335. A Busy Morning

Hanekawa opened his eyes to a world of pure white.

It was the smooth, dewy skin of Mei Terumī.

The Fifth Mizukage was currently wrapped around his body like an octopus, their limbs entangled tightly.

Mei was deep asleep.

Because Hanekawa hadn’t left halfway through the night.

After all, it was his first time staying over at Mei’s place—he had to show her the proper respect.

But on the other hand, she had suffered for it.

The night had been a mix of pain and pleasure until, finally drained of all energy, she had fallen into a deep slumber.

Hanekawa reached out and gently traced his fingers along her slender waist.

Mei shivered slightly in response but didn’t wake, instead burying her face deeper into his chest.

Her auburn twin tails had come undone, spilling across her fair back and shoulders before cascading onto the bed.

Hanekawa’s right hand moved upward, softly stroking her hair.

Just as he was about to get up, he sensed a spatial distortion.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki appeared before him.

She glanced at Mei, her expression unchanging, before bending down.

Hanekawa watched as Kaguya drew closer, both amused and exasperated.

The Rabbit Goddess was undoubtedly upset that he hadn’t returned last night and had come to cause trouble in the morning.

His gaze lingered on her soft, pink lips before he leaned in and kissed her.

The tender sensation was incredibly pleasant.

But the sleeping Mei in his arms added a mix of worry and thrill.

Worry that she might wake up—and the thrill, well, that went without saying.

After a long moment, their lips parted.

Kaguya sat up, her beautiful face as expressionless as ever.

She was contemplating how to separate the two entangled bodies.

Hanekawa chuckled silently.

Having known Kaguya inside and out, he could easily guess her thoughts.

He reached out and gently grasped Mei’s wrist, carefully turning her over so she was no longer clinging to him.

Kaguya’s snow-white eyes brightened instantly.

In one swift motion, she knelt on the bed.

Hanekawa looked up, admiring her alluring figure—somehow, she had already shed every last stitch of clothing.

With a wave of his hand, Hanekawa erected a barrier around Kaguya.

If Mei woke up, she would only see Hanekawa’s legs, not Kaguya’s presence.

Kaguya paid no mind to Hanekawa or Mei.

She moved like a serpent entranced by a flute’s melody.

Hanekawa closed his eyes.

March had brought warmer weather, but it was an awkward season—sometimes humid, sometimes stifling.

Only when sunlight streamed through the window did the room return to normalcy.

Mei’s eyelashes fluttered before her emerald eyes slowly opened.

Hanekawa’s face filled her vision.

She froze for a moment, memories of last night flooding back, her cheeks flushing crimson.

Mei felt a pang of embarrassment.

During their "battle," she had lost control and used quite a bit of Water Release.

She had never imagined her stamina would be so lacking.

It was humiliating—and now, she felt a faint trace of fear toward Hanekawa.

If every day was like this, she doubted she would last long before collapsing.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hanekawa patted her plush backside, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"N-Nothing."

Mei shook her head quickly.

"Really?"

His right hand slid downward, fingers brushing against the torn black stockings.

"I—I’m hungry!"

Panicking that he might drag her into another round, Mei blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.

"I’ll make breakfast."

Hanekawa gave her curvaceous figure one last glance before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Mei blinked in surprise.

She had expected to need more persuasion to escape his clutches.

Had this pervert just been teasing her from the start?

With a soft huff, she sat up, wincing slightly before letting out a sigh.

Though she didn’t regret becoming Hanekawa’s woman, she knew she wasn’t the only one.

He was far too experienced.

And given his status and power, it was impossible for him to belong solely to a kunoichi from Kirigakure.

He undoubtedly had other women in Konoha.

"What can I do about it?"

Mei laughed bitterly to herself.

All she could do was accept it.

Setting aside her feelings for Hanekawa, maintaining a close relationship with him would bring immense benefits to Kirigakure.

As the Fifth Mizukage, making some necessary sacrifices wasn’t a problem.

Having reassured herself, Mei changed clothes and headed to the living room.

Before long, the rich aroma of food filled the air.

She turned to see Hanekawa walking toward her with a bowl of ramen.

For a moment, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu—after all this time, she had still ended up in this pervert’s hands.

"Eat up."

Hanekawa set the ramen down in front of her.

At his current level of power, he no longer needed to eat.

But Mei did.

She hadn’t eaten last night, and after expending so much energy, she was starving.

"Aren’t you eating?"

After devouring a third of the bowl, Mei licked her lips and asked.

"I need to head home."

Hanekawa smirked. "After all, you kept me busy all night."

"How is it my fault?!"

Mei huffed. "You’re the one who ambushed me!"

Now that she thought about it, Hanekawa had been the one to initiate things last night.

Though she didn’t regret it, she had only intended to thank him with dinner—not end up as the main course.

"Can you blame me? You’re too beautiful."

Hanekawa didn’t deny it, grinning shamelessly.

Mei rolled her eyes, though her expression softened.

She couldn’t help but like the compliment.

"If you or Kirigakure ever face any trouble, come to me."

Hanekawa stood, giving her a final reminder.

"I know."

Mei replied bluntly.

After all, she had already paid the price.

__

Later, at Hanekawa’s Home

Tsunade and Yūhi Kurenai were already up.

After breakfast, the three headed to the Hokage Building together.

Hanekawa pushed open the door to the Hokage’s office.

