Lurking in Konoha, Part-Time Hokage

Beep, beep, beep. 

The jarring sound of the alarm pierced through the silence, making one's heart skip a beat. 

Hanekawa reached out to break the seal of the blanket and turned off the alarm.

 Despite the oddities of technology in the Ninja World, they had computers, fridges, and air conditioners, so it's no surprise there were also alarm clocks. He glanced at the time; it was exactly six o'clock.

Though he longed to see Konohagakure at four in the morning, he was still a child and needed adequate sleep.

 Hanekawa dressed and stepped outside. He planned to run for half an hour to an hour, adjusting as needed. 

Sudden intense exercise after a long break from training would be like dancing at the gates of the afterlife. Such an amazing start—he didn't want it to last only three days.

Hanekawa began his jog along the street. He woke up relatively early, so there weren't many people out, and consequently, no obstacles in his way.

As time passed, Hanekawa's breathing grew heavier, and sweat poured down in torrents, almost blurring his vision. Just then, a green light shone on his face. Instinctively, he glanced over.

A shock!

He saw someone seemingly cycling madly in mid-air. Composing himself, he realized it was Might Guy doing a handstand run. 

"You running too?" Might Guy asked, his face brimming with excitement. 

He was thrilled to meet a fellow enthusiast. In today's Ninja World, taijutsu practitioners were among the lowest, often looked down upon. 

His quirky training methods frequently invited ridicule. From Might Guy's father, Might Dai, it was easy to see a glimpse of this.

He'd single-handedly kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist Village into oblivion, yet he was still just a Genin.

Hanekawa nodded, too exhausted to speak. 

"You look familiar," Might Guy said, blinking as he suddenly recognized him. "You're the transfer student from yesterday—Han-something." 

"Ha... Hanekawa..." Hanekawa managed, panting heavily. 

"What Kawa?" Might Guy, not hearing clearly, asked again. 

"Hanekawa!" Hanekawa raised his voice. 

Finally understanding, he felt akin to Kisame Hoshigaki's usual plight. 

"Hello, Hanekawa! I'm Might Guy." With a dazzling smile, he added, "Just call me Guy."

"Okay," Hanekawa replied, slightly taken aback, "You go ahead and run. I'll rest for a while."

Besides his stamina reaching its limit, another reason was that the system had a notification.

"Alright," Might Guy said, not pushing him, waving as he left. Of course, the main reason was that Hanekawa wasn't his eternal rival. 

If it had been Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy would drain every ounce of energy from him. 

"What an alien physique," Hanekawa thought, watching Guy run on one hand, unable to help but scoff. 

He sat down on the steps beside him, closed his eyes for a moment, and opened the entry panel.

The E-rank Talent Entry was listed as "Strong Physique (Not Acquired)," with the trigger condition being the body reaching the minimum level of a Genin. 

Current progress: 1%.

This was no easy feat at all—certainly nothing like Naruto Uzumaki's struggles as a Genin. 

Hanekawa felt that sticking to this wasn't all that difficult. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and closed his eyes.

"Hanekawa, I'm back again!" Might Guy's voice was as full of life as ever. 

Hanekawa opened his eyes to see him hopping like a frog. He waved a cheerful goodbye as Guy left, then headed toward Yuhi's house.

By seven, the streets started bustling. Hanekawa spotted the rendezvous spot with the Hidden Cloud Village Ninja, the Konoha Bookstore, but didn't enter to avoid any mishaps.

Passing by a dango shop, he decided to buy a box of takoyaki, thinking of Kurenai Yuhi.

Upon returning home, he bumped into Kurenai Yuhi's father, opening the door. 

"Did you go for a run?" Kurenai Yuhi's father, surprised to see Hanekawa looking like he'd just emerged from the depths of a pool, exclaimed.

Even at such a young age, so diligent? Coupled with his Yin Release Talent, this boy was destined for greatness. 

"Good morning, Uncle Shinku," Hanekawa explained. "I'm not in great shape, so I've decided to run to build up my stamina."

Just then, the door at a distance opened. Kurenai, barefoot and her hair a tangled mess, stepped out, yawning. "Up so early, huh?" she asked, glancing around, still somewhat dazed.

Is everything alright? She seemed just like a groggy kitten fresh out of slumber. 

"I got you some takoyaki," Hanekawa said with a smile, handing her the box.

He never imagined he'd be the renowned "kid from another family". 

"Not bad at all. You've become quite the thoughtful little brother," Kurenai Yuhi said, her eyes gleaming at the sight of takoyaki.

"…?"

Kurenai Yuhi's father adopted a nuanced expression. It felt like some yellow-haired brat was sniffing around his cherished daughter.

Ridiculous. 

Kurenai Yuhi's father shook his head. They were kids, and it was all just innocent imagination. 

"This is just a thank you for lending me your study notes," Hanekawa earnestly explained. 

"Blah blah blah," Kurenai mumbled through mouthfuls of takoyaki.

If it were someone else, they might have said something rude, but from her, it was nothing but endearing.

After breakfast, Hanekawa accompanied Kurenai Yuhi to the Ninja Academy. "Did you finish yesterday's homework, Hanekawa?" Kurenai asked, turning to face him.

"Are you planning to copy?" Hanekawa teased with a raised eyebrow. 

"No way!" Kurenai Yuhi replied, hands on her hips. "I was just offering in case you had trouble with any questions."

"I did have some issues," Hanekawa admitted, knowing by now how to play along with her character. 

"Since you asked so humbly, let me enlighten you," Kurenai Yuhi smirked, her eyes narrowing into happy slits.

As they walked, Hanekawa asked questions along the way. 

Having joined two months late, he had to guess some answers on his homework.

Something about the character Eiichiro wouldn't mind—he knew the stakes. 

"Got it?" Kurenai Yuhi asked, licking her lips.

"Got it, but not entirely," Hanekawa chuckled.

"That's natural at first," she said sagely, like an experienced tutor. "Come to my room after school, and I'll teach you properly." 

No, thank you, Kurenai-chan. 

Hanekawa returned to his seat, greeting Shizune, and opened the entry panel. The E-rank Talent Entry of "Top Student (Not Acquired)" appeared, with a trigger condition of ranking first in theory courses during the first semester. 

Current progress: 1%. 

Hanekawa stroked his chin. This entry likely surfaced due to their recent study chat. He wondered what being a top student actually meant in the Ninja World. 

In the original series, Sakura Haruno was quite the scholar, but without Tsunade's mentorship, tended to lag behind.