Two days slipped by without incident.

  Instead of following Tsunade to the casinos—where his presence as her "luck charm" would inevitably result in her winning enough money to bankrupt half the village—Hanekawa spent his time drilling water jutsu with Kurenai. The work was methodical and exhausting, exactly what he needed.

  His current arsenal was respectable: Chunin-level entries across Wind, Water, Lightning, Earth, and Fire styles. But respectable wasn't good enough. To reach special jonin status, he needed to push each one to mastery. Lightning Style was already at eighty percent proficiency—he'd been grinding that one the hardest—but Water and Earth were climbing steadily. Both were prerequisites for Wood Style synthesis, even if it was only Yamato's version.

  Still, Hanekawa thought as he formed another hand seal, Wood Style is Wood Style. Can't complain about that.

  The morning of the third day found him and Kurenai heading to Tsunade's house together. Rin was already there, waiting with the kind of eager energy that made Hanekawa slightly nervous. Breakfast was quick—Tsunade didn't believe in lingering over food—and soon the four of them were standing in the open space behind the house.

  "Kurenai and Rin, practice on your own," Tsunade said, her eyes already fixed on Hanekawa with that particular gleam that meant pain was incoming. "Ask me if you get stuck."

  "Yes, Teacher Tsunade!" they chorused, though Kurenai's enthusiasm was noticeably less genuine than Rin's.

  Tsunade jerked her head toward the far side of the clearing. "You. Come on."

  Here we go, Hanekawa thought, rolling his shoulders. Time to get my ass handed to me by the legendary Sannin. Again.

  He'd stopped counting how many times this had happened. The bruises were becoming a permanent feature at this point.

  ---

  They faced off across the open space, Tsunade rolling her shoulders with the casual confidence of someone who'd never met a problem she couldn't solve by hitting it harder.

  "Ready?" she asked.

  "Yes, Teacher."

  Hanekawa didn't waste time with courtesy. He triggered his Body Flicker Technique at full speed, the world blurring around him as he closed the distance in a heartbeat. The ground cracked beneath his feet from the explosive force of his movement.

  Tsunade stepped back—just one step, casual as breathing—and raised her leg in a simple kick.

  Hanekawa didn't see it coming. One moment he was mid-punch, the next his entire body was weightless. He twisted in mid-air, channeling chakra through his legs to stabilize his landing, but the force still sent him skidding backward, his heels carving furrows in the dirt.

  Okay, he thought, shaking his head to clear it. Still not fast enough to keep up with a jonin. Good to know. Again.

  "Come on," Tsunade called, crooking a finger at him with an amused smile.

  He stepped forward—and the ground exploded beneath his feet.

  The shockwave from his movement sent a spiderweb of cracks radiating outward. Tsunade sidestepped it with ease and flicked him on the forehead as he passed.

  The impact felt like being hit with a sledgehammer wrapped in silk. His head snapped back, vision swimming.

  That's going to leave a mark, he thought distantly. Pretty sure I saw stars.

  "Focus," Tsunade said, not unkindly.

  Hanekawa shook it off and came at her again. This time he was ready for the speed difference. He couldn't match her velocity, so he'd have to out-think her instead. He pivoted, using a spinning back kick—something he'd learned from Might Duy—to create distance and force her to respond.

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  Fist met leg. Both of them slid back half a step.

  "Who taught you that?" Tsunade asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

  "Might Duy," Hanekawa replied, breathing hard. "Guy's father."

  Tsunade's eyebrow rose. "He's not a jonin?"

  "No, ma'am. Just a genin. But he knows the Eight Gates."

  "The Eight Gates?" Tsunade actually paused mid-strike, surprise flickering across her face. "How in the world did a genin learn that? And why is he completely unknown?"

  Hanekawa dodged her next kick, feeling the air crack where his head had been a moment before. "Because no one will team up with him. Can't take missions solo."

  "That's..." Tsunade threw a punch that he barely slipped. "...ridiculous."

  "When you're Hokage," Hanekawa said between dodges, "you should recruit him. He won't let you down."

