Hanekawa returned to the ANBU base and settled into his chair. "Aoi!"
The door opened, but instead of his usual aide, an ANBU operative in a hawk mask entered and bowed. "Lord Hanekawa. Captain Aoi is on assignment and unavailable."
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. Not surprising—Aoi was ANBU first, his personal assistant second. Still, the substitution felt off.
He refocused. His earlier plan to cultivate loyal subordinates needed execution. One name immediately came to mind: Samui.
She managed the Hidden Cloud's mission hall in Konoha, rotating through eight people with no more than three days monthly on duty. The remaining time? Perfect for ANBU work. A mask would hide her identity completely.
"Find a man named Shigeo," Hanekawa instructed the hawk operative. "Rebel ninja from Takigakure Village."
"Yes, sir."
"And one more." Hanekawa's eyes narrowed. "Kakuzu. He's been operating in the black market for years."
After Shigeo's defection, he'd gone underground—hard to track in a ninja world this vast. But Kakuzu? Kakuzu was a legend.
The operative bowed and left.
Hanekawa picked up the documents on his desk. Half an hour later, he stood and clasped his hands.
"Psychic Art!"
Smoke erupted. A massive slug materialized.
"Lord Hanekawa," she said gently. "It's been some time."
True. He'd gone from daily visits during Sage Mode training to weekly, now monthly. The slug understood—she'd seen countless would-be practitioners fail over millennia. Hanekawa simply lacked the natural talent.
But Hashirama and he were different. Special. Worth summoning for battles against tailed beasts or Five Kage-level threats.
"Master Slug, reverse summon me to Shikkotsu Forest. I want to practice Sage Mode."
The slug's surprise was evident, but she asked nothing. "Very well."
The summoning force pulled at him. When his eyes opened, he stood in the forest.
"I want to continue my Sage Mode training," Hanekawa said.
The slug studied him, then nodded. "Then let us begin."
She secreted a bucket of viscous liquid—the medium for natural energy absorption. Unlike the temperamental snakes of Ryūchi Cave or the toads of Mount Myōboku, slugs were patient. Wasteful? Perhaps. But they didn't begrudge the effort.
Hanekawa stripped to the waist and waved his hand. Chakra drew the liquid across his body until he was completely submerged. He sat cross-legged, eyes closed.
This time was different.
He sensed it immediately—an invisible energy dancing around him like a butterfly. Natural energy. Real, tangible, present.
Hanekawa suppressed his excitement and carefully guided it inward using the slug's teachings.
"Interesting," the slug murmured.
She felt the natural energy responding, flowing toward him. He'd successfully sensed it. Yet he'd made no progress for an entire year before today. Talent was a strange thing.
The slug focused intently. The next phase was critical—balancing natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy in perfect thirds. Fail, and the consequences ranged from severe injury to death. Her job was to pull him back before the natural energy consumed him.
A full day passed.
Hanekawa didn't achieve Sage Mode. But something better happened.
A notification appeared:
[S-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Sage Mode (Unobtained)]
[Trigger Condition: Master Sage Mode]
[Current Progress: 1%]
Finally, he thought. A progress bar.
He'd officially crossed the threshold. Now it was just a matter of time and repetition.
"Thank you, Master Slug," Hanekawa said, dressing himself.
"Congratulations on sensing natural energy," the slug replied warmly. "With diligent practice, I'm confident you'll master Sage Mode."
Of course she is. She's a slug. Everything sounds nice when you're that big.
"See you tomorrow, Master Slug."
The reverse summon returned him to Konoha.
---
Two weeks later, December arrived.
A year had passed since the Third Ninja War ended. Konoha's population had exploded with newborns—including the Twelve Little Warriors. Only one remained unborn: Hinata Hyuga, due December 27th. The youngest of the group.
Hanekawa stretched and prepared for another trip to Shikkotsu Forest. His Sage Mode progress had reached 20% over the past two weeks.
