The battle between ninjas was a battle of intellect.

  Mei Terumi hadn't anticipated Hanekawa's Lightning Style, and it cost her dearly. Her entire body went numb for a critical moment—by the time she recovered, her water whip had already slipped from her grasp.

  Hanekawa seized the opening immediately.

  He stepped forward, katana raised, the blade's edge catching the light in a way that made Mei Terumi's instincts scream danger.

  Mist Hidden Technique: Body Flicker!

  Her form blurred and accelerated, narrowly avoiding the samurai sword. She was grateful she'd activated the Mist Hidden Technique when she did. Without it, she'd already be defeated.

  "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

  Mei Terumi dropped low, pressing her palms to the ground. A wall of water erupted before her, but Hanekawa's blade cut through half of it before lodging inside.

  Then came the lightning.

  A blinding flash erupted from the katana's edge, tearing through the water wall and forcing Mei Terumi back. She retreated quickly, unwilling to be shocked again.

  Hanekawa advanced with infuriating calm.

  "Fire Style: Great Flame Flower!"

  Mei Terumi abandoned water jutsu entirely, leaning back as a massive fireball burst from her mouth—more powerful than the standard Great Fireball Jutsu, a technique unique to those who'd mastered both water and Fire Style.

  Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. Interesting. Fire Style? In the original timeline, she'd relied almost exclusively on water jutsu. But of course—her Boiling Style combined both elements, so naturally she'd trained in both.

  Instead of dodging, he walked forward.

  His left fist clenched, chakra gathering with a sharp, vibrating hum. The massive fireball shattered on impact.

  Mei Terumi couldn't help but exclaim. She'd never seen anyone fight with such raw ferocity.

  The next second, she felt ice in her veins.

  Leaf Style: Flowing Willow!

  Hanekawa's form became a blur of motion, his katana multiplying into countless phantoms. Mei Terumi tried to dodge, but her body wouldn't respond.

  An illusion? When had he—

  She attempted to break free, but the cold kiss of steel appeared at her throat. The blade's tip stopped inches from her fair skin, and she felt the chill of the metal against her neck.

  Mei Terumi opened her mouth. Closed it. No words came.

  She'd lost. Completely.

  "Why so quiet?" Hanekawa sheathed his katana.

  Leaf Style: Flowing Willow combined genjutsu with swordsmanship—the illusion was actually a binding technique, though it didn't prevent speech.

  "Asshole!" Mei Terumi glared at him, her face flushed with anger.

  "I was going to let you go," Hanekawa said, reaching toward her waist. "But you had to insult me, so you'll have to pay the price."

  Pervert!

  Mei Terumi's expression changed drastically as she jerked away.

  Hanekawa's lips twitched. If I added a tickle combo, I could make this a triple threat. But if I did that, I'd be happier... wait, no. She needs to pay the price.

  "Stop touching me!" Mei Terumi's face turned as red as an apple. "I'll give it to you!"

  "No need. Already have it."

  Hanekawa held up her wallet, which he'd smoothly extracted.

  "Go to hell!"

  Mei Terumi broke free from the binding and threw a punch. "You're good at ninjutsu, but you're weak at taijutsu."

  Hanekawa caught her wrist easily, and when she tried to move her left hand, he grabbed that too. Both arms pinned, completely helpless.

  Frustrated beyond reason, Mei Terumi did the only thing left—she opened her mouth and bit his hand.

  "Are you a dog?" Hanekawa was genuinely surprised.

  He pulled his hand back, examining the two rows of teeth marks on the back of his hand. But as his passive healing activated, the marks faded almost immediately.

  "You're the dog!" Mei Terumi spat, her entire face now crimson with embarrassment. She looked like a living steam kettle.

  "I'm done fighting," Hanekawa said, tossing her wallet back. "You can have this."

  He turned to leave, sheathing his katana. As a bestselling novelist, he had no need for her pocket change.

  "You—" Mei Terumi caught the wallet, stunned.

  ---

  "Well done!" Hatake Sakumo's praise was generous. "You've brought honor to the Leaf Village."

  The duel itself was unremarkable, but considering the identities involved—a Leaf Village prodigy defeating the Hidden Cloud's rising star—it carried weight. Especially with Aoi, Bi, and Gonbee watching. It was a public humiliation of the Hidden Mist's prestige.

  Tsunade's lips curved into a satisfied smile. She reached over and ruffled Hanekawa's hair. "You didn't disappoint me."

