Hanekawa and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki stepped through the black portal into the Hokage's office.
The sacred tree on Mount Myōboku wouldn't bear fruit for another month, so there was no reason to linger. Besides, in the current ninja world, nothing posed a threat to the sacred tree anyway.
Hanekawa glanced around the office. No Samui.
Right. She's probably still recovering.
After enduring the Will of Fire for half an hour during their last encounter, she'd been thoroughly exhausted. Most likely she'd gone home to rest by now.
"I have a task for you," Hanekawa said, meeting Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's Byakugan. "Find Tsukihime, then go to Mount Myōboku together."
Samui could handle the legwork, but only Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Tsukihime possessed the ability to have the sacred tree reclaim the nine tailed beasts.
"Understood," Kaguya Ōtsutsuki replied with a simple nod.
She had no particular attachment to the third fruit of the sacred tree. First, she'd already promised it to Hanekawa. Second—and more importantly—once Hanekawa consumed the fruit, his strength would increase across all metrics. From her perspective, that was deeply satisfying.
Hanekawa didn't know about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's rather possessive line of thinking. After she left, he began experimenting with his newly acquired S-Rank entry: Crane Hunting.
He now possessed three distinct Rinnegan.
The first was the purple Rinnegan with six magatama—identical to Sasuke Uchiha's in the original timeline. The other two were the blue and golden Rinnegan he'd just obtained from Urashiki.
Hanekawa closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they'd shifted to the blue Rinnegan.
He clenched his fists, searching for any change in his physical form. In terms of raw power, the blue Rinnegan felt equivalent to the purple one.
Then the memories from Urashiki surfaced.
His body trembled, and he transformed into a thousand paper cranes, vanishing from the spot. The next instant, he materialized in front of the distant sofa.
Interesting.
This was a specialized form of teleportation—similar to Itachi's Crow Clone Technique, but far more broken. In theory, while in Thousand Paper Crane form, most ninjutsu became irrelevant. Only time-space techniques or dōjutsu could affect him.
Hanekawa formed hand seals and created a shadow clone. He wanted to test the blue Rinnegan's second ability: temporal reversal.
Unlike conventional time travel, this was more like battle simulation. Essentially, it allowed him to rewind three seconds during combat, testing multiple responses to an enemy's attack before selecting the optimal one.
Jiraiya would lose his mind over this.
The biggest advantage was understanding unfamiliar enemies' techniques and strength. But there were drawbacks. During his fight with Urashiki, the man had shown no counter to either of Hanekawa's temporal abilities—either because none existed, or because they were ineffective against time-related powers.
"Attack me," Hanekawa instructed his shadow clone.
The clone moved without hesitation, hurling six kunai in rapid succession.
Hanekawa's blue Rinnegan flared. Time and space froze.
He swept his hand, deflecting all six kunai, then released the temporal reversal. The kunai remained exactly where they were.
After several more tests, Hanekawa dismissed the clone and pocketed the kunai.
The blue Rinnegan's abilities were confirmed: temporal reversal and Thousand Paper Crane teleportation. That was it.
He attempted to switch to the golden Rinnegan but found he couldn't activate it normally.
Of course. This one's the strongest.
Even Urashiki had needed the crane form to access the golden Rinnegan. Fortunately, Hanekawa had the activation method in his inherited memories.
He settled onto the sofa and studied the technique carefully.
By noon, he'd figured it out.
Hanekawa clapped his hands and activated the crane form.
His eyes turned golden, and a third eye materialized on his forehead—also a golden Rinnegan. His physical appearance remained unchanged otherwise.
Good. Urashiki's crane form looked ridiculous.
But while his appearance stayed the same, the internal changes were staggering. He felt a massive surge in power and could now access the Amenominaka series of abilities.
He waved his hand, and a red fishing rod materialized before him.
Never thought I'd become a fisherman in the ninja world. Though I suppose this one only fishes for chakra.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in," he called.
Tsunade entered, and Hanekawa immediately shifted back to his normal form, dismissing the fishing rod.
"Teacher," he greeted with a smile. "Didn't expect to see you during the day. Gambling addiction calling?"
Tsunade walked over and sat directly on his lap. Once Hanekawa wrapped his arm around her waist, she settled against him.
"How are your three students from the Academy?" he asked, his hand drifting to her thigh.
"Motivated," Tsunade replied, a nostalgic look crossing her face. "Everyone wants to be the best."
"That's because they're imitating their teacher," Hanekawa said with a grin.
"Are you thinking about taking on more students?" he asked, giving her thigh a playful squeeze.
"Absolutely not," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes. "Having one traitor like you is headache enough. I don't need a second."
"Traitor?" Hanekawa's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I should act more in character."
"I have something serious to discuss," Tsunade said quickly, shuddering at his gaze. She grabbed his wrist before his hand could venture further.
"What is it?"
"The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba live-action film," Tsunade said. "Is the production ready?"
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. Three years ago, the Information Bureau had taken on cultural and media projects, including film and television. Tsunade had chosen his first published novel—Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—as the inaugural project. Naturally, the works he'd published under the pen name Rai Kaen weren't suitable for adaptation.
The original anime and films had been wildly popular. Hanekawa hadn't objected to a live-action version, though he hadn't expected it to actually happen. The advantage of filming in the ninja world was obvious: realistic special effects using actual ninjutsu rather than CGI.
"The production is solid," Hanekawa said. "But rushing the release would hurt box office performance. We need proper promotion and buildup."
"When were you thinking?" Tsunade asked.
"April first, next month," Hanekawa decided. "That gives us time to market it properly."
