Talent System In The Naruto Universe

Samui's expression was cold as she stared at Hanekawa.

Each of the Five Great Villages has a tradition of investigating the talents of other villages.

Among the younger generation of the Hidden Cloud Village, Hanekawa had gained significant fame as a genius from the Hidden Leaf Village.

After all, he was Tsunade's student, had consistently been the top student at the Ninja Academy, and had even defeated the son of the White Fang of the Leaf.

If that was all, it could have been overlooked; every village has its share of talented individuals, and until you fight them, they can be dismissed as rumors.

But what surprised them was Hanekawa's true identity: he was originally a ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village.

By "them," she was referring to Yugito Nii and Mabui, aside from herself.

In today's Hidden Cloud Village, among the younger generation, Yugito Nii ranked first, followed by Samui, and then Mabui.

Especially Yugito Nii.

As the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, she was proud and competitive by nature.

To make matters worse, the Third Raikage had poured fuel on the fire, lamenting that he regretted sending Hanekawa to the Hidden Leaf Village. With his talent, he should have stayed in the Cloud to become a future pillar of the village.

Yugito Nii, of course, was unwilling to accept this, but as the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, she couldn't leave for the Hidden Leaf Village.

When Dodai came to meet Hanekawa this time, it was originally supposed to be a solo mission. However, at Yugito's request, Samui had been brought along.

The purpose? To test Hanekawa's strength.

"Be careful."

Samui warned, then in a flash, dashed toward Hanekawa with incredible speed.

Hanekawa met her emerald green eyes and formed seals with his hands.

Genjutsu: Fox Heart Technique!

Samui's vision blurred momentarily, and her blade swung into thin air.

She froze briefly, immediately realizing what had happened.

Genjutsu: Release!

Samui's vision cleared, but a katana was already pressed against her neck.

"This is what you meant by a quick victory?"

Hanekawa blinked and asked.

"It doesn't count! Again!"

Samui's face turned bright red as she protested.

"Alright."

Hanekawa withdrew his katana and kindly reminded her, "This time, I won't use genjutsu."

Samui felt deeply underestimated.

Taking a deep breath, she gripped her short blade tightly.

With a sharp sound, she appeared in front of Hanekawa again, even faster this time.

But in the next moment, her expression changed drastically.

A flash of steel.

Hanekawa's katana blocked her short blade, and an unimaginable force surged back at her.

Her right arm went numb, and she instinctively let go. The short blade fell to the ground.

At the same time, she was pushed backward, only stopping after colliding with the wall.

"Want to try again?"

Hanekawa didn't press his advantage and simply stood there, asking.

"…"

Samui shook her arm, picked up her short blade, and looked at Hanekawa, who seemed so calm and composed. Unable to accept her defeat, she launched another attack.

Lightning flickered.

Her short blade was suddenly infused with electricity.

Leaping into the air, Samui swung her short blade rapidly, creating layers of dazzling strikes.

Body Flicker Technique!

Hanekawa jumped back, dodging her range of attack.

Crescent Moon Dance!

Hanekawa's form blurred as he created two shadow clones.

Three Hanekawas, each holding a katana, attacked Samui from above, the left, and the right.

"What… what is this?"

Samui panicked, barely managing to block the central Hanekawa.

Two katanas pressed against her neck from either side.

"Well?"

Hanekawa dispelled the two clones and asked.

"I… I lost…"

Samui's body trembled. Her calm facade shattered, leaving her visibly disheartened.

She wasn't unaccustomed to losing, but losing so thoroughly was a first.

No matter what she did, even in her strongest skill—swordsmanship—she couldn't put up a fight against Hanekawa.

The gap between their abilities was like heaven and earth, utterly incomparable.

"Your strength is commendable. You're already stronger than most Genin."

Hanekawa smiled and said, "It's just that you're young. You'll grow stronger in the future."

"No need to comfort me."

Samui bit her lip and turned her face away.

"It's the truth."

Hanekawa extended his hand.

Samui instinctively wanted to avoid it but stopped herself.

"Your swordsmanship has a few areas that can be improved."

Hanekawa patted her head and said, "If you have the time, I'll teach you."

Losing means getting your head patted—that's the rule of the Patting Heads Village.

"Why?"

Samui looked up at him, her face filled with confusion.

"Aren't we both Hidden Cloud Village ninjas?"

Hanekawa smiled as he countered with a question.

Samui felt her heart skip a beat.

In that moment, she acknowledged Hanekawa.

Though the Hidden Cloud Village had a bad reputation in the ninja world—for example, often stealing other villages' secrets—the camaraderie within the village was undeniable.

