---
After lunch, Tsunade exchanged a few words with Pakura and left with Hanekawa in tow.
Forming an alliance between two major ninja villages wasn't something that happened overnight. These negotiations typically dragged on for days. Given Tsunade's personality, she had no patience for sitting around discussing trade agreements and military cooperation.
"Casino?" she asked, glancing down at him.
"Training," Hanekawa replied, shaking his head.
Tsunade's hand found his head before he could say anything else, ruffling his hair with the casual possessiveness she'd perfected over the past months. "You're not tired? You just got back from the Land of Snow a week ago."
"I've had two days of rest."
He looked up at her—she had to stand on her tiptoes now to reach his head comfortably, which meant he got a very nice view whenever she did this. Not that he was complaining.
"No need to rush," Tsunade said with that confident smile of hers. "There won't be any major combat operations for at least the next two weeks. You can afford to take it easy."
Hanekawa considered this. She was right. The Hidden Sand and Konoha needed time to formalize their alliance. The Hidden Cloud needed time to mobilize forces and prepare logistics. The Fourth Raikage was still recovering from his injuries. Even accounting for fast travel, it would take roughly two weeks for any serious military action to develop—assuming the Hidden Stone and Mist Village didn't throw unexpected complications into the mix.
"Fine," he said. "But I'm still training."
"Of course you are." Tsunade didn't wait for further argument. She grabbed his hand and started walking toward the entertainment district.
They'd made it half a block before she seemed to notice the looks they were getting. Subtle glances. Knowing smiles. The kind of expressions people made when they saw a beautiful woman and a young boy holding hands, walking with obvious affection.
Tsunade's grip loosened slightly.
Then she didn't let go.
"What?" Hanekawa asked, noticing her hesitation.
"Nothing." She shook her head, dismissing whatever thought had crossed her mind. People's opinions had never bothered her before. No reason to start now.
The casino welcomed her like an old friend. Tsunade settled into her usual spot at the gambling table with the ease of someone coming home. Hanekawa found a quiet corner nearby, closed his eyes, and began reviewing the Lightning Style Chakra Mode theory he'd been absorbing from his shadow clone's memories.
The goal was Wood Style eventually—that would take years. But Lightning Style Chakra Mode was closer, more immediately useful, and could genuinely save his life in a pinch. The downside was that it was far too distinctive to use openly. But when death was on the line, nobody cared about maintaining cover.
He'd discovered a problem during his initial practice sessions, though. The technique wasn't difficult to learn—B-rank difficulty according to the original timeline's standards. But difficulty and ease were different things. The real challenge was physical conditioning.
To fully utilize Lightning Style Chakra Mode, you needed an absolutely superhuman body. Why were only the Third and Fourth Raikages in the entire Hidden Cloud capable of using it? Because they had the physical fortitude to handle it. The training method was straightforward enough: regular exercise combined with progressively deeper activation of the Lightning Style chakra itself.
Hanekawa opened his eyes and watched Tsunade counting her winnings with barely contained glee.
Money-grubber, he thought, then immediately corrected himself. That wasn't quite fair. Tsunade was generous with her wealth. She just loved the thrill of gambling itself—the risk, the victory, the rush of winning big.
He closed his eyes again and finalized his training schedule. No changes needed. Same routine as before. And at least this time he wouldn't need to wear green spandex.
Please don't let me run into Might Duy.
---
Dusk painted the sky in shades of orange and gold.
Tsunade left the casino in excellent spirits. She'd gambled all day, had a fantastic time, and—most importantly—her luck had turned around in the afternoon once Hanekawa arrived. She'd won back everything she'd lost that morning and then some.
"See you tomorrow, Teacher," Hanekawa said, heading home.
He opened the door to find Kurenai sitting on the sofa with a stick of three-colored dango.
"When did you get those?" he asked casually, settling beside her.
"This afternoon." She smiled mysteriously. "Too bad you weren't here."
"Something happened this afternoon?"
