Talent System In The Naruto Universe-Chapter 194. Itachi, Say Hello

Hokage Office – Conference Room

A jonin meeting was in session.

"War truly is cruel," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a sigh.

To be honest, he had anticipated that a Kage might fall during the Third Shinobi War, but he hadn't expected it to be the Third Raikage.

Among the Kage, the Third Raikage's strength was exceptional.

"What's Iwagakure's current status?" Tsunade asked, frowning slightly.

The Third Raikage's sacrifice was also beyond her expectations.

If someone as powerful as him could fall in battle, then no one was truly safe.

Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa.

He remained calm and collected, showing no emotion.

"In order to kill the Third Raikage, they paid a heavy price. More than a third of Iwagakure's ninja forces were killed or injured," Hiruzen said gravely. "They've paused their offensive and are regrouping in the Land of Lightning."

Hanekawa's expression shifted slightly in surprise.

Over a third? That was around 3,000 to 4,000 Iwagakure ninja.

Though it sounded exaggerated, considering it was the Third Raikage, it was believable.

The Third Raikage possessed the "strongest spear" Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite and the "strongest shield" Lightning Release Armor.

His offensive, defensive, and speed capabilities stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.

His manner of death was telling—he died of exhaustion rather than being killed.

In other words, the combined efforts of 10,000 Iwagakure ninja couldn't inflict significant harm on him.

On the other hand, the Third Raikage could obliterate swathes of enemies with every move. To him, most of those 10,000 ninja were no more than weeds to be cut down.

"Impressive," Tsunade remarked in admiration.

Even with her Strength of a Hundred Seal, she was still slightly inferior to the Third Raikage.

Just dealing with Onoki was already a headache for her, let alone an army of 10,000 ninja.

The other jonin in the room shared her sentiments.

None of them believed they could replicate the Third Raikage's feats.

The last person to single-handedly take on thousands was the invincible God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

"This is incredibly advantageous for us in Konoha," Hiruzen said with a more relaxed tone.

Iwagakure's heavy losses meant they had two choices: continue fighting Kumogakure or retreat to the Land of Earth.

Turning their attention to Konoha was highly unlikely as it would leave Iwagakure vulnerable to attacks on multiple fronts.

After all, Kumogakure, having lost their Raikage, wouldn't let the matter rest.

Moreover, Konoha still had the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, in custody. If Iwagakure pushed the issue, they couldn't afford the consequences.

"There's another development," Hiruzen continued, changing the topic. "Kumogakure has sent an envoy to Kirigakure."

"Are they seeking an alliance?" Tsunade asked, her expression growing serious.

"Not exactly an alliance," Hiruzen mused. "They're likely requesting Kirigakure to deploy troops."

Though the Third Raikage had heavily damaged Iwagakure's 10,000-strong force, they still retained a significant portion of their strength.

Combined with Konoha and Sunagakure's presence in the Land of Frost, Kumogakure remained stretched across two fronts.

Now that the Third Raikage was dead, the pressure on Kumogakure had only increased.

"Kirigakure has been harboring ambitions, and if Kumogakure offers them the right incentives, they'll undoubtedly send troops," Tsunade said, rubbing her forehead. "The only question is whether their target will be Sunagakure or Konoha."

"Most likely Konoha," Hiruzen said confidently.

The reason was simple.

Konoha had wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

By any measure, Kirigakure would feel compelled to retaliate. Failing to do so would allow Konoha to gain the upper hand politically and militarily.

"There are still 400–500 Sunagakure ninja stationed in the Land of Rivers. If Kirigakure makes any moves, they'll detect it," Hiruzen added after a brief pause. "I've already dispatched the Anbu to contact Chiyo of Sunagakure, so we should receive a response soon."

Though Kirigakure's target was Konoha, working together with Sunagakure would save Konoha significant manpower.

"Konoha needs to prepare. Once Kirigakure acts, we'll deploy to the Land of Rivers," Hiruzen said, turning to Tsunade. "Tsunade, you will command this operation."

"Understood," Tsunade replied calmly, having been briefed on this earlier.

"Before heading to the Land of Rivers, how about making a stop at the Fire Nation's capital?" Hiruzen suggested, adding, "Konoha's stockpile of supplies is nearly depleted."

"No problem," Tsunade said, understanding immediately. Hiruzen wanted her to request resources from the Daimyo of the Fire Nation.

After all, this war had dragged on for two to three years.

