The carriage swayed beneath Hanekawa's feet as he stood motionless on its roof, eyes closed.
Around him, the world blood into existence—not through sight, but through the Mind's Eye. Every tree, every stone, every flicker of chakra within his perception range materialized in his mind's eye like a living map. Two days of travel had carried them from the Land of Fire into the Land of Rivers, and in another half-day, they'd reach the rendezvous point where Konoha's forces would et the Hidden Sand's contingent.
He'd spent the journey doing what he did best: training while appearing to rest.
The Mind's Eye had two purposes today. First, reconnaissance—watching for the inevitable ambushes that ca with operating in contested territory. Second, practice. Every hour sharpened his perception ninjutsu, grinding his proficiency higher like a blade against stone.
So far, the journey had been blessedly quiet.
That changed when Hanekawa's eyes snapped open.
Three teams. Twelve ninjas. Three jonin-level signatures among them.
And one chakra he recognized imdiately.
i Terumi.
"Hanekawa, sothing's happening!"
Hizashi Hyuga appeared beside him monts later, his Byakugan already activated. The branch family mber had sensed the sa disturbance.
Below, Chen Rōshi and the other transport team mbers tensed. They weren't fools—they knew what enemy ninja ant.
"Hidden Mist Village," Hanekawa said calmly, opening his eyes. "You continue on. I'll handle this."
"Should I co with you?" Hizashi asked, hesitation clear in his voice.
"Not necessary."
Hanekawa didn't bother explaining. Hizashi knew his record—the Four-Tails captured alive, the Third Mizukage dead. In terms of raw power, Hanekawa was the strongest asset the transport team had.
He vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
---
The road ahead curved through dense forest. Hanekawa found a suitable vantage point and closed his eyes, activating the Mind's Eye once more.
Twelve signatures, arranged in a loose periter. They were good—disciplined, patient. But they weren't expecting him.
Ti to change that.
Hanekawa ford hand seals and exhaled a thick stream of mist that spread outward in all directions, deliberately flowing away from the Mist Village ninjas' position. The irony wasn't lost on him.
"Who cast the Mist Hidden Technique?"
i Terumi's voice cut through the fog, sharp with surprise. But her confusion lasted only seconds. The mist was spreading the wrong direction—away from them, not from them.
"Be careful! There might be enemies!" she called out to her team.
The Mist Village ninjas scattered, searching. So did i Terumi, though Hanekawa could sense her frustration. Who knew their signature technique?
He let her wonder for exactly three seconds.
i Terumi spun and threw a punch without hesitation, her reflexes sharp as ever. But Hanekawa was faster. His hand closed around her wrist, stopping the blow cold.
"You..." i Terumi's eyes widened. "Why are you here?"
"You tell ," Hanekawa said, unable to suppress his smile.
Her expression shifted through several emotions before settling on calculation. "Are you escorting Konoha's supply transport?"
"Smart girl."
Hanekawa released her wrist. i Terumi stepped back, her entire body language changing. The confidence drained away, replaced by sothing that looked dangerously like resignation.
"If you're here to convince to surrender, that won't happen," she said flatly. "I'd rather die."
"Is that so?" Hanekawa tilted his head, studying her with obvious amusent. "You don't want your eleven teammates to die here?"
i Terumi froze. Her body trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the weight of that choice.
This is fun, Hanekawa thought. Teasing the future Mizukage.
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After a few seconds of internal struggle, i Terumi made her decision. She reached into her pouch and threw sothing at him.
Hanekawa caught it reflexively. A wallet.
He stared at it, then at her, completely lost. What?
"You're a pervert!" i Terumi snapped, her face flushed with anger and embarrassnt.
Before he could respond, she kicked off her shoes and began peeling away her black sh stockings—the kind that wrapped around her feet like step-on socks, leaving her toes exposed.
What is happening right now?
"Stop looking!" i Terumi's face was crimson as she shoved the warm stockings into his hands.
Hanekawa blinked. "I think you misunderstood. I wanted to spar with you."
i Terumi's expression froze. She stared at him, processing this information. Her face sohow managed to get even redder.
"Then give back my stockings!" she demanded through gritted teeth.
"Once they're in my hands, they're mine," Hanekawa said with complete seriousness. "You want them back? Beat ."
"Go to hell!"
i Terumi's hands flew through seals. Her lips parted, and orange-red acid sprayed forth like a tidal wave, consuming everything in its path.
Dissolution Release: Monster Dissolution Technique.
