Hanekawa stepped into the kitchen and stopped short.
Kurenai stood at the counter in a simple apron, the afternoon light catching her skin and making it luminous. His gaze drifted lower—to the smooth curve of her legs, bare feet planted firmly on the tile floor.
"Where exactly are you looking?"
Kurenai spun around, her voice flustered, and caught him red-handed.
"At you," Hanekawa said smoothly, not missing a beat. "The apron suits you."
"Oh." She reached up to tuck hair behind her ear, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "What filling do you want for the rice balls?"
Hanekawa moved closer. "What do you have?"
"Salmon?"
She glanced at him, then quickly looked away, her face deepening to crimson.
Okay, so she's definitely getting more self-aware, Hanekawa thought. This is either adorable or dangerous. Possibly both.
"Salmon works," he said. "Let's cook the rice first, then grab some from the market."
Kurenai nodded and moved to rinse the rice without waiting for further instruction. The cold water seemed to help—her blush faded slightly as she worked, though her movements were a bit distracted.
Hanekawa watched her from the corner of his eye. She's thinking about something. Probably the same thing I'm trying not to think about.
"The water's full," he reminded gently.
"Oh! Sorry!" She shut off the faucet quickly, her face flushing again as she bent over the pot.
After the rice was cooking, Kurenai excused herself with barely concealed embarrassment and disappeared into her room. When she emerged, Hanekawa had to do a double-take.
She'd changed into a black and red kimono, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. The effect was... striking. She looked older somehow. More mature.
"How do you even move in that?" he asked, blinking.
"It's January," Kurenai said, a hint of defensiveness in her voice. "Isn't it nice?"
"It's great," Hanekawa admitted. "Just seems impractical."
Her face went red at an alarming speed. What did I say?
"Let's go!" She grabbed his hand before he could ask and pulled him toward the door.
"Shoes first," he reminded, gesturing to her bare feet.
She stopped at the entrance and leaned against the wall, but the tight kimono made bending difficult. Hanekawa knelt down without thinking.
"I'll help."
Kurenai froze, staring at him as he positioned himself in front of her.
"Lift your foot," he instructed.
She obeyed, but the moment his hand wrapped around her ankle, her toes curled involuntarily. Their eyes met, and suddenly Kurenai looked like she might spontaneously combust.
Oh. Oh no. This is—
She bit her lip and forced herself to relax, and he managed to get the shoe on without further incident. When he stood, they were close enough that he could see her pulse racing in her neck.
She bolted outside into the winter air like it might save her.
Hanekawa closed the door and caught up, taking her hand. She held on tighter than necessary, and despite the cold wind, she didn't seem to notice the temperature.
The supermarket trip was mercifully quick. They were back home within twenty minutes, and Kurenai threw herself into cooking prep with renewed enthusiasm.
"Alright! Let's make rice balls!" She tied her hair back with a rubber band clenched between her teeth, stretching her arms up to secure it. The gesture was so unconsciously cute that Hanekawa had to look away.
This is what happens when you spend too much time with someone. Your brain starts malfunctioning.
"The rice is ready," Kurenai announced, gesturing to the steaming pot. "What's next?"
"Let it cool," Hanekawa said, moving to stand beside her. "We need to wait before shaping it."
She nodded and transferred the rice to a bowl of cold water, then glanced at him. "This would be faster with Ice Release."
"Ice Release?" Kurenai tilted her head. "What's that?"
"A bloodline limit that combines water and wind jutsu," he explained. "Creates and manipulates ice."
Bai shouldn't exist yet. And Kakashi's Land of Snow mission... yeah, that's coming up soon. He filed that away for later consideration.
"It's a shame you don't have wind affinity," Kurenai said thoughtfully. "You could probably master it."
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"
"Because you're talented enough," she said simply. "I just don't have the time or energy to develop it myself."
Fair point. Though with the Ability System...
He'd been thinking about this lately. His synthesis options were extensive—talent, understanding, ninjutsu power, chakra attributes, control. Why not push further? The Rasengan came to mind. Naruto had created multiple variations by infusing different elements. Hanekawa could do the same, theoretically.
But that was a problem for another day.
"Let's start," he said, washing his hands and rubbing them with salt. He grabbed a handful of rice and began shaping it, demonstrating the technique—forming a ball, creating an indent with his thumb, adding the salmon, then molding it into a triangle and wrapping it with seaweed.
Kurenai watched intently, then mimicked his movements with careful precision.
"It's not difficult," Hanekawa observed, watching her work. "Once you master this, I'll teach you chicken cutlets, pork cutlets, grilled eel—"
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. She held up her finished rice ball, examining it with obvious pride. "How is it?"
"Perfect," he said, and meant it.
"Then I have a talent for cooking!" She beamed.
"You have a talent for being a good wife and mother," he corrected.
The rice ball dropped from her fingers. Her entire face went scarlet, and her eyes went wide as saucers. Oh. That was—I didn't mean—
But Kurenai was already spiraling into her own thoughts, her expression distant and flustered.
"Try it," she said quickly, clearly desperate to change the subject. She held out her rice ball.
Hanekawa took a bite. The rice was perfectly seasoned, the salmon tender. "Really good."
She nodded, still avoiding his eyes, and took another bite from the same rice ball.
Then she froze.
Oh.
Her eyes widened as the realization hit—they'd just shared the same rice ball. Indirectly, but still. Her blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, and she looked like she might actually steam.
Hanekawa couldn't help but smile. She's adorable when she's flustered.
"Let's keep making," he said, taking pity on her and grabbing more rice.
It took Kurenai several seconds to recover. She stared at the half-eaten rice ball in her hand, her heart doing backflips, before finally eating the rest of it in one determined bite.
They worked in companionable silence for a while, the kitchen filling with the smell of salt and seaweed.
"When does our break end?" Kurenai asked eventually, her voice steadier now.
"Two more days," Hanekawa said. "Tsunade insisted we rest properly."
"A whole week off?" Kurenai looked surprised. "I'm not used to having so much free time."
"We can train on our own if you want," he offered.
She brightened immediately. "Really? After we make Chunin, will our missions get harder?"
"Not necessarily," Hanekawa explained. "Chunin usually cap out at B-rank missions."
"But we've already done A-rank missions," Kurenai pointed out.
"That's because our teacher is Tsunade," he said with a slight smile. "One of the Legendary Sannin. Rules tend to be more... flexible."
Kurenai nodded in understanding. "Right. It's Teacher Tsunade, after all."
After dinner, they headed out to practice. Hanekawa's current focus was Water Style and Earth Style—necessary components if he wanted to eventually develop Wood Style. Perception ninjutsu was on the agenda too, and the Yin Seal would develop naturally over time.
The B-rank entry he'd recently obtained, "Strongest Chunin," had accelerated his Yin Seal development significantly. Its effects were perfect for his needs: a 150% increase to chakra refinement speed and a 100% boost to his maximum chakra capacity.
Not bad for a day's work, he thought as Kurenai began her water jutsu drills beside him.
The winter sun was setting, painting the training ground in shades of gold and crimson. Kurenai's movements were sharp and precise, her focus absolute. She'd come a long way since they'd started training together.
Two more days of peace, Hanekawa thought, watching her work. Then back to the usual chaos.
But for now, this was enough.
---
I'm working hard to keep these mass releases coming, but I can't climb the leaderboards alone.
We have the readers, but we need the votes! High rankings and reviews are vital for this book's survival and growth. If you genuinely enjoy the translation and the plot, please Vote for Power Stones and drop a Review today. Help this book take its rightful place at the top.
Your support makes every chapter worth it!