Naruto: Tsunade's Disciple Is A Spy!

_

Early Monday morning, in the small grove outside his house, Hanekawa invited Kurenai Yūhi to train together. She practiced genjutsu, while he focused on throwing ninja tools.

However, he found himself stuck on which three ninja tools he should master next.

The most common and basic tools were kunai, shuriken, senbon, and the Fūma shuriken.

Beyond these, the difficulty skyrocketed.

There were weapons like long swords, short swords, great swords, staves, and nunchaku, among others.

Explosive tags could also be considered a type of ninja tool. They were straightforward to use but far too expensive for him to afford regularly.

As Hanekawa thought about it, his mind wandered to how he might earn some money.

For a child, opportunities to make money were quite limited.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly recalled Tsuchibashi, the owner of Konoha's Knowledge Bookstore.

In the original story, Jiraiya had once shown Naruto his bankbook, which was quite impressive. While he wasn't the wealthiest man, he was undoubtedly rich, and it was all thanks to the success of Icha Icha Paradise.

Hanekawa, in his previous life, had read many classic works and even had a ready-made pen name—Thunderfire Blade.

Of course, he didn't necessarily have to write the books himself.

For now, he decided that the remaining tools he would choose were explosive tags and a tachi (long sword).

In Japan, swords and blades were often considered interchangeable.

The reason for choosing a tachi was simple: the Konoha-style swordsmanship.

In Konoha, most sword techniques were family secrets, and outsiders had no chance of learning them—such as the Hatake clan's sword style.

However, there were exceptions, like the Konoha-style swordsmanship.

In the original story, characters such as Hayate Gekkō, Uzuki Yugao, and Maruyama Kosuke had used it.

As for the final ninja tool, Hanekawa had long since made up his mind: a scalpel.

It would be perfect for when he started learning medical ninjutsu.

---

"I'm heading out for a run, Kurenai," Hanekawa said suddenly.

He had just come up with an idea.

He needed money, so why not ask Tsuchibashi for it?

As a spy for the Hidden Cloud Village, he would need operational funds, wouldn't he?

Asking for money seemed entirely reasonable.

After running two laps around the streets, Hanekawa entered Konoha's Knowledge Bookstore.

"Agent 9527, I'm glad you haven't been exposed yet," Tsuchibashi greeted him with the same blessing as last time.

"..."

Hanekawa's mouth twitched slightly.

This kind of "blessing" was better left unsaid—it felt like a stage play general riddled with ominous flags.

"Hanekawa, did you come to report intelligence?" Tsuchibashi asked eagerly.

Hanekawa paused briefly.

He did know quite a bit about Konoha, all from the secrets revealed in the original story.

"No," he replied, extending his hand. "I need operational funds."

"Operational funds?"

Tsuchibashi froze for a moment before realizing what he meant.

Ah, he's asking for money—but putting it so elegantly.

"You're still young, so of course, you don't have a source of income," Tsuchibashi said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "How about I give you 5,000 ryō per month from now on?"

For a child, 5,000 ryō was a huge sum.

To put it in perspective, ninja missions were ranked from D to S, with D-rank missions starting at 5,000 ryō. However, the reward for a D-rank mission was split among four people, meaning an average genin might not even earn 1,000 ryō.

"Thank you, Uncle Tsuchibashi," Hanekawa said, clearly pleased.

After all, this was a free 5,000 ryō.

"Taking the money means you have to work," Tsuchibashi said suddenly, his tone turning serious. He patted Hanekawa's shoulder and added, "The Hidden Cloud Village has a task for you."

"I'll complete the mission!" Hanekawa replied with a solemn tone.

"In school, showcase your talents as much as you can. Then, when you graduate, make sure to select a high-ranking Konoha official as your mentor," Tsuchibashi said earnestly. "Right now, you're the Hidden Cloud's only hope of infiltrating Konoha's leadership."

"I understand!" Hanekawa replied with determination.

Hanekawa nodded firmly.

As long as he could become Tsunade's apprentice, this mission would practically complete itself.

"If you manage to do this, you'll become Lord Raikage's honorary disciple and gain the qualification to learn nin-taijutsu," Tsuchibashi said with a softer tone, smiling.

I get it. Selling dreams, huh?

But this was a good dream, and Hanekawa was happy to buy into it.

"Uncle Tsuchibashi," Hanekawa scratched his head and asked, "I have a friend. If he wants to publish a book, could he do it here?"

"Of course," Tsuchibashi replied after a brief pause. "Since he's your friend, I can even offer him 20% of the profits."

"Twenty percent?" Hanekawa asked curiously. "What's the usual split?"

"Seventy-thirty," Tsuchibashi explained after a short pause. "The bookstore takes 70%, and the author gets 30%."

Only 30%? That's practically begging on your knees!

Still, if his—ahem, his friend's—work could secure 50%, it was acceptable.

"What if my friend provides the ideas and outlines, but someone else writes the book? How would the split work then?"

Hanekawa thought of a collaborative approach. While he remembered the general plotlines of many classics, writing them out would be too time-consuming.

"That's a first," Tsuchibashi admitted, frowning slightly as he considered the proposal.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be allowed. But Hanekawa was a Cloud Village spy with great potential—someone worth investing in.

"If sales are poor, your friend gets 10%. If sales are excellent, they get 40%," Tsuchibashi finally said after some thought.

Hanekawa's eyes lit up at the response.

Forty percent? That'll work.

"I'll bring my friend's ideas and outlines next time," Hanekawa said.

Before leaving, he wandered around the bookstore and realized that the so-called adult books weren't as explicit as he'd imagined—they merely skirted the line.

That makes sense, he thought. In the original story, Icha Icha Paradise even got turned into a movie.

---

After leaving the bookstore, Hanekawa didn't head straight to school. Instead, he stopped by a ninja tools shop to inquire about the price of explosive tags.

Explosive tags, in simple terms, were fire-style ninjutsu sealed into a piece of paper, ready to detonate.

They packed a powerful punch and came with a hefty price tag.

In the original story, after Shikamaru Nara was promoted to chūnin, he could only afford two tags.

Hanekawa discovered that there were several types of explosive tags.

The most expensive ones, priced at over 10,000 ryō each, had the power of a jōnin-level fire-style jutsu. He guessed these were the kind Shikamaru had bought.

The cheapest ones, however, were only 300 ryō each—perfect for catching fish.

Since he was short on cash and mainly needed them for training, Hanekawa bought 15 of the cheapest tags.

Even so, his freshly acquired 5,000 ryō was reduced to a mere 500.

---

Hanekawa returned home and headed to ninja school with Kurenai.

As for the explosive tags, he planned to test them in an open area after school.

---

In the classroom, Obito Uchiha's fiery declaration echoed:

"Kakashi! This afternoon, I swear I'll beat you in physical training!"

"You're not even in the top ten," Kakashi Hatake replied with a glance.

"This time, I'll make it!" Obito said, crossing his arms confidently. "As the future Hokage, I won't lose again!"

The academy curriculum was divided into theoretical and practical lessons.

Practical lessons weren't just one-on-one sparring but included ninjutsu practice, ninja tool throwing, and physical training.

"Ugh, physical training is the worst," Kurenai grumbled, puffing up her cheeks in frustration.

Hanekawa sympathized with her. Ninja physical training was far more grueling than any fitness test he'd experienced in college.

Last time, both he and Obito had failed to make it into the top ten.

______

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