A knock interrupted him.
"Come in."
The hawk operative entered, scroll in hand. "Lord Hanekawa. We've located both targets."
Hanekawa took the scroll and read.
Kakuzu was in the Land of Wind, hunting a Mist Village defector. Five million ryō bounty on the black market.
Hanekawa closed the scroll, thinking.
His original plan only needed one Takigakure rebel. Shigeo fit perfectly. But Kakuzu? Why let him slip away?
If Kakuzu could accept Akatsuki's invitation, he could accept Hanekawa's. And Hanekawa had far more money to offer than any criminal organization. Plus, he could position assets in the Land of Wind before becoming Hokage.
No daimyo above me. Not this time.
Kakuzu had been a diligent, trustworthy worker in the original timeline. Perfect for managing finances.
"The Land of Wind," Hanekawa murmured. "Good opportunity."
He thought of the centipede—the one who'd developed special ninjutsu to break Minato's Flying Thunder God seals. That technique required serious study. If the centipede hadn't researched it yet, Hanekawa could use his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to guide him toward the dragon vein.
Decision made. No delays.
Hanekawa formed the hand seal for Flying Thunder God.
An hour later, he stood in the Land of Wind.
He pulled out a fox mask and secured it over his face. Meeting Kakuzu—or attacking Takigakure—required anonymity. His Wood Style signature was off-limits.
Might as well let the Uchiha take the blame.
He'd use his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Hadn't touched it since awakening. His Susanoo had reached its second form but never seen combat. The eye technique itself was torn between Kamui and Eight Thousand Spears.
Hanekawa closed his eyes and activated his mind's eye.
Kakuzu's chakra signature was unmistakable—five distinct strands instead of one. The Earth Grudge technique. Five hearts. Five elemental affinities: fire, wind, earth, water, lightning. Nearly infinite vitality. Immortality, provided one heart survived.
Hanekawa leaped skyward and vanished at extreme speed.
---
In the desert, Kakuzu walked slowly. He'd just collected a bounty and was heading to the black market to cash in.
He stopped. Turned.
A figure approached without concealment—bold or foolish.
"How naive," Kakuzu said calmly.
"Kakuzu."
The figure landed before him. A masked ninja. "Who are you?"
"I heard you like money," Hanekawa said directly. "Work for me. I can provide endless wealth."
"You're joking."
Kakuzu snorted. "Any random fool thinks they can recruit me? I survived Hashirama Senju. I possess Earth Grudge. I'm not inferior to anyone."
"Then we fight," Hanekawa said, smiling.
Akatsuki's recruitment method was simple: combat. Crude, but effective in a world where strength meant everything. Especially for rebel ninja with no village protection and no desire to die. A powerful organization suddenly appearing? Of course they'd join.
"Just you?" Kakuzu shook his head. "How strong can someone be if they won't even show their face?"
Hanekawa clapped his hands.
"Water Style: Water Bubble Technique!"
He typically used Tobirama Senju's water jutsu, but this came from Hidden Mist's Hōzuki Clan. Transparent bubbles materialized around him, floating toward Kakuzu at extreme velocity.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Kakuzu's hands blurred through seals. An earth wall rose.
The bubbles struck it.
The wall exploded. All the bubbles detonated in a chain reaction, obliterating the barrier.
Kakuzu's expression shifted. Without hesitation, he unleashed Earth Grudge. His clothes shattered. Black tentacles erupted like writhing snakes, wrapping around him defensively.
The tentacles were shredded in the explosions.
When the dust settled, Kakuzu's skin had hardened, darkened. Earth Spear active.
"Am I qualified now?" Hanekawa asked.
"We'll see after the fight!"
Kakuzu formed new seals.
"Wind Style: Pressure!"
A mask emerged from the black lines. It opened its mouth and fired a compressed wind ball—pressure so extreme it created a vortex. Yellow sand erupted skyward as a massive storm formed, bearing down on Hanekawa.