Outside Tsunade's house, the training grounds hummed with activity.

  Asuma Sarutobi sprinted toward an open space, weaving through hand seals as wind chakra gathered around his palms. He didn't glance back at Kurenai, though his jaw tightened slightly. It wasn't about lingering feelings—it was about the gap between them. Narrow. Frustratingly narrow. Losing by a hair's breadth was somehow worse than losing decisively. At least then he'd have an excuse.

  Kurenai Yuhi moved through a series of water jutsu with practiced precision, her ruby eyes focused and sharp. After getting permission from her instructor, Maruboshi Kosuke, she'd managed to carve out training time with Hanekawa's group. The progress showed—her technique had become noticeably cleaner over the past months.

  At a nearby table, Rin Nohara carefully worked her chakra through a fish's body, her hands steady and deliberate. A year of chakra control training had finally brought her to the threshold of medical ninjutsu. Hanekawa stood beside her, guiding her through the motions without holding back—he'd already decided she'd be his teammate when they graduated. Given Tsunade's personality, she'd probably assign him to teach his own squad anyway. Might as well get a head start.

  Obito watched from the sidelines until Rin pointedly ignored him, then he huffed off to practice his Fire Style jutsu with renewed intensity.

  Kakashi worked through Lightning Style sequences nearby, his movements precise and economical. He'd wanted to spar with Hanekawa on swordsmanship, but Hanekawa had refused—he was focused on Lightning Style today. Kakashi understood. Competition was fine, but training goals came first.

  An hour passed before Uchiha Shisui arrived, moving with the easy confidence of someone who knew exactly how talented he was.

  "Late," Hanekawa observed, not looking up from his practice.

  "Class ran over." Shisui paused, then a slight smile crossed his face. "Actually, want to spar? You'll understand why I'm late."

  Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. Oh, he's got that look. New technique incoming. "Sure."

  Shisui drew his ninja sword in one smooth motion. "Be careful."

  He moved.

  The blade came at Hanekawa in a dazzling arc, faster and more aggressive than their previous matches. Hanekawa's own sword rose to meet it—the clash sent a sharp ring across the training grounds. They exchanged strikes, the tempo building, air rippling with each impact.

  Okay, he's definitely improved, Hanekawa thought, adjusting his footwork. More aggressive. Better timing.

  "Shisui's gotten stronger," Kakashi noted, stopping his practice to watch.

  Kurenai, Obito, and Asuma gathered at the edge of the sparring circle. Only Rin remained focused on her fish, though her concentration wavered slightly.

  "That's Uchiha-style swordsmanship!" Obito's eyes widened. "I didn't know he'd trained it to this level."

  "Why haven't you used it before?" Kakashi asked pointedly.

  Obito's face flushed. "I—my Fire Style is enough!"

  "Watch," Asuma said quietly. "Something's coming."

  Shisui stepped back, creating distance. Hanekawa didn't pursue—he simply waited, sword held ready.

  Then Shisui's blade ignited.

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  Fire erupted along the steel without warning, the heat so intense the air shimmered. The blade burned with an orange-red glow as Shisui's body blurred forward.

  Uchiha Style: Sword Leaping Flame, Hanekawa registered. New.

  The flaming blade descended from above. Hanekawa raised his own sword—lightning crackled along its length. Thunder met fire in a violent collision that sent sparks and wind in all directions.

  Shisui twisted his wrists. The flame detached from the blade, becoming a projectile that pursued Hanekawa with predatory intent.

  Body Flicker.

  Hanekawa vanished and reappeared ten feet back, but the flame followed, tracking him like a living thing.

  Okay, that's actually impressive.

  He planted his feet and raised his left hand, chakra spiraling outward in a tight vortex.

  Rasengan.

  The blue sphere formed in his palm, spinning with devastating force. The flaming projectile hit it dead-on and shattered, dispersing into harmless waves of heat and air.

  Obito's jaw dropped. "What—what is that?!"

  "What kind of jutsu is that?" Asuma demanded. "Why haven't I seen it before?"

  Kakashi's expression darkened. He'd never seen anything quite like it. The sheer power made his skin crawl—none of his ninjutsu could match that kind of output.

  "It's the Rasengan," Kurenai said proudly, unable to contain herself. "Minato-senpai created it. Hanekawa learned it from him."

  She practically glowed with the knowledge, clearly pleased to be the one who knew something the others didn't.

  Rin glanced over, a small flicker of something—envy? wistfulness?—crossing her features before she returned to her work.

  Shisui lowered his sword, breathing slightly harder. "Still not enough."

  "Self-created?" Hanekawa asked, genuinely curious.

  "Yeah." Shisui nodded. "I combined Fire Style and Wind Style with traditional Uchiha swordsmanship. But you're still ahead—that's an A-Rank jutsu, isn't it?"

  "Learned it from Minato," Hanekawa said honestly. "You created yours from scratch. That's more impressive."

  Pervert, Asuma muttered.

  "Both of you are perverts," Kakashi added flatly.

  Obito's hands clenched into fists. His eyes burned—literally. A single magatama flickered in his Sharingan before vanishing, hidden by his anger at being overshadowed again.

  He looked at Rin and found her staring at Hanekawa instead of her fish.

  Ahhhhh!

  "Still want to go?" Hanekawa asked Shisui.

  "No, no." Shisui waved him off. "I'd need at least a second magatama to have a real shot. Maybe three to be safe."

  "Then let's get back to training."

  Kakashi immediately stepped forward. "Shisui, spar with me."

  The afternoon dissolved into focused training as the sun began its descent. By the time darkness fell, everyone was exhausted and satisfied.

  ---

  Hanekawa sat on Tsunade's couch, waiting. The door opened not long after, and he turned his head.

  White, delicate feet came into view first. An anklet—the one he'd bought her—caught the light as she walked past.

  "How was the test?" Tsunade asked, looking down at him as she settled onto the couch.

  "First place. Nothing's changed."

  "Good." She crossed her legs, the anklet glinting. "Don't get cocky. There are plenty of ninjas out there who could surprise you."

  "I know." Hanekawa hesitated, then: "What if I graduated next year instead of waiting for my final year?"

  Tsunade blinked. "You'd skip your last year?"

  "More missions would be better use of the time," he said simply.

  She considered it. With war on the horizon, that logic made sense. "Fine. Next year it is."

  "Can you help me choose my teammates?"

  "Oh?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed with amusement. "Do tell."

  "Kurenai and Rin."

  "You greedy little devil." She glared at him, but there was no real heat in it. "Why not Kakashi or Asuma? They're stronger."

  "Neither of them is a medical ninja," Hanekawa said. "If I pick them, you'll have nothing left to teach me."

  "Nonsense." Tsunade raised her foot and kicked him lightly. "There's no student I can't teach."

  "Then help me this time?" Hanekawa moved quickly, wrapping his arms around her thighs before she could retaliate.

  Tsunade stepped on his leg—not hard, just enough to be annoying. "I didn't say no. Now let go and go cook dinner."

  Victory, Hanekawa thought, grinning as he released her.