Talent System In The Naruto Universe

Water Style: Wild Water Wave!

Kurenai Yuhi stood in front of a tree, forming seals with her hands.

Chakra surged, flowing out from her throat and transforming into a stream of water.

With a crisp sound, a visible mark appeared on the tree trunk.

Kurenai froze for a moment, then turned and ran excitedly.

She rushed over to Hanekawa, exclaiming, "I did it, Hanekawa!"

Seeing her bouncing with joy, especially her swaying single ponytail, Hanekawa couldn't help but reach out.

He grabbed her soft hair, ruffling her head as he said, "Congratulations."

Kurenai blushed, lowering her head and letting him continue.

At that moment, Hanekawa noticed Sakumo Hatake approaching from a distance.

"Kurenai has great talent," commented Kosuke Maruboshi at the right time. "With more effort, she could become an excellent Water Style ninja."

"Thank you, Uncle Kosuke," Kurenai quickly stepped back, realizing something.

Hanekawa casually withdrew his hands.

"It's nothing." Kosuke laughed heartily. "Spending time with you kids makes me feel younger."

"Uncle Kosuke, you're already young at heart," Kurenai responded sweetly.

"Haha, true!" Kosuke laughed even more joyfully.

By now, Sakumo had come closer but didn't interrupt.

"Lord Sakumo," Kosuke greeted him first.

"Kosuke, it's been a while," Sakumo replied with a smile.

Despite being a genin, Kosuke was powerful and had completed missions with many jonin.

"I'm here to see Hanekawa," Sakumo stated his purpose.

"Let's end training for today," Kosuke said, glancing at the sky. "You can continue tomorrow."

"Yes," Hanekawa nodded slightly.

"Alright!" Kurenai's face was still flushed with excitement, partly due to Hanekawa earlier.

"Uncle Sakumo," Hanekawa asked curiously, "what brings you to me?"

"To thank you," Sakumo explained briefly, referring to a rumor he had heard.

"I didn't do much; it was mostly thanks to my teacher," Hanekawa said, shaking his head.

"I understand, but your reminder helped a lot," Sakumo acknowledged. He knew Tsunade's identity and strength had been critical.

"Do you know how I heard about it?" Hanekawa asked directly. "From Kakashi."

Sakumo was slightly stunned.

It was Kakashi?

A warm feeling spread through him.

Beyond his surprise, he felt pride and joy at Kakashi's thoughtfulness.

"Kakashi cares about you," Yuchuan hinted. "He admires your ideals and wants to be a ninja like you."

"That kid…"

Sakumo's lips curved into a smile he couldn't hold back.

Unlike Sakumo, Kakashi was quiet and rarely expressed his feelings. Hearing such praise from Hanekawa made it all the more meaningful.

At that moment, Sakumo resolved to be a good role model and not disappoint his son.

"Thank you, Hanekawa," Sakumo said, patting his shoulder. "Kakashi is lucky to have a friend like you."

"Uncle Sakumo, you're too kind. I'm also happy to be friends with Kakashi," Hanekawa replied with a smile.

Just then, two lines of text appeared in front of him.

[D-Rank Talent Effect: " Ten Mouth" Upgraded.]

[Hand Seal Speed Increased by 100%.]

An upgrade?

Was it because he convinced Sakumo Hatake? Or because he influenced Kakashi Hatake?

Either way, this was an undeniable win for him.

A 100% increase in seal formation speed was a tangible boost.

Take the Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique as an example. Under normal circumstances, it requires 44 hand seals.

According to the system, Hanekawa could now perform the technique with the equivalent speed of forming just 22 seals in the same amount of time.

Time was life, especially in combat.

"Goodbye, Uncle Sakumo," Hanekawa said as he and Kurenai Yuhi bid farewell.

Sakumo had initially planned to treat them to some barbecue, but Hanekawa declined, promising to do it next time.

At the crossroads, Hanekawa stopped.

He let go of Kurenai's small hand and said, "You head home first; I'm going to see my teacher."

"Alright," Kurenai replied, a little reluctant but obedient.

"I'll bring you some takoyaki on my way back," Hanekawa said with a smile.

"I'll wait for you!" Kurenai's spirits lifted as she responded cheerfully.

They waved at each other until Hanekawa turned and walked away. Only then did Kurenai withdraw her gaze.

I wonder if Sakumo Hatake will still choose to commit suicide after that disastrous mission.

Hanekawa pondered as he walked. He had done his best in this matter.

Sakumo's suicide in the original timeline had multiple causes:

The accusations of his comrades, the losses incurred by the Land of Fire, and the silence of Konoha's higher-ups.

In the face of isolation, his spirit crumbled, and he chose to end his life.

Now, with Tsunade involved, it represented a different stance from Konoha's leadership.

Even if a significant loss occurred, it might not lead him to suicide.

Of course, this was all just Hanekawa's speculation.

Whether his efforts would work could only be verified with time.

In the original story, the details of that mission weren't mentioned, so Hanekawa couldn't warn him in advance.

"Teacher, I'm back!" Hanekawa called as he pushed open the door and walked into the living room.

As usual, Tsunade was lounging on the sofa, but this time, there was a scroll in front of her.

Konoha's scrolls came in various types: jutsu scrolls, summoning scrolls, mission scrolls, etc.

This one was a mission scroll.

Without hesitation, Hanekawa picked it up and opened it.

The scroll's contents were detailed, but to summarize:

They were to go to the Land of Water to rendezvous with Konoha intelligence agents.

Given that it was a rendezvous mission, it was highly likely they'd encounter pursuit and engage in combat.

"Here," Tsunade said, sitting up and handing him a wallet.

"What's this for?" Hanekawa asked, surprised.

"We're heading to the Land of Water. It's a long journey, and we must prepare adequately," Tsunade said seriously. "The academy should have taught you survival skills. I'm giving you money to buy the necessary supplies for the trip."

"Understood. I'll go right now," Hanekawa replied, recognizing that Tsunade was using this mission as a lesson in practical survival, not just combat.

"If you don't buy enough, there will be a penalty," Tsunade warned, crossing her arms. Her earlier seriousness faded, replaced by her usual laziness.

"Got it," Hanekawa said, taking the wallet and heading out.

He went to the commercial district and bought items such as a tent, sleeping bag, map, ration pills, and smoke bombs.

"Not bad," Tsunade said after inspecting his purchases. "Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, meet at the village gate with everything you've bought."

Since this was Hanekawa's first mission outside the village, Tsunade planned for them to travel on foot.

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