Talent System In The Naruto Universe

"HIRUZEN!"

In the dead of night, a furious roar echoed through the Root headquarters of Konoha.

Shimura Danzō woke up with a grim expression.

In his dream, he had once again relived the agonizing scene of when Hiruzen was appointed as the Hokage.

His fists clenched tightly.

Hokage! I will become Hokage, even if it kills me!

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Danzō rose and left his room.

Walking down a dimly lit corridor, he arrived at a particular room, pushing the door ajar to peer inside.

There, sleeping soundly on the bed, was Yamato—or as he was now known, "Tenzo."

Yamato was the sole survivor of the experiments on Wood Release.

What Orochimaru didn't know, however, was that his experiment hadn't entirely failed.

While he believed all the subjects had died, Danzō had stealthily taken Yamato and brought him back to Root.

"At least I still have hope," Danzō muttered with a twisted smile.

As a student of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, Danzō had personally witnessed the sheer power of the First Hokage's Wood Release.

If Yamato could reach his full potential, he could help eliminate Hiruzen Sarutobi.

With Hiruzen out of the picture, Danzō could position himself as the savior of Konoha during its time of crisis and ascend as the Fourth Hokage.

The plan was flawless.

But Danzō's ambitions didn't stop there.

No matter how strong Yamato became, he was still an outsider.

Danzō wanted to transplant Hashirama's cells into his own body to gain the power of Wood Release himself.

Though his earlier attempts had failed—Hashirama's cells were far too aggressive—Yamato's success offered a glimmer of hope for future trials.

Closing the door, Danzō turned and headed to his office within Root.

With his sleep disturbed, he decided to check the progress of the Wood Release research.

As the lights flickered on, he casually picked up a file on his desk.

The contents made his expression darken instantly.

It was a directive from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Two points were made:

1. Danzō was to compensate for the damages to the Hokage's office.

2. Hanekawa was now officially Tsunade's student, and Danzō was to abandon any delusions otherwise.

Danzō's entire body trembled with rage as he read the note.

Tsunade chooses today of all days to take on a student? This is clearly aimed at me!

"Hiruzen! You'll regret this!" Danzō bellowed, his voice echoing through the empty halls.

---

The news of Tsunade taking a student spread quickly.

Thanks to Hiruzen's deliberate encouragement, by morning, the information had reached every major ninja clan and Jonin in Konoha.

The common villagers, however, would probably only hear about it in a few days.

---

At the Hatake residence, Sakumo Hatake opened the door and found Kakashi standing silently by the window, radiating a gloomy aura.

This was the first time Sakumo had seen his son in such a state.

There was no need to ask; the reason was obvious.

The genius Kakashi, undefeated in Hatake swordsmanship, had been bested by Hanekawa.

It was a crushing blow, moving him from the realm of prodigy to a "don't laugh challenge" meme overnight.

"Not upset, are you?" Sakumo asked casually.

"No," Kakashi replied curtly, unwilling to admit any such thing.

"I had a chat with Lord Hokage yesterday. Do you know why you lost?" Sakumo asked after a moment of thought.

"Why?" Kakashi turned, his expression stoic.

"Proficiency," Sakumo explained. "If your swordsmanship was as polished as Hanekawa's, you could've easily defeated him."

Kakashi immediately headed for the door.

"I'm going to train."

"Hey, eat first!" Sakumo called after him.

---

Meanwhile, at the Sarutobi residence, Asuma Sarutobi had risen early despite having no classes that day.

His loss to Hanekawa haunted him, motivating him to start training as soon as possible.

But his enthusiasm was short-lived.

"What did you say?" Asuma asked, shocked.

"You've got to be kidding me! Why didn't you stop her?"

Tsunade wasn't just any medical ninja—her strength was terrifying.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks: Hanekawa's position as Tsunade's student would make him an even more formidable opponent.

If Hanekawa mastered the Yin Seal and monstrous strength, Sarutobi Asuma couldn't help but feel a shiver down his spine at the thought.

An opponent with maxed-out attack power and recovery abilities? Forget fighting, you'd be better off setting up a market stall instead!

"Scared?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a teasing smile.

"Me? Scared?!"

Asuma straightened his neck defiantly and said, "The past is the past, the present is the present, and the future is the future. I won't keep losing forever!"

"Well said."

Hiruzen coughed lightly and added, "Don't forget, Tsunade is my student."

Asuma froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

Tsunade? So what? Her teacher is my dad!

When it came to hierarchy, that meant Asuma had one up on Hanekawa.

"These next two months, I'll personally give you special training," Hiruzen said with a chuckle.

Finally, a chance to let Asuma experience the depths of his father's love!

---

Hanekawa raised his hand to knock on the door.

He didn't have a key to Tsunade's house.

The last time he entered uninvited was because she had been too drunk to lock the door.

Moments later, the door swung open.

Tsunade appeared—not in her usual sleeveless top and dark blue pants but in a loose white nightgown.

The nightgown was oversized, yet it failed to hide her curvaceous figure, looking full and rounded.

Hanekawa also noticed she was only wearing the nightgown—certain details were faintly visible.

"So early?" Tsunade yawned.

"It's not early; it's almost nine o'clock," Hanekawa replied. He had spent two hours training with Kurenai before coming over.

The first reason was that he guessed Tsunade would sleep in.

The second was Kurenai, who had looked at him pitifully that morning and asked, "Are you going to see Lady Tsunade again?"

"I'll go get changed," Tsunade said after a pause. "I want ramen."

With her order placed, she turned and headed back to her room.

Hanekawa took his cue and went to the kitchen to prepare noodles.

A few minutes later, he returned to the living room carrying a bowl of ramen.

Tsunade had already changed back into her usual outfit. Her beautiful blonde hair was tied into twin ponytails, one on each side.

She picked up her chopsticks, slurped a bite of noodles, and her eyes lit up. "Not bad," she said.

In reality, the ramen's quality was thanks to his E-rank trait, Chef.

Watching Tsunade devour the food, Hanekawa couldn't help but wonder if higher-ranked culinary traits might have effects like "so delicious it makes clothes explode."

The thought filled him with anticipation.

I, Hanekawa, am the true culinary god!

"Ahhh!" Tsunade sighed in satisfaction after drinking the soup, placing the bowl down.

Hanekawa, sensing the mood, promptly picked up the empty dishes and went to the kitchen to clean them.

Tsunade watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

What should I teach him today?

Previously, she had given him casual pointers, but that didn't count as true instruction.

"Sensei," Hanekawa said, appearing before her after finishing the dishes.

"Let me see your chakra control first," Tsunade said, sitting upright with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

Hanekawa glanced around, picked up a glass of water, and channeled his chakra into it. The water began to swirl and spin.

In the original series, chakra control training typically involved tree climbing or water walking.

Hanekawa, however, was using a simplified version of Rasengan training.

"Not bad," Tsunade said, nodding in satisfaction.

What impressed her most about Hanekawa was his solid foundation, evidence of relentless practice.

In truth, his proficiency came from his in-built system's progress bar. Once learned, a skill couldn't be forgotten—only improved.

"Today, I'll teach you a basic medical ninjutsu: Hemostasis Jutsu," Tsunade said, picking up a fruit knife and looking at Hanekawa.

--

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