Talent System In The Naruto Universe

Early Morning.

Hanekawa took out a key and opened Tsunade's house door.

He glanced at the overcast sky, closed the door, and exhaled a puff of warm breath.

After December arrived, Konoha's temperature had plummeted.

It probably wouldn't be long before the first snow of the year fell.

Hanekawa removed his shoes and walked into the living room.

Unsurprisingly, Tsunade wasn't up yet.

"Sensei!"

Hanekawa knocked on her door and called out.

"I heard you! Stop yelling!"

Soon, Tsunade's impatient voice echoed from the room—classic morning grumpiness.

Hanekawa was already used to it. He turned and headed to the kitchen.

Half an hour later, a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen was ready.

But to his surprise, Tsunade still hadn't appeared.

Hanekawa placed the ramen on the dining table and went directly into her room.

Tsunade was curled up in her blanket, sleeping soundly.

Hanekawa walked up, reached out, and pinched her nose.

Seconds later, a long, fair leg shot out from under the blanket, aiming a fierce kick at him.

Hanekawa stepped back, narrowly dodging the dangerous strike.

Meeting Tsunade's irritated gaze, he calmly said, "It's time for breakfast, Sensei."

"Got it!"

Tsunade sat up, her oversized pajamas hanging loosely on her body. "You're so annoying, kid!"

"You're just too lazy, Sensei," Hanekawa replied, shaking his head.

"Out!" Tsunade glared at him. "I'm changing."

"Yes." Hanekawa turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Tsunade got out of bed.

She wasn't wearing pajamas last night but a nightgown—and nothing else.

Recalling the earlier kick, a hint of embarrassment crept onto her face.

But it seemed the brat hadn't noticed anything.

After changing her clothes, Tsunade headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

When she entered the living room, she saw Hanekawa sitting at the dining table, holding the bowl of tonkotsu ramen in his hands.

"What are you doing? Warming up?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.

"Reheating."

Hanekawa raised his hand, and faint waves of heat swirled in his palm—Fire Release chakra.

"Thanks."

Tsunade paused slightly, then sat across from him. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"I ate at home," Hanekawa said, then added, "Uncle Shinku made it."

Home, huh?

For a moment, Tsunade had the urge to let him stay here but quickly dismissed it.

She picked up her chopsticks, lifted some ramen, and took a bite.

"This tastes even better than before."

Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but praise.

"As long as Sensei likes it," Hanekawa said with a smile.

Tsunade wasn't imagining it—the reason was his new trait:

[C-Tier Talent: Advanced Chef.]

[Condition: Master cooking skills.]

[Effect: Increases dish deliciousness by 50%.]

After all this time cooking, Hanekawa had finally upgraded from the D-Tier talent "Intermediate Chef" to the C-Tier "Advanced Chef."

At this rate, the next upgrade would likely be "Master Chef."

Is this turning into Cooking Master Boy?

"What's today's training?" Hanekawa asked, snapping back to reality.

"We're going to the Hokage Building first," Tsunade replied between bites of ramen.

"Picking up a mission?" Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.

"No."

Tsunade sipped the broth. "We're submitting the Chūnin Exam applications."

"I see."

Hanekawa nodded. "I wonder how many will participate in this year's Chūnin Exams."

"You're my student. If you don't take first place, you'll regret it," Tsunade said with a smile—one filled with malicious intent.

No doubt it meant trouble.

"First place is definitely…" Hanekawa stopped himself.

Making bold declarations before a match was bad luck—he didn't want to jinx himself.

"You'll find out," he said with a light cough.

"I'll be watching closely."

Tsunade had faith in him.

After all, he'd been top of his class in the Academy for six years.

Though there were plenty of talented peers, none were a match for him.

"I'm full!"

Tsunade licked her lips and savored the lingering flavor. "That ramen was fantastic today."

"I'll do the dishes."

Hanekawa grabbed the bowls and headed to the kitchen.

Before long, the two locked the door and left for the Hokage Building.

Bang!

The office door was kicked open.

Tsunade strolled into the Hokage's office as if nothing had happened.

"You'll give me a heart attack one day," Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, taking a puff of his pipe to calm himself.

"Application forms."

Tsunade tossed them onto the desk.

"Such a shame we can't hold a joint Chūnin Exam this time," Hiruzen said after glancing at the forms, sighing.

Tsunade caught the hidden meaning in his words.

Joint Chūnin Exams, involving multiple ninja villages, were typically held during peaceful times to showcase each village's strength to daimyōs and nobles.

The better the performance, the more mission commissions the village could secure.

