"Hanekawa, this is the room arranged for you."
Samui pushed the door open, her tone somewhat complicated, and said.
"Thank you."
Hanekawa stepped into the room, sat down at the table, and casually poured two glasses of water.
"Why did you do that just now?"
Samui hesitated for a few seconds but couldn't help asking.
"I've said it before: it's to obtain the reward I deserve. Trading Lord Raikage for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode is very reasonable."
Hanekawa handed her a glass of water and said, "Don't worry, I won't betray you of my own accord."
This statement wasn't a lie.
For Hanekawa, his current undercover identity still had value.
He wouldn't actively betray them, but if the Hidden Cloud Village chose to betray him, that would be another matter entirely.
"Samui, don't trust him!"
Yugito Nii stormed into the room angrily and said, "He's not worthy of being a ninja of the Hidden Cloud Village!"
Among the Five Great Villages, the Hidden Cloud had the fewest defectors, especially at the Jonin level. It was nearly unheard of.
The Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers weren't technically defectors either—they only rebelled in their bid for the Raikage position.
The primary reason was that the Hidden Cloud's culture valued strength over ideology like the "Will of Lightning." The strongest would earn the title "A" and become the Raikage.
Hanekawa's actions didn't align with the Hidden Cloud's traditions.
"Little Wildcat, where's my stuff?"
Hanekawa smiled at Yugito Nii.
"Bastard! Don't call me Little Wildcat!"
Yugito slammed the table, reluctantly handing something over. "Here, take it!"
"Thank you."
Hanekawa picked up the scroll, which contained the training methods for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
It would take more than two days to master, but that didn't matter. He had the Comprehension, Memory, and Understanding traits.
With those three cheat-like abilities, learning the training method would be effortless.
"Write the prescription!"
Yugito took out paper and a pen, warning him, "Don't try any tricks!"
"I'm not a defector."
Without even looking up, Hanekawa said, "Your attitude makes things very difficult for me."
"You!"
Yugito clenched her fists in anger.
"Yugito."
Samui grabbed her wrist and shook her head quickly.
"Damn it!"
Yugito took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. "Please write the prescription."
"That's more like it."
Hanekawa glanced at her, noticing her flushed face, overwhelmed with anger.
For someone as proud as her, this was a first.
Hanekawa picked up the pen and started writing.
He didn't tamper with the prescription.
First, the Third Raikage's death would still lead to war.
Second, he'd become a prime target for the Hidden Cloud's wrath.
The Fourth Raikage or Killer B could ambush him any day, opting for mutual destruction. With their personalities, they'd absolutely do it.
While his home might be relatively safe, missions outside the village would expose him to ambushes. Even if Hanekawa and Tsunade didn't fear it, what about Kurenai and her family?
"Done."
Hanekawa handed the prescription to Yugito, meeting her distrustful gaze. "I've said it before—I'm still a ninja of the Hidden Cloud."
"When do we spar?"
Yugito took the prescription, glanced at it, and found it incomprehensible.
"In two days."
Hanekawa replied casually.
"By then, I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
Yugito declared arrogantly.
"Got it, Little Wildcat."
Hanekawa picked up the scroll and began reading it.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Yugito trembled with rage.
"Yugito."
Samui quickly dragged her out of the room. "Lord Raikage is still waiting for the prescription!"
"He can enjoy his smugness for two days. When the time comes, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
Hearing the mention of the Raikage, Yugito barely regained her composure. She snorted in dissatisfaction before stomping away.
"Yugito, his strength is formidable. Don't underestimate him."
Samui reminded her.
"I'm a Jinchuriki!"
Yugito completely dismissed the warning. "You keep an eye on him. I'll deliver the prescription to Lord Raikage."
She turned and left.
Soon, she arrived at the Third Raikage's room.
Inside were Mabui, A, Killer B, and three medical ninjas—all Jonin.
They were the Hidden Cloud's best medical ninjas and were conducting a full examination of the Third Raikage.
Without interrupting, Yugito handed the prescription to Mabui.
"Lord Raikage."
A few minutes later, a medical Jonin reported, "After our individual checks, we've confirmed that the poison in your body has been neutralized."
"Is there any new poison?"
A asked anxiously.
"No."
The medical Jonin shook his head and added, "While our poisoning skills don't match Hanekawa's, we can clearly tell whether there's poison or not."
"That's good."
A let out a sigh of relief.
