Outside Tsunade's house, a group of students trained as usual.
Asuma Sarutobi glanced at Kurenai Yuhi before moving to the side to practice his Wind Release techniques.
It wasn't because he still had feelings for her; rather, he was frustrated about losing to her. If the gap had been wide, he might have accepted it, but the defeat was by the slimmest of margins.
A loss was still a loss, though, and there was no excuse he could use. All he could do was double his training.
Kurenai, on the other hand, had mastered several Water Release jutsu. With Maruboshi Kosuke's permission, she occasionally joined Hanekawa and the others for training.
Rin Nohara stood in front of a table, her hands outstretched as she practiced healing an unconscious fish.
After a year of chakra control training, she had finally reached the standard to start learning medical ninjutsu.
Hanekawa didn't hold back, teaching her from the basics—starting with healing fish.
The reason was simple: he had already decided to pick Rin as his teammate.
When they graduated, he guessed that, knowing Tsunade's personality, she would likely assign him to mentor the team.
Being proactive and training Rin ahead of time would save him effort in the future.
Nearby, Obito Uchiha was watching Rin intently until she chased him off, prompting him to grudgingly return to practicing his Fire Release techniques.
Not far away, Kakashi Hatake was training in Lightning Release.
Since Shisui Uchiha was running late today, there was no one for Kakashi to spar with in kenjutsu.
Hanekawa could have stepped in, but he declined because he, too, was focused on practicing Lightning Release.
---
"Sorry, I'm late," Shisui Uchiha finally arrived an hour later.
"It's fine," Hanekawa said, shaking his head. "Was there an extra task for your class today? Why so late?"
"No," Shisui began but then paused, smiling. "Why don't we spar? You'll find out the reason soon enough."
It had been a while since they had sparred, and Shisui was eager to test himself.
Though not a typical Uchiha in demeanor, he still carried the clan's pride. Or perhaps, his pride surpassed that of most Uchihas.
After all, the Mangekyo Sharingan reflects one's inner will. Shisui's awakening of Kotoamatsukami suggested his desire to control and guide others' willpower.
"Alright, let's do it," Hanekawa agreed, suppressing his curiosity for now.
"Be careful," Shisui warned as he drew his blade, then dashed toward Hanekawa.
The gleam of Shisui's blade flashed brilliantly, carrying an overwhelming sense of sharpness.
Hanekawa immediately noted the intensity, thinking, This is even more oppressive than sparring with Samui.
With a flick of his wrist, Hanekawa blocked Shisui's blade with his own katana.
The clash of metal echoed repeatedly as the two became locked in a high-speed duel. Their movements were so intense that the surrounding air rippled with every strike.
---
"Shisui's kenjutsu has improved significantly," Kakashi commented, stopping his own training to watch.
Everyone else, except Rin, who couldn't afford to lose focus on her medical practice, also gathered to watch. Kurenai, Obito, and Asuma were all captivated by the match.
"That's the Uchiha-style swordsmanship!" Obito exclaimed in awe. "I didn't expect Shisui to have mastered it to this level."
"Why haven't I seen you use it?" Kakashi asked pointedly.
"I… I don't need it!" Obito stammered, his expression stiff. "My Fire Release is already enough!"
"Focus on the sparring," Asuma interjected. "It looks like something big is coming!"
---
Shisui suddenly stepped back, creating distance between himself and Hanekawa.
Sensing something was about to happen, Hanekawa stood his ground, waiting.
Uchiha Style: Blazing Sword Leap!
Flames burst forth from Shisui's blade, enveloping the entire sword in fire. The scorching heat waves rippled through the air.
The next moment, Shisui's figure vanished.
The Flaming Blade appeared above Hanekawa's head in an instant.
Wherever it passed, the scorching heat twisted the air itself.
Hanekawa reacted quickly. The Thunderfire Sword in his hand flickered with lightning as it clashed with the flaming blade, producing a sharp, resonating clang.
At that moment, the flames on Shisui Uchiha's blade flickered, and a gust of wind began to form.
With a swift turn of his hands, Shisui released the flaming blade from his weapon, sending it hurtling toward Hanekawa.
Body Flicker Technique!
In a split second, chakra burst from Hanekawa's feet, propelling him backward at high speed.
Yet the flaming blade followed him relentlessly, like a shadow.
"Is he about to win?" Obito Uchiha's heart was in his throat.
Even though he wasn't the one fighting Hanekawa, Shisui was still part of the Uchiha clan. If Shisui won, it would feel like a victory for the clan as a whole—and for Obito, it might even alleviate the mental burden Hanekawa had placed on him.
Hanekawa had held the top spot for so long, to the point that even if Obito awakened the Sharingan in the future, he doubted he could surpass him.
"It's not that easy," Kurenai Yuhi scoffed lightly. "Hanekawa hasn't even used any ninjutsu yet."
Obito was about to retort when the scene on the battlefield changed.
Seeing that he couldn't evade the flaming blade, Hanekawa raised his left hand without hesitation.
Rasengan!
Chakra surged rapidly, forming a spinning blue orb in his palm.
When the flaming blade collided with the Rasengan, it was instantly sucked into the vortex and shattered into fragments.
The crimson flames disintegrated, scattering into waves of energy.
---
"What?!" Obito's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What kind of jutsu is that? I've never seen it before!" Asuma Sarutobi was both shocked and puzzled.
Hanekawa's talent and strength were already astounding, but now it seemed he had secretly trained in such a powerful technique.
Is this guy even human?!
