On an April morning, the weather was mild. But Kurenai Yuhi was in a bad mood. Haneul had just told her that he was going to the Fire Capital today.
"When will you be back?" she asked, kicking a pebble on the road. "Soon," Haneul said, walking over and taking her small hand. "Two days at most." "Eh?" Kurenai's spirits lifted. "What kind of mission is that fast?" "It's not a mission," he smiled. "I'm just going with my master to see the Daimyo." "The Daimyo?" Kurenai's eyes widened. "I heard he's the most powerful person, managing the entire Land of Fire and Konoha." "That's not wrong, in theory," Haneul said after a moment's thought. "Can I go?" she asked with an expectant look. "Not this time, we have business to attend to," he said, then promised, "When school is on break, I'll have Uncle Shinku take us to the Fire Capital for fun." "Okay!" Kurenai said with a cheerful smile. "I'll tell my dad after school. He'll definitely agree."
"Mhm," Haneul nodded, his gaze suddenly sharpening. Up ahead, he saw three familiar figures: Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, and Obito Uchiha. It was normal to run into them on the way to the Academy. He was going with Tsunade today, but he hadn't asked for leave from his teacher, so he had made a special trip to do so, and to see Kurenai off.
"Rin! I'm telling you, Kakashi lost to Shisui!" Obito was saying excitedly. "How could that be?" Rin asked, looking at Kakashi in surprise. In her memory, though the two had sparred, Shisui was usually the one who lost. He was younger, and his swordsmanship was no match for Kakashi's. "I lost once," Kakashi admitted after a two-second silence. He had been careless, but a loss was a loss. He wouldn't make excuses. "See?!" Obito was even more excited that Kakashi had cooperated. "Why?" Rin asked curiously. "Because..." Obito was about to say when he was cut off. "Shisui awakened his Sharingan," Kakashi said calmly. It was his first time sparring with an Uchiha with awakened eyes, so he had been at a slight disadvantage. But now that he was familiar with it, he was confident he could win next time. "Damn it!" Obito's face stiffened. "Why did you steal my line?" "Is the Sharingan that powerful?" Rin was shocked. Although she had heard Obito talk about what would happen after he awakened his, she never thought it was true. It was the first time she was truly awed by a cheat-like ability like the Sharingan. No wonder the Uchiha were Konoha's strongest clan. "Of course!" Obito was happy again. "I bet even Haneul is no match for Shisui now!" He was already fantasizing about awakening his own eyes, beating Kakashi and Haneul, marrying Rin, and reaching the pinnacle of his life. "Shisui told me he sparred with Haneul after awakening his eyes, and he lost," Kakashi said, shattering his fantasy. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Obito said without thinking. "The Sharingan is the strongest in the world!"
"Well, that is possible!" Kurenai couldn't help but chime in. "Kurenai?" Rin turned her head, a pleasant surprise on her face. "Haneul!" Kakashi followed the sound and his expression shifted when he saw Haneul. His father had told him yesterday about Haneul and Tsunade's help, and he had been wanting to thank him. "..." Obito was furious. Every time Haneul appeared, he stole all the attention. It was infuriating.
"Good morning, you three," Haneul said with a smile. Rin suddenly noticed his and Kurenai's joined hands and subconsciously pursed her lips. "Did you really beat Shisui after he awakened his eyes?" Obito couldn't hold back his question. "It was a fluke," Haneul said modestly. "..." Obito felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His greatest obsession had always been to awaken his eyes and defeat Kakashi and Haneul. Now he was being told that even with the Sharingan, he couldn't win. He was instantly depressed. "I knew it!" Kurenai said happily. "That really is amazing," Rin said, recovering from her shock. "He... he had just awakened them, he wasn't used to it!" Obito said stubbornly. "And every Uchiha's awakening is different. I'll definitely be stronger than him!"
"Let's talk on the way," Haneul said, glancing at the time. "Haneul," Kakashi said, walking beside him. "About my father's situation, thank you." "It was my master's doing," Haneul said, shaking his head. "I know," Kakashi said, understanding Haneul's modesty. He wasn't good at expressing himself, but he always repaid his debts. He would definitely repay him in the future. What do you know? Haneul wondered, but didn't ask.