Kaguya, seated in the Hokage’s chair, immediately stood up.

Having gotten what she wanted from her morning "visit," she had come straight here to wait for him.

Hanekawa glanced at her.

Even behind her mask, he could sense her good mood.

He took his seat and picked up a document.

It detailed the progress of the five newly established shinobi divisions discussed in yesterday’s meeting.

Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure were still in the process of selecting shinobi.

Only Konoha had finalized its roster of 5,000 shinobi.

The reason was simple—the list included the previous Summoning Beast Corps and the Cursed Seal Corps.

Thus, Konoha didn’t need many additional recruits.

Jiraiya remained in charge of the Summoning Beast Corps, while Orochimaru had been relieved of his duties as head of the Cursed Seal Corps to focus on research.

Now, Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo would jointly oversee the 5,000-strong force.

Setting the document aside, Hanekawa picked up another—this one written by Kurenai.

She had been tasked with overseeing the expansion of the Land of Fire’s capital. According to her projections, the city would grow fivefold in size.

Hanekawa suddenly thought of the Nine Tailed Beasts.

Their near-infinite chakra could serve as a perfect energy source—like nuclear batteries.

If left to civilians, the capital’s reconstruction would take years.

But with shinobi handling it, the time could be cut to just six months.

And with the Tailed Beasts supplying energy, it could be even faster.

The idea of using the Edo Tensei crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

With the five great villages united and the minor ones submitting, there was no need to dig up the dead for labor.

Instead, he penned a note instructing Kurenai to borrow the Nine Tails from Tsukihime to speed up the construction.

Kurenai would collect the documents later—no need for him to deliver them.

The next file made him raise an eyebrow.

It detailed Kirigakure’s undersea resource development.

They had discovered numerous treasures on the ocean floor—all of which now belonged to Konoha.

Hanekawa’s mind turned to the artifact "Plow", which had allowed Ōtsutsuki Urashiki to travel through time.

In the original timeline, Konoha had dredged it from the sea.

With his S-Rank trait "Master of Kirigakure," Hanekawa could manipulate the ocean itself.

If Plow was indeed underwater, he would sense it.

He wasn’t interested in time travel—it was too risky.

His trip to the past via the Dragon Vein had been a gamble that paid off with Kaguya.

But if luck hadn’t been on his side, the entire future could have collapsed.

Still, just because he wouldn’t time travel didn’t mean others wouldn’t.

The safest option was to take Plow for himself.

Setting the file down, Hanekawa activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In an instant, he appeared on an island in the Land of Water before diving into the sea.

A strange sensation washed over him—he could reshape the ocean with a single thought.

The power of "Master of Kirigakure."

As he submerged, countless pieces of information flooded his mind.

Soon, his eyes narrowed—he had found his target.

Though he had never seen Plow before, any artifact capable of time travel would emit unique energy.

And such energy was rare, even in the vast ocean.

With a flick of his wrist, a pink turtle materialized in his hand.

"Spare me!" it cried.

"It’s alive?"

Hanekawa was surprised—it felt like an inanimate object, yet it spoke.

A sentient artifact.

"What’s your name?"

"I am Plow," the turtle answered. "I can traverse time. I can take you to the past."

Having been captured so effortlessly, it chose cooperation over resistance.

"I don’t need time travel," Hanekawa said. "But I have a question."

"Ask away."

"If someone from the future uses you to travel back, where would they appear?"

He was referring to Urashiki.

"The destination is random."

"Pity."

Hanekawa had hoped to set a trap in advance.

Now, the only option was his S-Rank trait "Ruler of the Shinobi World" to track Urashiki’s movements.

Storing the turtle in a sealing scroll, Hanekawa returned to his office.

"Teacher!"

Hinata, who had been waiting on the sofa, jumped up excitedly before blushing furiously under his gaze.

"Did you need something?"

Hanekawa crouched to her eye level.

"I… I learned the Mystical Palm Technique…" she whispered.

Hanekawa’s brows rose.

Her enhanced bloodline was showing results.

The Mystical Palm Technique was a basic medical ninjutsu, but for a girl her age to master it was impressive.

The original Hinata hadn’t had such talent—proof that his birthday gift (the bloodline upgrade) had worked.

"Well done."

He pinched her cheek affectionately.

"I-I can show you—"

"No need. I believe you." Hanekawa chuckled. "You’re adorable."

"Eh?!"

Hinata’s face turned scarlet.

"Anything else?"

"N-No…"

"Then go play."

Patting her head, he watched as she hesitated before finally leaving.

Hanekawa rubbed his chin.

Was he really this popular with kids?

Perhaps it was his reputation.

Much like how, in the original timeline, every child dreamed of becoming Hokage thanks to Hiruzen’s propaganda.

Now, his fame surpassed all previous Hokage—and as Hinata’s sensei, her admiration was only natural.

Shaking his head, he returned to work.

___

Three Months Later – Summer

After months of effort, the Land of Fire’s capital had been fully reconstructed.

"Summon all the daimyō to the capital within a week," Hanekawa ordered.

"Understood."

Kurenai paused. "Are you planning to have Enishi oversee them?"

With Hanekawa now leading all shinobi villages, she assumed the daimyō would also be unified under one ruler.

But she hadn’t considered him.

A classic example of shinobi mindset limitations.

"Not Enishi." Hanekawa smiled. "Me."