"Hanekawa is a smart person. He knows how to maximize his benefits," Mabui said, handing over the prescription.
"Even so, his loyalty is questionable!" A replied discontentedly.
"He received excellent treatment in the Leaf Village, so it's understandable for him to have thoughts of defection," the Third Raikage said regretfully. "If he had grown up in the Hidden Cloud, these problems wouldn't have arisen."
"Lord Raikage," the medical Jonin interjected, "we've reviewed the prescription and found no issues."
"Go prepare the medicine," the Third Raikage ordered, waving his hand.
"Yes, sir."
The three medical Jonin turned and left.
"What's the situation with the Hidden Sand Village?"
The Third Raikage asked.
"The Hidden Sand has sent Pakura to the Leaf Village," Mabui replied gravely.
"That seems troublesome."
The Third Raikage frowned. "It's highly likely that the Hidden Sand and the Leaf are forming an alliance."
The Hidden Cloud and the Leaf had a deep-seated enmity, especially since the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was killed by the Hidden Cloud. Now, with an opportunity at hand, the Leaf wouldn't let it slip away.
"So what if they form an alliance?"
A said confidently. "We'll take them both on!"
"An alliance between the two is still within the Hidden Cloud's tolerance," Mabui added after a pause, "but the problem arises if the Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist take advantage of the situation."
"A, you'll be in charge of the Hidden Cloud during this time," the Third Raikage instructed. "Prepare for every contingency."
"Yes, sir!"
A responded with a serious expression.
---
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Hanekawa's main body had returned to the Leaf Village.
Pakura hadn't arrived yet, and it had nothing to do with him. For now, he finally had some free time.
Apart from accompanying Tsunade to the casino, most of his time was spent learning Earth Release techniques.
By now, his strength was nearly on par with a Jonin, so he no longer felt the need to hide it. He openly requested Earth Release jutsu from Tsunade.
After all, one of the requirements for becoming a Jonin was mastering jutsu from at least two chakra natures. As a genius, mastering two more was perfectly normal.
Meanwhile, Hanekawa's shadow clone spent a day and a half memorizing the training method for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The main reason was that the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was an advanced version of activating Lightning Release Chakra, and the two techniques had significant similarities. Hanekawa didn't need to start from scratch.
---
"Hey!"
Yugito Nii's voice called from outside the door. "Come out and fight me!"
She had been waiting for this for two days and could barely contain her excitement.
Hanekawa set down the jutsu scroll and stepped out of the room.
Since he was a shadow clone, the scroll couldn't return to the main body, so he didn't bother trying to make any changes to it.
"This is quite the crowd," Hanekawa muttered as he glanced around.
Aside from Yugito Nii, the Third Raikage, A, Killer B, Samui, and Mabui were all present.
Even the Third Raikage, despite his weakened condition, had come to watch. Hanekawa's presence truly commanded attention.
Then again, it wasn't surprising.
Yugito Nii wasn't just a Jinchuriki but also a standout among the younger generation, arguably the strongest.
Well, technically, A was the strongest, but he belonged to the previous generation.
As for Hanekawa, he was still officially a ninja of the Hidden Cloud.
A duel between him and Yugito Nii was essentially a battle for the future of the Hidden Cloud.
"How much of your chakra does this clone have?" Yugito asked, staring at Hanekawa.
"About half," Hanekawa replied after some thought.
In reality, it was less than half since his main body had an incomplete version of the Yin Seal.
"Good."
Yugito raised an eyebrow, scoffing as she said, "Let's begin!"
The next second, a terrifying aura erupted from her.
Yugito moved like a leopard, closing the distance between them in an instant and striking with her right hand.
Sharp claws extended from her nails, glinting coldly as they aimed to tear Hanekawa apart.
Superhuman Strength!
Hanekawa stood his ground, clenched his fist, and countered with a simple punch.
Yugito sneered.
To her, using bare flesh to counter her claws was asking to lose a hand.
But her expression quickly changed as she let out a cry of pain.
Hanekawa's fist felt like a mountain crashing down on her.
The immense force shattered her claws, sending a shockwave rippling outward.
Yugito's body was flung backward.
"Yugito!"
Samui's face filled with worry.
"That's Tsunade's monster strength," the Third Raikage remarked, shaking his head.
"She underestimated him. Hanekawa is far from being like the peers she's fought before."
"It's fortunate she's a Jinchuriki," Mabui sighed in relief.