Hanekawa had lived in the Hidden Leaf Village for so long that Samui hadn't initially considered him a Hidden Cloud ninja.

But now, she found him rather impressive.

Strong, with a good temperament—if he had grown up in the Hidden Cloud Village, he would undoubtedly have become a standout among the younger generation.

Samui now understood why the Third Raikage had expressed regret.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

A young man entered.

Seeing the two discussing swordsmanship, he was momentarily stunned.

What's going on here?

Wasn't Samui supposed to be checking Hanekawa's seal?

"Hanekawa."

Samui stood up and introduced, "This is Uncle Dodai."

"Uncle Dodai."

Hanekawa greeted him proactively.

"Hanekawa."

Dodai extended a hand, patting Hanekawa's shoulder. "You've done well in the Hidden Leaf Village. Lord Raikage asked me to convey his thanks."

"It's what I should do!"

Hanekawa replied earnestly.

"Time is tight. To avoid Granny Cat getting suspicious, we'll leave it at that."

Dodai withdrew his hand, looking satisfied.

"If anything comes up in the future, Samui will contact you."

Hanekawa nodded.

As expected, this meeting was merely to confirm that the seal on him was still intact.

Samui hesitated but ultimately said nothing.

"Little guest, Granny Cat wants to see you, meow."

Hinata's voice came from outside the door.

"I'll head out first."

Hanekawa left the room.

"I didn't expect the Hidden Cloud Village to produce such talent," Dodai said with a sigh.

To be sure, he had just rechecked the seal—it was indeed intact.

As long as the seal remained, Hanekawa couldn't betray them, as the consequence would be death.

Samui stared out the door in a daze.

Though their discussion had lasted less than ten minutes, she had already grasped the astonishing level of Hanekawa's swordsmanship.

What troubled her now was how she would explain this to Yugito Nii.

Knowing Yugito's personality, she would likely refuse to believe Hanekawa possessed such overwhelming strength.

Meanwhile, Hanekawa followed Hinata and quickly arrived at Granny Cat's place.

She wore an orange coat, held a smoking pipe, and had black cat ears on her head.

All around her, ninja cats were playing, looking no different from ordinary house cats.

"So, it's you, Hanekawa."

Granny Cat looked up and was surprised to see him.

"Do you know me, Granny?"

Hanekawa sat across from her.

"You're quite famous in the Hidden Leaf Village. I've heard Shisui mention you."

Granny Cat took a puff from her pipe and asked, "Are you here to forge ninja tools?"

She was a supplier of ninja tools and intelligence for the Uchiha Clan, quite familiar with their ninjas.

In the original series, she had watched both Itachi and Sasuke grow up and even survived the Uchiha Clan's massacre—most likely because she lived in the empty zone at night, away from the Uchiha compound.

"Yes."

Hanekawa took out his katana and a Lightning Release chakra crystal. "Can you combine these?"

"No problem."

Granny Cat waved her hand, and a ninja cat came forward to take the katana and chakra crystal.

"Also, I'd like to request another blade—a wakizashi—crafted from chakra metal."

If not for Dodai's gift of the Lightning Release chakra crystal, this would have been Hanekawa's original purpose—or pretext—for visiting.

A wakizashi is a shorter katana, typically 30 to 60 centimeters in length.

In two-sword style kenjutsu, the pair of swords used are a standard katana and a wakizashi.

Hanekawa wasn't aiming to adopt a two-sword style but wanted a wakizashi as a backup weapon.

After all, it's possible to lose one's primary katana during battle.

"Sure."

Granny Cat smiled. "This is quite a big order."

She wasn't worried about Hanekawa being unable to pay—his status guaranteed it.

"How long will it take?"

Hanekawa asked.

"Two swords will take some time."

Granny Cat thought for a moment. "Three months."

"Alright."

Hanekawa calculated—it would still be in time for the end-of-term exams in his fourth year.

With his current strength, even without relying on swordsmanship, he was likely to take first place.

But with Kakashi Hatake around, it was better to stay cautious.

"Granny, I'll come back in three months."

Hanekawa stood up and bid farewell.

"Hinata, escort him back to the Hidden Leaf Village."

Granny Cat gave instructions.

"Follow me, meow."

Hinata dashed out of the room.

Hanekawa quickly followed.

Soon, they left the empty zone and returned to the Hidden Leaf Village.

"This is as far as I go, meow."

Hinata stopped and said.

"I have a question."

Hanekawa crouched down, looking at her. "Can I pat your head?"

