Morning.
Hanekawa woke up early because he had a lot to do today.
Three days had passed since the Chūnin Exams, and yesterday, he received a message from Tsuchibashi asking him to visit the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
In addition to meeting as part of his undercover duties, he also needed to prepare breakfast for Tsunade and Kurenai Yuhi.
As for why Kurenai was included, it was because her father, Shinku Yuhi, had taken on a mission two days ago and was no longer in the village.
Hanekawa got dressed and left his room.
Jogging all the way, he soon arrived at the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
"Uncle Tsuchibashi," Hanekawa greeted after confirming the contact code.
"Hanekawa, congratulations on earning first place in the Chūnin Exams," Tsuchibashi said with a look of deep emotion. "To reach this level as a spy, you've made history in the Hidden Cloud Village."
"Just lucky," Hanekawa replied with a smile before asking, "Why did you call me here, Uncle Tsuchibashi?"
"There's something important," Tsuchibashi said seriously. "The war is drawing near, and Lord Raikage hopes you'll play a significant role when the time comes."
"Yes!" Hanekawa's heart skipped a beat.
"With your current identity and position, you can already access many of Konoha's secrets," Tsuchibashi said, patting Hanekawa's shoulder. "When war breaks out, you might very well become the key to the Hidden Cloud's victory."
"I understand!" Hanekawa nodded, already thinking about how to sidestep the Hidden Cloud's expectations.
The only regret was that he would never obtain the training methods for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
But some ties had to be cut.
As an orphan, Hanekawa felt no attachment to the Hidden Cloud Village.
As for being exposed, he wasn't too worried.
As long as he didn't admit it, Konoha would only assume the Hidden Cloud was smearing his name.
After all, no one would believe that Tsunade's student could be a spy.
Still, until he was discovered, Hanekawa intended to squeeze every last ounce of value out of the Hidden Cloud.
Providing intelligence wasn't out of the question, either—like information about Danzo Shimura.
"Have you made progress on identifying the Nine-Tails jinchūriki as I asked before?" Tsuchibashi suddenly asked.
"I've narrowed it down to a few candidates, but I haven't confirmed it yet," Hanekawa replied, shaking his head.
"Do your best to confirm the jinchūriki's identity before the war begins," Tsuchibashi said gravely.
"I'll try my best," Hanekawa said with a serious expression.
"Any other information?" Tsuchibashi relaxed, smiling as he asked.
"There is one thing," Hanekawa said after a moment's thought. "But it's related to the Hidden Sand Village."
"The Hidden Sand?" Tsuchibashi asked, surprised and curious. "What is it?"
"The Third Kazekage has been missing for a long time and may already be dead," Hanekawa said slowly.
"W-What?!"
Tsuchibashi froze, staring at him in disbelief.
For a moment, he thought he must have misheard.
The Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage, had made his mark on the ninja world with his Magnet Release and Iron Sand techniques.
How could someone like that vanish without a trace—or even die?
It sounded like pure fantasy!
Who, apart from the other Kage, could possibly pull off such a feat?
"Where did you get this information?" Tsuchibashi asked, regaining his composure.
"From my sensei," Hanekawa replied, his expression calm and composed.
The Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't dare approach Tsunade to verify the truth.
"Tsunade, huh?" Tsuchibashi opened his mouth, hesitating for words. "This… this is really…"
He thought for a long time but couldn't find the right way to express himself.
The Third Kazekage was one of the five most powerful and influential figures in the ninja world!
"This intel is incredibly valuable!"
Tsuchibashi suddenly became excited, speaking with enthusiasm. "If this is true, then the Hidden Sand Village must be in utter chaos right now."
"Not just chaos," Hanekawa added, "but also unprecedented weakening."
"Exactly!" Tsuchibashi burst into laughter.
"This time, we're bound to make a huge contribution!"
Although the information was provided by Hanekawa, Tsuchibashi, as the contact, would share in the credit.
"But the final decision will rest with Lord Raikage." Tsuchibashi took a deep breath, calming his excitement. "I'll send a message immediately!"
"To ensure accuracy, it would be best if Lord Raikage investigates the authenticity of this information first," Hanekawa reminded.
"That's true." Tsuchibashi paused, then said, "You're more thoughtful than I am."
"All for the Hidden Cloud Village!" Hanekawa said with conviction.
"Lord Raikage will undoubtedly reward your loyalty," Tsuchibashi said with admiration.
"It's what I should do," Hanekawa replied with a smile.
"Your dedication surpasses mine,"
Tsuchibashi said with a laugh. "You should head back for now. Once I receive a reply from Lord Raikage, I'll inform you."
"Understood."
Hanekawa then handed him a scroll. "This is my friend's new novel."
"A new novel?" Tsuchibashi's eyes lit up. "I've been waiting eagerly!"
He immediately opened the scroll, unable to contain his curiosity.
For him, while rewards from the Hidden Cloud were nice, they rarely came in the form of direct monetary compensation. Most of his income came from the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
Since Hanekawa's friend's work, Thunderfire Sword, became a huge hit, it had turned into his biggest money-maker.
