"Rin, don't laugh—this time it's true!"
As Hanekawa stepped into the classroom, he heard Obito Uchiha's voice.
"What's true?"
Kakashi Hatake walked up casually, asking as if uninterested.
Thanks to Hanekawa's explanations on the way, Kakashi had mostly resolved his inner turmoil about Sakumo Hatake.
"Good morning, Hanekawa, Kakashi, and Kurenai."
Rin Nohara greeted them with a smile.
Obito froze momentarily.
Why did she greet Hanekawa first?
He quickly shook his head. I must be overthinking. She's just saying hello, nothing more.
"Just now, Obito said there's a new Uchiha freshman this year who's stronger than Kakashi," Rin said, her lips curving slightly upward.
"He really is stronger than Kakashi!" Obito emphasized proudly.
"Oh, really?"
Kakashi was utterly unconvinced. "You said the same thing about Uchiha Tetsuka last year."
"Tetsuka? He doesn't even last a minute against this one."
Obito boasted, "Our clan leader himself said he's a once-in-a-decade Uchiha genius, just like me!"
"…"
Kakashi thought to himself, If you hadn't added that last part, I might've believed you. But now? Not a chance.
"What's his name?" Rin asked curiously.
"Uchiha Shisui!"
Obito snorted confidently, "You'll hear his name very soon!"
So it's Shisui Uchiha?
Hanekawa's heart stirred slightly.
This time, Obito might not be exaggerating.
Shisui Uchiha, the prodigy who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan even earlier than Itachi Uchiha, with the powerful eye technique Kotoamatsukami.
During the Third Shinobi World War, he earned the title Shisui of the Body Flicker, becoming a legendary figure.
Even Mist Village's elite jonin, Ao, chose to retreat rather than face him in battle.
The most astonishing thing was his age.
According to the timeline, Shisui was still under ten when he participated in the Third Shinobi World War.
Like Sakumo Hatake, Shisui also met a tragic end through suicide—driven to despair by the impossibility of uniting the Uchiha clan and Konoha peacefully.
Adding to his downfall were his desperate actions: using Kotoamatsukami on Konoha's leadership, only to be ambushed and have his eyes stolen by Danzo Shimura.
It was no wonder—Kotoamatsukami was an absurdly powerful jutsu, often called the ultimate genjutsu.
It could invade someone's mind without their awareness, altering their will and effectively controlling them.
Such a devastating weapon would never sit well with someone like Danzo.
"I'm telling you all—oh, Shisui?"
Obito suddenly froze, feeling awkward.
Did he hear what I just said?
"Obito-nii?"
Shisui, who had been looking around at the doorway, brightened up.
Finally, a familiar face.
"Obito-nii," Shisui quickly walked over and asked, "Do you know who Hanekawa is?"
"…"
Obito opened his mouth, feeling a bit irritated.
Hanekawa again? You've got to be kidding me!
"That's Hanekawa," Kurenai said, pointing at him. "Freshman, what do you need from him?"
"Thank you, senpai," Shisui said politely.
Kurenai immediately beamed.
It was the first time someone had called her "senpai."
"Hanekawa-senpai,"
Shisui Uchiha handed over a formal challenge letter and said, "This is a challenge letter from Tetsuka-nii for you."
"Why are you delivering it?" Hanekawa opened the letter, scanned it, and asked.
"Because I wanted to meet you, Hanekawa-senpai," Shisui replied honestly.
Hanekawa blinked.
Am I that famous now?
"What's so special about him?" Obito muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed.
He couldn't stand how Hanekawa always seemed to shine in front of Rin.
"I'll be there on time," Hanekawa said, putting the letter away.
"Thank you, Hanekawa-senpai," Shisui said, relieved. "I won't bother you any longer. See you tomorrow."
With that, Shisui turned and left.
"Is he really an Uchiha?" Kurenai asked curiously.
The Uchiha clan was notorious in Konoha for being arrogant, proud, and hard to approach. Yet Shisui's polite demeanor didn't fit that stereotype at all.
"He doesn't seem like one," Hanekawa replied casually.
"Why does Tetsuka have to make it so formal? Writing a challenge letter and everything," Kurenai asked, puzzled.
"He's probably afraid I'll have Kakashi step in for me again," Hanekawa mused.
"He couldn't even beat Kakashi. Why bother challenging you and asking for trouble?" Kurenai shook her head.
The two chatted for a while until it was time for the opening ceremony.
Led by their homeroom teacher, Eichiro, Class 3-A left the classroom in an orderly manner.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked onto the stage and began his speech about the Will of Fire.
However, a slight commotion broke out in the Class 3-A formation.
Hiruzen noticed Tsunade among the crowd, and the corner of his mouth twitched, but he maintained his calm demeanor and continued his speech smoothly.
Amid envious stares from his classmates, Hanekawa left the ceremony grounds, following Tsunade.
"You seem awfully happy," Tsunade remarked, glancing at him.
"I'm happy to see my teacher," Hanekawa replied with a smile.
"Smooth talker," Tsunade said, though a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Where are we going next, Sensei?" Hanekawa paused before adding, "As long as it's not to a casino."
"Since when do you get to tell me what to do?"
Tsunade's expression shifted, and she gave Hanekawa a light knock on the head.
"It's the first day of school," Hanekawa said, grabbing her hand.
"What's so special about the first day of school?" Tsunade asked casually, letting him hold her hand.
"Nothing." Hanekawa didn't bother to come up with an excuse and simply said, "But we're not going to a casino."
"You're impossible."
Tsunade rolled her eyes before a spark of an idea lit up her gaze. "Then let's go to Kushina's house."
"…"
Hanekawa hesitated to respond.
He knew exactly why Tsunade wanted to go to Uzumaki Kushina's house—just to gamble in a different place.
"Sensei, I have a question," Hanekawa suddenly said, recalling the rumors about Sakumo Hatake.
"What is it?"
Tsunade led him out of the school and turned left.
"Well…"
Hanekawa recounted what Kakashi had shared earlier that morning and asked, "What's your take on it, Sensei?"
"There's definitely more to this," Tsunade replied, frowning instinctively.
Her first thought was that Danzo Shimura was stirring up trouble.
Sakumo Hatake's reputation was so high that many believed he could become the Fourth Hokage.
Naturally, Danzo wouldn't be pleased with that—or with anyone else being Hokage, for that matter, unless it was himself.
"I'll ask the old man about it when I get the chance," Tsunade said after some thought.
"Okay," Hanekawa nodded.
He knew he wasn't in a position to do much about it, but Tsunade intervening was the best possible outcome.
At the very least, things wouldn't turn out worse than they did in the original timeline.
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