At the school, Haneul parted ways with them and went to their teacher's office. "Is Haneul asking for leave again?" Rin asked, puzzled. "I know why!" Kurenai said with a proud smile. "I don't want to hear it!" Obito, who had been sulking the whole way, turned to leave. "Kurenai, tell me," Rin said, interested. Kakashi was also curious. "It's like this," Kurenai began to explain animatedly.
Haneul got his leave without any trouble. When his teacher asked for the reason and heard he was going with Tsunade to see the Daimyo, he was so frightened he immediately agreed. A mere Chunin like him didn't dare to delay such important matters.
Konoha Village Gate.
Tsunade was already waiting. When she saw Haneul, she waved her hand and said, "Let's move out!"
The Fire Capital was closer than the Land of Water, and they arrived by the afternoon. "Are we going to see the Daimyo directly?" Haneul asked, looking around. The Fire Capital was indeed more prosperous than Konoha. The streets were bustling with people and carriages, lined with shops from both within and outside the Land of Fire. Not far away was a Land of Wind specialty shop selling a snack called "sand cookies."
"No," Tsunade said with a light laugh. "We're going to see the Daimyo's wife first, to test the waters." The Daimyo's wife? Haneul remembered that in the original story, Naruto and his team had once looked for her cat. But the timeline was earlier now, so it was probably a different person. "Follow me," Tsunade said, leading the way with familiarity. They soon arrived at the Daimyo's residence. At the gate, they were stopped. "I am Tsunade, here to see the Daimyo's wife," she said, showing a token. "Princess Tsunade, please enter!" the guards at the gate immediately made way.
Haneul recalled that in his past life, many people had speculated that Tsunade was related to the Daimyo. He didn't know if it was true, but she was certainly treated with great respect. Besides that, as the strongest medical ninja, such treatment was normal. It was also possible that it was because of Hashirama Senju. If not for the First Hokage establishing the "One Village per Country" system, the current Fire Daimyo would not exist.
"What do you think?" Tsunade asked, winking at Haneul. "You're amazing, Master!" he immediately praised. "Of course!" Tsunade said proudly, her lips curling. "The Daimyo's wife even wanted to call me her sister, but I refused." "Why?" Haneul asked, puzzled. "No reason," she said dismissively. "I just didn't want to get too involved, so she wouldn't bother me all the time." "As expected of you, Master!" Haneul said with sincere admiration. "You still have a lot to learn," she said, ruffling his hair. Stop patting my head when you talk! Haneul made another note in his little black book.
"Tsunade!" Just then, a beautifully dressed woman in a luxurious kimono walked out. Eight maids followed respectfully behind her, a grand procession. "Lady Daimyo," Tsunade said, stepping forward. "It's been so long. you're still as beautiful as ever," the Daimyo's wife said, taking her hand. "You as well, my lady," Tsunade replied, then gestured to Haneul. "This is my student, Haneul." "Not bad, a handsome and cute little boy," she said, looking him over with a smile. "Lady Daimyo," Haneul said, steeling himself. He felt her gaze was not entirely innocent, and various chaotic court legends came to mind. "Have the servants prepare a meal, the highest quality," she instructed a nearby maid. "Tsunade, let's go inside and chat." "Mhm," Tsunade followed her into the palace. Haneul breathed a sigh of relief. It must have been his imagination. He sat beside Tsunade, listening quietly as the two women chatted. Since they were reminiscing about the past, he couldn't interject and could only be a decoration.
Soon, the food was served. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. "Lady Daimyo," Tsunade said, seeing that they had chatted enough, and got down to business. "To think you'd trouble yourself to come all this way for such a small matter," the Daimyo's wife said with a smile, unconcerned. "Someone, go and invite the Daimyo over."
A moment later, a middle-aged man walked into the palace. "Tsunade, you're here. Why didn't you let me know?" "Lord Daimyo," Tsunade stood up respectfully. "Konoha has made a mistake, so I didn't dare to see you." "Tsunade, you're being too formal," the man said, shaking his head. "If not for you, my son Ikkyu might have died." Haneul's interest was piqued. Madoka Ikkyu was mentioned in the original story as the Fire Daimyo during Naruto's time as Hokage. Looks like this is a sure thing. Haneul once again witnessed the immense influence Tsunade held as a medical ninja.
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