Talent System In The Naruto Universe

Hanekawa removed his clothes and sat in the bathtub.

Warmth enveloped him, and aside from that, nothing unusual happened.

Hanekawa let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He had imagined the medicinal bath would be like those described in martial arts fantasy novels—agonizingly painful—but it turned out to be no different from a regular soak.

Half an hour later, he suddenly raised an eyebrow.

The progress bar for his C-rank trait Robust Physique had increased by 1%.

Not bad at all.

Just relaxing in a bath could increase the progress bar.

Hanekawa got dressed and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Come here," Tsunade called as she noticed him.

"I need to dry my hair first," Hanekawa said, picking up a hair dryer.

"I'll do it for you," Tsunade said, scooting back on the sofa to make room.

Hanekawa hesitated for a moment before sitting down without objection.

"How do you feel?" Tsunade asked while rubbing his hair and using the hair dryer.

"I feel refreshed, like I have endless energy," Hanekawa answered honestly, catching a faint whiff of her fragrance.

"Looks like it's working," Tsunade said with a nod. "If you keep this up, you should be able to learn superhuman strength soon."

"Thank you, sensei," Hanekawa said gratefully.

"It's nothing," Tsunade said with a soft laugh. "After all, I'm your teacher."

"Sensei, what about the money for the medicine?" Hanekawa asked, a question suddenly coming to mind.

"Jiraiya will be leaving tomorrow, so we can't borrow more from him," Tsunade replied with newfound enthusiasm. "The only solution is the casino. From now on, we'll spend an extra two or three hours there every day."

"...?" Hanekawa felt like he'd walked into a trap.

Buying medicine seemed like a secondary goal; the main one was gambling.

"But I need to train!" Hanekawa protested, determined. "I can't afford to spend so much time there!"

"Fine, just one hour," Tsunade said after hesitating for a few seconds, sounding pained.

"Alright," Hanekawa reluctantly agreed, treating it as an extra hour of rest. After all, napping in Tsunade's lap was pretty comfortable.

"Now that your hair's dry, you should go train. Use up that extra energy," Tsunade said, putting down the hair dryer. She ruffled his fluffy hair twice more before stopping herself.

Another head pat!

Hanekawa got up and dashed outside.

"Such a disobedient brat," Tsunade muttered with a pout, clearly unsatisfied.

---

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside Tsunade's house, on a flat training ground, the sound of clashing blades echoed continuously.

Hanekawa was sparring with Kakashi Hatake. Their flashing blades and rapid movements made it hard to distinguish their figures.

Asuma Sarutobi clenched his fists instinctively. Despite having learned a new Wind Release jutsu in the past three months, his progress felt far too slow compared to theirs.

Meanwhile, Kurenai Yuhi watched Hanekawa with nervous eyes, worried he might get hurt.

In the next moment, Kakashi's short blade gleamed as his body flickered, appearing right in front of Hanekawa in an instant.

The short blade stabbed straight toward Hanekawa's heart.

Hanekawa remained motionless, but with a flick of his wrist, his katana swung upward, intercepting first.

Kakashi twisted his body to the left, dodging the katana while redirecting his short blade toward Hanekawa's neck.

Having sparred with Hanekawa many times, Kakashi was familiar with his Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.

Just as the short blade was about to strike, Hanekawa's katana vibrated slightly, pulling back before striking Kakashi with the hilt.

Kakashi felt a sharp pain in his back, causing him to stumble forward.

Gritting his teeth, Kakashi thrust his short blade forward with more force.

Clang!

The short blade was stopped by Hanekawa's katana.

"How is this so fast?!"

Kakashi Hatake stared in shock.

Was this still the Konoha-Style Swordsmanship? It was even faster than his Hatake Swordsmanship.

The sound of cutting wind echoed as Hanekawa withdrew his sword, then struck again.

Kakashi instinctively raised his short blade but failed to block in time.

The cold edge of the blade was already pressed against his neck.

"I lost again," Kakashi said with a hint of frustration as he sheathed his blade.

"You've improved a lot, just not as much as I have," Hanekawa said with a smile.

What he didn't say was that he had a cheat.

The reason he had sparred with Kakashi today was because he had obtained a new ability.

[D-rank Ninjutsu Trait: Swordsmanship Novice]

Trigger Condition: Achieve proficiency in Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.

Effect: Konoha-Style Swordsmanship power increases by 30%.

Note: Further proficiency can evolve this into a C-rank trait, Swordsmanship Adept.

With a 30% boost to his swordsmanship, defeating a young Kakashi Hatake was a breeze.

And what Hanekawa said was true.

If the difficulty of mastering Konoha-Style Swordsmanship was a B-rank challenge, then the difficulty of mastering Hatake Swordsmanship was S-rank.

Kakashi's progress would naturally be slower than Hanekawa's, though his potential was much greater.

Of course, that's assuming he didn't install the Sharingan that would drain his stamina.

"..."

Kakashi twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Stop trying to console me!

Though he had grown used to losing to Hanekawa, being "comforted" like this left him feeling even more frustrated.

Still, these past three months had brought significant progress for Kakashi.

At this rate, he felt he could pass the Chūnin Exams next year—if he were allowed to participate.

Since he hadn't graduated from the academy, he couldn't.

His current goal had shifted from defeating Hanekawa before graduation to graduating whenever Hanekawa did.

"See you next time."

After sending Kakashi and the others off, Hanekawa turned and went back into the house.

"It's time to drink your medicine, Hanekawa," Tsunade called from the sofa as she watched TV, a steaming bowl of medicine on the table in front of her.

Hanekawa walked over and downed it in one go.

"Come with me to Kushina's house tomorrow," Tsunade suddenly said, as if remembering something. "She's hosting."

"Alright," Hanekawa replied, then headed to the bathroom.

The bathtub was already filled with medicated water, prepared in advance by Tsunade.

Hanekawa sighed in comfort as he sank into the tub.

Though drinking the medicine had been grueling over the past three months, the results were worth it.

---

[C-rank Trait: Robust Physique]

Trigger Condition: Achieve a physical condition equivalent to an excellent Chūnin.

Effect: Physical stamina recovery increases by 100%.

For a ninja, stamina recovery essentially equated to chakra recovery—a very useful skill for sustaining combat.

In addition to the D-rank traits Swordsmanship Novice and Robust Physique, Hanekawa had acquired another D-rank trait.

---

[D-rank Trait: Wind Release Novice]

Trigger Condition: Learn three Wind Release ninjutsu techniques.

Effect: All Wind Release jutsu power increases by 30%.

Note: Learning more Wind Release jutsu can evolve this into a C-rank trait, Wind Release Adept.

---

The three Wind Release techniques he learned—Great Breakthrough, Gale Palm, and Air Current Chaos—were all taught by Asuma Sarutobi.

After finishing his bath, eating dinner, and resting for a bit, Hanekawa went back to training.

The night passed peacefully.

---

The next day, Hanekawa and Tsunade set off for Kushina Uzumaki's house.

"Wait!"

Tsunade suddenly stopped, her expression shifting. "That's Nine-Tails Chakra!"

"So much malice!"

Hanekawa instinctively looked up and blurted out.

Blood-red chakra cloaked Kushina Uzumaki, with massive tails flailing in the air, exuding a terrifyingly oppressive aura.

"I'll go help."

With a leap, Tsunade said, "Stay here and don't wander off."

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