Hanekawa stepped into the kitchen.
Kurenai had put on an apron, and under the warm lighting, her skin seemed fairer than snow.
Hanekawa's gaze naturally fell on her exposed, smooth legs. The straight and sleek lines of her legs led down to her bare feet.
"First, we'll... Hey, what are you looking at?"
Kurenai turned her head and noticed his gaze, her heart fluttering in panic.
"I'm looking at you," Hanekawa replied calmly, adding with a hint of admiration, "The apron looks great."
"Really?"
Kurenai brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.
"What filling do you want for the rice balls?" Hanekawa asked as he walked over to her.
To him, making rice balls was no different from making buns or dumplings.
"Salmon..." Kurenai glanced at him quickly before lowering her head.
"Alright."
Looking at her adorable demeanor, Hanekawa couldn't help but pat her on the head.
"Okay," Kurenai replied softly.
"First, we cook the rice," Hanekawa suggested. "While it's cooking, we can go out and buy some salmon."
Without waiting for instructions, Kurenai started washing the rice. The cool water seemed to calm the redness on her cheeks as she worked.
Exhaling softly, Kurenai found herself momentarily lost in thought.
As she grew older, she understood more about relationships, but her interactions with Hanekawa only grew... stranger.
Deep down, she had an inkling of the reason why, but her youthful shyness kept her from confronting it.
"Hey, the water's overflowing," Hanekawa reminded her.
"S-Sorry!"
Kurenai quickly turned off the faucet, keeping her head down as she continued rinsing the rice. Her cheeks turned pink once again.
Thankfully, Hanekawa didn't press the issue, sparing her any further embarrassment.
"I'm going to change clothes," Kurenai said after starting the rice cooker and darted off to her room, almost as if fleeing.
Hanekawa waited on the couch. When he heard the door to her room open, he stood and looked over.
Kurenai had changed into a black and red kimono, her long black hair draped over her shoulders. The ensemble gave her an air of elegance, even resembling a young wife.
"Why are you wearing a kimono?" Hanekawa asked, blinking in surprise.
"It's January," Kurenai paused briefly before asking, "Does it not look good?"
"It looks amazing!" Hanekawa quickly nodded. "I was just thinking that kimonos can be a bit troublesome to wear."
"It's... not that troublesome," Kurenai stammered, her cheeks visibly reddening.
"...?" Hanekawa was momentarily puzzled by her reaction.
"Let's go!" Kurenai stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and began pulling him toward the door.
"Put your shoes on first," Hanekawa reminded her. "It's cold outside; you can't go barefoot."
"I know!"
Kurenai stopped at the entryway, propped herself against the wall, and bent down slightly to put on her shoes.
But wearing shoes while in a kimono proved awkward.
"I'll help you."
Hanekawa glanced at her tightly fitted kimono, which accentuated her graceful figure.
Though her outfit wasn't a traditional kimono, it was still somewhat cumbersome.
Kurenai froze in place, staring blankly as Hanekawa knelt in front of her.
"Lift your foot," Hanekawa instructed.
Kurenai snapped out of it and complied, though when his hand touched her ankle, her five smooth toes instinctively curled slightly.
Their eyes met, and Kurenai's heart raced in panic.
Biting her lip, she forced herself to relax, and with some effort, she managed to put on her shoes.
Hanekawa stood up, his gaze lowering to meet her delicate face.
Kurenai's heartbeat quickened even more.
At such close proximity, she found herself noticing just how attractive Hanekawa truly was, despite being so familiar with him.
Quickly, she walked outside. The cold wind hitting her face helped her regain her composure.
"Let's go," Hanekawa said as he closed the door, walking up to her and taking her hand.
Kurenai glanced at him briefly, then tightened her grip on his hand.
The winter wind was still bitterly cold, but the young girl didn't feel it at all.
There was a supermarket nearby, so it didn't take long for the two of them to buy some salmon.
"All right! Let's make rice balls!"
Back at home, Kurenai clenched her tiny fists with enthusiasm.
She put on her apron, biting down on a hair tie as she reached up to gather her loose black hair into a neat bundle.
Hanekawa froze for a moment.
The scene was brimming with youthful charm, like something out of an anime.
"Hanekawa, the rice is ready. What should we do next?"
Kurenai asked, looking at the steaming hot rice.
"Let it cool down."
Hanekawa walked over and said, "It's easier to shape the rice balls once it's cool."
"Got it."
Kurenai transferred the rice into a container and placed it in cold water.
"If only we had Ice Release, this would be much easier," Hanekawa suddenly remarked.
"What's Ice Release?" Kurenai asked curiously.
"It's a Kekkei Genkai that allows you to create and manipulate ice," Hanekawa explained. "It's a combination of Water Release and Wind Release."
In the original series, Ice Release was used by Haku, who hadn't been born yet in this timeline.
Besides Haku, the movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow also featured Ice Release. However, that version wasn't genuine; it relied on the snowy environment to simulate Ice Release.