  She'd been worried when Mei Terumi activated the Mist Hidden Technique. But Hanekawa had adapted perfectly, defeating her with impressive efficiency. More importantly, his strength was improving at an alarming rate—particularly his Lightning Style. His timing had been flawless, perfectly countering Mei Terumi's water jutsu in a way Tsunade hadn't anticipated when she'd agreed to teach him the technique.

  She'd thought he was learning it out of boredom. Instead, he wielded it with the same mastery as his swordsmanship and genjutsu.

  "Let's go," Tsunade said to the waiting priestess. "Please lead the way."

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  "Yes," the priestess replied, bowing slightly before guiding them to their quarters—three rooms in total.

  Once they'd left, the three Hidden Mist jonin exchanged glances.

  "She lost?" Gonbee's voice was hollow. He'd been so confident in Mei Terumi, and in an instant, she'd suffered a crushing defeat.

  "Don't blame her," Aoi sighed. "If it were us at that age, we probably wouldn't fare better against Hanekawa."

  Gonbee wanted to argue but couldn't find the words.

  "Mei Terumi isn't weak," Gonbee added. "She just lacks experience and tactical awareness."

  Aoi glanced toward Mei Terumi, who stood motionless in a daze. "We need to make sure she doesn't lose confidence. History is full of geniuses who never recovered from a single defeat."

  "Mei Terumi," Aoi called out, approaching her quickly.

  "I'm fine," she said curtly, putting away her wallet before turning away.

  The three jonin exchanged worried looks and hurried after her.

  Their quarters were to the right of the temple, with the Iwagakure Village's rooms further ahead. They hadn't reached them yet when—

  Bang.

  Mei Terumi slammed her door shut behind her, leaving the three outside.

  She collapsed onto the bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. A few minutes later, she sat up abruptly, her frustration boiling over.

  "Asshole! Why did you give it back?! Do you look down on me?!"

  ---

  Hanekawa heard the distant shout. He opened his window and spotted three unfamiliar ninjas—earth-colored turbans, matching clothes, and Iwagakure forehead protectors. He nodded in greeting before closing the window.

  "Those are ninjas from the Hidden Stone," the priestess explained to them. "The one who just arrived is from the Leaf Village."

  "Why's there a brat here?" a grumpy young man asked. His name was Kemunaki, a jonin from Iwagakure.

  "Besides him, who else came?" asked the steady young man beside him—Kitsuchi, captain of this delegation and son of the Third Tsuchikage ōnoki.

  "Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo," the priestess replied.

  Kitsuchi's eyes narrowed immediately. Both were legendary ninjas, but he wasn't concerned. This was a mission, not a battlefield encounter.

  The three didn't ask further questions and followed the priestess to their rooms.

  ---

  That night, after dinner, Hanekawa settled into his quarters with a medical text—or more accurately, a book on poisons. It was Chiyo's personal work, obtained by Hatake Sakumo when he'd killed her son and daughter-in-law during the Second Ninja War. The book detailed countless poison-making methods.

  Poison crafting and antidotes were far more complex than medical ninjutsu. His B-Rank "Breaking Bad" entry was only halfway complete, while his "Medical Special Jonin" entry progressed much faster. He estimated he'd achieve that before his fifth year, but the other specializations—illusion, water jutsu, lightning jutsu—would take considerably longer.

  A knock at the door interrupted his reading.

  Hanekawa was momentarily confused. Tsunade? But they'd just had dinner together.

  He opened the door and found Mei Terumi standing there, her expression dark and unhappy.

  "Another sparring match?" he asked, looking her over. "No matter how hard you fight, you won't beat me."

  "..." Mei Terumi gritted her teeth. "No!"

  "No?" Hanekawa blinked. "Then why are you here? To chat?"

  "For you!" She thrust out her hand, revealing her wallet. "Take it!"

  Hanekawa stared at the wallet, then at her, clearly struggling to understand.

  Is this girl okay?

  "Take it!" Mei Terumi said coldly. "I'll win it back later! You don't need to give it back to me!"

  Ah. Now he understood. As a genius, she had pride—especially as the future Fifth Mizukage. While Hanekawa hadn't meant to insult her by returning her wallet, she'd interpreted it as condescension.

  "Thank you," he said, accepting it. His water-style talent had only been surpassed by Kurenai and Mei Terumi. In terms of pure talent, Mei Terumi was superior and would likely become a jonin before Kurenai. If he defeated her again in the future, his water-style entry would upgrade. Accepting the wallet gave him a legitimate reason.

  "Come in and sit? I can make tea to calm your anger."