"I'll discuss promotion strategy with the team," Tsunade said, starting to stand.
Hanekawa pulled her back down.
"Wait until tonight," he said.
"What now?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.
"I also have something serious to discuss," Hanekawa said, pressing his hand against her chest. "I've been thinking about it for a while."
"Th-thinking about what?" Tsunade's eyes grew hazy as she felt the warmth of his palm.
"Marriage," Hanekawa said simply, stroking her skin. "We've been together for years now. What do you think?"
Tsunade suddenly stiffened, her eyes clearing. She gritted her teeth, clearly torn between multiple emotions.
"I know your concerns," Hanekawa continued casually. "But I'm the Hokage now. No one would dare comment."
"They won't say it out loud," Tsunade said after a long silence, "but that doesn't mean they're not thinking it."
"I have a solution," Hanekawa said with a slight smile.
"What kind of solution?" Tsunade asked, meeting his gaze.
"Redirect the attention," Hanekawa said smoothly. "I'll marry both you and Kurenai. Then people will be too busy discussing that to worry about the teacher-student aspect."
Tsunade stared at him in absolute shock.
Then she stood up and kicked him without a word.
"How is that even fair?" she demanded, glaring down at him.
"Can you think of a better option?" Hanekawa asked confidently, despite having his true thoughts exposed.
Tsunade laughed—a sound of pure exasperation. She turned and walked toward the door.
"Teacher, what's your verdict?" Hanekawa called after her.
"I'll think about it!" she snapped back, her tone suggesting she was far from dismissing the idea entirely.
Hanekawa blinked. Based on everything I know about her, the fact that she didn't outright refuse means there's hope.
Besides, this wasn't without precedent. The daimyo of the five great nations had done far more questionable things—like maintaining harems.
A black portal opened.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki emerged alone, without Tsukihime.
"Status report?" Hanekawa asked.
"The sacred tree has reclaimed all nine tailed beasts," Kaguya Ōtsutsuki replied.
"And Tsukihime?"
"She returned directly to ANBU headquarters," Kaguya Ōtsutsuki said, moving toward him with practiced grace. She settled into his lap, her body fitting perfectly against his.
She tilted her head up and kissed his neck, working her way upward until their lips met.
Hanekawa heard the soft sound of fabric falling to the floor.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki stood, looking down at him with watery Byakugan.
Hanekawa reached out, steadying her hips. She'd worked hard today—the least he could do was reciprocate properly.
---
Night fell.
Hanekawa felt refreshed as he stepped onto the balcony, breathing in the spring evening air. After finishing the dishes, he headed to the living room.
Tsunade and Kurenai Yuhi were sitting on the sofa watching television.
Hanekawa walked over and sat between them, then shifted to lean against Tsunade.
"What are you doing?" she asked, glancing at him.
"Nothing," he replied, settling against her shoulder.
Tsunade extended her index finger and pressed it against his forehead, pushing him toward Kurenai. "Go over there."
Kurenai looked confused, unsure what was happening.
"Teacher," Hanekawa said, catching Tsunade's wrist before she could push him away. "What do you think?"
"I haven't decided!" Tsunade said firmly.
She's been thinking about it all afternoon, Hanekawa thought with amusement. But she still can't make up her mind.
"What are you two talking about?" Kurenai asked curiously.
"You tell her," Tsunade said suddenly, as if struck by inspiration. "I'm sure Kurenai wouldn't agree either."
"This concerns her directly," Hanekawa said, leaning close to Kurenai's ear. He spoke quietly, explaining the proposal.
Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. She clearly hadn't expected to hear something like this.
"Only this pervert could come up with something so ridiculous," Tsunade muttered.
"Kurenai, what do you think?" Hanekawa asked gently, taking her hand.
Kurenai met his eyes, then glanced at Tsunade. After a moment's hesitation, she said softly, "I agree."
"Kurenai, do you understand what you're saying?" Tsunade asked, startled. "How can anyone get married together like this?"
"We can split the time," Hanekawa suggested promptly. "Teacher in the mornings, Kurenai in the afternoons."
"You're impossible!" Tsunade said unhappily.
"It's natural to be happy about getting married," Hanekawa said with a smile, pulling Kurenai close.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously. She stood up and pushed Hanekawa down onto the sofa.
Kurenai covered her mouth in shock as she witnessed what came next.
Because Tsunade was acting out of pure rage, she used 200% of her usual strength. But the moment Hanekawa reacted, he turned the tables completely. No amount of anger could overcome a raw power gap.
Facing total defeat, Tsunade had no choice but to call for Kurenai's help.
The two of them coordinated their efforts, but the outcome was inevitable.
The chaotic night finally ended.
---
The next morning, Hanekawa dressed and stretched. Neither Kurenai nor Tsunade had woken up yet—both bore the marks of their exertions from the night before.
They'll probably sleep until noon, he thought, closing the door quietly.
He headed to the Hokage's office, feeling satisfied. The marriage issue was finally resolved. All that remained was choosing an auspicious date.
I really did pay my dues last night to make this happen.
---
One month later.
Hanekawa and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki arrived at Mount Myōboku.
As space rippled, the sacred tree bore fruit once more.
Hanekawa leaped to the tree's crown and reached out, plucking the fruit. Massive chakra flooded into his body, and he stood rigid in mid-air.
Then, a new eye opened on his forehead.
A scarlet Rinnegan—identical to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's own.
This eye could only be awakened by consuming the sacred tree's fruit. It possessed all the functions of both the Rinnegan and Sharingan, and was the ancestor of both dōjutsu.
Hanekawa felt the power coursing through him and smiled.
One step closer to invincibility.