Talent System In The Naruto Universe

Hanekawa woke up again, and it was already evening.

He was still in Tsunade's embrace, his face pressed against her shoulder, surrounded by a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Instinctively, Hanekawa opened his eyes, and what greeted him was the bustling street—it was still Tanzaku Street.

His eyes shifted leftward, catching a glimpse of Tsunade's snow-white neck and the golden strands of her hair hanging down.

"Are we going back now?"

Hanekawa shifted his body slightly and immediately felt the soft cushion beneath him.

"Why go back?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile, "We won so much money today. We need to celebrate properly."

"Where are we sleeping tonight then?"

Hanekawa yawned and asked.

"Don't worry, we'll have a place to sleep."

Tsunade stopped walking.

In front of her was a lavishly decorated izakaya.

"Welcome, esteemed guests!"

Noticing them pause, a young woman in a qipao came forward to greet them.

"Bring out your best sake!" Tsunade said boldly.

"Certainly!"

The young woman smiled warmly. "Please, come in."

"Get down now."

Tsunade glanced down at Hanekawa, bent over, and released him.

"Thank you, Sensei."

Hanekawa secretly lamented losing his 'pillow.'

Tsunade patted his head and walked into the izakaya.

She glanced around—full of patrons—and asked, "Do you have private rooms?"

"Yes, but it'll cost extra."

The young woman replied promptly.

"That's fine."

Tsunade walked toward the private rooms.

"Sensei, don't drink too much."

Hanekawa, sitting across from her, reminded her sternly.

"I know my limits."

Tsunade flicked his forehead and emphasized, "How many times have I told you? Teachers take care of students, not the other way around."

"Let's hope so."

Hanekawa clearly didn't believe she could control herself.

Tsunade gave him a sidelong glance. Just as the sake arrived at the table, she couldn't be bothered to argue with the little brat anymore.

An hour later, Hanekawa was exasperated.

"Come on, come on!"

Tsunade was already drunk, her cheeks flushed red. She hugged Hanekawa and said, "You… you drink with me!"

"We should go, teacher."

Hanekawa grabbed the sake cup and said firmly.

"No… no rush!"

Tsunade shook her head. "One more… just one last cup!"

Saying this, she reached out to snatch the cup.

Hanekawa refused to let her, but she tackled him directly.

Everything went dark in front of his eyes as he was buried under her weight.

Luckily, Tsunade got her hands on the cup, stood up, and let him go.

"Sensei!"

Hanekawa couldn't help but shout angrily.

"Why so loud?"

Tsunade was startled and sobered up a little.

"No more drinking!"

Hanekawa said coldly.

"Fine, fine."

Tsunade stared into his eyes for a moment, then surrendered with a hint of grievance.

Hanekawa sighed.

Someone needed to keep Tsunade under control.

"Let's go pay the bill."

Hanekawa climbed off the table, only to catch Tsunade sneaking another sip of sake.

"Just one sip, just one!"

Tsunade raised a finger and said.

"No!"

Hanekawa stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and dragged her out.

"Annoying brat!"

Tsunade grumbled, "I'm your teacher, you know!"

Hanekawa ignored her completely.

After paying the bill, he dragged Tsunade out of the izakaya.

Although another hour had passed, the street was still bustling with people.

The street lamps cast a warm glow, illuminating Tanzaku Street like it was daytime.

Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa, who wore a stern expression, and suddenly burst into a bright, radiant smile.

"This one looks good."

Hanekawa looked around. The inn before him was the largest on the street.

He went inside and booked two rooms.

"Sensei."

Hanekawa stopped at the door of the room, looking at the drunken Tsunade. "Are you okay?"

"Now you care about your teacher?"

Tsunade snorted softly.

"I've always cared about you."

Hanekawa paused and said, "I'll ask the owner to prepare some sobering soup."

"No need."

Tsunade flicked his forehead again and said, "This little bit of alcohol is nothing."

It was true.

With her Yin Seal, sobering up was just a matter of thought.

She simply chose not to sober up because she enjoyed the feeling.

"Stop flicking my forehead."

Hanekawa grumbled. "It'll affect my intelligence."

"Fine, fine."

Tsunade smiled, bent down, kissed his forehead, and said, "Good night."

She then opened the door and entered the room.

Hanekawa was left frozen in place by her sudden action, taking several seconds to react.

His first thought wasn't about taking advantage of the situation, but—Danger!

Because in the original story, everyone who got kissed on the forehead by Tsunade died.

This was just like the curse of the First Hokage's necklace.

Now he had both—who could survive this?

Hanekawa's mouth twitched.

He even considered setting up traps around the room to protect himself.

But he gave up on that thought. He could endure it—he had a tough life force.

After all, he had the talent system.

---

The next day.

After breakfast, Hanekawa and Tsunade returned to Konoha Village.

"We're going to the Hokage's office to collect the reward."

Tsunade seemed to remember something and added, "It's the payment for a B-Rank mission. We can't just let that go."

"Mm."

Hanekawa glanced at her.

She had already returned to her usual demeanor, as if she had forgotten about last night.

Hah, what a heartless woman.

---

Hokage's Office.

The door once again suffered, taking a solid kick from Tsunade.

But it didn't break—truly a champion among doors.

"Old man… huh, Sakumo's here too."

Tsunade entered the Hokage's office and immediately sensed something was off. She asked, "What's going on?"

"I… I failed the mission…"

Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, was no longer his usual calm self, appearing utterly defeated.

"Failed?"

Tsunade looked surprised.

Given Sakumo's strength, failure was rare.

"Winning and losing are part of a ninja's life. You can always try again," Tsunade said after some thought, attempting to comfort him.

