you're Lady Tsunade's student, that makes me your senior." Minato's warm smile radiated genuine kindness.
"Nice to meet you, Minato-senpai," Haruki said politely, earning a nod in return. Then he turned to Nawaki and casually added, "Hello, Nawaki."
"Hey, hey! I told you, I'm your uncle! Call me Uncle Nawaki!" Nawaki protested.
"You said you're my master's younger brother?" Haruki asked, eyebrow raised.
Nawaki puffed up his chest, pointing proudly at himself with his thumb. "Of course! Tsunade's little brother—that's me! I'm also the future Hokage, you know!"
"Ohhh~! So your master is the Third Hokage, and Lady Tsunade is your senior?" Haruki asked with a sly smile.
"Uh… not exactly. My teacher is Lord Orochimaru." Nawaki scratched his head awkwardly.
"Exactly. You're not the Sannin's direct junior, so why should I call you uncle? Hello, Nawaki-junior." Haruki smiled brightly, nodding with exaggerated formality.
"J-Junior?! Why would you call me that?" Nawaki's eyes went wide—wider than even Haruki's Byakugan.
"Simple. We're both from the same wider circle of teachers, but our masters are different, so seniority can't be based on who became a student first. It should be determined by ability," Haruki explained with mock seriousness.
"By ability?" Nawaki repeated, confused.
"Exactly. Whoever's stronger is the senior. You're a chūnin, right?" Haruki tilted his head.
"Yeah, I'm a chūnin. Planning to take the jōnin exams in a year or two." Nawaki patted his chest with pride.
"There you have it—I'm a chūnin too. But I made chūnin younger and faster than you. That makes me stronger. So calling you Nawaki-junior is correct, Nawaki-junior." Haruki kept a straight face, fighting back a grin.
"You're stronger than me? No way! We're both chūnin—let's settle this with a match! Whoever wins is the senior!" Nawaki shot back, unwilling to back down.
Standing nearby, Minato sighed inwardly. Nawaki's already fallen for it. A moment ago, he was demanding to be called uncle—now he's fighting to be called big brother…
"Fine. But we'll stop before it gets too serious. And since you're older, to make it fair, no high-powered jutsu," Haruki said with a mischievous smile.
"Deal! I'll make you call me big brother!" Nawaki said, brimming with confidence. Minato, now curious, stepped aside to watch.
"Alright, let's spar, Nawaki-junior." Haruki flexed his fingers, activating his Byakugan in an instant.
They formed the Seal of Confrontation before the match began.
"You're going down!" Nawaki shouted, charging forward. His punch was aimed straight at Haruki's face.
Through the Byakugan, Haruki could read every muscle movement clearly. As expected of my master's brother—excellent speed and power. But I'm also descended from the Senju.
Haruki stepped back and sidestepped, letting the punch pass. At the same time, he ducked and threw a straight punch toward Nawaki's stomach—no Gentle Fist, just pure taijutsu strength.
Nawaki reacted quickly, twisting aside to dodge and countering with a swift side kick to Haruki's waist. "Heh!" he grinned—only for his kick to land with a thud on a log that burst into faint smoke.
"Substitution Technique? And without even forming seals," Minato noted approvingly from the sidelines.
Haruki reappeared behind Nawaki and delivered a kick to his waist. Thud! Nawaki substituted with a log as well—though this time, the smoke was thicker.
"Hah! Take this!" Nawaki appeared behind Haruki, aiming to return the favor. He leapt up, swinging a fist down—only to hit another log.
Haruki appeared to his side and threw a fast hook.
"So fast! Was that another substitution?" Nawaki bent forward, ducking under the punch, and aimed his own at Haruki's stomach.
"Eat this!" Nawaki declared—only for his punch to pass through Haruki's body as it dissolved into smoke.
"Clone Technique? Not good!" Nawaki spun around in alarm.
Behind him, the log transformed back into Haruki's real body with a pop! Nawaki's eyes went wide as Haruki's fist filled his vision.
Smack! The blow landed square on Nawaki's face. With the power of someone with the Body of the Sage, Haruki's punch was no joke. Nawaki felt the force slam into him—he even thought for a moment it felt like one of his sister's punches—before he went flying and crashed to the ground.
"No seals for all three basic techniques? Becoming a chūnin at five clearly wasn't an exaggeration. Even I didn't hit that level until I was eight," Minato thought, impressed.
In truth, Haruki hadn't used substitution at all earlier—he'd used Transformation Technique to appear as a log, combined with a clone to attack from the side, creating the illusion of another substitution. The sudden appearance of the clone fooled Nawaki into thinking it was the real Haruki, and when he struck it, Haruki's true self reverted back and struck him down.
Even a basic clone—normally harmless—became a weapon in Haruki's hands when used at just the right moment. It was proof that he had mastered the Three Basic Techniques to perfection, even without hand seals.
"Nawaki-junior, you lost," Haruki said with a smile.
"Damn it! Again! I was just careless!" Nawaki jumped up, fists raised. He couldn't believe he'd been tricked by an ordinary transformation and clone—not even Shadow Clones!
"Hey, hey, Nawaki-junior, we agreed to stop at light contact. Let's leave it here for today. Any more and I might actually hurt you, and then my master would kill me," Haruki teased, waving him off.
"No way! That was cheating! I wasn't ready—we're doing a rematch!" Nawaki shouted.
"Nawaki, you lost fair and square. Haruki's use of the Three Basic Techniques is better than yours," Minato said firmly.
"Tch… fine. But I'll challenge you again! Haruki… Haruki-sen—big brother!" Nawaki gritted his teeth, forcing out the words.
"Heh, calling me big brother makes me feel old. Let's stick with me calling you 'Nawaki-nii,' since you're older. We are technically relatives through the Senju, after all," Haruki said lightly. He'd only been teasing—he never truly intended to make Nawaki call him big brother.
"Deal! Haruki-otōto!" Nawaki grinned, clearly relieved.
They smiled and formed the Seal of Reconciliation—true to the saying, friendship is forged in battle.
"Nawaki-nii, aren't you stationed under Lord Orochimaru? What brings you here?" Haruki asked.
"Orochimaru-sensei didn't have much for me at the moment. Kirigakure seems to be waiting for the other Great Nations to weaken each other before making a move. I heard my sister's side scored a huge victory, so I came with Minato to get some real combat experience. It's been a while since I've seen her," Nawaki said cheerfully.
"Yeah, and who knows when Jiraiya-sensei will be back in the village. So we came to the Land of Wind. I hear Sunagakure's close to surrender?" Minato added.
"Pretty much. But lately, they've been hiding in their village, only sending small squads to harass us. I figure they're waiting for us to make the first move toward peace talks," Haruki replied.
"Small Suna squads, huh? Perfect! I'll get my chance to shine!" Nawaki pumped his fist, eager for action.
Haruki sighed internally. Oh great… please don't rush in recklessly. If anything happens to you, Tsunade-sensei will be devastated. You're fifteen—how are you still this impulsive? Just like Naruto…
At that moment, Minato looked at Haruki. "Haruki, you're strong. We should spar sometime."
Haruki's eyes lit up with competitive spirit. "Tomorrow then. I just need to clear those logs from the training field—I set them up carefully, so I don't want them getting smashed."
"Tomorrow it is," Minato agreed with a smile, clearly looking forward to it.