"What did you wish for?" Tsunade asked casually as she sliced the cake.
"Can you say birthday wishes out loud?" Hanekawa blinked, then asked, "Won't it stop working if I say it?"
"Why wouldn't you be able to say it?" Tsunade handed him the first slice of cake and said, "I don't believe in that kind of thing."
"Alright, but if I tell you, you can't get mad," Hanekawa hesitated.
"Why would I get mad?" Tsunade blinked, staring at him with her bright eyes. "What kind of rebellious wish did you make?"
"How could I dare?" Hanekawa quickly shook his head. "My wish was for you, Sensei, to become Hokage."
"Hokage?" Tsunade fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Why? Don't you want to become Hokage?"
"I'm too young." Hanekawa smiled. "You'll be the Fourth Hokage, and I'll be the Fifth. Together, we'll make Konoha great and even build a New Konoha!"
"Do you want to die, brat?" Tsunade couldn't help but raise her hand and give him a light smack on the head. "Do you think becoming Hokage is that easy? Like it's something you can just decide on a whim?"
"I won't say more, but if you ever want to try, Sensei, it'll definitely be a breeze for you," Hanekawa replied seriously.
"You don't understand anything," Tsunade scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not the only candidate. If it comes down to it, there are several tricky contenders."
"Sensei, you have the biggest advantage," Hanekawa said knowingly.
He already understood the key players: Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze, with maybe even Danzo Shimura thrown in.
But none of them could match Tsunade.
Hatake Sakumo was doomed to commit suicide next year if the timeline stayed intact. Even if he didn't, his personality wasn't suited for the role.
Orochimaru? Hiruzen Sarutobi had already started to distrust him.
Jiraiya? Too preoccupied with finding the "Child of Prophecy" and had no interest in being Hokage.
Minato Namikaze? Although he would become a hero during the Third Shinobi War, he was still too young and inexperienced.
In the original story, Minato only succeeded because his competitor was Orochimaru. If it had been Tsunade, his chances would have been much slimmer.
Tsunade had too many credentials: the granddaughter of the First Hokage, student of the Third Hokage, the most powerful medical ninja, and one of the legendary Sannin.
As for Danzo, well… good luck to him.
"You're such a little schemer," Tsunade chuckled, taking his words as flattery.
"..." Hanekawa wished they could sit down and have a philosophical debate.
"I laugh at Hiruzen's lack of foresight, Danzo's petty schemes. Today's true heroes are none other than you and me, Sensei!"
But alas, he was too young. Saying too much would be shocking and draw unwanted attention.
"I'm not interested in being Hokage," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "I support you becoming Hokage, but you're far from ready. You'll have to keep working hard."
"Yes, Sensei," Hanekawa replied, not pressing the matter further.
There was still plenty of time. No need to rush.
Besides, this Tsunade was different from the one in the original story, who suffered from hemophobia. She would definitely participate in the Third Shinobi War.
With her contributions in battle, it would be nearly impossible for her to avoid being nominated.
After all, the ninja allied with her would push for her to take the mantle.
"Are we going to the casino later?" Hanekawa asked after finishing his cake.
"No, I'm teaching you how to use superhuman strength this afternoon," Tsunade said, reluctantly but decisively.
Although she hadn't agreed to Hanekawa's birthday wish, it had clearly touched her.
And since she'd already given him the First Hokage's necklace, it was only right to train him to one day become Hokage.
"Alright."
Hanekawa was surprised but didn't refuse.
He'd long been eager to learn her monstrous strength technique, and now that the opportunity had finally come, he couldn't help but feel excited.
"Let's begin," Tsunade said as she stood up and headed outside.
Hanekawa followed her to an open training ground.
"Super strength is both a taijutsu technique and a method of chakra control," Tsunade began her explanation. "Simply put, it involves concentrating chakra into a specific part of your body and releasing it all at once."
Two hours later, Hanekawa had a clear understanding of the principles behind the technique.
The theory wasn't difficult to grasp; the challenge lay in gathering chakra instantly and generating immense destructive force.
This required precise chakra control. Additionally, a strong physical body was essential. Without it, the recoil from using super strength could cause significant self-injury—a classic double-edged sword.
"We'll start with the simplest technique: striking with your fist."
Tsunade extended her hand, slowly clenched it into a fist, and then slammed it into the ground.
The earth groaned as spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly outward, and the ground collapsed into a large crater.
Hanekawa steadied himself, swallowing hard. He silently thanked Tsunade for her restraint during their usual training sessions.
"Now it's your turn," Tsunade said, her expression amused as she noticed his reaction.
Only now does he realize how terrifying this is?
"Alright."
Hanekawa took a deep breath, followed her instructions, gathered chakra, and struck the ground.
The ground trembled slightly, leaving a shallow imprint of his fist.
"..." Hanekawa was speechless.
"It's fine," Tsunade said comfortingly. "Even a small result is cute."
"Again!" Hanekawa's face darkened as he responded, annoyed by her teasing.
Tsunade laughed even harder. Having a student was proving to be incredibly entertaining.
The afternoon passed quickly.
Hanekawa began to grasp just how challenging super strength was to learn.
However, its difficulty was proportional to its power.
[New A-Rank Jutsu: Super Strength]
Trigger Condition: Successfully perform the technique.
Current Progress: 0%.
Seeing the new entry appear in his system, Hanekawa let out a sigh.
Although his progress was nonexistent, the fact that a progress bar had appeared gave him hope.
If he mastered super strength, it would become his first A-Rank jutsu.
"Go take a bath," Tsunade said, noticing his sweat-soaked appearance.
"Okay," Hanekawa replied, heading toward the bathroom. When he reached the doorway, he turned back and asked, "Why are you following me? Are we bathing together?"
"What are you even saying?" Tsunade grumbled, giving his head a firm ruffle. "I'm just preparing medicinal herbs for you."
She filled the bathtub with hot water and began adding the herbs.
"Wait two minutes before you get in," Tsunade instructed, then turned and left.
Hanekawa sighed inwardly. What a pity. He honestly wouldn't have minded sharing a bath.
Cough, cough.
After waiting for two minutes, Hanekawa stepped into the tub. Instantly, he felt his exhaustion melt away.
After finishing his bath, he returned to his room. While drying his hair, he suddenly remembered his training in Lightning Release: Chakra Activation.
He hesitated for a moment before extending his hand and attempting to gather lightning chakra as outlined in the scrolls.
In the next instant, sparks flickered across his body, spreading rapidly.
Hanekawa's hair stood on end as he collapsed onto the bed, his limbs completely numb.
What kind of crazy training is this?
Staring at the familiar ceiling, Hanekawa began planning his next steps.
At the ninja academy, there wasn't much left to learn in his second year aside from the Substitution Jutsu.
His focus would remain on mastering Super Strength and Lightning Release: Chakra Activation.
Additionally, he had to tackle the B-Rank jutsu Instant Healing, which required him to learn medical ninjutsu and the Body Flicker Technique.
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