The morning air bit at Hanekawa's cheeks as he unlocked Tsunade's front door. Above, the sky hung gray and heavy—the kind that promised snow before the month was out. He exhaled, watching his breath mist in the cold, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
The house was silent. Tsunade hadn't woken up yet.
"Teacher!" he called, knocking on her bedroom door.
"I heard you! Stop making noise!" came the muffled, irritable response.
Classic, Hanekawa thought, heading to the kitchen. Some things never changed.
Thirty minutes later, a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen sat on the dining table. But Tsunade still hadn't emerged.
Hanekawa sighed and opened her bedroom door without ceremony.
She was curled up in her quilt like a child, completely dead to the world. He walked over, reached down, and pinched her nose.
A leg shot out from under the blankets—fast, dangerous, and aimed directly at his head. Hanekawa stepped back smoothly, avoiding the kick by inches.
Tsunade's eyes snapped open, blazing with irritation. "What are you doing?"
"Breakfast is ready," he said calmly.
"Got it!" She sat up, her loose pajamas sliding off one shoulder. "You're so annoying, you know that?"
"You're the one who's lazy, Teacher."
"Get out!" She glared at him. "I need to change."
"Yes, ma'am."
Hanekawa closed the door and returned to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Tsunade emerged freshly dressed and washed. She found him sitting at the table, cradling the ramen bowl between his hands.
"What are you doing? Keeping it warm?" she asked, amused.
"Heating it." He raised one palm, and a faint shimmer of heat chakra danced above his skin.
Tsunade sat across from him. "Did you eat at home?"
"Uncle Shinku made breakfast," Hanekawa replied, then paused. "I mean—yes, I ate."
Home. The word had slipped out naturally. Tsunade's expression flickered—something soft and unguarded—before she picked up her chopsticks.
She took a sip of broth and her eyes widened. "This tastes incredible. Did you do something different?"
Hanekawa smiled. He'd earned it just yesterday:
[C-Rank Talent Entry: Senior Chef]
[Trigger Condition: Reach mastery in cooking]
[Effect: Deliciousness increased by 50%]
Finally upgraded from intermediate. Next stop: special chef. Am I becoming the Cooking Master Boy now?
"What's our training today?" he asked.
Tsunade was too focused on the ramen to answer immediately. When she did, it was between slurps: "We're going to the Hokage Building first."
"A mission?"
"No. We're submitting your application for the Chunin Exam."
Hanekawa's eyebrows rose. "How many genin are participating?"
"You're my student," Tsunade said, fixing him with a look that was equal parts confidence and mischief. "If you don't take first place, you're in trouble."
Oh, that smile. That's definitely a trap.
"The first place will obviously be—" He caught himself. No. Absolutely not. I'm not planting death flags before the exam even starts. That's protagonist suicide.
"You'll find out when the time comes," he said instead.
Tsunade laughed. "I'll be watching."
After breakfast, they headed for the Hokage Building. Tsunade, naturally, kicked the door open.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly jumped out of his skin. "One of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack."
"Application," Tsunade said, flicking a document onto his desk.
The Third Hokage sighed as he reviewed it. "It's a shame we can't hold a joint Chunin Exam right now. With Hanekawa's abilities, you two should be competing in front of the daimyo and nobles."
Tsunade understood the implication. A joint exam meant prestige, more missions, more recognition. But with Kumogakure stirring up trouble, Konoha couldn't afford to show weakness by hosting one.
"Show me the list of genin participants," Tsunade said, glancing at Hanekawa.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile widened knowingly. "Getting advance information for your student? That's not like you."
Tsunade's frown deepened. "Stop talking nonsense."
But the Third Hokage was already chuckling, pulling out a file. As Tsunade scanned it, she passed it to Hanekawa without comment.
Oh, he definitely noticed that, Hanekawa thought, watching the Hokage's expression grow even more pleased.
The list contained familiar names: Kakashi, Shisui, Asuma, Shizune. But there were others too—Morino Ibiki, Ebisu, Genma. Hanekawa recognized them as talented genin from the previous year's class. Ibiki will be the written exam proctor someday. Genma's got that flying thunder god technique. Ebisu's going to tutor Konohamaru.
He closed the file and returned it. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
"The list will be announced Monday anyway," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Don't be late for the exam."
Tsunade was already heading for the door. Bang. It swung shut behind her.
The Third Hokage winced at the sound. None of my students have any manners. But their students... Minato, Hanekawa... they know how to behave.
---
When Tsunade and Hanekawa returned home, they found the house full of people.
Kurenai stood with her hands on her hips, Rin was perched on the couch, and both Kakashi and Asuma were present with their teams. Six genin total, all talking over each other.
Tsunade took one look and retreated to her room without a word.
"When did you guys get back?" Hanekawa asked, settling in.
"Yesterday," Asuma said proudly. "Our team just completed a B-Rank mission!"
"So did we!" Obito declared. "Multiple B-Rank missions!"
"We did too," Kurenai added, hands on hips. "And Rin and I did one together."
Obito's eyes went wide. "Rin? Wasn't that dangerous?"
"A little," Rin admitted. "But Kurenai handled it."
Asuma's face fell. Great. I was trying to brag and I just got shown up.
"Hey," Asuma said, recovering quickly. "Do you guys know the rules for the Chunin Exam?"
Rin and Kurenai shook their heads. Kakashi and Obito looked equally clueless.
"I do!" Asuma announced, clearly pleased to have something to contribute. "The first level is a written test."
Obito's face went pale. "A written test? Why would they make us take a written test?"
Kakashi looked equally uncomfortable. Guy, who'd been quiet until now, suddenly looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
Only Hanekawa and the others remained unmoved. Academic masters, Asuma thought with resignation.
"The second level is team combat," Asuma continued. "The third is individual battles."
"How many rounds?" Kakashi asked, his analytical mind already working through the implications.
"Three levels total," Asuma confirmed. "The written test eliminates teams, the team battles eliminate more, and the individual matches determine who advances to chunin."
Hanekawa leaned back, already thinking through strategy. So we need to pass the written test first. That's not a problem. The team battles will be interesting—we'll need to coordinate. And individual matches...
He glanced at Kakashi, who was already staring at him with that calculating expression.
Yeah. That's going to be fun.
---
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