Back at the House
In the small grove behind the house, Kurenai began her lesson, mimicking her academy teacher. "As a ninja, the most common tools are the shuriken and the kunai..."
The shuriken, commonly known as a throwing star, is a projectile weapon. The kunai, shaped like a throwing knife or a dagger, can be used for both close combat and as a thrown weapon. Both are essential tools for any ninja. There are also advanced techniques like the Shuriken Manipulating Technique or the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Today, we'll learn to throw a kunai," she announced, holding one up. The real reason was that she was a new student and had only been taught the kunai. She didn't want to mess up in front of Hanekawa.
With a serious look on her face, Kurenai threw the kunai with all her might. Thud! The kunai hit the wooden dummy but missed the target. Kurenai's face immediately turned red.
"I-I meant to hit outside the target," she stammered, meeting Hanekawa's gaze.
Yeah, right. Tell me another one, and I'll believe it. Hanekawa held back a laugh, nodding. He had been professionally trained; no matter how funny it was, he wouldn't laugh.
"Now, for a real kunai throw!" Kurenai focused on the dummy and threw again.
With a silent prayer, the kunai hit the bull's-eye. Wow, I'm actually pretty good at this. Kurenai couldn't hide her triumphant grin. "How was that?" she asked.
So cute. Hanekawa smiled and praised her. "That was amazing."
"Your turn!" Kurenai was satisfied with his praise and handed him the kunai.
Hanekawa held his breath and, with a flick of his wrist, threw the kunai. As expected, it missed the dummy completely. Kurenai felt a sense of relief. It seems his talent is focused on chakra refinement.
Hanekawa, meanwhile, found the result normal. In his past life, the most he ever got a rock to skip was three or four times. It didn't matter. He had a system. He just needed to keep practicing until the title appeared.
"It's normal to have bad aim the first time. Just keep trying," Kurenai said, handing him another kunai.
Hanekawa took it and continued throwing. Time passed. In less than an hour, he was exhausted and plopped down on the grass. But he was thrilled because he had a new system notification.
[E-rank Talent Title: Ninja Tool Throwing (Not yet obtained).]
[Trigger Condition: Reach a beginner level in shuriken and kunai throwing.]
[Current Progress: 1%.]
A progress bar! My hype engine is firing up. Only shuriken and kunai? No wonder it was just an E-rank title. Hanekawa took a deep breath.
"You're a little weak," Kurenai said, hitting him with the harsh truth. "I can train all morning."
"I haven't exercised before," Hanekawa explained.
She was right; his body was weak. He was a couch potato in his past life. Running a kilometer was as painful as being hit by Saitama. As a ninja, physical training was as important as chakra and ninjutsu. And Hanekawa knew this would likely trigger a corresponding title.
Just then, footsteps approached.
"Dad!" Kurenai's face lit up. She ran to him and took the dango he was holding.
"Here you go," she said, offering a skewer to Hanekawa.
"Thanks," Hanekawa replied. He took a bite and found it incredibly sweet. He now understood how Anko Mitarashi could become so obsessed with them.
"You're both too young to train for so long," Shinku said, looking at the kunai scattered around the dummy. "That's enough for today. Get some rest. You have school tomorrow."
School. Hanekawa looked at Kurenai, who was licking the dango from her lips, and his mind wandered. He was excited to see the supporting characters he had only seen in the anime. The main characters hadn't even been born yet.
The next day came quickly. Kurenai was woken up by a familiar sound. She got out of bed, opened her window, and saw Hanekawa practicing throwing kunai. He's so hardworking?
Kurenai's jaw dropped. Even in the ninja world, where kids were more mature, they weren't this disciplined. She thought that studying was enough; her free time was for playing. She felt the pressure. If she lost to Hanekawa, her dream of being a leader would be shattered.
Not on my watch! Her eyes burned with a newfound fire.
"Morning, Kurenai," Hanekawa said, wiping sweat from his brow. She was wearing a white nightgown, her curly black hair a little messy. Too bad she was still so young; in the original series, she was a true beauty.
"From now on, you'll call me to train with you!" Kurenai said, hands on her hips. "You can't get strong on your own!"
"Deal," Hanekawa said with a smile. Training with a cute girl was much better than training alone.
"Kurenai," Shinku said as they were leaving after breakfast. He handed them two lunch boxes. "Remember to take Hanekawa to your teacher."
"Dad! You already said that yesterday!" Kurenai groaned. "I know, I know!"
"See you later, Uncle Shinku," Hanekawa said, following Kurenai, who was skipping excitedly. He looked around as they walked. The real Konoha felt completely different from the one he had seen in the anime.
"Huh?"
On a wall ahead, a boy with his hands crossed over his chest was looking coolly at the sky. He only coughed when Kurenai walked past without noticing him.
"Asuma? What are you doing up there?" Kurenai asked, noticing him.
Asuma Sarutobi was the Third Hokage's second son. In the original series, he married Kurenai and was eventually killed by Hidan of the Akatsuki. Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. Without his iconic beard, he hadn't recognized him. Was he already interested in Kurenai? That was normal. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka had also started pursuing Sasuke Uchiha in the academy.
Asuma jumped down and landed gracefully. He looked at Hanekawa, hands still in his pockets. "Kurenai, who's this? I haven't seen him before." He had noticed Hanekawa on the wall and felt a powerful sense of rivalry. He couldn't allow anyone cooler than him to be around Kurenai.
"He's Hanekawa," Kurenai said, unsuspecting. "He's a transfer student in our class."
"Oh?" Asuma was stunned. "How do you know him?"
"Because he's staying at my house," Kurenai said, tilting her head.
"...?" Asuma froze. Dude, I haven't even held her hand, and you're already living with her? The poor guy put on a face of pure agony.