"No way, meow!"

Hinata quickly straightened her expression and said, "I'm not one of those ninja cats that depend on humans!"

"How about 1,000 ryo?"

Hanekawa suddenly had an idea and held up one finger.

Hinata's eyes lit up. After a few moments of hesitation, she nodded.

Hanekawa reached out and gently stroked her fluffy head, instinctively using the cat-petting techniques he had mastered in his past life.

"Not bad, meow."

Hinata subconsciously closed her eyes and began to enjoy it.

After finishing, Hanekawa handed her the promised 1,000 ryo.

"Thank you, meow!"

Hinata waved her paw. "Feel free to look for me again, meow!"

Hanekawa's expression turned odd—he felt as if some kind of unspeakable transaction had just occurred between the two of them.

Shaking his head, he stood up and headed toward Konoha Hospital.

With the Rasengan, Shadow Clone Jutsu, and the Crescent Moon Dance mastered, he planned to begin training according to his schedule, starting with perfecting his medical ninjutsu.

---

Konoha Hospital

An operation concluded an hour later.

Hanekawa and Nonou Yakushi stepped out of the operating room.

"How is it?"

A middle-aged man quickly approached.

"Congratulations, the surgery was a success," Hanekawa said with a smile.

"Thank you, Lord Hanekawa!"

The middle-aged man shook his hand enthusiastically.

Lord Hanekawa?

What a strange title, Hanekawa thought, shaking his head.

"It's what we're supposed to do," he replied.

"Regardless, I'm deeply grateful!"

After bowing slightly, the man rushed back into the operating room.

Hanekawa and Nonou headed toward her office.

"Hanekawa," Nonou said, "your medical ninjutsu seems highly proficient already. Why not start learning the more advanced Mystical Palm Technique?"

Hanekawa was briefly stunned.

He hadn't pursued A-rank medical jutsu because he was grinding proficiency to unlock the B-rank Medical Special Jounin Trait.

Besides, Tsunade had never mentioned it, and his limited chakra reserves weren't enough for A- or S-rank medical techniques yet.

"How about the director teaches me the Mystical Palm Technique?" Hanekawa suggested after a moment of thought.

The Mystical Palm Technique, an A-rank medical jutsu, was both the most commonly used and the most effective healing technique.

"Alright."

Nonou hesitated for a moment but didn't refuse.

If she didn't teach him, Tsunade eventually would, so it wouldn't break Konoha's rules. Moreover, learning the Mystical Palm through practice would speed up his progress.

---

Hanekawa pondered as he stroked his chin.

There weren't many A-rank medical techniques. Besides the Mystical Palm Technique, the others included the Chakra Scalpel, Mitotic Regeneration, and Creation Rebirth.

Beyond those, there were S-rank medical jutsu like the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique.

He suddenly recalled Shinnō from a movie, who possessed two S-rank medical jutsu: Body Activation and Body Regeneration.

He remembered these techniques vividly because they allowed Shinnō to survive opening the Eighth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation without dying.

However, their power was mediocre, and their duration short.

In the original story, Shinnō was defeated by Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha after opening the Eighth Gate.

Still, even a weaker version could have its uses.

As the leader of the Hidden Sky Village—defeated by Konoha during the Third Shinobi World War—there was a chance Hanekawa might encounter him someday.

---

Time flew by as Hanekawa honed his medical skills, and before he knew it, March had arrived.

With the fourth year coming to an end, Hanekawa was about to advance to the fifth grade.

Before the final exams, he returned to the Neutral Zone and met Granny Cat to retrieve his two swords.

The katana he named Thunderfire Sword, and the shorter wakizashi he named Zangetsu.

Both blades now carried ninja tool traits. The Thunderfire Sword had been upgraded after being reforged.

[B-Rank Ninja Tool Trait: Thunderfire Sword]

Trigger Condition: Embedded with a Lightning Release Chakra Crystal.

Original Effects: Chakra conduction speed +10%; durability +100%.

New Effects: Lightning chakra power +10%; Lightning chakra conduction speed +100%.

The new effects were a significant enhancement.

Though a 10% boost might seem small, for a ninja sword, it was more than sufficient.

The increased Lightning chakra conduction speed could give him a critical edge in battle.

[C-Rank Ninja Tool Trait: Zangetsu]

Trigger Condition: Forged with Chakra Metal.

Effects: Chakra conduction speed +10%; durability +100%.

Compared to the Thunderfire Sword, Zangetsu's effects were simpler, mirroring those of the unenhanced Thunderfire Blade.

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