Though Konoha was wealthy, much of its funding came from the Fire Nation Daimyo.

Tsunade was the ideal envoy, given her good relationship with the Daimyo's family.

"Meeting Adjourned!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and announced the conclusion of the jonin meeting.

Hanekawa and Tsunade didn't linger and walked out together.

"I wonder when this war will finally end," Tsunade said absentmindedly as she walked down the bustling streets of Konoha, looking at the lively village.

"Once we defeat Kirigakure and Kumogakure, it should be close to over," Hanekawa replied, recalling the events from the original story.

"It's easy to say, but much harder to do," Tsunade shook her head.

"At least Konoha's current situation is much better," Hanekawa said with a smile.

Compared to the widespread conflicts in the original storyline, Konoha was faring far better now.

"True," Tsunade replied, glancing at him. "That's the only good news."

"Don't overthink it," Hanekawa said, stepping forward and holding her hand. "We'll win."

Tsunade instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but she couldn't break free.

She glared at Hanekawa.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Hanekawa asked, blinking innocently as if nothing unusual had happened.

Tsunade bit her lip but held his hand as they continued walking.

From the outside, the age gap between them might lead to misunderstandings about their relationship.

"Let's go to the supermarket," Hanekawa suggested, changing direction toward another street. "Sensei, what do you want for lunch?"

"Me?" Tsunade answered distractedly, "I'm fine with anything."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the supermarket.

"Lady Tsunade?"

A familiar voice called out from behind.

Tsunade instinctively turned and saw Mikoto Uchiha.

She froze for a moment and quickly let go of Hanekawa's hand.

Mikoto looked at them with some surprise.

When she first spotted Tsunade holding hands with Hanekawa, she hesitated to believe her eyes.

This kind of scene was completely out of character for Tsunade. But when she recognized the boy as Hanekawa, things made sense.

Still, were their teacher-student ties this close?

"Itachi, greet them," Mikoto said as she pulled a small boy, who looked about three years old, to her side.

"Lady Tsunade," little Itachi said respectfully, followed by, "Lord Hanekawa."

"No need to call him 'Lord Hanekawa.' Just call him 'big brother,'" Mikoto corrected.

"Hanekawa-nii-san," Itachi quickly amended.

"..."

Hanekawa's lips twitched.

Being addressed as "big brother" by Itachi Uchiha, the future avenger, felt strange, to say the least.

"It's hard to believe how much Itachi has grown already," Tsunade said as she studied the boy. "I have a feeling he'll become an exceptional ninja one day."

Even at just three years old, Itachi gave off an air of maturity beyond his years.

Children like that often achieved great things, and being an Uchiha only added to his potential.

"Thank you for your kind words, Lady Tsunade," Mikoto said with a warm smile. "If he ends up with even half of Hanekawa's talent, I'll be more than satisfied."

"Maybe he'll surpass Hanekawa," Tsunade said with a slight smile, though she was merely being polite.

In her mind, Hanekawa's talent was unparalleled. The only shinobi who could compare were legends like Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Among the younger generation, no one could match Hanekawa.

"That's not very realistic," Mikoto said, shaking her head. "When I heard that Hanekawa captured the Four-Tails alive, I thought it was just a rumor."

"It's thanks to the Water Release techniques of the Second Hokage," Hanekawa said modestly.

"Techniques are only as good as the ninja using them," Mikoto replied, clearly unconvinced.

No matter how powerful a technique was, in the hands of an unskilled user, it was just wasted potential.

"Alright, stop praising him so much," Tsunade interjected with a smile, changing the subject. "Has Fugaku come back recently?"

"He's come back a few times," Mikoto said with a sigh, her expression turning somber. "But each time, he only stayed for two or three days before heading back to the Land of Frost."

"The Uchiha clan's contributions in this war against Kumogakure have been invaluable," Tsunade said seriously. "When the war ends, the old man (Hiruzen) will definitely recognize your efforts."

Though Tsunade hadn't been to the Land of Frost herself, she was aware of the Uchiha clan's heavy losses.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" Mikoto said, visibly surprised.

To her, Tsunade was already the next Hokage in all but name.

Her words undoubtedly represented the attitude of the Hokage faction.

Could this mean that the Uchiha clan, long targeted by Danzo and Root, was finally seeing a chance for change?

"It's nothing," Tsunade replied.

Tsunade knew Mikoto had misunderstood but didn't bother to explain further. After all, what she said wasn't wrong.

