Talent System In The Naruto Universe

A new day began.

Hanekawa arrived early at Tsunade's home.

As expected, she hadn't woken up yet.

He opened the door, walked into the living room, and stopped in front of her room. Raising his hand, he knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened.

Tsunade appeared, eyes closed, seemingly sleepwalking.

Hanekawa instinctively looked up and couldn't help but be shocked.

Because she had just gotten up, her sleepwear was messy, slipping off her shoulder and hanging precariously, creating a rather picturesque view.

"Sensei."

Hanekawa turned around and gently reminded her, "You should change your clothes. I'll go prepare breakfast."

"Mm."

Tsunade responded drowsily.

A few seconds later, she yawned and opened her eyes.

Noticing her exposed fair skin, she paused for a moment.

"Did that brat see something?" she wondered.

"Forget it. It's just a kid anyway."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, dismissing the thought.

She turned back to her room, quickly changed clothes, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Not long after, the two of them sat at the dining table.

"Where are we meeting Minato-senpai?"

Hanekawa handed Tsunade a pair of chopsticks and asked.

"Right here."

Tsunade casually pulled out a kunai and said, "At 8 o'clock, Minato will show up."

"Is this a Flying Thunder God kunai?"

Hanekawa examined the kunai, noting the Flying Thunder God mark and the inscription: Sword of Shinobi Love.

"Yes," Tsunade explained. "Minato can teleport instantly to any place marked with the Flying Thunder God symbol, though it does consume chakra."

"That's so convenient," Hanekawa remarked.

"Convenient, yes, but it's incredibly hard to master. In the entire history Hidden Leaf Village, only two people know how to use it."

Tsunade shook her head. "It's almost 8. Let's eat."

"Let's dig in!"

Hanekawa clasped his hands together before starting to slurp his noodles.

At exactly 8 o'clock, the space in the living room distorted slightly.

Namikaze Minato appeared.

Unlike his usual attire, he wore a gray bodysuit, a flak jacket, and a mask.

"Lady Tsunade," Minato greeted with a smile. "And Hanekawa, good morning."

"Why are you wearing a mask? Take it off," Tsunade said, a bit unused to his look.

"ANBU members aren't allowed to remove their masks during missions," Minato replied firmly. "It's the rule."

Hanekawa recalled how, in the Lost Tower movie, Minato also wore a mask initially but removed it after meeting Naruto.

"Suit yourself."

Tsunade didn't press further. She stood up and said, "Let's head out."

Hanekawa locked the door and followed them toward the village outskirts.

"Roran is within the Wind Country. We might encounter Sand Shinobi, so be cautious," Minato reminded them. "If we do run into them, avoid fighting if possible."

Hanekawa thought of Sasori of the Red Sand.

As Chiyo's grandson, he was hailed as the strongest puppet master in the ninja world.

At this time, Hanekawa wasn't sure if Sasori had already killed the Third Kazekage and defected.

His actions would eventually cause the Third's disappearance, triggering the Third Great Ninja War.

As they entered the Wind Country, the environment changed drastically.

Strong winds roared, yellow sand swept across the landscape, and the blazing heat rolled in. All around was an endless desert.

"Put this on," Minato said, handing Hanekawa a cloak.

"Thank you, Minato-senpai."

Hanekawa donned the dustproof cloak and pulled up the hood, feeling much better.

"There are environments even harsher than the desert in the ninja world. You'll need to adapt," Tsunade remarked casually.

"Yes, Sensei."

Hanekawa nodded.

"Having a student feels pretty good," Minato said with a smile.

"You could apply to the Third Hokage to become a team leader," Tsunade suggested. "Actually, you might not even need to. In a couple of years, he'll probably approach you himself."

"Why's that?" Minato asked, puzzled.

"This generation of Hanekawa's peers has many talented students," Tsunade explained. "The Third wouldn't miss the chance to make use of you."

Minato immediately understood.

If the Hokage wanted to nurture new talent, he was the ideal mentor.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was getting older, and the Legendary Sannin had already trained students of their own.

Minato was the only one without a disciple.

"I wonder which three students the Hokage will assign to me," Minato mused, instantly thinking of Kakashi Hatake.

Aside from Hanekawa, Kakashi was the most talented and powerful.

Moreover, as the son of Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi wouldn't be entrusted to just any mentor.

As for the others, Minato guessed Asuma Sarutobi was a strong contender, being the Hokage's son.

"Hanekawa won't be one of them," Tsunade said with a slight smile.

"I wouldn't dare steal Lady Tsunade's student," Minato replied warmly.

Still wearing his mask, his smile went unnoticed by Tsunade and Hanekawa.

The three continued their journey.

_____

By the next morning, they finally arrived at their destination.

"Impressive," Minato remarked as he gazed at the colossal structures in the distance.