"No idea," Kakashi Hatake said grimly, shaking his head.
The sheer power of the Rasengan left him feeling immense pressure. He realized that, with his current arsenal of jutsu, he had nothing that could compete with it.
"It's the Rasengan," Kurenai said with a proud smile. "A jutsu created by Minato-senpai."
She had known about it ever since Hanekawa started learning the Rasengan, but she had been waiting for the right moment to reveal it. Now, she felt a sense of triumph.
No one understands Hanekawa better than I do!
Rin Nohara glanced at her instinctively, feeling a tinge of envy.
Even though she frequently discussed medical ninjutsu with Hanekawa, it still didn't compare to the closeness Kurenai shared with him.
---
"I still can't compare to Hanekawa-senpai," Shisui said, sheathing his blade. "The technique I used just now was something I recently mastered—Uchiha Style: Blazing Sword Leap."
"Did you create it yourself?" Hanekawa asked curiously.
In his memory, apart from Shisui, no one else had ever used the Blazing Sword Leap technique.
"More or less," Shisui replied. "I combined Uchiha swordsmanship with Fire Release and Wind Release."
"Then you're more impressive than I am," Hanekawa admitted honestly. "I learned the Rasengan directly from Minato-senpai."
To maintain the narrative, Hanekawa credited Minato instead of Kushina, given her role as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
"This must be an A-rank jutsu, right?" Shisui said earnestly. "I haven't even mastered one A-rank jutsu yet. You're definitely the better of the two of us, Hanekawa-senpai."
Self-created? Kakashi's expression shifted, his mind beginning to whirl with ideas.
"This is insane," Asuma muttered, unable to hold back his disbelief.
For the longest time, he had thought of himself as a rare genius comparable to his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Now, he realized how foolish he'd been.
"Both of them are insane," Kakashi added matter-of-factly.
Meanwhile, Obito gritted his teeth in frustration. Once again, Hanekawa had stolen the spotlight!
He instinctively glanced at Rin, only to find her no longer focused on healing fish but instead watching Hanekawa with admiration.
---
Argh! Obito felt a surge of intense emotion welling up, his vision blurring as his anger reached its peak.
A single tomoe appeared faintly in Obito's Sharingan but vanished as quickly as it came, almost like an illusion.
He was too caught up in his anger to notice.
Hanekawa glanced at him briefly before turning to Shisui Uchiha and asking, "Do you want to keep going?"
Shisui shook his head and said, "No, I'm done."
Having created the Uchiha Style: Blazing Sword Leap, he had been full of confidence, only to be effortlessly countered by the Rasengan.
Without a new technique to rely on, continuing the match would only result in another loss.
Shisui estimated that only when he awakened the second tomoe in his Sharingan might he stand a chance against Hanekawa. But even that wouldn't guarantee victory—he'd probably need a three-tomoe Sharingan, which felt like a distant goal.
"Alright, let's get back to training then."
Hanekawa sheathed his sword and spoke calmly.
"Shisui," Kakashi Hatake interjected, "spar with me."
He had witnessed the power of the Blazing Sword Leap and wanted to test himself against it. After all, Hanekawa had managed to counter it; if he couldn't, it would feel like he'd fallen behind.
"Of course," Shisui agreed with a nod.
Sparring with Kakashi was part of his regular training anyway.
With that, Kurenai, Obito, Asuma, and the others returned to their own training instead of watching.
The group trained diligently until nightfall.
---
Hanekawa sat on the couch, waiting for Tsunade to return.
Before long, the sound of the door opening reached his ears.
He turned his head toward the entrance, where he was greeted by the sight of a pair of fair, slender feet.
His eyes were drawn to the anklet on her left foot—a gift he had bought for her.
"How did your exams go today?" Tsunade asked as she stepped into the room, standing in front of him with an air of authority.
"First place," Hanekawa replied nonchalantly. "No change there."
"Not bad." Tsunade plopped onto the couch beside him, crossing her legs as she remarked, "At least you didn't embarrass me."
"Since when have I ever embarrassed you?" Hanekawa shot back, his gaze lingering on her raised left leg. The anklet swayed slightly, catching the light.
"True enough." Tsunade blinked and then warned, "Still, don't let it go to your head. Never underestimate any ninja."
"Got it."
Suddenly, Hanekawa thought of something. "What do you think about me graduating next year?"
"Graduating?" Tsunade was momentarily taken aback. "You don't want to finish your last year?"
"There's no need." Hanekawa shook his head. "The time would be better spent completing more missions. It's more practical."
"Fair point," Tsunade conceded, her thoughts drifting to the possibility of an impending war. "Alright, next year it is."
"Can you help me pick my teammates?" Hanekawa asked directly. "I want Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara."
"You greedy brat," Tsunade chided, narrowing her eyes at him.
"That's slander!" Hanekawa protested. "I've thought this through carefully!"
"Really?" Tsunade remained unconvinced. "Wouldn't Kakashi or Asuma be better choices?"
"They're not medical ninjas," Hanekawa countered. "Without them, Sensei won't have much to teach."
"What kind of twisted logic is that?" Tsunade snapped, lifting her foot to kick him. "Are you underestimating me? I can teach any kind of student!"
"Sensei, please just do me this one favor!" Hanekawa reacted swiftly, grabbing onto her leg to stop her.
"I never said I wouldn't agree," Tsunade huffed, stomping lightly on his leg. "Now let go and go make dinner."
__
This Danzo Is Weird 170 advanced chapters: (5-10 ch updates everyday)
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