Jinchuriki, whether in strength or recovery, are far superior to ordinary ninja.
Yugito Nii retracted her injured claws, enduring the pain. Apart from some blood on her hands, she was mostly unharmed.
She glared at Hanekawa and stubbornly said, "It won't be so easy next time!"
"Oh, really?" Hanekawa replied with a faint smile.
"You bastard! Are you looking down on me?!" Yugito Nii felt the disdain and immediately grew furious.
Mouse Hairball!
With a sweep of her hands, she spat out over a dozen blue fireballs from her mouth.
Under her control, the flames formed a tight net, cutting off all of Hanekawa's escape routes.
Chidori Stream!
Hanekawa had no intention of running.
Standing his ground, his body erupted with dazzling lightning, accompanied by the piercing sound of chirping birds.
"What jutsu is that?" Mabui asked, her eyes narrowing. "It looks a bit like the Lightning Release Chakra Mode."
"It's not," A shook his head. "I've seen Hatake Kakashi, Minato Namikaze's student, use this. It's an A-rank Lightning Release technique."
"It won't be enough to block Yugito's Mouse Hairball," Killer B said confidently. "After all, Mouse Hairball is derived from Matatabi's power."
The blue fireballs hit Hanekawa dead-on, erupting in a series of deafening explosions.
The lightning around Hanekawa dimmed, flickering weakly.
Chidori Stream was a jutsu designed for both offense and defense, but it wasn't specialized for defense alone. Being unable to block the attack completely was expected.
---
Lightning Release Chakra Armor!
Without hesitation, Hanekawa activated his trump card, instantly boosting his defense, attack, and speed by 100%.
As a shadow clone, he had no need to conserve chakra. Once depleted, he would simply return to his main body.
Lightning surged from his body, growing even more intense. The electricity spread outward, easily shattering the blue flames.
"What?!" Yugito Nii's face was filled with disbelief.
"That power isn't right!" A said, confused.
"When Kakashi used it, it wasn't even half as powerful as Hanekawa's."
"It's Lightning Release Chakra Activation!" the Third Raikage said, his eyes narrowing.
"He's actually mastered it completely?" Mabui asked, stunned.
Samui opened her mouth, but no words came out. She realized not only had she failed to catch up to Hanekawa, but the gap between them was growing even larger.
"With talent like his, sending him as an undercover agent was a colossal mistake," the Third Raikage said with clear dissatisfaction.
---
As they spoke, the battle changed once again.
Body Flicker Technique!
Hanekawa moved like a flash, appearing directly in front of Yugito Nii.
Leaf Whirlwind!
He launched a powerful kick.
Sensing the imminent danger, Yugito crossed her arms to block his right leg.
But the tremendous force forced her to retreat rapidly.
Hanekawa pressed his advantage, launching a relentless assault.
Yugito Nii's face was filled with fear as she was forced to defend.
In mere moments, she looked like a desperate cat evading a predator.
"How is this happening?" Samui swallowed nervously.
She had expected Yugito Nii to lose but never thought it would be so one-sided.
"If she doesn't use Matatabi's power, Yugito has no chance," the Third Raikage said with a sigh.
He wasn't just regretful—he was remorseful.
If Hanekawa had remained in the Hidden Cloud, his talent and age made him a prime candidate for the Raikage position two generations from now.
---
A, meanwhile, felt a subtle sense of threat.
If nothing went wrong, Hanekawa would undoubtedly master the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Though young, his potential was already equal to A's, and in the future, he might challenge A for the title of "Raikage."
"Damn it!" Yugito Nii grew more frustrated as the fight continued.
From start to finish, she had been completely suppressed by Hanekawa.
"This is the end, little wildcat," Hanekawa said, noticing his chakra nearing its limit. Without hesitation, he threw a punch.
Superhuman Strength!
All of his remaining chakra exploded at once.
The sheer force of his attack cracked the ground and sent debris flying.
Feeling an unprecedented sense of danger, Yugito instinctively drew on Matatabi's chakra.
Blue, flame-like markings formed on her body, creating a protective layer—the Tailed Beast Cloak.
---
With a resounding boom, Yugito Nii was sent flying backward.
Thanks to the Tailed Beast Cloak, she wasn't seriously hurt.
As she stared at the spot where Hanekawa had been, she found herself at a loss, her face filled with confusion and helplessness.
__
New entry: This Danzo Is Weird
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