  "Don't drink!" Mei Terumi glared at him, her face reddening. Why did he have to be so infuriating?

  "You're missing out. This is the Hokage's personal tea," he said, his smile widening.

  "I have Mizukage tea!" she shot back.

  "I don't believe you. Unless you prove it."

  Mei Terumi's face filled with question marks. Does this guy have no shame?

  "Come in," Hanekawa pressed, using provocation. "Or are you afraid?"

  "What would I be afraid of?" Mei Terumi snorted and walked straight into his room, sitting at the table without hesitation.

  She noticed the open book immediately—Poison Making Methods.

  Her expression changed. Is he planning to poison me?

  "I'm a medical ninja," Hanekawa said casually, noticing her reaction. "Tsunade's student, actually."

  Mei Terumi's frustration deepened. Medical ninjas weren't known for combat prowess, yet she'd still lost miserably to one.

  "Where's the tea?" Hanekawa asked, extending his hand.

  Mei Terumi produced a pouch of tea—genuine Mizukage blend from the Elder Master. But as she prepared it, a terrible thought occurred to her. What if he really does poison me?

  "I'll make it," she said quickly.

  Hanekawa watched her work with practiced efficiency. "You're quite skilled. I wouldn't have pegged you as the tea ceremony type."

  "Don't speak if you can't say anything useful!" Mei Terumi snapped, wanting to kick him.

  "Be careful, or you won't get married," he said lightly.

  "Impossible!" Mei Terumi declared. "Men line up from the Hidden Mist to here!"

  That's probably true, Hanekawa thought. In the original timeline, Mei Terumi never married—not from lack of suitors, but because her standards were impossibly high.

  "I make tea for the elders regularly," Mei Terumi said, pouring him a cup.

  Hanekawa sniffed it and drank it in one gulp.

  "That's a waste of good tea," Mei Terumi complained.

  He casually produced another pouch. "The Hokage's personal blend. For you."

  Mei Terumi hesitated before snatching it away. "I know you wouldn't poison me. I'm not worried."

  "Isn't there another genius in your village? Momochi Zabuza? Why isn't he here?"

  "He's not coming," Mei Terumi said, pouring him more tea. "Bad personality. Doesn't fit in."

  Hanekawa nodded. Hard to be sociable when you massacre your entire graduating class.

  The ninja world was genuinely perverted. Zabuza had committed mass murder during his graduation and faced no consequences—he simply became a ninja and eventually joined the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

  Konoha seemed like paradise by comparison, unless your last name was Uchiha.

  "Is there anyone in your village stronger than you?" Mei Terumi asked, sipping her tea.

  "Not currently," Hanekawa said. "That could change if certain people unlock their Mangekyō Sharingan."

  Mei Terumi secretly relaxed. Losing to the strongest genius in the Leaf Village was acceptable.

  Half an hour later, she stood to leave. "It's late."

  "See you tomorrow," Hanekawa said, waving.

  Mei Terumi nodded and walked to the door, then paused. "Don't lose the wallet I gave you. I want it back."

  "I'll keep it close to my heart," Hanekawa replied with a smile.

  Mei Terumi froze, her face flushing crimson. "Pervert!"

  "...?" Hanekawa looked genuinely confused. But you told me to keep it safe.

  Women.

  Bang.

  The door slammed shut.

  Hanekawa shook his head, tidied the table, and returned to his book. The tea had been pleasant. Time passed slowly, and soon midnight arrived.

  ---

  In the valley outside the temple, under moonlight, terracotta warrior puppets emerged in waves. A young man walked to the front—Yomi, master of dark medical ninjutsu. Anything with "dark" in its name was never ordinary. His dark medical techniques functioned as stimulants, forcing ninjas to burst beyond their normal limits.

  The side effects were predictable and severe.

  Yomi raised his hand. The puppets surged forward in overwhelming numbers.

  "Enemy attack!" The patrolling guards shouted, but screams followed almost immediately. They were overwhelmed in seconds.

  "Earth Style: Earth Current City Wall!"

  Chakra erupted as the ground bulged upward, forming a wall seven or eight meters high in moments. The puppets crashed against it, held back.

  Aoi, Gonbee, and Mei Terumi scaled the wall simultaneously, forming seals. Water cascaded down like rain, and hundreds of puppets fell.

  "Something's wrong," Gonbee said grimly.

  The fallen puppets stood back up. Even torn to pieces, they reassembled.

  The undead army, Gonbee finally understood why the priestess had warned them. These weren't ordinary puppets.