"Just from the outline, this looks like another fascinating novel," Tsuchibashi said, closing the scroll.
"My friend wants this new work, The Steel Witch, to be published simultaneously as a novel and a manga," Hanekawa explained.
"No problem," Tsuchibashi assured him. "Tell your friend to rest easy; I'll make arrangements as quickly as possible."
Time was money. With Thunderfire's current popularity, every minute of delay could mean losing thousands of ryō.
"Thanks, Uncle Tsuchibashi," Hanekawa said before bidding him farewell and leaving the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
Revealing the disappearance of the Third Kazekage was a calculated decision on Hanekawa's part.
According to the timeline in the original work, within a year, the Hidden Sand Village would declare war on Konoha, marking the start of the Third Great Ninja War.
The primary cause was the internal strife in the Hidden Sand after the Third Kazekage's disappearance. Without a diversion, the conflicts would escalate into a full-blown crisis.
Since the situation was already bad, there was no harm in informing the Hidden Cloud.
In theory, whatever the Hidden Cloud's response, it wouldn't significantly affect him.
With these thoughts, Hanekawa arrived at Tsunade's house.
He pulled out a key and opened the door.
"Sensei." Hanekawa stopped in front of Tsunade's room and knocked on the door.
After a moment, the door opened.
"You're here so early today?" Tsunade leaned against the doorframe, her eyes barely open, speaking groggily.
Hanekawa's eyes widened instinctively.
Her posture pressed her body against the door, making her silhouette appear exaggerated and remarkably prominent.
"It's not early, Sensei," Hanekawa said, steadying himself.
"Then go make breakfast," Tsunade mumbled before retreating inside.
Tsunade yawned, turned around, and flopped back onto the bed, leaving Hanekawa with a graceful view of her back.
"Stop sleeping—you still need to freshen up," Hanekawa said, his gaze instinctively falling on her pale, smooth legs.
"I know," Tsunade replied weakly, half-asleep. "One more thing—throw my clothes in the washing machine for me."
Hanekawa's lips twitched.
He really wanted to go over and smack her on the backside.
Shaking his head, Hanekawa closed the door and headed to the bathroom.
Tsunade's clothes were casually tossed near the bathtub—her jacket, shirt, pants, and even her intimate garments, all mixed together. But there were no signs of wear affecting her impressive figure. Thanks to the Yin Seal, she didn't need to worry about any changes in her body shape.
"Wait!"
Not long after Hanekawa left, Tsunade suddenly sat up, pressing her hand to her forehead as a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
She had just remembered how private those clothes were.
Even though her relationship with Hanekawa was close, there were still boundaries between men and women.
But it was too late—she'd already asked, and it had likely been done.
"I guess I'll need to be more careful in the future," Tsunade sighed. "That little brat isn't a kid anymore."
After getting dressed, she left her room.
Passing by the kitchen, she glanced at Hanekawa before walking into the bathroom.
Her clothes, which she had carelessly left lying around, were gone, and the washing machine was already running.
Tsunade bit her lip slightly, then quickly shrugged it off, her thick skin allowing her to let go of the awkwardness.
After washing up, she returned to the living room.
"Sensei, do you have any plans for today?" Hanekawa handed her a pair of chopsticks.
"None," Tsunade replied casually. "You've been preparing for the Chūnin Exams for so long without a break. Take a few days off."
"Alright." Hanekawa stood up and said, "I'll head back now, Sensei."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, looking a little displeased.
"Do you not want to spend time with your teacher?"
"Not at all," Hanekawa explained. "I need to go back and cook for Kurenai."
Tsunade froze slightly and then said, "Fine, go ahead."
Hanekawa nodded and left.
With a light click, the door closed behind him.
Tsunade stared at the steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen in front of her but suddenly found her appetite waning.
Back at his place, Hanekawa opened the door and saw that Kurenai was already up.
She was sitting on the couch in her pajamas, not watching TV but applying lipstick.
Under the light, her lips glistened with a soft, moist sheen, appearing delicate and inviting.
"Are you hungry?" Hanekawa asked as he approached, catching a faint, pleasant fragrance.
"Starving," Kurenai replied, pressing her lips together and putting away the lipstick. Then she asked, "How about teaching me how to cook?"
"Sure," Hanekawa said, reaching out to ruffle her slightly wavy hair. "What do you want to learn?"
"Rice balls," Kurenai said, tilting her head.
"Rice balls?" Hanekawa was momentarily surprised. "Why start with rice balls?"
"If I learn how to make rice balls, I can prepare bento," Kurenai said, blinking.
"Oh? To make a bento for me?" Hanekawa teased with a laugh.
"Of course not!" Kurenai's cheeks turned pink as she replied awkwardly, "It's for my dad!"
"And what about me?" Hanekawa poked her cheek.
"Depends on my mood!" Kurenai glared at him before standing up, her slender, pale feet pattering across the floor as she ran into the kitchen.
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New entry: This Danzo Is Weird
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