Hanekawa soon met Akai Masaki.He sat stiffly on the sofa in the living room, dressed in a black bodysuit and a green jōnin vest, looking extremely serious.
Hanekawa remembered that Masaki had tragically died during the Nine-Tails Incident.
"Sit."Akai Masaki nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Uncle Masaki,"Hanekawa said politely.
"You'll live here from now on. I'll teach you genjutsu."Masaki paused to explain, "This is by order of the Hokage."
Hokage?Hanekawa thought to himself. Could this be because of the "Innate Full Soul" attribute?
"Eh?"Akai Yuuhi, listening nearby, asked curiously, surprised, "Why?"
"Hanekawa is naturally suited for genjutsu."After receiving notice from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Masaki had examined Hanekawa and confirmed it.
"Even stronger than me? Didn't you say my genjutsu talent was high?"Yuuhi placed her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and asked, looking defiantly cute.
Hanekawa couldn't help but laugh.In the original story, Yuuhi had a strong personality—her love for sake and vodka made that obvious.
"Yuuhi, you're already a ninja academy student. How can you compare to Hanekawa?"Masaki cleared his throat and countered. He wasn't lying to Yuuhi, but geniuses do have gaps between them.
"He isn't a student?"Yuuhi blinked and asked instinctively.
"Not yet."Masaki recalled the information from Hiruzen Sarutobi. "He hasn't even been exposed to ninja knowledge."
"I see."Yuuhi turned to look at Hanekawa. Her first impression: meticulously crafted, like a delicate doll.
"All right!"Yuuhi suddenly raised her voice, patting her chest. "From today on, I'll take care of you!"
She looked like a big sister, but with a doll-like face, it only made her cuter.If Hanekawa weren't trying to be polite, he might have reached out to pinch her cheeks—they must be soft.
But how should he address her?"Red Sister"? "Little Red"?Sounds more like a senior citizen club than a ninja!
Masaki gave a faint, fatherly smile.He shifted his gaze from Yuuhi to Hanekawa. "Eat first. Then I'll teach you some basic ninja knowledge."
"Won't Hanekawa go to school?"Yuuhi asked reflexively.
"He will."Masaki replied. "The Hokage has arranged for him to join your class as a transfer student."
"Yay!"Yuuhi suddenly became excited. From now on, Hanekawa would be her little brother—a walking sign of prestige wherever they went.
Hanekawa pondered. Who else was in Yuuhi's class?The timeline in the original story was messy, so he wasn't certain.
After eating, Hanekawa followed Masaki to a small courtyard outside.Yuuhi came along, ostensibly to reinforce basics, but really curious about Hanekawa's talent.
"The first lesson for ninjas is chakra refinement."Masaki stood opposite Hanekawa, explaining the concept.
According to The Book of Rites, physical energy combined with spiritual energy is called stamina, which forms the basis for taijutsu.Chakra, extracted by ninjas, is converted from stamina into a non-elemental form.Through hand seals, chakra can be guided and shaped—its nature and form manipulated—to finally release ninjutsu.
"Any questions?"Masaki asked, observing Hanekawa's serious expression.
Chakra refinement was taught in ninja school, but many students started early, especially those from ninja clans or with ninja parents. Early training guaranteed an edge at the academy.
Like Kakashi Hatake in Yuuhi's class.While others practiced the Three Body Technique, he had already begun learning Earth Release.Apart from talent, his father—Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake—ensured abundant resources.
"No."Hanekawa shook his head.
"Then try it."Masaki said with some anticipation. "Normally, it takes a month to refine chakra, but geniuses only need three days."
"I'll do it in three days!"Yuuhi immediately raised her hand, eager to make sure Hanekawa noticed. Could she really be a genius? Thinking carefully, yes—she was.Her poor records were due to encountering a few perverted opponents.Even someone like Itachi Uchiha would be untouchable to over 99% of ninjas.In short, Yuuhi was a normal genius.
Hanekawa exhaled, controlling the physical energy produced by his 130 trillion cells, combined with his innate spiritual energy.In the original story, spiritual energy meant accumulated experience.But Hanekawa, thanks to the Innate Full Soul attribute, already had a significant amount.
"So fast!"Masaki raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"What's fast?"Yuuhi hadn't reacted yet.
"He already refined his chakra."Masaki's tone carried excitement.
"How is that possible?"Yuuhi froze, petrified.
If refining chakra in three days is genius, what do you call refining it in three seconds? A monster.
At that moment, Hanekawa shivered, excitement surging.Before he could celebrate, a new attribute triggered.
[New Attribute Acquired][E-rank Talent Attribute: Ninja][Trigger: Successful Chakra Refinement][Effect: Chakra refinement speed increased by 10%][Note: Two synthesis paths available][Path 1: Combine with E-rank Three Body Technique + E-rank Tool Throwing → D-rank Common Genin][Path 2: Combine with E-rank Three Body Technique + E-rank Tool Throwing + E-rank Ninja School Top → C-rank Genius Genin]
Hanekawa roughly understood the system logic.New attributes trigger based on behavior.Different actions might yield surprises.Some special attributes could be synthesized."Ninja" clearly was one of these, with two synthesis paths offering more freedom than he expected.
No doubt, "Genius Genin" surpassed "Common Genin."But dominating the academy would be tough—they had Kakashi Hatake in this generation.
Still, there was hope. He didn't want to be ordinary.
Small openings aren't really openings.He had a cheat system!
Hanekawa exited his meditation.He looked at Yuuhi and was momentarily stunned.The little girl looked like a frost-covered eggplant; her slightly curled hair hung down adorably.
"So cute."
"Congratulations, Hanekawa."Masaki smiled broadly. Hanekawa had been entrusted to him by Hiruzen Sarutobi. With such talent, their future was secure.