"Director, are you heading out?"
The moment Hanekawa stepped into the orphanage, he spotted Yakushi Nonō hurrying toward the door.
"Hanekawa?" Nonō blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Did something happen?"
"Nothing's wrong," Hanekawa said casually, shaking the bundle of picture books in his hand. "It's Sunday, so I thought I'd come back to visit. And I brought some gifts for the kids."
"You really are thoughtful," Nonō said with a gentle smile.
"It's nothing much," Hanekawa shook his head. "Everyone here has always taken such good care of me."
"Then go see them," she said, patting his head affectionately. "The Director has to stop by Konoha Hospital."
"Are you performing surgery?" Hanekawa asked offhandedly.
Nonō wore three hats — head of the orphanage, a shinobi under Root, and a doctor at the hospital. If she was needed in surgery, it had to be for someone well above an ordinary ninja's level.
"No, just a meeting." She paused, then added, "Lady Tsunade has returned to the hospital. She's the director, after all."
"Tsunade-sama?" Hanekawa's eyes lit up. "Can I come along? I've always been a fan of hers — I'd really like to meet her."
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade was an idol to countless shinobi. Saying he admired her wouldn't raise the slightest suspicion.
"Today's a formal meeting. It wouldn't be appropriate," Nonō considered a moment, then said, "But next Saturday, I'll take you to meet her."
"Alright," Hanekawa said, suppressing his eagerness.
"I'll be going now. See you next time." Nonō pulled back her hand and walked toward the hospital.
Hanekawa watched her leave, thoughts turning. So Tsunade really was in the village at this time…
But it was a pity that he only possessed Yin Release talent, not Yang Release.
His Yin Release came from his spiritual strength — awakened when he regained the memories of his past life. But what about Yang Release? Wouldn't that be tied to physical power?
Suddenly, he remembered the still-incomplete E-rank Trait: "Robust Physique." One of its synthesis paths might very well lead to Yang Release.
Even if it wasn't true, it was worth the attempt — training the body never hurt.
After a week of effort, his progress bar for "Robust Physique" was already at 60%. Another week should push it to completion. Maybe even sooner, given how much harder he was training each day.
Hanekawa stepped into the orphanage, handed out the picture books to the children, played with them for a while, and then took his leave.
Walking through the streets, he found himself pondering: When exactly did Kabuto arrive at the orphanage?
The original story never gave a clear timeline, but it was definitely after the Third Great Ninja War.
A wave of urgency gripped him. That war wasn't just dangerous — even Kage could fall.
"Hanekawa!"
A girl's voice rang from above.
Hanekawa looked up — and there was Yūhi Kurenai, her small feet swinging down from a tree branch, gleaming pale in the afternoon sun.
Without realizing it, he had wandered back to Kurenai's house. Two trees stood at her doorstep. Both were pagoda trees.
"What are you doing up there?" he asked.
Kurenai slipped her shoes on and leapt down, landing neatly before him. Then, she thrust out her hand.
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze.
"You went out and didn't bring me anything?" Kurenai huffed, hands on her hips. "That's not acceptable!"
"No money," Hanekawa coughed lightly. In truth, he'd simply forgotten.
Kurenai froze, only then remembering — Hanekawa was an orphan. He had no income.
"Th-then take this!"
Her face flushed as she pressed a wallet into his hand and quickly turned away, cheeks pink.
It was a pink wallet with a rabbit motif stitched on the front.
Hanekawa blinked, then opened it instinctively. Inside was a stack of bills.
His stomach churned uncomfortably. Taking handouts from a pretty girl like this… his pride couldn't stomach it.
More importantly, Kurenai wasn't wealthy.
If it had been a Hyūga or Uchiha girl, maybe he'd consider it. But the Hyūga heiress hadn't even been born yet.
And if the Uchiha had had more little girls… well, with enough backstory flashbacks, the anime might have been half as long.
Still, he really ought to figure out a way to earn some money of his own.
"No need," Hanekawa said firmly, catching her wrist and pressing the wallet back into her hands.
"Eh?" Kurenai tilted her head, blinking her big eyes in confusion.
Hanekawa's hand twitched — and he couldn't resist ruffling her hair.
She flinched back instinctively, but not fast enough to escape. So she glared at him instead.
"You still haven't told me what you were doing up there," Hanekawa said, smoothly changing the subject.
He gave her hair two more pats before withdrawing his hand. Smooth and soft — not bad at all.
"My father's looking for you," Kurenai said once she regained her composure.
"Where is he?" Hanekawa asked, stepping inside to change his shoes.
"I'll get him." Kurenai tucked the wallet away and skipped off toward Yūhi Shinku's room.
Before long, father and daughter returned to the living room.
"Hanekawa," Shinku began directly, "how's your chakra refinement coming along?"
Hanekawa stood up and demonstrated his control.
"Not bad," Shinku said with a smile. "Your proficiency is nearly on par with Kurenai's."
Hanekawa had been training for just a week. Kurenai had been practicing for nearly half a year. The comparison was staggering.
Kurenai huffed, unhappy but unable to find a rebuttal.
Shinku, watching, could only think how adorable his daughter was. He reached out to pat her head—
But Kurenai jumped back, dodging perfectly.
"Your chakra levels are barely passable," Shinku said, clearing his throat with slight embarrassment. "It's time you both began studying genjutsu."
Hanekawa's heart leapt. Perfect timing.
Though genjutsu became less useful later on, it was still powerful against ordinary shinobi.
Kurenai, too, grew serious. This was a chance to prove herself against Hanekawa. She could not lose.
"Genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu are the three core disciplines of a shinobi," Shinku explained. "But few specialize in genjutsu." He raised his chin slightly, pride in his voice. "That's because it's the hardest to master — it requires exceptional talent."
He wanted to make a strong impression on his daughter. And he wasn't lying — aside from the Uchiha, no one in Konoha understood genjutsu better than he did.
"Shinku-ojisan, does that mean you specialize in genjutsu?" Hanekawa asked knowingly.
"I do," Shinku replied with a broad smile.
"Hurry up and teach us!" Kurenai urged, impatience in her voice.
She wanted to master genjutsu as fast as possible, to defeat Hanekawa and claim her spot as leader.
Shinku froze for a moment. Was this really his sweet, obedient little girl?