"Tsunade, it's not that simple," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "This failure caused significant losses to the Land of Fire, even alarming the Daimyo."

Hearing this, Hanekawa's heart skipped a beat.

This was clearly the infamous mission from the original story that ultimately led to Sakumo Hatake's suicide.

He hadn't expected to witness this unfold in person.

But thinking it over, it made sense.

He was like an accidental butterfly, and his actions could trigger unintended ripples through the timeline.

Moreover, in the original story, Tsunade had already left Konoha due to her hemophobia, so there was no one to stand up for Sakumo.

"I'll take a look at the situation."

Tsunade stepped forward, picked up the mission scroll, and read it carefully.

Sakumo's report was very detailed.

In addition to the mission's high difficulty, there was another reason for the failure: Sakumo had chosen to save his teammates at a critical moment.

"What's done is done. We need to do our best to mitigate the fallout. I'll go speak with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire," Tsunade said as she put down the scroll. "Old man, assigning blame won't solve the problem."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment.

At this moment, Tsunade looked far more like the Hokage than he did.

Upon hearing of Sakumo's failure, his first thought had been how to provide the Land of Fire and Konoha with an explanation.

He had even considered handing Sakumo over to the Daimyo to quell his anger.

In the Naruto world, ninjas ultimately served the Daimyo.

The core of this problem wasn't within Konoha but with the Land of Fire.

Tsunade's approach was the most rational.

Sakumo looked up instinctively.

As he gazed at Tsunade, it was as if he could see the Will of Fire burning brightly within her.

"Then I'll trouble you to make the trip," Hiruzen Sarutobi said after steadying himself. "Make sure not to anger the Daimyo; otherwise, next year's funding will be affected."

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal," Tsunade replied with a confident smile. "The Daimyo still owes me a few favors."

"That's true," Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed, sighing in relief.

Tsunade, as a medical ninja, had once saved the Daimyo's family from severe illnesses. Her assistance was a life-saving grace.

"…?"

Sakumo looked bewildered.

Was the situation really solved that easily?

"Sakumo, you've been through a lot. Take a couple of days off and get some rest," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to him.

Mistakes had consequences.

But he had never intended to drive Sakumo to his death.

After all, with Sakumo Hatake's immense strength, losing him would weaken Konoha. Missions always carry the risk of failure. If failure required a life every time, Konoha would have been empty long ago.

Compared to Sakumo's failed mission, Orochimaru's actions were far more harmful, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi still let him go.

---

"Uncle Sakumo," Hanekawa caught up with Sakumo and said, "Kakashi has been worried about you."

"Kakashi?" Sakumo felt warmth in his heart. "Where is he now?"

"It's Sunday. He's training with Shisui at the teacher's house," Hanekawa replied.

"Thank you," Sakumo said with emotion. "With a friend like you, Kakashi is luckier than I am."

Don't say it like you're leaving a will!

Hanekawa rolled his eyes. "Not necessarily a friend—Kakashi keeps trying to surpass me, but his swordsmanship still needs work."

"You dare mock our swordsmanship?" Sakumo chuckled. "I'll give him extra training when I get back. Watch out!"

"I'll be waiting." Hanekawa nodded firmly.

As Sakumo walked away, realization dawned—Hanekawa had been encouraging him for Kakashi's sake.

"Kakashi, you've found an exceptional friend," Sakumo murmured.

---

Hanekawa waited outside the Hokage's office. Soon, Tsunade emerged.

"How did it go?" Hanekawa asked.

"Got the money!" Tsunade waved the savings book.

"I meant Uncle Sakumo's situation. Are you confident?"

"Of course," Tsunade replied casually. "The Daimyo won't care about small losses as long as his rule isn't threatened."

Hanekawa realized the Daimyo couldn't afford to lose Konoha amidst constant war.

"Come with me tomorrow," Tsunade said, ruffling his hair. "If the Daimyo acknowledges you, your path to Hokage will be smoother."

"Alright." Hanekawa was curious about the Land of Fire's capital.

"Rest tonight. We'll leave tomorrow," Tsunade decided.

---

Suddenly, heavy footsteps approached. Hanekawa looked up to see a grim-faced Danzo Shimura.

"Tsk." Tsunade showed open disgust. "Let's go, Hanekawa."

Danzo watched them leave, regret flashing in his eyes. He had missed his chance to claim Hanekawa.

With unmatched talent in swordsmanship, genjutsu, and medical ninjutsu, Hanekawa's growing fame pained Danzo.

---

Danzo entered the Hokage's office. "Hiruzen, Sakumo must be severely punished!"

"That won't be necessary," Hiruzen replied calmly.

"Not necessary?" Danzo frowned. "Do you realize the damage he caused?"

"Tsunade will explain it to the Daimyo," Hiruzen stated.

"Tsunade? This is reckless!" Danzo argued.

"We must hold someone accountable to appease the public!"

"This is accountability, Danzo. If the Daimyo accepts, the matter is closed," Hiruzen replied firmly.

"And Konoha?" Danzo pressed. "Sakumo violated the ninja code!"

"Rules are rigid, but people are not," Hiruzen said. "How many codes have you broken?"

"I'm different!" Danzo retorted. "Everything I do is for Konoha!"

Hiruzen was silent for a moment.

"Enough! I am the Hokage," Hiruzen said, ending the debate.

"You'll regret this!" Danzo warned.

"Stay in line, Danzo," Hiruzen said sharply.

"I'm not senile yet."

Danzo froze, realizing Hiruzen wasn't bluffing. Resentfully, he complied—Hiruzen still held ultimate authority in Konoha.

---

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