Considering the Uchiha clan's significant sacrifices, it wouldn't be reasonable for Hiruzen Sarutobi not to compensate them.

"Lady Tsunade, we won't take up any more of your time. We'll be leaving now," Mikoto said politely after chatting for a while.

Hanekawa recalled that the Uchiha clan's district was nearby, just a one- or two-minute walk away.

"Let's go," Tsunade said, withdrawing her gaze as she turned to walk into the supermarket.

"Sensei," Hanekawa said as he caught up with her, smiling. "What you said to Aunt Mikoto earlier sounded a lot like something the Hokage would say."

"I was just trying to comfort her," Tsunade replied, giving him a sharp look.

"Does that mean Sensei doesn't plan to keep her promise?" Hanekawa asked, studying her expression.

"That's up to the old man to decide," Tsunade said, averting her gaze as she casually picked up a bottle of sake.

"Sensei," Hanekawa cleared his throat. "How about we bring it up with the Fire Daimyo during this trip to the capital?"

"The old man hasn't retired yet, and you're already planning to push him out of office?" Tsunade retorted, rolling her eyes. "If he finds out, he'll probably send you to the Anbu to enjoy a little 'training.'"

"But Sensei would never allow that," Hanekawa replied with a playful grin.

"Buy the groceries and head home!" Tsunade said, clearly annoyed. "Stop talking about such unrealistic things!"

"Yes, Sensei!" Hanekawa responded with a serious expression.

Tsunade was briefly stunned, internally marveling at how slick this kid was—he had a way of saying just the right thing to whoever he was talking to.

Still, her mind briefly lingered on his suggestion. If she mentioned her interest in becoming the next Hokage to the Fire Daimyo... She quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought.

---

The Next Day

Konoha Village Gate

When Hanekawa arrived, a group of people was already waiting.

Since the mission involved escorting supplies, it was impossible for just the four of them (Tsunade and her team) to handle it. The sheer volume of supplies required additional manpower—using a large number of sealing scrolls would be too extravagant, even for the Five Great Ninja Villages.

"Lady Tsunade," a young female ninja greeted as she approached Tsunade. Beside her stood a massive ninja dog, nearly as tall as a person.

It was Hanekawa's first time seeing such a large ninja dog, and he couldn't help but glance at it curiously.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" the dog barked at him three times.

"It says its name is Kuro-maru and that it's pleased to meet you," the female ninja translated with a cheerful grin.

In the ninja world, summoning animals could often speak, including ninja dogs. Kakashi's summoned dog, Pakkun, was a prime example. However, the Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs relied on their masters to translate their thoughts.

"I'm Hanekawa," he said, extending his hand.

"Woof!"

Kuro-maru lifted a paw and placed it on Hanekawa's hand, completing the handshake.

"It says it knows your name and that you're impressive for capturing a Tailed Beast alive," the female ninja translated with a laugh.

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.

Is my reputation really so widespread that even ninja dogs know me now?

"I'm Inuzuka Tsume," the ninja introduced herself.

Hanekawa found the name familiar. After a moment of thought, he realized she was the mother of Inuzuka Kiba.

"This mission consists of five ninja teams for the escort," Tsume reported to Tsunade. "Everyone is ready."

"Let's move out," Tsunade said with a nod.

The group set off toward the capital of the Land of Fire.

As they traveled, Hanekawa's thoughts drifted to Madara Uchiha.

Will he show up at this point?

On further consideration, it seemed unlikely.

In the original timeline, Obito Uchiha required extensive recovery before he could act freely.

As for Madara himself, he was confined and could at most send a shadow clone, which wouldn't be very powerful.

Hanekawa then thought of White Zetsu.

For every sensory technique, there was a corresponding concealment technique, and White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique was arguably the most refined. By merging with the earth and plant life, Zetsu achieved unparalleled mobility and concealment.

This ability was precisely what enabled Madara and the Akatsuki to gather intelligence from all corners of the ninja world.

Can my Mind's Eye detect White Zetsu?

Hanekawa wondered.

His B-rank perk, Perception: Special Jonin, enhanced sensory techniques by 100%. This meant his Mind's Eye was already among the strongest perception abilities in the ninja world.

However, White Zetsu was unique, and Hanekawa wasn't entirely confident. Perhaps only after obtaining the A-rank perk Perception: Jonin would he have a better chance of detecting Zetsu.

_

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