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The sun dipped low on the horizon as Hanekawa finished his final set of exercises, wiping sweat from his brow. The afternoon training session with Tsunade had been grueling—though she'd skipped out halfway through to hit the casinos, as usual. He'd stopped expecting her to stay.
He padded inside, collapsing onto the sofa with a satisfied exhale. The Ability System materialized at his ntal command.
[C-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Lightning Chakra Activation]
[Trigger Condition: Introduction to Lightning Chakra Activation]
[Current Progress: 20%]
Hanekawa frowned. The progress bar had stalled. Twenty percent for weeks now, with no movent. That wasn't right. Even slow progress should be sothing.
Maybe I've hit a plateau, he thought. Or maybe I need to actually use lightning chakra to push it forward.
He made a ntal note to experint tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow, actually. Because tomorrow was August 2nd.
Tsunade's birthday.
The realization hit him like a kunai to the chest. Oh, hell. I completely forgot to plan anything.
He closed the Ability System and lay back, mind already spinning through gift ideas. What do you give to a legendary ninja who had everything except self-control and good luck?
Footsteps sounded from the hallway. Before Hanekawa could sit up, a hand landed gently on his head, stroking his hair with surprising tenderness.
"Training all afternoon again?" Tsunade's voice was softer than usual—the tone she only used when she thought he wasn't paying attention.
"Yeah." Hanekawa opened his eyes. "Did you win today?"
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because if you'd lost, you'd be in a worse mood."
Tsunade's expression darkened. "Brat!"
She pulled him against her chest and clenched her left fist, delivering a solid bonk to his head. The impact was more theatrical than painful, but the sudden proximity made his face burn. The scent of her perfu mixed with sake, and the soft weight of her against him nearly made him lose his train of thought entirely.
"Teacher, I'm sorry!" he sputtered, struggling half-heartedly.
Tsunade released him, crossing her arms with a suspicious smirk. "Is that all? Just an apology?"
Hanekawa seized the mont. "How about this—tomorrow, we skip training and go to the casino instead. You can gamble as long as you want."
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Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "What's gotten into you? Planning to slack off?"
"One day won't hurt," he said smoothly. "As long as you're happy."
She studied him for a long mont, clearly trying to figure out if he was serious. Co on, he thought. Just guess. It's not that hard.
"I'm drinking tomorrow too," she finally said.
"Drink as much as you want," he agreed imdiately.
"Did sothing happen to you?" She reached out and tugged his cheek. "You're acting strange. Usually you're nagging about gambling and drinking like so worried mother."
She really has no idea it's her birthday, Hanekawa realized. It made sense, in a way. How many people in the Leaf Village actually rembered to celebrate with her?
"No, nothing's wrong," he said.
Tsunade raised the corners of her mouth slightly. "You little brat. Since you're being so cooperative, I won't complain. et at eight o'clock tomorrow."
"Can you even wake up that early?" he asked skeptically.
"What did you say?" Her hand ca up again, but this ti he dodged.
"Nothing! Just saying—don't hit the head. It makes you stupid."
"Go cook!" she ordered, glaring at him.
After dinner, Hanekawa claid exhaustion from the afternoon's training and skipped the evening session. Tsunade laughed so hard she nearly choked on her sake. "Co on, you're so weak," she teased.
He left with as much dignity as he could muster.
On his way ho, he stopped at the shopping district, still clueless about what to buy. Tsunade's hobbies were limited to gambling and drinking—neither appropriate for a birthday gift. He was standing in front of a shop window, completely lost, when a familiar voice called out.
"Hanekawa!"
He turned to see Rin jogging toward him, her face flushed from exertion.
"The teacher ntioned you took two days off," she said, catching her breath. "Is sothing wrong?"
Perfect timing. "Actually, I need your advice on sothing."
Rin's eyes widened with surprise and sothing that looked like... excitent? "Really? What is it?"
"Tomorrow's my teacher's birthday," he explained, heading toward the gift shops. "I need help figuring out what to give her."
Rin followed, her initial enthusiasm dimming slightly for reasons he didn't quite understand. "What does Lady Tsunade need?" she asked carefully.
"Money," he answered without thinking.
Rin stopped dead. "A legendary dical ninja is short on money?"
Hanekawa laughed. Well, that's one way to put it. "Just kidding. She doesn't need anything material, so I'm stuck."
Rin pointed to an elegant tea set nearby. "What about that? Adults enjoy tea."
"She prefers wine," Hanekawa said, already moving toward a display of sake sets. The craftsmanship was excellent—traditional lacquerware with delicate inlay work. "This is better."
"Isn't drinking alcohol against ninja regulations?" Rin asked hesitantly.
"Only during active duty," he said, selecting the set. He spotted a beautiful bracelet and added it to his purchases. Two gift boxes—one large, one small.
As he approached the counter, he paused. Rin was waiting patiently, that gentle smile on her face. He rembered sothing from the original tiline: she'd worn a red bracelet. He didn't see one on her wrist now.
He turned back and grabbed another bracelet.
"A thank you gift," he said, handing her the smaller box as they left the shop. "For helping out."
Rin's face went bright red. "I couldn't possibly—"
"Consider it done," he said, already walking away. "See you the day after tomorrow."
Behind him, he heard her open the box. There was a mont of silence, then the soft sound of her catching her breath.
Hanekawa smiled to himself. One problem solved. Now for the harder part—actually making sure Tsunade has a decent birthday.
This better be worth it, he thought, already ntally preparing himself for whatever chaos tomorrow would bring.
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