The clearest evidence was Kakashi copying the technique with his Sharingan, which isn't possible with true Kekkei Genkai.
Speaking of that movie, Hanekawa remembered how a young Kakashi had once rescued the princess, Koyuki Kazahana, in the Land of Snow. That must have happened in the past few years.
"Too bad I don't have Wind Release," Kurenai said, her eyes brightening as she looked at Hanekawa. "But you could give it a try."
"Why do you say that?" Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
"With your talent, you could definitely master Wind Release," Kurenai replied confidently. "I just don't have the time or energy to manage it."
"Maybe someday," Hanekawa chuckled.
Still, her words sparked an idea.
He had the system that granted him all-around abilities: talent, comprehension, jutsu power, chakra nature transformation, chakra control, and more. Why couldn't he create his own Kekkei Genkai?
That might be far off, but something more immediate, like improving Rasengan with different chakra natures, was entirely doable.
After all, for advanced Rasengan forms, self-creation was his only option.
"The rice is cool enough now. Let's start making rice balls," Hanekawa said, washing his hands.
He sprinkled salt on his palms, grabbed some rice, and shaped it into a ball. He then pressed his finger into the center to create an indentation.
Into the indentation, he placed salmon and other fillings before molding the rice into a firm triangular shape and wrapping it with a rectangular piece of seaweed.
"It's pretty simple," Kurenai said as she mimicked his actions.
"It's not hard at all," Hanekawa said, smiling at her earnest expression. "Once we finish the rice balls, I'll teach you how to make chicken cutlets, pork cutlets, and grilled eel."
Common bento boxes often included rice balls alongside dishes like those.
"Okay!"
Kurenai held up her rice ball with her pale, delicate hands. "How does it look?"
"Perfect."
Hanekawa glanced at the rice ball and found himself with an odd thought in his mind.
He guessed even licking those delicate hands might not taste bad.
Hanekawa quickly pushed away the chaotic thoughts in his head.
He wasn't some kind of pervert!
"It shows I have a talent for cooking," Kurenai said with a cheerful smile.
"No, it's a talent for being a perfect wife and mother," Hanekawa replied with a shake of his head.
"Eh?"
Kurenai froze for a moment, her face quickly turning red.
A perfect wife and mother? Wasn't it too early to say something like that?
But her thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
"It tastes good," Kurenai said, taking a bite of her rice ball to shift the topic.
The rice was cooked, and the salmon had been pre-grilled, making it ready to eat.
Hanekawa looked at her adorable expression, wanting to reach out and pat her head, but with salt on his hands, he had to give up.
"Do... do you want a taste?" Kurenai asked, her heart racing.
"It's indeed good," Hanekawa said, lowering his head to take a bite.
"Mm."
Kurenai nodded slightly, but then her eyes widened.
She suddenly realized that Hanekawa had taken a bite of the rice ball she was holding.
The same rice ball she had just bitten into moments ago.
Wasn't this… indirect?
Kurenai's blush spread rapidly, reaching her earlobes, turning her into a flustered, steaming mess.
Hanekawa couldn't help but laugh.
He hadn't expected Kurenai, with her usual personality, to become as shy as Hinata from the original series.
Thankfully, she wasn't the type to faint from embarrassment.
"Let's keep making rice balls," Hanekawa said, sparing her as he grabbed more rice.
It took several seconds for Kurenai to regain her composure.
She exhaled quietly, relieved.
But whenever she looked at the rice ball in her hand, her heart would still race.
After a moment of hesitation, she finished the rest of the rice ball in one go.
"When does our break end?" Kurenai asked while shaping another rice ball, trying to suppress her lingering embarrassment.
"In two days," Hanekawa said casually. "Sensei told us to rest a bit longer."
"A whole week of rest?" Kurenai was a bit surprised. "I'm not used to it."
They had spent such a long time training for the Chunin Exams that it felt strange to suddenly have free time.
"It's fine," Hanekawa said with a smile. "We can train even without her."
"Mm."
Kurenai nodded and asked, "Once we become Chunin, will the missions get harder?"
"Not necessarily," Hanekawa explained.
"Normally, Chunin only take on missions up to B-rank."
"Huh?"
Kurenai blinked in confusion.
Their team had already completed A-rank missions before.
"That's because our teacher is Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin," Hanekawa said with a chuckle. "Rules are meant to be bent when it comes to her."
"True, it's just like Tsunade-sensei," Kurenai said, agreeing with a smile.
"After we eat, we'll practice Water Release," Hanekawa said.
To create Wood Release, his current focus was mastering Water Release and Earth Release.
In addition to that, he was working on sensory ninjutsu and the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
The latter didn't require much effort, just time to accumulate chakra.
Notably, the process of building his seal had sped up significantly.
This was thanks to a newly acquired B-rank trait, Strongest Chunin, which had two effects beneficial for the seal:
1. Chakra refinement speed increased by 150%.
2. Chakra capacity doubled from its original limit.
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New entry: This Danzo Is Weird
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