Talent System In The Naruto Universe

"Meet at the village gate at 9 o'clock," Tsunade said as she left the Hokage's office.

"Understood," Hanekawa replied before parting ways with them to head to the Ninja Academy.

He didn't have much to do there—just needed to request leave.

As for Kurenai Yuhi, he had already mentioned it to her earlier that morning.

Time quickly flew by, and soon it was 9 a.m.

At the village gate, Hanekawa saw eight Anbu standing in a neat formation.

They wore standard Anbu uniforms with various masks covering their faces. Standing together, they exuded an aura that warned others to stay away.

The two gatekeepers of the Hidden Leaf were visibly shaken, sitting uneasily at a distance, drenched in sweat.

To many ninjas, the Anbu and Root Division were akin to gods of death—figures to be respected and avoided.

"Sensei," Hanekawa greeted as he approached. "Uncle Sakumo."

"Let's go," Tsunade said with slight irritation. "We need to move quickly."

The Land of Demons lay between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. For an average ninja, it would take five to six days of running to get there.

This was definitely a long journey.

Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake could handle it just fine, but she was slightly worried about Hanekawa keeping up. Still, she had faith in him.

With a swish, the eight Anbu vanished instantly, blending into the shadows as their role required.

Hanekawa quickly followed behind Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake.

"To save time, we'll pass through the Land of Rain to enter the Land of Wind, then head to the Land of Demons," Tsunade explained while running. "The Land of Rain is constantly rainy, so make sure to put on your raincoats ahead of time."

"Passing through the Land of Rain—won't that alert Hanzo?" Sakumo asked, frowning slightly. "Our relationship with him has always been strained."

During the Second Great Ninja War, the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Rain clashed directly.

One of the most famous battles was between the young Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade against Hanzo, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village.

Hanzo, known as the "Demi-God of the Ninja World," was the very person who gave the trio the title "Legendary Sannin."

As for the title "God of the Ninja World," that naturally belonged to Hashirama Senju.

"He won't," Tsunade replied, shaking her head. "He's been preoccupied with eliminating opposing factions within the Land of Rain. He won't risk provoking the Hidden Leaf unnecessarily."

Hanekawa's mind raced.

At this point in time, there was only one opposing faction in the Land of Rain—the Akatsuki, founded by Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.

Back then, they were still young and driven by pure dreams of achieving peace in the ninja world.

It wasn't until Yahiko's death and Nagato's descent into darkness that the Akatsuki turned into the villainous organization depicted in the original story.

Notably, Danzo Shimura had a hand in these events, as he sent Root operatives to aid Hanzo in eliminating Yahiko.

This made Nagato's eventual attack on the Hidden Leaf seem all the more justified, given that his parents had also been killed by Leaf ninjas.

As they reached the Land of Rain, the weather shifted suddenly. Torrential rain poured down without warning.

"We'll rest once we reach the Land of Wind," Tsunade called out, putting on a raincoat. Her voice was slightly muffled by the sound of the rain.

Sakumo and Hanekawa said nothing, silently following her through the downpour.

By nightfall, the trio had reached the border of the Land of Wind.

They didn't venture deeper, as the endless desert lay just ahead.

One of the reasons the Hidden Leaf was so sought after in the ninja world was its lush and favorable environment.

"Hanekawa, set up the tents here," Tsunade said after a pause. "Make it two tents."

"I'll go find something to eat," Sakumo volunteered.

Once Hanekawa had set up the tents, he went to collect dry branches and leaves.

He found a bare tree branch and couldn't resist waving it around like a sword.

If he were a child, such a branch would undoubtedly make him the envy of his friends.

Finally, a fire was lit, and Hanekawa and Tsunade sat around it.

A short while later, Sakumo returned with three skewers of fish in hand. The fish had already been cleaned, blood still dripping from them.

"There's a river nearby," Sakumo explained casually before placing the fish over the fire.

"I brought seasonings," Hanekawa said, pulling out a storage summoning scroll.

"You brought seasonings?" Sakumo asked, a bit surprised.

It wasn't unusual for someone Hanekawa's age to carry random things, but bringing seasonings was certainly peculiar.

"I'm a chef. Isn't it natural to bring seasonings?" Hanekawa replied with a grin.

"Fair enough," Sakumo nodded, though he seemed slightly taken aback.

Tsunade pouted. She had a feeling Hanekawa was indirectly calling her out.

The truth was, he carried all these seasonings solely because Tsunade liked flavorful meals.

At first, she had followed mission protocols strictly. But after a few missions, she started ignoring them altogether.

As Tsunade put it, "You're already a capable ninja. Stop worrying about unnecessary rules."

"Hanekawa, I have a question," Sakumo said, casually chatting while grilling the fish. "Why didn't you graduate early?"

"Not strong enough," Hanekawa replied after a moment's thought.

"You're just as modest as Kakashi said," Sakumo chuckled.

If Hanekawa considered himself "not strong enough," what did that make Kakashi, Asuma, or Kurenai at his age?

Using ten-year-olds as a benchmark, Sakumo couldn't think of anyone stronger than Hanekawa.

"I'm just being honest," Hanekawa said with a cough.

