--

  "It's done!"

  Minato Namikaze interrupted the conversation, holding up a perfectly grilled fish. "Try my Fire Style: Black Flame!"

  Kushina Uzumaki took the fish and rolled her eyes at him. "You're naming your cooking techniques again? Nobody understands what that means."

  "I couldn't help it." Minato scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

  Hanekawa silently bit into the grilled fish. Anything's better than watching these two make googly eyes at each other.

  "How is it?" Kushina asked, turning her attention to him with genuine interest. During their earlier conversation, she'd learned about his situation—a war orphan living with the Yuhi clan. Their circumstances weren't entirely dissimilar, and she seemed to recognize something of herself in him.

  "Delicious," Hanekawa said honestly, nodding.

  "You should try my cooking sometime," Kushina offered with a warm smile.

  "I'd like that." Hanekawa accepted graciously. Building good relations with the future Fourth Hokage and his wife? Definitely worth it. Especially during the Third War.

  Minato coughed lightly, clearly trying to redirect his fiancée's attention before she decided to escape her ANBU guards again using sealing techniques.

  "What?" Kushina clenched her fists, already defensive. "Is my cooking not good enough?"

  "It's excellent," Minato answered immediately.

  "Then what's the problem?" She crossed her arms, clearly bored with her confinement.

  Hanekawa felt like he was drowning in a sea of couple's chemistry. This is painful. Where's the fast-forward button?

  The meal wound down with casual conversation. After exchanging goodbyes, Hanekawa made his way back toward Konoha as darkness fell. Street lamps flickered to life along the roads, casting long shadows. Any second now, a crow will fly overhead and Itachi will appear, he thought wryly. Fortunately, that particular nightmare is still years away. And I'm not Uchiha.

  As he walked, Hanekawa pulled up his Entry panel.

  The progress bar for the E-Rank entry "Seven Ninja Tools" had reached 70%. His proficiency with detonating talismans was advancing faster than expected. The power of spending money, he mused. Or in this case, spending chakra. Turns out investment really does pay dividends.

  The "Student Master" entry was progressing similarly—just waiting for the final exam to push it over the edge.

  "I'm home!" Hanekawa called out, slipping off his shoes at the entrance.

  Kurenai practically launched herself off the sofa like a rabbit, racing toward him. Yuhi Shinku, sitting across from her, couldn't quite hide his twitching lips. His position is definitely being threatened, Hanekawa thought with amusement.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "You're late!" Kurenai planted her hands on her hips, her ruby eyes flashing with indignation. "And you didn't even tell me you'd be out this long!"

  "I ran into Minato Namikaze," Hanekawa said smoothly.

  "Who?" Kurenai blinked, confused.

  "You met Minato?" Shinku's eyebrows rose in surprise.

  "At the fourth training ground," Hanekawa explained, sticking to his prepared story. "He seemed impressed, so he invited me for grilled fish."

  "I suspect Lord Hokage mentioned you to him," Shinku said thoughtfully.

  Kurenai's eyes widened. "The Hokage knows about Hanekawa?"

  "What do you think?" Shinku touched her head with a slight smile. "He defeated Asuma."

  "It was a fair match," Hanekawa corrected.

  "Come inside. We should discuss this properly." Shinku stood, gently steering Kurenai away.

  Hanekawa closed the door behind him, confused by their sudden departure. What just happened?

  He found them in the living room and got straight to business. "Uncle Shinku, I'd like to learn swordsmanship."

  Shinku's expression shifted to surprise. "Why the sudden interest?"

  "My chakra reserves are still limited," Hanekawa explained, having prepared this reasoning carefully. "I can't learn new genjutsu techniques yet, so I want to develop physical combat skills for self-defense."

  Shinku nodded slowly, considering. The logic was sound. "Very well. I'll teach you."

  "Really?" Hanekawa couldn't quite hide his doubt.

  "Brat!" Shinku's beard practically bristled with indignation. "As a genjutsu specialist, is there something wrong with knowing swordsmanship? Physical techniques are fundamental to all ninja. If your genjutsu fails, you need something to fall back on."

  Fair point. "Thank you, Uncle Shinku!"

  "I want to learn too!" Kurenai's hand shot up eagerly.

  "After you've mastered genjutsu," Shinku said gently. "You're still too far behind. Trying to learn everything at once will result in mastering nothing."

  Kurenai accepted this with a nod, understanding the gap between herself and Hanekawa.

  Shinku disappeared into the back room and returned with two wooden swords. "Konoha-style swordsmanship is basic, but don't underestimate it," he said, tossing one to Hanekawa. "Master it, and you can develop your own secret techniques."

  Like Maruboshi Kosuke did, Hanekawa thought, recalling the jonin who'd combined Konoha-style swordsmanship with genjutsu.

  "We'll start with the fundamentals," Shinku said, assuming his stance.

  "Understood."

  Two hours later, as moonlight painted the earth silver, Hanekawa triggered a new entry.

  [E-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Sword Ninja (Locked)]

  [Trigger Condition: Achieve proficiency in Konoha-style Swordsmanship]

  [Current Progress: 5%]

  After showering, Hanekawa returned to his room. Despite his fatigue, he didn't sleep. Instead, he pulled out pen and paper, spending considerable time developing ideas and outlines for his novel project.

  He'd chosen his subject: Taimanin.

  ---

  Two days later, early morning.

  Hanekawa completed his usual run and entered the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore. He found Tsuchihashi waiting and handed over the outline and notes he'd prepared.

  "That was fast," Tsuchihashi observed casually. "What's your friend's pen name?"

  "Rai Kaen," Hanekawa said carefully. Please don't ask too many questions.

  "Ah, a pen name. I understand." Tsuchihashi smiled knowingly.

  What do you understand? Hanekawa's stomach twisted. If this gets out, the social destruction would be catastrophic.

  But Tsuchihashi's smile faded as he began reading. His expression grew serious, then gradually shifted to something approaching ecstasy.

  "Your friend is a genius!" he exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement. "This ninja setting is completely original—I've never seen anything like it! This will be a massive hit!"

  Hanekawa allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Well. Looks like Rai Kaen's career is about to take off.