---

  The young man stared at the endless sea stretching before him, despair etched into every line of his face.

  Trapped between the cliff's edge and his pursuers, escape was impossible.

  "Don't resist," a voice called from behind. "I won't kill you."

  The speaker was Biwa Juzo—a Jonin-level swordsman with a reputation that preceded him. The young man was a Leaf Village spy who'd managed to extract intelligence from the Hidden Mist. Alive, he was valuable. Dead, he was useless. Biwa Juzo preferred valuable.

  The young man's expression hardened with resolve. "You won't get anything from me."

  He turned toward the cliff edge.

  "How naive."

  Biwa Juzo vanished, reappearing directly in front of him. But before he could move, a fist the size of a sandbag filled his vision.

  The impact sent him flying backward like a meteor, his body cratering the ground with a thunderous boom. Dust erupted around the impact site.

  The young man's eyes went wide.

  A figure stood between him and Biwa Juzo—a woman with blonde hair, her coat emblazoned with the character for "gamble" fluttering in the wind.

  "Lady Tsunade?!"

  Relief flooded through him. I'm alive.

  "Follow me," Tsunade commanded, already moving toward the forest.

  She'd been worried about Hanekawa facing two opponents alone. The young spy hurried after her.

  When Tsunade reached the battlefield, she stopped short, taking in the scene.

  Hanekawa had the upper hand. Despite being surrounded by a Chunin and a special Jonin, he was clearly winning. Pride flickered across her face. That's my student.

  Then her expression shifted. She sensed another presence nearby—powerful, purposeful. Someone else had come to train their village's talents.

  This is going to be complicated.

  She had two civilians to protect. A full-scale battle wasn't ideal.

  ---

  In the forest, Mei Terumi recovered from her shock and pressed forward.

  "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

  Her hands flew through the seal sequence, chakra surging through her body. But before she could complete the jutsu, Hanekawa was already there.

  "Too slow!"

  His blade came down in a vicious arc.

  Mei Terumi's seal speed was impressive—just not impressive enough. Not against someone with teleportation and a hundred-percent boost to leg strength.

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  A sound like a meteor screaming through the air cut through the moment.

  Hanekawa's eyes snapped upward.

  An enormous blade descended toward him—nearly twice his height, its surface scarred and ancient.

  No. Way.

  He recognized it instantly. The Beheading Sword. Zabuza's weapon in the original timeline. Before that, it belonged to Juzo Biwa.

  I'm Naruto now. First mission. Jonin-level enemy.

  The only difference was his mission was B-Rank, not C-Rank.

  A figure intercepted the blade.

  Tsunade stood before him, her fist connecting with the massive sword. The impact sent it flying backward.

  "As expected of Princess Tsunade," a voice drawled.

  A man emerged from the mist—short black hair, a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, red tattoos marking the lower half of his face. Juzo Biwa caught his sword one-handed, though the impact numbed his arm.

  "Biwa Juzo," Tsunade acknowledged, casually grabbing Mei Terumi by the collar.

  The young woman struggled, then gave up, glaring daggers at Hanekawa with barely contained fury.

  "What are you looking at?" Hanekawa grinned, reaching out to ruffle her hair despite her angry eyes.

  "This is the loser's prize."

  "Asshole! Just you wait!" Mei Terumi's entire body shook with rage. Only Tsunade's grip kept her from lunging at him.

  "Okay," Hanekawa said cheerfully, plucking her wallet from her pocket.

  "Shameless thief!"

  "Want me to do something worse?" He raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

  Mei Terumi's mouth snapped shut. Something in his expression suggested he absolutely would.

  "Princess Tsunade," Juzo called out, "let's make a deal. Return her, and we'll let you leave."

  More Kirigakure ANBU emerged from the surrounding forest. They had numbers on their side.

  "The intelligence your spy obtained wasn't critical," Juzo continued. "We're only here because of Mei Terumi's training. If we fight, you'll be distracted protecting your companions."

  Tsunade considered this for exactly two seconds.

  "Fine."

  "Excellent. Please, go first."

  Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa. The message was clear: no arguments.

  "Right," Hanekawa said, though he wanted to protest. He grabbed the injured intelligence officer and bolted toward the beach.

  Tsunade waited until they were out of sight, then casually tossed Mei Terumi toward Juzo. She stepped back and vanished.

  Juzo caught the young woman effortlessly, watching the direction Tsunade had gone with narrowed eyes. "Your student is quite impressive, Princess Tsunade."

  For you, Tsunade's voice echoed from the mist.

  Mei Terumi landed on her feet, breathing hard. She stared toward the sea, her expression cycling from furious to thoughtful.

  "His name is Hanekawa," Juzo said, a smirk playing at his scarred face. "Tsunade's student. Quite famous in the Leaf Village. You didn't lose to anyone weak."

  Hanekawa.

  Mei Terumi's fists clenched. She'd remember that name. And one day, she'd make him regret every second of this humiliation.

  ---

  On the boat, Hanekawa finally relaxed when Tsunade appeared.

  "Let's go," she said simply, settling onto the deck. "We accomplished our objective. No need to push our luck."

  She didn't elaborate, but Hanekawa understood. Mei Terumi was clearly important to the Hidden Mist. Killing her could spark a war—and with the Hidden Cloud waiting for any sign of weakness, that was a risk Tsunade wouldn't take.

  More importantly, she wouldn't risk him.

  "Yes," Hanekawa nodded.

  As the boat pulled away from shore, two notifications appeared in his vision.

  His breath caught.

  [D-Rank Talent Entry: Abundant Water]

  [Trigger Condition: Defeat young Mei Terumi]

  [Effect: Water Style talent increased by 30% from baseline]

  The future Mizukage, Hanekawa thought with a grin.

  He'd skipped straight from E-Rank to D-Rank. Not bad for a day's work.

  Tsunade caught his expression and smirked, ruffling his hair. "Proud of yourself?"

  "A little," he admitted.

  She laughed, the sound carrying across the water as the Hidden Mist disappeared behind them.