Chapter 70: Hatake Sakumo's Thanks
Saturday.
As soon as Hanekawa opened the door, he heard a cheerful voice.
"Hanekawa! Look!" Yuhi Kurenai ran up to him.
"Look at what?" Hanekawa yawned.
Kurenai didn't answer, she just spun around in front of him. Hanekawa then noticed she was wearing a white tracksuit and had her hair tied in a single ponytail. She looked spirited and energetic, a change from her usual free-flowing hairstyle.
"Looks good, full of energy," Hanekawa said with a smile, nodding his head.
"Yep!" Kurenai beamed brightly.
"What are you two doing?" Yuhi Shinku walked out of his room, a puzzled look on his face. "Isn't it Saturday? Are you going out?"
"We're going to Uncle Kosuke's place," Kurenai said, clenching her fists with a serious tone. "I'm going to learn Water Style today!"
"Kosuke? Water Style?" Yuhi Shinku's eyes widened.
What's going on? My daughter's not only a blabbermouth, she's also making a decision that goes against her ancestors' wishes! Is she not learning genjutsu anymore?
"It's like this..." Hanekawa explained the situation, from beginning to end. However, he left out the part where he was the one who suggested it, instead saying that Maruboshi Kosuke was teaching her Water Style as a favor to Yuhi Shinku.
"I can't believe old man Kosuke still remembers me," Yuhi Shinku said, very pleased after hearing the story.
Kurenai blinked. She knew Hanekawa had told a small lie, but she didn't expose him.
"Kurenai," Yuhi Shinku instructed. "Although old man Kosuke is a genin, his strength should not be underestimated. Stay with him and learn well."
Thinking it over, learning Water Style wasn't a bad idea. After all, a genjutsu could always be broken. Kurenai was a girl, so learning taijutsu and kenjutsu like Hanekawa was not as elegant, but Water Style was a perfect fit. Yuhi Shinku also knew that Maruboshi Kosuke's Water Style was taught by the Second Hokage, not the Second Mizukage. All in all, Kurenai was the one who benefited.
"Dad, we're leaving!" After breakfast, Kurenai grabbed Hanekawa's hand and ran out.
"Slow down!" Yuhi Shinku yelled, seeing them go. "Don't exercise right after eating breakfast!"
"Got it!" Kurenai replied without turning her head.
The March sun was neither too hot nor too cold, making for a comfortable day. The two of them walked hand in hand down the street. Since it was Saturday, there weren't many people on the street, only some shops preparing to open.
"When did a new ramen shop open here?" Kurenai noticed the Ichiraku Ramen in the distance.
"Let's try it out once it opens," Hanekawa said, glancing at it. He noticed an old man in a white chef's uniform. It was definitely Teuchi. In the original story, one place was particularly safe: Ichiraku Ramen. When Pain destroyed all of Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen was left untouched. Many people jokingly called Teuchi "Otsutsuki Ichiraku," a hidden master.
"Okay," Kurenai nodded, a look of anticipation on her face. The important thing wasn't what they were eating, but who she was eating with.
The two of them soon arrived at Maruboshi Kosuke's house.
"Hello, Uncle Kosuke," Kurenai and Hanekawa greeted him in unison.
"Good morning," Maruboshi Kosuke said, smiling warmly. He had always been alone, but now with these two kids, he felt very happy.
After the pleasantries, it was time for training. Hanekawa took out his samurai sword and began to work on his progress bar.
"Kurenai, I've already taught you most of the Water Style fundamentals over the past few days," Maruboshi Kosuke said after a moment's thought. "Today we'll learn Water Style: Wild Water Wave. It's a basic Water Style jutsu, and it's not too difficult."
"Okay!" Kurenai was excited, nodding repeatedly.
"The power of this jutsu depends on the amount of chakra you put into it," Maruboshi Kosuke said, performing the hand seals. He then spat out a wave of water, but it was small, only the size of his arm. He then performed it a second time, and this time, it was large enough to be called a river.
"That's so cool!" Kurenai couldn't help but say. "This feels so much more useful than genjutsu!"
Hanekawa's mouth twitched. Luckily, Yuhi Shinku wasn't here. Otherwise, Kurenai would have gotten a beating. But even if he wouldn't hit his daughter, he would probably be half-dead with anger.
Jokes aside, genjutsu was in no way inferior to Water Style. Kurenai was probably talking about its visual impact, as Water Style was much more visually dynamic. Hanekawa shook off his thoughts and continued his own training.
Outside the Hokage's Office.
Hatake Sakumo hesitated for a few seconds before raising his hand and knocking on the door.
"Come in," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice called out.
"Hokage-sama," Sakumo said, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
"Sakumo," Hiruzen said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"
"I've come specifically to thank you for dealing with the rumors," Hatake Sakumo said, bowing slightly. He had, of course, heard about the rumors. But he had always believed in his own ninja way, so he paid no mind to their gossip. But two days ago, he suddenly noticed that all the rumors had disappeared. Only a handful of people in Konoha had the power to do that. The most likely person was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After figuring this out, Hatake Sakumo felt a sense of relief. In his eyes, Hiruzen represented the Will of Fire. If even he acknowledged him, it meant that he had done nothing wrong.
"It was Tsunade who asked me," Hiruzen said with a smile.
"Tsunade?" Sakumo was stunned. That was something he had not expected. Although Tsunade was part of Konoha's leadership, she wasn't like Shimura Danzo, who got involved in everything.
"She's at the mission hall right now; you can go find her," Hiruzen said casually, picking up his pipe.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Hatake Sakumo said, bowing again before leaving the office.
Hiruzen looked at his retreating figure and took a puff from his pipe. He understood Sakumo. If Tsunade had done him a favor and was also a contender for Hokage, he would likely step aside and even support her.
Mission Hall.
Tsunade carefully selected Hanekawa's first mission: to go to the Land of Water and rendezvous with a Konoha intelligence agent. The mission rank was B, which meant they would encounter other ninja, but not jonin—at most, chunin. In addition to being a suitable difficulty, Tsunade's most important consideration was to let Hanekawa experience the cruelty of the ninja world. The Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village were perfect for that lesson.
Just then, a familiar figure came into view.
"Tsunade," Hatake Sakumo walked up to her and said directly. "I want to thank you for your help with the rumors."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She quickly guessed Hiruzen's intentions.
"Hanekawa was the one who asked me," Tsunade said with a smile, not caring in the least. "If you want to thank someone, thank that kid."
Hatake Sakumo was stunned. How did Hanekawa get involved in this? They were somewhat familiar with each other because of Kakashi, but Hanekawa was still just a child. It seemed unbelievable that he would be involved in something like this.
"No matter what, I still have to thank you," Hatake Sakumo said, bowing slightly.
....
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