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  Hanekawa's response was immediate and calculated. "I only have one teacher in my heart."

  The murderous glint vanished from Tsunade's eyes in an instant. She crossed her arms, apparently satisfied with his answer. Smart kid, her expression seemed to say.

  "It seems Lady Tsunade has taken quite a liking to Hanekawa," Kushina observed with an amused smile, glancing between them.

  "I don't like him," Tsunade said flatly. "He's too much trouble."

  Kushina just smiled knowingly. They'd known each other long enough that words weren't always necessary.

  "Where's Minato today?" Tsunade asked, shifting the subject.

  "On a mission," Kushina replied with a casual wave. "Besides, I wanted to spend time with you anyway."

  "Liar," Tsunade called her out immediately. "Who ditched me last time?"

  Kushina coughed. "Lady Tsunade, would you like to play poker?"

  Tsunade's entire demeanor changed. "Then I'll definitely win!"

  "Will you?" Kushina's skepticism was written all over her face. They'd played before. Tsunade always lost.

  "That was before," Tsunade said with a snort. "My luck has changed now. Ever since I've had Hanekawa with me, I win more than I lose at the casino."

  Oh no, Hanekawa thought, his mouth twitching slightly. She doesn't realize the problem.

  Her luck hadn't changed. He had changed it. And now that he was playing against her instead of with her...

  "I'll grab the cards," Kushina said, heading to the other room.

  When she returned with a deck, they settled in to play. Tsunade radiated confidence. Kushina shuffled with barely concealed curiosity about where that confidence came from.

  Within minutes, Tsunade's smile froze. "That was just... an accident."

  By the third hand, Kushina was grinning wickedly. "Hanekawa, don't go easy on her just because she's your teacher."

  "I'm completely impartial," Hanekawa assured her.

  "I accept my defeat gracefully," Kushina said, clearly enjoying the show.

  Tsunade pouted. Given her height, she bent down to place the forfeit note on Hanekawa's face. The movement revealed the generous curves of her figure in her sleeveless top.

  Kushina glanced down at herself and her smile vanished. The contrast was genuinely tragic.

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  Hanekawa kept his eyes firmly on Tsunade's face, reaching out to gently remove the note from her chin. Her beautiful eyes glared at him with determination—she was already plotting her comeback.

  But there would be no comeback.

  One hour later, Tsunade was covered in notes like a patchwork quilt, her consciousness visibly fading.

  "Maybe we should stop here?" Hanekawa suggested carefully.

  "Absolutely not!" Tsunade refused without hesitation. "Nobody leaves until I win at least one round!"

  Hanekawa and Kushina exchanged a look of shared helplessness.

  Hanekawa briefly considered throwing a hand, but when he tried, his cards were absurdly good—the kind of hand that won regardless of strategy. Great. Even my cheating is rigged.

  By noon, Tsunade finally surrendered, collapsing onto the sofa like a deflated balloon.

  "I'm going to cook," Kushina announced, escaping to the kitchen before Tsunade could demand another round.

  "Do you need help?" Hanekawa offered.

  "Not at all," Kushina called back.

  Hanekawa turned to find Tsunade draped across the sofa like a limp noodle, notes plastered across her body. He walked over and crouched beside her, carefully peeling away the papers.

  "I was actually happy watching you put those notes on," Tsunade said, her eyes narrowing with amusement.

  "You said you'd accept defeat gracefully," Hanekawa reminded her, removing another note.

  "Accepting defeat and betraying my teacher are two different things," Tsunade said with a sudden laugh. "Besides, I'm allowed to take revenge on my students."

  Oh, woman, Hanekawa sighed internally.

  "Come here," he said, continuing to remove the notes.

  "For what?" Tsunade asked, confused.

  "Aren't you going to get revenge? No head-patting this time, I promise."

  Tsunade didn't hesitate. Both hands shot out, thoroughly messing up his hair with obvious delight.

  Hanekawa's face fell into an expression of pure despair.

  Tsunade's smile was radiant. This is definitely worth it, he thought despite himself.

  After lunch, Kushina led them on a walk around the neighborhood before saying goodbye. The rest of the day was still holiday.

  Hanekawa spent it shopping for fitness equipment. He'd remembered a scene from the original timeline—the Raikage's office had dumbbells scattered around. At the time, he'd thought it was casual training. Now he understood it was a legitimate method.

  The equipment piled up quickly: small dumbbells, bench press racks, and more. Yuhi Shinku's house didn't have much space, but Tsunade's family compound was another story. The old Senju clan base had been divided up over time, leaving plenty of empty buildings.

  And nobody's going to question fitness equipment, he reasoned.

  The real training method came from the Lightning Style Chakra Activation Scroll—the key was warming up the chakra after physical exertion.

  Using a summoning scroll, Hanekawa transported everything to Tsunade's compound. She was still asleep, but he had a key.

  After setting everything up, he began training according to the scroll's instructions. Within minutes, a notification appeared:

  [C-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Lightning Chakra Activation]

  [Trigger Condition: Introduction to Lightning Chakra Activation]

  [Current Progress: 0%]

  C-Rank? His pulse quickened. Just from getting started, he could reach Chunin-level capability. It would be difficult, but the potential was enormous.

  He threw himself into the training with renewed energy.

  "What's all this racket so early in the morning?" Tsunade's irritated voice came from the window. She'd changed clothes and come to investigate.

  Through the glass, she watched Hanekawa accelerate from a distance, jump, and flip cleanly over the high jump bar with perfect form.

  She observed for a moment, then went back to bed.

  Two months passed in a blur. Before Hanekawa could fully process the time, school had started again.