Hiruzen meant that with Hanekawa's skills, he could've shone in a joint exam and brought honor to Konoha.

Currently, with the Hidden Cloud Village stirring, Konoha naturally doesn't dare to host a joint Chūnin Exam.

"Alright, let me see the list of genin participating in the Chūnin Exam," Tsunade said, glancing at Hanekawa.

"What's this? Scouting ahead for your student?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled. "That's not like you at all."

Since Nawaki's death, Tsunade had lived independently, cutting off most of her ties despite staying in Konoha. But now, with Hanekawa around, she seemed to be returning to her old self.

"Cut the nonsense!" Tsunade frowned.

"There you go again, so impatient," Hiruzen said, laughing as he handed over a file.

Ignoring his words, Tsunade picked it up and glanced through it.

The list contained no genin worth noting, so she casually handed it to Hanekawa.

Hiruzen's smile deepened—clearly, her request was for Hanekawa's sake. He was pleased to see Tsunade's transformation.

After all, his other two students were becoming increasingly troublesome.

Jiraiya spent his time outside the village chasing some "Child of Prophecy."

Orochimaru, when not on missions, buried himself in experiments and jutsu research.

Frankly, neither was suited to be Hokage. Only Tsunade was a fitting candidate.

Hiruzen wasn't sure how much longer he could serve as Hokage.

If another Great Ninja War broke out, he might meet an untimely end, just like his teacher, Tobirama Senju.

Ensuring a successor was the safest plan.

Hanekawa opened the file, recognizing most of the names: Kakashi Hatake, Shisui Uchiha, Asuma Sarutobi, and Shizune.

He skimmed further and noticed some less familiar but vaguely recognizable genin: Ibiki Morino, Ebisu, Mizuki, and Genma Shiranui.

Except for Mizuki, they were all from the previous graduating class.

Ibiki Morino would later become the head of Konoha's Anbu Torture and Interrogation Division and the proctor for the written portion of Naruto Uzumaki's Chūnin Exam.

Ebisu was the private tutor for Hiruzen's grandson, Konohamaru Sarutobi.

Genma Shiranui would serve as a guard for the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and master the Flying Thunder God Formation, which required three users.

Of course, all that was in the future. For now, they were just ordinary genin.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said, closing the file and handing it back.

"No problem," Hiruzen replied nonchalantly. "It'll all be public knowledge soon enough."

"We'll be going then," Tsunade said, waving a hand.

"Don't be late. The Chūnin Exam starts next Monday," Hiruzen reminded them.

Bang!

The door slammed shut, causing Hiruzen's mouth to twitch.

None of his three students had any manners!

In contrast, their students—like Minato Namikaze and Hanekawa—were much more respectful.

"Maybe I should have Orochimaru take a student," Hiruzen mused, taking a puff of his pipe.

While Tsunade had moved on from Nawaki's death, Hiruzen felt Orochimaru hadn't.

---

"Let's head back," Tsunade said, glancing at the Hokage building before turning away.

Hanekawa quickly followed her.

When they returned home, the place was bustling.

In addition to Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi were also there, making a total of six genin.

"You guys have fun," Tsunade said, not wanting to disturb them.

"When did you get back?" Hanekawa asked with a smile.

"Yesterday," Asuma said proudly. "Our team completed a B-rank mission!"

"That's nothing!" Obito Uchiha retorted. "We've done several B-rank missions already!"

"Same here," Kurenai chimed in, hands on her hips. "And Rin and I completed ours together."

"What?" Obito exclaimed, looking at Rin. "Were you in any danger?"

"There were some close calls," Rin said with a smile, "but Kurenai handled them all."

"..."

Asuma's face stiffened.

Ordinary genin teams usually waited three to four years to tackle B-rank missions, but these exceptional genin were already taking them on.

Life truly feels like a lonely snowfall, Asuma thought, sighing deeply.

All he wanted was to show off a little—why was it so hard?

"By the way, do you guys know the rules for the Chūnin Exam?" Asuma suddenly asked, his eyes lighting up.

"No," Rin and Kurenai said, shaking their heads.

Kakashi and Obito also turned to him.

"I do!" Asuma said excitedly.

"Tell us!" Obito urged.

"The first stage is a written test," Asuma said, holding up one finger.

"Ugh!" Obito groaned. "Why is there a written test in the Chūnin Exam?"

He was terrible at theory and hadn't touched it since graduating. Now, the thought of a written test filled him with dread.

Might Guy also looked uneasy.

Only Hanekawa and a few others remained indifferent—they were all top students.

"The second stage is a team battle, and the third stage is a one-on-one fight," Asuma continued.

__

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