Hanekawa stepped back and clapped his hands together. A water dragon erupted from the ground, roaring as it charged forward. The dragon collided with the acid stream, and both began to dissolve—but the water held its form, pushing through with enough force to scatter the acid and send i Terumi skidding backward.
The thick fog dispersed, revealing both combatants to the watching Mist Village ninjas.
"It's Hanekawa!" one of them gasped.
Panic rippled through the team. They weren't stupid. The man who'd killed the Third Mizukage wasn't soone they could fight.
"All of you, leave!" i Terumi commanded, her eyes never leaving Hanekawa. "I'll hold him!"
"But—" one of her subordinates started.
"Go! Now!"
The Mist Village ninjas retreated, their expressions a mixture of reluctance and relief. They knew what staying would an.
"The acting is pretty good," Hanekawa said, unable to help himself.
i Terumi didn't smile. She understood perfectly well that if Hanekawa hadn't chosen rcy, there would be no act—only bodies.
"Continue!" she declared, her face hardening with determination.
Water Style: Water Array Pillar!
A massive sphere of water descended from the sky like a falling teor. i Terumi's eyes tracked Hanekawa's every movent, and she noticed sothing that made her frown.
His water jutsu was stronger. Significantly stronger.
Water Style: Water Trumpet Technique!
Hanekawa leaped upward and expelled a spiraling stream of water shaped like a trumpet. The collision was instantaneous. The water sphere burst, spraying in all directions and drenching i Terumi in the process.
He's gotten stronger, she realized with a sinking feeling.
Water Style: Water Rush Wave!
Hanekawa's hands ca together, and water spun violently before him, forming a tornado that cut through the mist like a blade. The two combatants exchanged volleys—water against acid, technique against technique—until a water dragon erged from the chaos and rushed toward i Terumi at terrifying speed.
Water Style: Water Formation Wall!
She reacted instantly, raising a wall of water. It held for a mont, then shattered. Water cascaded down, soaking her dress completely. The blue fabric clung to her body, and as she stumbled backward, Hanekawa caught a glimpse of her curvaceous figure outlined beneath the wet cloth—black sh stockings visible where her dress had ridden up.
He raised an eyebrow.
i Terumi didn't seem to notice or care. She was already forming seals again, her expression grim.
Boiling Release: Acid Mist Technique!
Orange-red solution sprayed outward, distorting the air itself.
Molten Release: Rasengan!
Hanekawa threw a spinning sphere of lava. The collision produced a violent reaction—gas and steam erupting as the solution t the magma. The Rasengan's rotation threw the acid back toward i Terumi, who barely managed to raise another Water Formation Wall in ti.
The solution, heated by the magma, lted through most of the water. Scorching heat washed over her face, and she felt her skin flush from the temperature alone.
She looked at Hanekawa, standing calmly in the center of the chaos, and felt sothing inside her break.
"I give up," she said quietly.
Neither her Dissolution Release nor her Boiling Release could match his water jutsu. It was like trying to fight the ocean itself.
Two lines of text appeared in Hanekawa's vision:
[C-Rank Talent Entry: Boiling and lting]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat i Terumi]
[Effect: Dissolution Release and Boiling Release proficiency increased by 100%]
Just C-Rank?
Then he understood. i Terumi was still young, still learning. She only had one technique for each release. Once she mastered them fully, the entry would likely be stronger. But this was still valuable—another kekkei genkai added to his collection.
With Lava Release, Wood Style, and now Boiling and Dissolution Release, he was getting closer to that A-Rank entry: "Seven Bloodline Limits."
Hanekawa pulled a windbreaker from his storage scroll and handed it to her. "Thank you for today."
i Terumi stared at the garnt, confused. She wrapped it around herself, her wet dress clinging uncomfortably beneath.
"Rember to shower and change when you get back," Hanekawa added, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "You don't want to catch a cold."
i Terumi's face turned crimson. She looked away, her voice sharp with embarrassnt and sothing else she couldn't quite na. "I don't need your concern, you pervert!"
"Practice your Dissolution and Boiling Release," he advised.
"Don't worry!" she snapped, her eyes blazing with determination despite her flushed cheeks. "Next ti, I'll lt you in one bite!"
"I look forward to it."
Hanekawa pinched her cheek—earning a small squeak of indignation—and vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
i Terumi stood alone in the clearing for a long ti, the oversized windbreaker hanging off her shoulders, her wet hair dripping. She looked down at the garnt, then in the direction Hanekawa had disappeared.
Her feelings toward him had beco complicated. Confusing. She didn't know how to describe them, and that frustrated her almost as much as losing the fight.
Almost.
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