Talent System In The Naruto Universe

-

After finishing their meal, Hanekawa followed Tsunade out.

Half an hour later, he met Maruboshi Kosuke.

Kosuke wore a gray vest and carried a large black pot along with several spatulas, making him look more like a chef than a ninja.

Unlike in the original timeline, his left leg was still intact.

Seeing the large black pot, Hanekawa couldn't help but think of "Pot Shadow" Danzo Shimura.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Kosuke was stunned, his face showing a look of surprise.

"Kosuke, it's been a while."

Tsunade ruffled Hanekawa's hair and said, "This is my student, Hanekawa."

"Uncle Kosuke."

Hanekawa greeted him politely.

"I've heard of you," Kosuke said with a nod and a smile. "Lady Tsunade has found herself a fine student."

"I came today to ask you to teach him Konoha-style swordsmanship," Tsunade said after some brief pleasantries.

"No problem."

Kosuke agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you."

Tsunade sighed in relief at how smoothly things were going.

"Lady Tsunade, don't mention it," Kosuke said with a wave of his hand. "Back then, even the Second Hokage was generous with his teachings. How could I refuse?"

He was referring to the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

Originally requiring 44 hand signs, Kosuke had learned to use it with only three or six hand signs thanks to Tobirama Senju.

"Lady Tsunade, does Hanekawa have any swordsmanship experience?" Kosuke asked, getting straight to the point.

"He does," Tsunade replied.

"Let's spar first," Kosuke suggested after a moment's thought. "You can learn a lot about someone through combat."

"Hanekawa," Tsunade advised, "use your full strength."

She also wanted to see how skilled her student was in swordsmanship.

Although she was his teacher, she had only taught him medical ninjutsu and superhuman strength. His swordsmanship and genjutsu had been taught by Kurenai Yuhi, so she wasn't entirely familiar with his progress.

"Understood," Hanekawa said, drawing his katana.

"Here I come!"

Kosuke unsheathed a ninja sword and charged forward.

Clang!

The powerful clash made Kosuke's arm tremble slightly.

As expected of Tsunade's student!

Kosuke was impressed but didn't let it distract him.

The two engaged in close-range sword combat, their blades clashing repeatedly in a flurry of strikes.

Within less than a minute, they had exchanged dozens of blows.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

Hanekawa's swordsmanship was far better than she had expected. She realized she didn't know him as well as she thought.

"That's enough," Kosuke said, stepping back to create some distance.

He had only intended to gauge Hanekawa's strength, not to engage in a serious match. There was no need to determine a winner.

"Well, how is he?" Tsunade asked.

"Lady Tsunade, you were far too modest earlier," Kosuke said with admiration. "This isn't just a basic foundation. There's very little I can still teach him in Konoha-style swordsmanship."

Hearing this, Tsunade smiled faintly. Compliments toward Hanekawa were, in a way, compliments toward her, though she didn't care much for such things.

This kid really wasn't bad.

"I've combined genjutsu with swordsmanship to create a technique called Konoha-Style: Willow. I can teach it to him," Kosuke said after a moment of thought.

"That would be wonderful, Kosuke," Tsunade said. This was exactly what she had hoped for.

"It's no trouble at all. In fact, I should thank you, Lady Tsunade," Kosuke said with a hearty laugh. "I'd always worried that Konoha-Style: Willow would be lost to time, but now I don't have to worry anymore!"

Although Konoha-style swordsmanship was a fundamental style, genius ninjas often looked down on it, while ordinary ninjas struggled to master it, leaving Kosuke without a student for years.

"Hanekawa," Tsunade said, pausing briefly, "in the coming days, make sure to come here and learn from Kosuke whenever you can."

"And listen to him."

"Got it," Hanekawa nodded.

Hanekawa wanted to complain: Do you have some misunderstanding about me?

He was so obedient, and his performance at the academy could be verified.

After Tsunade left, Maruboshi Kosuke began explaining his Konoha-Style: Willow technique.

In simple terms, it involved using swordsmanship to initiate, then activating genjutsu to blur one's form and restrain the enemy, and finally attacking from a blind spot.

It was fairly challenging overall, just short of requiring superhuman strength.

---

Three days later, at the Ninja Academy.

Hanekawa opened his entry system.

[A-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Konoha-Style: Willow.]

[Trigger Condition: Successfully execute the technique.]

[Current Progress: 5%.]

Although it was A-Rank, progress on superhuman strength was much slower since he didn't have talent bonuses for taijutsu. However, he had bonuses for genjutsu and swordsmanship.

Hanekawa estimated it would take one or two months to master Konoha-Style: Willow.

---

"Hanekawa!"

Kurenai Yuhi's voice snapped him back to reality.

He turned to look at her.

Kurenai puffed out her cheeks, clearly upset.

"What's wrong?"

Hanekawa reached out and poked her cheek.

It felt like a soft balloon, sinking under his touch.

"Where have you been these past few days? Why haven't you been training with us?" Kurenai pouted.

"I've been learning swordsmanship from a senior," Hanekawa replied, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Kurenai, would you like to learn Water Release?"

Kurenai had previously been tested and found to have water affinity.

Hanekawa also needed to work on his Water Release talent. More importantly, Kosuke might be, apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the most skilled Water Release user in Konoha—especially since he learned it directly from Tobirama Senju.

"Water Release?"

Kurenai was momentarily taken aback, then hesitated. "But I'm already slow at learning genjutsu."

"Give it a try," Hanekawa said with a smile. "Besides, if you only focus on genjutsu, your future potential might be limited."

In the ninja world, genjutsu had a critical weakness: it could be dispelled by allies.

In other words, while genjutsu users could hold their own in one-on-one battles, they became less effective in larger group scenarios—except for members of the Uchiha clan.

"If my dad heard you say that, he'd be furious," Kurenai said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Are you going to tell him?" Hanekawa asked, playing with a strand of her hair.

"N-No, I won't," Kurenai stammered, feeling her heart race.

"Kurenai, you're the best," Hanekawa said softly.

"Of course!" Kurenai declared proudly. "I would never betray you!"

Not far away, Asuma Sarutobi glanced at them.

Although he had given up on Kurenai, watching Hanekawa take advantage of the situation still made him mutter to himself: Ah, youth.

But, seeing that the two were clearly a good match, he knew he had no grounds to object.

---

"Let's go," Hanekawa said after class, leading Kurenai to Maruboshi Kosuke's home.

"Uncle Kosuke, hello. I'm Kurenai Yuhi," Kurenai said politely.

"Yuhi Shinku's daughter?" Kosuke examined her for a moment and sighed. "I can't believe his daughter is already this grown up."

"You knew my father?" Kurenai asked in surprise.

"We were temporary teammates on a mission once," Kosuke explained.

Ninja teams typically consisted of three fixed members. However, for certain missions that required additional manpower or in cases where fixed teammates had died, temporary teammates were assigned.

Kurenai felt a sense of relief.

If Kosuke knew her father, it would make her request easier.

She glanced at Hanekawa, then mustered her courage and asked, "Uncle Kosuke, may I learn Water Release from you?"

"Water Release?" Kosuke's eyes lit up. "You came at the perfect time. I've already taught Hanekawa everything I can, and I've been bored."

Hanekawa's exceptional talent had allowed him to quickly grasp Konoha-Style: Willow. Now, all he needed was time to master it completely.

-

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