After a morning of theory, Hanekawa was ready for the practical part of the day: the ninja tool throwing class. He was led to the training grounds by Eiichirō, along with the other students.
The class was split into two sessions. The first was a lecture by Eiichirō on the key points of ninja tool throwing. The second was a practice session. Hanekawa listened intently. This was crucial for him to quickly gain a new title.
Asuma, on the other hand, was already a master of ninja tool throwing. As the Hokage's son, he had a special jonin tutor. He was confident he could beat any student in the class, except for Kakashi. But, Asuma's eyes were fixed on Hanekawa and Kurenai, his face filled with frustration. Why? I was here first! Asuma was green with jealousy. Kurenai had always stood with him, but today she was standing with Hanekawa.
Ah! I have an idea! Asuma thought of a way to win her back. It was simple: he'd just have to defeat Hanekawa. In the world of ninjas, strength reigns supreme. And the gap between him and Hanekawa was huge. He was sure to win.
"Now, let's begin the ninja tool throwing practice," Eiichirō said, placing a row of wooden dummies. "I'll point out any mistakes you make."
"Sensei, I'll go first!" Asuma declared, head held high. He shot a look at Kurenai that said, "Watch this!" Hanekawa was reminded of a fighting rooster. Asuma was a ball of hormones right now. Kurenai, however, didn't understand his signal and looked confused.
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
Asuma threw three kunai, and all three hit the bull's-eye. He turned around, a smug look on his face, but froze when he saw Kurenai leaning in close to Hanekawa, whispering something.
"Excellent!" Eiichirō said, leading the applause. Asuma couldn't care less. They were all having fun, and he was alone. Did my strategy fail? It shouldn't have.
"Thanks, Kurenai," Hanekawa said after she finished. No one was surprised by Asuma's perfect throws. After all, he was the Hokage's son.
Hanekawa picked a nearby dummy. Following Kurenai's instructions, he threw a kunai. It hit the dummy, but nowhere near the center.
"Is that all?" Asuma, who was watching him, scoffed.
"You can do it!" Kurenai cheered, clenching her fist.
"..." Asuma was furious. Why? Why is she cheering for him and not me?
The class ended, and Hanekawa's progress bar for "Ninja Tool Throwing" was at 10%. The E-rank title only required a basic mastery of shuriken and kunai, so it wasn't too difficult.
"Kakashi! Let's have a youthful battle!" a flash of green flew past Hanekawa's eyes. He looked up and saw Might Guy. In the original story, he was the man who almost ended the war with a single kick of the Eight Inner Gates. His personality and actions, though, were a bit... abstract.
"Next time, for sure!" Kakashi replied, using a Body Flicker Jutsu to escape. After he started the academy, he had been hounded by Guy, who saw him as a rival. At first, he found it interesting, but Guy was like a cockroach who couldn't be killed. He was always full of passion and constantly challenged Kakashi to a fight. Kakashi couldn't handle it.
"So fast!" Guy's eyes lit up, and he smiled brightly. "As expected of my eternal rival!"
Hanekawa watched them play cat and mouse, remembering his own training plans. But training with Guy was not an option. He couldn't handle it, physically or mentally. Guy, who had mastered the Eight Inner Gates, had the greatest taijutsu talent in the entire ninja world. If Hanekawa followed his training regimen, Kurenai would be attending his funeral within a week.
"Hanekawa!" Asuma blocked his way. "I challenge you to a duel!" This was inspired by Guy's challenge.
"Asuma," Kurenai said, a hint of disapproval in her voice. "That's not fair." She had a good opinion of Asuma before, but now she thought he was being unreasonable. Hanekawa had only been a ninja for two days; he was basically a civilian.
"I... I didn't mean it like that!" Asuma realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself. "I'll wait until the end of the semester!"
Love had clouded his judgment. Asuma was a good guy, but he was in his rebellious phase. But you couldn't blame him. He was a kid, after all.
The duel, however, was perfect. Hanekawa had a cheat system. If he couldn't defeat a six-year-old Asuma, he might as well find Tsunade and let her end him.
Kurenai looked concerned. "Okay." Hanekawa agreed. The end of the semester was about three months away.
"Great!" Asuma was overjoyed. He had no idea that Kurenai's opinion of him had already changed.
The challenge gave Hanekawa a new burst of motivation. He went home, ate dinner, and went back to the grove to train. That night, after a shower, he lay in bed and opened his system. After a night of training, his "Ninja Tool Throwing" progress bar was up to 15%. At this rate, he would get the title in about a week. But he still needed more titles.
Hanekawa decided to wake up early tomorrow and start training his body, too. He was exhausted from the day, but with a clear plan for the future, he fell asleep.
"Hanekawa... Hanekawa..." a faint voice echoed in the quiet of the night.
Hanekawa shot up in bed, rubbing his eyes. What's going on? Who's calling my name in the middle of the night?
The voice stopped.
"..." Hanekawa looked toward the window. In the moonlight, a faint chakra outline formed a message.
"Sunday at 9 AM, meet at the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore."
The message only lasted for a few seconds before the chakra faded.
Hanekawa's heart raced. A ninja from the Village Hidden in the Clouds was trying to contact him! Was he about to meet his fellow spy?
Just... why isn't the meeting place on a rooftop? This doesn't feel right. He wondered who would be there. His most memorable impressions of the Village Hidden in the Clouds were the ever-present A-rank Raikage and the beautiful Samui, who was just as stacked as Tsunade.