Having memories of his previous life, he knew of individuals like Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Compared to them, his strength was indeed negligible.

"Alright, kid," Tsunade said, ruffling Hanekawa's hair.

"So, are you planning to graduate the normal way?" Sakumo asked, flipping the fish skewers.

"Not necessarily," Hanekawa replied.

Hanekawa shook his head and said, "Maybe I'll graduate next year."

In the original timeline, due to the war, Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi graduated in their fifth year, which is next year. He figured he couldn't avoid the same fate.

"If Kakashi hears this, he'll be thrilled," Sakumo Hatake said with a smile. "He's been wanting to graduate since his second year, but you stopped him."

"You can't blame me for that," Hanekawa replied, reminiscing. "He said he wouldn't graduate unless he defeated me."

"Actually, I should thank you," Sakumo added, changing the subject. "Graduating too early isn't always a good thing."

Hanekawa nodded in agreement.

Because of the nature of being a ninja, this world rarely paid attention to the mental health of young people.

The most notable example was Itachi Uchiha.

Going to the battlefield and killing at the age of four—it's no wonder his psyche was twisted.

"Here," Sakumo said, handing the grilled fish to Tsunade and Hanekawa.

"Thanks," Hanekawa replied, taking the skewer.

Each skewer had four sizable fish, which, combined with the rice balls and sushi he brought, were enough to fill them up.

"Surprising that the Hidden Sand didn't send any ninjas to the Land of Demons this time," Sakumo commented, referring to the priestess Miroku's request.

If the demon Moryo escaped, the first to suffer would be the neighboring Lands of Wind and Earth.

Logically, they should be the most proactive.

"Not sure," Tsunade said after some thought, shaking her head.

Taking a bite of the fish, Hanekawa thought of a possibility.

Could it be that the Third Kazekage had already gone missing?

With the village in disarray and power struggles erupting, the Hidden Sand naturally wouldn't prioritize the Land of Demons.

"Maybe something's happened," Sakumo speculated, stroking his chin. "We should have the Hokage investigate when we return—there might be some unexpected findings."

The three chatted as they finished their meal.

"It would be nice to have some hot tea right now," Sakumo suddenly remarked.

"I've got tea," Hanekawa said with a blink.

"You have everything, don't you?" Sakumo asked in astonishment.

"I'm a chef..." Hanekawa began, but was quickly interrupted.

"I get it," Sakumo cut him off, nodding seriously. "That makes sense."

Hanekawa couldn't help but chuckle.

Although the ninja world portrayed the "White Fang of the Leaf" as cold and ruthless, Sakumo Hatake was actually a textbook example of the Will of Fire—a ninja loyal to the Leaf, caring for his comrades, and nurturing the next generation.

"You two enjoy the tea. I'm going for a walk," Tsunade said as she stood, not being much of a tea drinker.

"Sensei, no sneaking off to drink," Hanekawa suddenly reminded her, seemingly catching on to her intentions.

"You're so annoying!" Tsunade shot him a glare.

In truth, she remembered Sakumo mentioning a nearby river and planned to take a bath there. With her shadow clones keeping watch, she wasn't worried about being discovered.

"You and your teacher have an interesting dynamic," Sakumo said enviously after Tsunade left.

"Uncle Sakumo, why don't you become a team leader?" Hanekawa asked while brewing tea over the fire.

"The missions I take are too dangerous. It's hard for genin to survive alongside me," Sakumo explained. "I don't want to put them in harm's way."

As the fire boiled the tea, its fragrance wafted through the air.

"Great tea!" Sakumo exclaimed.

"Here," Hanekawa said, handing him a cup.

"Thanks," Sakumo replied, taking a sip. His eyes lit up. "This tea isn't cheap, is it?"

"It's Asuma's stolen stash," Hanekawa said with a mysterious smile.

"You mean… this is the Hokage's tea?" Sakumo choked, coughing violently.

"Most likely," Hanekawa nodded with a grin.

"Incredible," Sakumo said, not holding back as he asked for another cup.

"Uncle Sakumo," Hanekawa poured him another cup and hesitated before asking, "I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask."

"Ask away," Sakumo said, blowing on the tea. "No need to hold back."

"Do you want to become Hokage?" Hanekawa asked directly.

Once again, Sakumo choked on his tea and started coughing.

After a moment, he regained his composure and asked, "Did your teacher put you up to this?"

"No," Hanekawa replied honestly. "My teacher isn't interested in being Hokage right now. I'm just personally curious."

Sakumo nodded slightly.

He didn't doubt it—children in the ninja world matured early. Take Itachi Uchiha, for instance.

In the original story, Hiruzen Sarutobi described Itachi as a boy who, at the age of seven, could think like a Hokage.

"My childhood dream was indeed to become Hokage," Sakumo said with a sigh. "But dreams are just dreams. As I grew up, I realized I wasn't suited for it."

Especially after his failed mission last year and the wave of criticism that followed, he became fully aware of his limitations.

He was good at missions but couldn't handle matters beyond them.

"If your teacher wants to become Hokage, I'd support her," Sakumo added, expressing his gratitude.

Not only had Tsunade and Hanekawa helped him, but she was also a better candidate for Hokage than he was.

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