"Rin and I went shopping," Kurenai said, her eyes gleaming with barely contained excitement. "Guess who we ran into?"
Hanekawa thought for a moment. Kakashi, Obito, and Guy were still in the Land of Snow. That left Shisui, Asuma, or possibly Shizune. "Shisui and the others?"
"Wrong!" Kurenai announced proudly, raising the dango like a trophy. "It was Mitarashi Anko. She bought these for us."
"Anko's pretty enthusiastic," Hanekawa observed.
"She really is." Kurenai took another bite. "You should eat one too."
"Just one." He took the stick from her and bit into the sweet treat.
"Maybe eat less of these," he suggested, handing it back. "High calories."
Kurenai looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "How would a ninja gain weight from dango?"
"If you ate enough of them, you would," Hanekawa said. "Look at the Akimichi clan."
"Nobody eats dango that much," she countered, taking another bite.
She suddenly froze mid-chew, her heartbeat quickening. They were sharing the same stick. The intimacy of it hit her all at once, and her face flushed hot.
We've done this before, she told herself firmly. It's normal.
But it didn't feel normal anymore.
"Anko's got interesting taste," Hanekawa said, his mind clearly elsewhere. He was probably thinking about Mitarashi Anko's... well, her distinctive figure. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
"I certainly won't end up like that," Kurenai declared, pulling the dango away protectively. "I'm going to stay in shape."
"You already do," Hanekawa said, giving her an appraising look. "You have a nice figure."
Her face went crimson. "Pervert!"
"What? I'm complimenting you."
"I don't believe you!" She scrambled backward on the sofa, crossing her legs defensively and pulling her collar up like he was about to attack her. "Stay back!"
Hanekawa caught an eyeful of her pale, slender legs—smooth skin with a rosy glow, completely unmarred and radiating youth. He coughed and looked away.
"What are you planning to do tomorrow?" he asked quickly, desperate for a subject change.
"Train," she said, her attention shifting immediately. Her eyes brightened. "Do you have plans?"
"I do. I'm focusing on taijutsu for the next while. Basic physical conditioning, like before."
Kurenai's disappointment was visible. She wouldn't be able to train with him if he was doing solo conditioning work. She had her own priorities—illusion techniques and water style ninjutsu.
"It's not like I'll be training all day," Hanekawa added, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "We'll have time."
"Don't touch my head," she protested, but without much heat.
"Why not?" he asked innocently.
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.
Kurenai's entire body went rigid. Her face turned absolutely scarlet. "Pervert!" she shrieked, and before he could react, she'd jumped off the sofa and bolted from the room, her bare feet slapping against the floor.
Hanekawa winced as her foot had caught his thigh on the way out. He rubbed the spot ruefully.
---
The next morning, Kurenai set a glass of milk in front of him with exaggerated formality, her expression stern.
"Thank you," Hanekawa said, trying not to smile.
"What's funny?" she demanded, eyes narrowing.
"Nothing. I appreciate it."
"If you don't want it, I'll take it back," she offered, though she didn't actually reach for it.
"I definitely want it." He picked up the glass and drank. "Anything you give me."
A small smile tugged at her lips despite her best efforts to suppress it. "That's better."
After breakfast, Hanekawa made his way to the first training ground on Konoha's outskirts. He was just about to begin his warm-up run when a familiar green blur materialized in front of him.
Might Duy.
No. No no no.
"Hanekawa!" Duy greeted him with characteristic enthusiasm. "Want to train together?"
Hanekawa sighed internally. "Sure."
"Excellent! Youth demands total commitment!" Duy produced a green bodysuit from seemingly nowhere, holding it out like a sacred relic.
"Next time for sure," Hanekawa said, and took off running.
"Don't abandon your youth!" Duy called after him, immediately giving chase.
What followed was a morning-long pursuit that left Hanekawa exhausted and Duy somehow still energized. By midday, Hanekawa was sitting on the ground gasping for breath while Duy showed no signs of slowing down.
