The room was modest but clean. Samui pushed open the door with a complicated expression that Hanekawa had learned to read over the past few days.
"Thank you," he said, moving inside to pour two glasses of water.
"Why did you do that?" Samui hesitated before the question tumbled out. "Back there, with the Third Raikage."
Hanekawa handed her a glass. "I've said it before—it's about getting proper compensation. Trading the Raikage's health for Lightning Style Chakra Mode makes sense."
He paused, meeting her eyes. "Don't worry. I won't betray you on my own initiative."
It wasn't a lie. Not technically. His undercover identity still had value. He wouldn't betray—but if the Hidden Cloud betrayed first? That was a different calculation entirely.
The door burst open.
"Samui, don't believe him!" Yugito stormed in, her expression thunderous. "He's not worthy of being a Cloud ninja!"
Hanekawa had learned something interesting about the Hidden Cloud during his stay: they had almost no traitors, especially among the jonin. The culture of strength and combat spirit didn't tolerate disloyalty. The strongest became Raikage—simple as that. Kinkaku and Ginkaku weren't rebels; they were just fighting for the title.
Yugito's anger made sense. His behavior violated everything the Hidden Cloud stood for.
"Where are my things, little wildcat?" Hanekawa asked pleasantly.
"Asshole! Don't call me that!" Yugito slammed the table, then reluctantly produced a scroll. "Here."
Hanekawa unrolled it, scanning the Lightning Style Chakra Mode training methods. Two days to master it? Impossible—normally. But with his perception, memory, and comprehension entries? He'd have it memorized by tomorrow.
"Write a prescription," Yugito demanded, shoving paper and pen at him. "And don't try anything clever."
"I'm not a traitor," Hanekawa said without looking up. "Your attitude makes this difficult."
"You—!"
"Yugito." Samui grabbed her wrist, shaking her head. The Two-Tails jinchuriki was already furious enough.
Hanekawa wrote the prescription carefully. No tricks. First, killing the Third Raikage wouldn't stop the war anyway. Second, the Hidden Cloud would hunt him forever. Third—and most important—what would happen to Kurenai? To Shinku? To Tsunade?
Even if he and Tsunade weren't afraid of retaliation, the others were vulnerable. A village-wide vendetta was a death sentence wrapped in pride.
"All right," he said, meeting Yugito's suspicious glare. "I told you—I'm still a Cloud ninja."
"When does our match start?" Yugito asked.
"Two days."
"I'm going to teach you a lesson!" She stormed out, Samui trailing behind her with an apologetic bow.
Hanekawa picked up the scroll and began reading.
---
Two days later, Hanekawa emerged from his room to find an audience.
The Third Raikage stood despite his recent illness. A was there, along with Killer Bee, Samui, and Mabui. Even the medical staff had gathered at a respectful distance.
This is quite the crowd, Hanekawa thought. Guess I'm more important than I realized.
Yugito was practically vibrating with anticipation. "How much chakra does your shadow clone have?"
"About half," Hanekawa said. Less, actually—the incomplete Yin Seal was still drawing reserves—but close enough.
"Begin!" Yugito burst forward like a predator, her right hand extended, claws extending from her fingernails with a cold metallic gleam.
Hanekawa stood his ground and threw a simple punch.
Yugito's sneer died as his fist connected.
The impact was like a mountain falling. Her claws shattered under the force. A shockwave rippled outward, and she flew backward, skidding across the ground.
"Yugito!" Samui's worry was immediate.
"That's Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred," the Third Raikage observed calmly. "She was careless. Hanekawa isn't like the peers she's faced before."
Yugito retracted her claws, blood dripping from her hands. But her eyes burned brighter. "Next time won't be so easy!"
"Is that so?" Hanekawa smiled.
"Arrogant bastard!" Yugito's fury crystallized into action. She opened her mouth wide.
Blue flames erupted—dozens of them, forming a net that cut off every escape route.
Rat Tail Ball Jade, Hanekawa recognized. Tailed beast ninjutsu. Dangerous.
He didn't run.
Lightning erupted from his body, brilliant and sharp, accompanied by the distinctive chirping of a thousand birds. The Chidori Flow blazed around him like a second skin.
"What technique is that?" Mabui stared.
"Lightning Chakra Mode," A said. "Similar to what Kakashi uses, but—"
The blue flames hit.
Explosions bloomed across the training ground. Hanekawa's lightning flickered, dimmed—Chidori Flow was offense and defense combined, but not specialized in either. The Rat Tail Balls punched through.
Hanekawa shifted tactics.
Lightning Style Chakra Mode.
The lightning around him intensified, doubling in power. Defense, attack, speed—all increased by 100%. The blue flames shattered like glass against his aura.
"Impossible," Yugito breathed.
"That's full Lightning Chakra activation," the Third Raikage said, his voice heavy. "He's already mastered it completely?"
A's expression darkened. The gap between them had just widened considerably.
Hanekawa moved.
Body Flicker.
He appeared directly in front of Yugito, already spinning into a kick—Konoha Whirlwind, adapted and amplified.
Yugito crossed her arms to block. The force still drove her backward, her feet carving lines in the dirt.
Hanekawa pressed forward, each strike faster than the last. Yugito could only defend, her movements becoming increasingly desperate.
"She's being overwhelmed," Samui whispered.
"Without the Two-Tails' power, she has no chance," the Third Raikage confirmed, his tone tinged with regret.
A watched silently, calculating. If Hanekawa mastered Lightning Chakra Mode—when he mastered it—he'd be a genuine threat. Another potential Raikage candidate. Another rival.
Hanekawa felt his chakra reserves dropping. Time to finish this.
He gathered everything remaining into his fists.
Strength of a Hundred.
All his chakra exploded outward in a single devastating punch. The ground cracked. Gravel flew like shrapnel.
Yugito's eyes widened in panic. She pulled desperately on the Two-Tails' power, and blue chakra erupted around her—the Tailed Beast Cloak forming just in time.
The impact sent her flying backward. She crashed hard but stayed conscious, protected by the cloak's durability.
Hanekawa's form flickered and vanished—the shadow clone dispersing.
Yugito lay in the dust, staring at the empty space where he'd been, her expression a mixture of confusion and helplessness.
The Third Raikage sighed deeply. "A true waste," he murmured. "If he'd stayed in the Hidden Cloud..."
But he hadn't. And now, watching the aftermath of that display, everyone understood: Hanekawa wasn't just talented. He was dangerous.
A's hand clenched into a fist.
---