  Tsunade stopped mid-motion, her eyes narrowing. "Why do you keep saying that? About me becoming Hokage?"

  "Because—"

  "Never mind." She cracked her knuckles. "Looks like we need to fight about this."

  She moved like lightning, and the world became a blur of fists and kicks and the constant pressure of trying not to get flattened. Hanekawa held his own through pure technique and experience, but he was acutely aware that Tsunade was barely trying. One moment of genuine effort and he'd be eating dirt.

  From the sidelines, Kurenai watched with wide eyes. "Did he make her angry?"

  "No," Rin said softly, her medical training allowing her to read the subtle signs. "She's holding back. This is just training."

  Kurenai nodded, though she still looked worried.

  ---

  "Rest," Tsunade finally said, stepping back with barely a hair out of place.

  Hanekawa, by contrast, felt like he'd been through a blender. Every muscle ached. His shoulders throbbed. His ribs were definitely going to be spectacular colors by tomorrow.

  Rin was at his side before he'd even caught his breath. "Let me help. Where does it hurt?"

  "Everywhere," Hanekawa said honestly, but he rolled up his sleeve to show the worst of the bruising. "Here's probably the worst."

  Rin's hands glowed with soft green chakra, and the warmth of her healing jutsu washed over his skin. It was soothing, almost hypnotic. He could feel the bruises fading, the inflammation receding.

  "I should learn medical ninjutsu too," Kurenai muttered to herself, watching the process. Then she seemed to realize how much she was already learning and gave up the thought with a small huff.

  "Hanekawa's such a show-off," she said loudly, turning back to her water practice. "Learning everything under the sun."

  Hanekawa would have smiled if Rin's hands weren't still on his arm. He gently pulled away before things got awkward. "That's enough, thanks. I'm almost recovered."

  Rin's face turned bright red. "Oh! I—sorry, I didn't mean—" She practically fled back to her practice spot.

  Girls in the ninja world mature way too fast, Hanekawa thought, not for the first time.

  The afternoon brought more of the same: Tsunade hitting him, him trying not to get hit, occasional moments of success that felt like victories even though they weren't. But there was progress. His taijutsu proficiency was climbing steadily. At this rate, he'd have the B-Rank Special Taijutsu Jonin entry within a few months.

  It was late afternoon when Uchiha Shisui arrived, watching the tail end of a particularly brutal exchange. The Uchiha prodigy's expression was unreadable, but Hanekawa caught the flash of something—determination, maybe, or renewed resolve.

  After Hanekawa and Tsunade finally called it quits, Shisui stepped forward with the kind of formal politeness that meant official business.

  "Lady Tsunade," he said, producing an invitation. "The clan leader asked me to deliver this."

  Tsunade glanced at it, her expression shifting to something more neutral. "Tell Fugaku I'll be there."

  "There's one for you too, Hanekawa-senpai," Shisui added, handing over a second invitation.

  Hanekawa opened it and found himself staring at an invitation to Uchiha Itachi's hundred-day celebration. The irony wasn't lost on him. He had exactly zero connection to the Uchiha clan, which meant this was purely political—a gesture toward Tsunade or the Hokage's inner circle.

  "I'll go with Teacher," he said simply.

  Shisui nodded and left, and Hanekawa tucked the invitation away without much thought.

  ---

  July became August. Hanekawa turned twelve—a birthday celebrated quietly, since most of his friends were out on missions. Nothing special, nothing memorable.

  August became September.

  The Uchiha compound began to bustle with activity. Servants moved between buildings. Decorations went up. The hundred-day celebration was approaching, and this year it was different from previous years. The Leaf Village's leadership—Hiruzen at the head—had decided to show the Uchiha clan more respect. More attention. More... consideration.

  It was a shift that had started with Shisui and Obito, two young Uchiha who'd caught the eye of powerful mentors. The village was beginning to realize what it had been overlooking.

  Hanekawa filed that observation away with all the others. The spy in him never really stopped working, even when he was getting his face rearranged by the legendary Sannin.

  Interesting, he thought. Very interesting indeed.