"Uncle Duy," Hanekawa said, inspiration striking. "Want to hear about the missions Guy and I ran in the Land of Snow?"
Duy's eyes went wide. He forgot about the green bodysuit entirely, sitting down with rapt attention.
Hanekawa recounted everything—the battles, the victories, the moments where Guy had pushed himself beyond his limits. He painted a picture of his son's growth and determination.
By the end, Duy was shaking, tears streaming down his face.
"Guy's youth is blooming!" he sobbed, clenching his fists. "I can't fall behind! I'm running an extra thousand laps today!"
Hanekawa's face went pale. That'll kill him. That'll actually kill him.
He scrambled to his feet, but Duy was already gone, a green streak disappearing into the distance.
---
Night fell. Hanekawa lay on his back in the training ground, completely motionless. His body had been pushed to its absolute limit. Every muscle screamed. His mind felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry.
But there was a silver lining. He'd discovered that his B-rank "Muji Healing" entry could actually repair the kind of damage caused by extreme exercise. Which meant, theoretically, he could train himself to death and just keep healing.
Theoretically.
Might Duy sat down beside him, also drenched in sweat but somehow still radiating energy.
"You've got a really impressive body," Duy said conversationally.
"Compared to you, I'm still far behind," Hanekawa managed.
"You mentioned you'd have about two weeks to focus on training?"
"Yeah."
"Then you should learn the Eight Gates," Duy said cheerfully. "I think you're ready for at least the first three."
Hanekawa sat up slightly. "The Eight Gates in two weeks?"
"Not all of them," Duy clarified. "But the first three gates are safe—no side effects. They're basically power amplification techniques. You could definitely learn those."
The first three gates. Safe. No permanent damage. Hanekawa considered it. In the original timeline, even Kakashi had learned to open at least one gate, though it had taken him years. But with proper instruction from Might Duy himself...
"That works," Hanekawa said. "Thank you, Uncle Duy."
"It's nothing," Duy said, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "I believe you can inherit the will of youth!"
My youth is being surrounded by beautiful girls with long white legs, Hanekawa thought, but kept that observation to himself.
---
A week passed. April arrived.
Konoha officially formed an alliance with the Hidden Sand. The agreement included trade routes, mutual defense provisions, and a promise of military support if the Hidden Sand faced invasion. Hanekawa had to admit—Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shikaku Nara were old foxes. He'd expected a full coalition war against the Hidden Cloud. Instead, the Hidden Sand would fight alone, with Konoha providing support only if things became critical.
The Hidden Sand's internal power struggle had also resolved itself. Rasa was too injured to lead, and with war imminent, Chiyo had suggested Pakura take the position of Fifth Kazekage temporarily, with command of the front-line forces.
Hanekawa's prediction had come true.
Not that it affected him directly.
---
"The first gate is called the Gate of Opening," Might Duy explained, his usual flamboyance replaced with genuine instruction. "Opening it removes the brain's natural limiters and allows you to access your full physical potential."
Hanekawa understood the principle. Humans naturally couldn't perform at maximum capacity—there were built-in safety mechanisms to prevent self-injury. Opening the gate was like removing those governors, allowing someone to exert maximum strength at will.
For taijutsu specialists, it was like having a cheat code.
For everyone else, it just meant your body would burn out faster.
---
In the Land of Rain, in the hidden base of the Akatsuki, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan gathered.
"What do you make of this?" Yahiko asked, holding up a letter from Hanzo. The message was simple: fighting between the Rain Village and Akatsuki would only result in mutual destruction. Better to cooperate and build the Land of Rain together.
"Hanzo killed our people," Nagato said, his expression dark. "We can't just forget that."
"But I founded Akatsuki for peace," Yahiko said, conflict evident in his voice. "If there's a chance for peace..."
"Jiraiya-sensei would know what to do," Yahiko said quietly. "But he's gone."
"Why not contact Konoha?" Konan suggested suddenly.
The three exchanged glances. It was worth considering.
---
---
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