Hanekawa soon met Shinku Yuhi. He sat on the living room sofa with a serious expression, wearing a black bodysuit and a green jonin vest. Hanekawa remembered he tragically died during the Nine-Tails attack.
"Sit," Shinku said with a slight nod.
"Thank you, Uncle Shinku," Hanekawa replied politely.
"You'll be living here from now on, and I'll teach you genjutsu," Shinku explained. "This is a direct order from the Hokage."
The Hokage? Hanekawa wondered. Is this because of the 'Innate Full Spirit' title?
"Huh?" the curious Kurenai Yuhi asked. "Why?"
"Hanekawa is a natural at genjutsu," Shinku explained. He had already checked Hanekawa after receiving Hiruzen's notice and confirmed it was true.
"Better than me? Didn't you say my genjutsu talent was strong?" Kurenai asked, putting her hands on her hips with a pout. Her expression was defiant but looked incredibly cute.
Hanekawa couldn't help but smile. In the original series, Kurenai was a strong-willed character, which was obvious from her fondness for sake and vodka.
"Kurenai, you're already a ninja academy student. How can you compare yourself to Hanekawa?" Shinku gently chided. He wasn't lying; there was a difference even between geniuses.
"He's not a student?" Kurenai was surprised.
"Not yet," Shinku said, recalling Hiruzen's file. "He's never been exposed to ninja knowledge."
"Oh." Kurenai looked at Hanekawa. Her first impression of him was that he was very handsome, like a finely crafted doll.
"Then that's great!" Kurenai suddenly cheered, patting her chest. "From today on, I'll take care of you!" She sounded like a leader, but with her doll-like face, she was just adorable. If Shinku wasn't there, Hanekawa would have loved to pinch her cheeks.
What should I call her? 'Big Sis Kurenai?' 'Little Sis Kurenai?'
Shinku smiled like a proud father. He looked at Hanekawa and said, "First, we'll eat. Then I'll teach you the basics of being a ninja."
"Isn't Hanekawa going to school?" Kurenai asked.
"He is," Shinku replied. "The Hokage has arranged for him to be a transfer student in your class."
"Yay!" Kurenai cheered. She imagined having Hanekawa as her underling, which would make her look so cool.
Hanekawa was lost in thought. Who was in the same class as Kurenai? The timeline in the original story was messy, so he wasn't sure.
After dinner, Hanekawa followed Shinku to the small yard outside. Kurenai followed along, claiming she needed to review her basics, but she was really just curious about Hanekawa's talent.
"A ninja's first lesson is to refine chakra," Shinku explained, standing opposite Hanekawa.
Based on The Character Official Data Book's setting, physical energy and spiritual power combine to form chakra. A ninja refines this into elemental chakra, which can then be guided and processed through hand seals to perform a ninjutsu.
"Do you have any questions?" Shinku asked, looking at the focused Hanekawa.
Refining chakra was taught at the academy, but many students started early, especially those from ninja clans or whose parents were ninjas. Early training gave them a clear advantage. Take Kakashi Hatake, for example. While others were learning the basic three jutsu, he was already learning Earth Release. Beyond his talent, his father being the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake, meant he had an endless supply of resources.
"None," Hanekawa said, shaking his head.
"Then give it a try," Shinku said, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Normally, it takes a month to refine chakra, but a genius only needs three days."
"I did it in three days!" Kurenai immediately raised her hand, eager to show off.
Was she really a genius? Hanekawa considered this. Kurenai's track record wasn't great in the series, but that was just because she was unlucky enough to encounter a few powerful opponents. To be fair, over 99% of all ninjas couldn't handle a monster like Itachi Uchiha. In short, Kurenai was a normal genius.
Hanekawa took a deep breath, controlling the physical energy from his trillions of cells and the spiritual energy from his soul. In the original series, spiritual energy was gained through experience. But thanks to his 'Innate Full Spirit' title, he had a head start.
"So fast!" Shinku said, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"What's fast?" Kurenai asked, confused.
"He's already refined chakra," Shinku said, his voice filled with a hint of excitement.
"How is that possible?" Kurenai froze, turning to stone. Someone who could refine chakra in three days was a genius. What did that make someone who did it in three seconds? A monster.
Just then, Hanekawa's body shivered, and his heart filled with excitement. There was no time to celebrate his success because a new title appeared.
[New title obtained.]
[E-rank Talent Title: Ninja.]
[Trigger condition: Successfully refining chakra.]
[Effect: Chakra refinement speed is increased by 10%.]
[Note: Has two synthesis paths.]
[Path 1: Combine with the E-rank title 'Three Basic Jutsu' and the E-rank title 'Ninja Tool Throwing' to synthesize the D-rank title 'Average Genin.']
[Path 2: Combine with the E-rank title 'Three Basic Jutsu,' the E-rank title 'Ninja Tool Throwing,' and the E-rank title 'Rookie of the Year' to synthesize the C-rank title 'Genius Genin.']
Hanekawa now understood the system's logic. New titles were triggered by his actions. He could try different things in the future to see if he could find any other surprises. Based on what he had seen, some special titles could be synthesized. The 'Ninja' title was one of them. The system offered two synthesis paths, which was more freedom than he had expected.
The 'Genius Genin' title was undoubtedly better than the 'Average Genin' title. But becoming the Rookie of the Year at the academy would be difficult. After all, he was in the same class as Kakashi Hatake. But he had a chance, and he didn't want to be average. Being a little overpowered was still being overpowered. He had a cheat system!
Hanekawa ended his meditation. He looked at Kurenai and was surprised. The little girl looked as defeated as a wilted eggplant, her curled hair hanging limply. She was still adorable.
"Congratulations, Hanekawa," Shinku said with a big smile. Hiruzen had sent Hanekawa to him, and with this much talent, his family's future was secure.