"It truly is amazing," Tsunade agreed.

Tall and slender buildings clustered together, forming a city of steel.

Compared to the desolate desert surrounding it, the sight was even more striking.

"According to ANBU intelligence, Roran wasn't like this before. Its transformation is due to the modifications made by the new minister, Anrokuzan," Namikaze Minato explained after snapping out of his thoughts.

"It seems this Minister Anrokuzan is quite capable," Tsunade remarked, withdrawing her gaze. "Should we go straight to him?"

"Our mission has two objectives: to aid the Queen of Roran and to seal the legendary Dragon Vein," Minato clarified, shaking his head. "We need to expose Anrokuzan's true nature to the queen and then secure the Dragon Vein."

Clearly, Minato had thought this through, as his explanation was well-organized.

"Then let's split up," Tsunade suggested after a moment of thought. "You go after the Dragon Vein, and I'll take Hanekawa to find the queen."

"Alright."

Minato handed Hanekawa a Flying Thunder God kunai. He had already given one to Tsunade earlier.

"Thank you, Minato-senpai," Hanekawa said as he put it away.

With the Flying Thunder God kunai, they had at least some measure of safety, even though Minato had a habit of showing up late at critical moments in the original storyline.

"Let's head in," Minato reminded them. "Be cautious."

"Got it."

Tsunade nodded slightly.

The three of them walked toward Roran. As they approached, the unique architectural style, so different from the Hidden Leaf Village, became even more apparent.

"I'll go on ahead," Minato said after a pause. "Once I locate the Dragon Vein, I'll teleport to you both."

With that, he leapt away, disappearing into the city's dense cluster of buildings.

"Roran is too vast—it'll be tricky to find someone," Tsunade observed as she surveyed their surroundings. "I'm giving you a task: use genjutsu to find out the queen's location. Just make sure you don't cause too much commotion."

"Understood."

Hanekawa recognized this as another test of his abilities.

"Be careful," Tsunade cautioned.

"Got it."

Hanekawa concealed himself and entered Loran.

The streets were eerily empty, a strange sight.

After some thought, Hanekawa realized why.

In the original storyline, when Naruto Uzumaki traveled to this time, he stumbled upon a coronation ceremony for Roran's new queen, Sara.

With that in mind, Hanekawa headed toward the city center.

Before long, he heard cheering.

He saw a crowd gathered near a tall tower where Sara stood.

She appeared young, about sixteen or seventeen, with striking red hair cascading down her back.

Where's Naruto? Hanekawa wondered, recalling how Naruto was supposed to show up to save Sara like a hero.

At that moment, a puppet suddenly shoved Sara from behind, sending her toppling off the tower.

Frowning, Hanekawa was about to intervene when a dark figure darted out and caught Sara mid-air.

Hanekawa's curiosity piqued, and he quickly followed the figure.

"Hey, little guy, have we met before?"

As Hanekawa reached a nearby building, he heard a pleasant voice.

What kind of outdated pickup line is that? he thought, turning his head—and froze.

The person who saved Sara wasn't Naruto, but a stunning young woman: Kurenai Yuhi.

She wore the green flak jacket of a Jonin, her long black hair tied into a ponytail. Her delicate features, vibrant red lips, and ruby-like eyes carried a hint of puzzlement.

"We've definitely met before," Kurenai said, frowning. Hanekawa gave her an inexplicably familiar feeling.

"Hey! Who are you people?" Sara interrupted, unable to hold back her curiosity.

"Your Majesty," Hanekawa glanced at Kurenai and explained, "We're from the Hidden Leaf Village, here to protect you."

"You're from the Konoha, too?" Kurenai's eyes brightened as she quickly asked, "Who's your team leader?"

"Tsunade," Hanekawa answered after a moment's thought.

"The Hokage?"

Kurenai's expression darkened as she said, "You're lying. The Hokage wouldn't be here, and she only has one student."

She had come under Tsunade's orders to pursue Mukade and reinforce the Dragon Vein's seal.

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.

So Tsunade did become Hokage?

"I'm not lying," Hanekawa replied, then asked, "Where's your teammate?"

"I got separated from him. Not sure where he is," Kurenai admitted after a pause. "But he's strong, so I'm not too worried."

For some reason, she instinctively believed the boy in front of her.

"Who is he?" Hanekawa already had a guess.

"He's the Hokage's student, Hanekawa,"

Kurenai suddenly realized and said, "Oh! Now I know why you feel so familiar. You look a lot like Hanekawa when he was younger!"

Hanekawa's mouth twitched.

What is going on?

His existence had clearly altered the future.

Normally, the mission to hunt down Mukade and reinforce the Dragon Vein's seal would involve Yamato, Naruto, Sai, and Sakura.

But now, it was future Kurenai and... Hanekawa?

(Gimme power stones bruv..)

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