Chapter 120

Chapter 120

As Haneda walked out of the arena, his condition noticeably improved. The passive effects of his Sage Body were significant, allowing his injuries to heal quickly and his chakra to replenish rapidly.

At that moment, a girl around Haneda's age, but with a more mature appearance, approached him and called out:

"Hey, handsome! How about a sweet romance that crosses village borders? I'm very gentle, you know!"

Haneda glanced at her briefly—he didn't recognize her, and she was from another village—so he simply rejected her. "Not interested."

Darn...

The girl, of course, was Mei Terumi. She stomped her foot in frustration when Haneda rejected her so bluntly. Shifting her gaze, she turned to Kakashi.

"Your name's Kakashi Haneda, right? How about trying a long-distance relationship? I'm willing to chase you!"

"I decline. You should look for someone else." Kakashi didn't recognize Mei either, and like Haneda, he refused her advances. As a Konoha shinobi, getting involved with someone from another village wasn't a good idea, especially given his own position.

Frustrated by being rejected twice, Mei stomped her foot again. After leaving the arena, she pulled out a mirror and stared at her reflection.

Green eyes, long wavy auburn hair, and charming pink lips.

She clearly had a mature beauty about her!

Putting the mirror away, she pouted and muttered, "Damn it! Uchiha Haneda, Kakashi Hatake—I'll remember this!"

Suddenly, two unwelcome voices interrupted her thoughts. It was the White Zetsus, disguised as Mist shinobi.

"She got rejected, huh?"

"Looks like it. Uchiha Haneda and Kakashi Hatake didn't hesitate at all when turning her down."

One of the White Zetsus chuckled. "Haha, poor girl. I wonder what falling in love feels like."

"Is it like going to the bathroom?"

...

"Shut up, you two!" Mei shouted, unleashing a water jutsu that drenched both Zetsus. Then she gave them both a good thrashing. After that, the two Zetsus remained much quieter on their way back to the Mist Village.

...

In the Blood Mist Village, across the sea from the Land of Fire, in a hidden underground chamber, Madara sat on a stone chair as White Zetsu reported:

"Lord Madara, Haneda's strength has increased again. Kakashi Hatake too. Both of them have mastered powerful finishing techniques."

Madara slowly opened his eyes, activating his Sharingan. The information White Zetsu had gathered instantly flowed into his mind.

"Purple Lightning, Kirin..."

"Impressive young ones. They have a touch of Hashirama's talent," Madara remarked lightly.

Black Zetsu, ever eager to flatter, added, "Lord Madara, no matter how talented Haneda may be, he's not even a tenth of your greatness."

Madara cast a sideways glance at Black Zetsu, knowing he was picking up on the deeper meaning behind the words. In his era, he had been the only one capable of rivaling Hashirama's strength. Only Hashirama had been worthy of comparison.

Haneda was merely a talented young ninja.

"Even the limits of Lightning Release chakra pale in comparison to Hashirama casually summoning Wood Release with the lift of a finger," Madara said indifferently. "The plan continues."

...

After leaving the arena, since Kakashi and Guy were both injured, the group decided to go their separate ways. Haneda, walking alongside the Uchiha clan head and Fugaku, engaged in conversation.

"That was a fantastic fight, Haneda. Your reputation as a genius will likely spread across the entire shinobi world soon," Fugaku said with a smile.

He had been deeply impressed by Haneda's final strike, and Kakashi had also been an outstanding opponent. This battle would undoubtedly become a hallmark in future Chūnin Exams, remembered for years to come.

"You're right, Fugaku," the clan head agreed. "Haneda, your Lightning Release has reached an extraordinary level. That last strike of yours, if stabilized, would rival the power of a kekkei genkai."

The clan head then chuckled as he recalled something. "Speaking of which, your match with Kakashi was a hot topic at the betting pools. Fugaku and I backed you with nearly 30 million ryō."

"Your victory didn't disappoint us either. We earned nearly 120 million ryō from it," he added with a laugh.

Fugaku chimed in, "That's right, Haneda. When I saw your odds climbing close to five-to-one, I backed you with another 5.2 million."

"Is that so? Looks like you invested quite a bit," Haneda replied with a smile.

Fugaku sighed dramatically. "Ah, recently, Mikoto's been spending a lot, so I couldn't put in the full 13,140,000."

"Oh? Sounds like things are going well between you two. When are you planning to get married?"

At the mention of marriage, Fugaku's face turned red, while the clan head answered in his place.

"It'll be at the end of this month—just two weeks from now."

"With Sunagakure standing off against Konoha in the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, who knows when we might be called to the battlefield."

"It's better to take care of these matters while things are still somewhat peaceful," the clan head explained.

Then, after a pause, he added, "And... Mikoto's pregnant. We figured it'd be best to marry soon and take responsibility."

"What?!" Haneda was shocked to hear that Mikoto was already pregnant. He glanced at Fugaku in disbelief.

They hadn't even gotten married yet, and already this? One strike and straight to success?

Haneda recalled the clan head complaining three months ago about Fugaku staying out late all the time. Now it made sense—Fugaku had been sneaking out to meet Mikoto.

No wonder Fugaku had always hesitated when Haneda invited him out for dinner in the evenings!

And now, Mikoto was expecting Sasuke's future elder brother, Itachi?

Itachi had indeed been born just before or during the Third Shinobi War. He had witnessed the horrors of battle at a young age, leaving a lasting impression on him.

Haneda smiled and said, "That little one's sure to be adorable, right?"

"Yes, he'll probably be fond of sweets, very attached to family, and considerate," Fugaku said, his emotions calming down as he responded to Haneda.

"He'll definitely be a well-behaved, respectful child who's filial to his parents," he added.

Hearing the words "filial to his parents," Haneda glanced at the hopeful gleam in Fugaku's eyes, and he couldn't help but twitch a little. But with his current strength, and the strength he might gain in the future, he was sure he could prevent the tragedies that lay ahead.

Whether for the sake of the Uchiha clan or for Fugaku as an individual, he would do everything he could.

Suddenly, the usually calm clan head couldn't help but join the conversation, saying, "I can already picture it—him running around calling me 'Grandpa, Grandpa!' over and over again, hahaha..."

"Well, let me congratulate you in advance, Clan Head," Haneda said with a smile, already thinking about what kind of gift he should prepare for Fugaku and Mikoto's wedding.

***

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