Chapter 3 - Kashima General Store

Ten minutes later, Mikumo and Toka arrived at the store with a big sign in front of it that read: Kashima General Store.

Inside the somewhat busy store organizing various things was a handsome man in his 30s with brown hair. Mikumo recognized him instantly, this was her father, Nikumo.

Upon seeing her father, an uncontrollable urge came with Mikumo to call out.

"Papa!"

Nikumo looked over and shone with a bright smile.

"Ooh! Well, look who decided to wake up today, hahaha! Did you have breakfast yet?"

Mikumo nodded happily with a warm heart.

"Mhm!"

'Guess I can't escape this body's feelings. They are now my own.'

Nikumo knelt down and picked his daughter up.

"Haha, is that so, alright, let me show you around our family's store."

The other customers were slightly alarmed by Mikumo but smiled warmly upon seeing her before going back to shopping.

Toka sighed helplessly at the sight of her husband spoiling her daughter and walked to the back of the store to put on an employee apron.

Mikumo eyed the medium-sized store from left to right. There were many things various things sold here.

Nikumo noticed his daughter's expression and began to explain things about their store.

"You like it? This is our store, supply anything from food to shuriken, we operate in all five major nations, the Kashima General Store!"

Mikumo's eyebrows raised at the declaration.

"Really? We have stores in all 5 major nations?"

Nikumo laughed embarrassingly before correcting himself.

"Ahaha, yes, well, the other stores are owned and operated by your grandfather, but this one is the first! Oh, he's retired now though in the Land of Hot Springs, so your cousins are slowly taking over operations I hear."

"I see..."

Mikumo went into deep contemplation.

'This kind of business enterprise can't be said to be small, maybe it's because of grandfather that our family wasn't targeted for extermination?'

Before long, Nikumo carried Mikumo to the back of the store and put her down next to her mother. Toka noticed them entering the back of the store but continued her work.

"Okay, today your job is to watch how your mother and I operate the store and help your mom with whatever she needs. Your mother takes care of the food isle and makes simple premade meals for customers to buy. I restock the other sections and am responsible for collecting the money from the customers. Later on, I'll introduce you to our supplier for the Kashima family."

"Mhm, got it."

Mikumo simply nodded and didn't say more.

'Even though I want to become a ninja, no, especially because I want to become a ninja, I need our family's support. They can provide me with ninja tools after all.'

"Alright, I'm going back out, stay with your mother, Miku. Toka, let me know if you need anything."

"Alright."

"Kay."

Nikumo walked through a cloth curtain to go back out to the front of the store. Toka knelt down and opened a cupboard to reveal a stack of aprons. She took out a small tailored apron and put it on around Mikumo.

Toka then pointed at a box of green onions on a push cart.

"Okay, Miku-chan, go take that box of green onions and restock it for me. aisle 1."

Mikumo nodded and proceeded to diligently help her parents. Pushing the cart out from the back to the front of the store, a couple of people noticed her small figure and sent her a soft smile.

Mikumo greeted them back with a friendly nod and continued on her task.

Walking over to the food aisle, labeled aisle 1, Miku pushed the cart with the box of green onions to the correct area. Before she arrived, however, there was a person standing in her way in the aisle.

"Oh, excuse me, little miss. Do you need any help?"

Miku looked up at the person standing in front of her and almost gasped in surprise.

"Sakumo Hatake...?"

The silver-haired man wasn't surprised that the young girl recognized him and smiled gently.

"You know me? Haha, guess I'm a little famous."

Mikumo chuckled helplessly at the statement.

'A little famous? Even a six-year-old civilian like me has heard your name non-stop.'

"Hatake-san, I need to restock the green onions."

"Oops, let me get out of the way then. Haha."

Sakumo smiled and quickly moved aside for Mikumo to squeeze through.

Mikumo thanked Sakumo with a nod and restocked the box of green onions, all the while sneaking glances at seeing her first anime character.

'Hm, Sakumo seems kind. His death must have been a big hit to Kakashi, their personalities couldn't be any different.'

Sakumo naturally noticed the young girl's glances but he ignored them and continued shopping.

After Mikumo finished stocking, Sakumo reached over and took a bundle of green onions from the restocked box, putting it into his basket.

"Thank you, little miss."

"You're welcome."

Sakumo patted Mikumo on the head and smiled.

"You must be Mikumo, right?"

Mikumo was slightly surprised to hear that Sakumo knew her name.

"You know me, Hatake-san?"

"Mhm. I'm somewhat of a regular here, my house isn't that far from here actually. I've spoken with your father on more than one occasion."

"I see..."

Miku pondered her stroke of luck.

'Our families are acquainted? That's perfect. Having a contact like the legendary White Fang of Konoha can't be a bad thing. The second shinobi war just ended and Sakumo is at the height of his fame, and that fateful mission hasn't occurred yet.'

Sakumo was slightly amused seeing the concentrated look of pondering on the young girl's face. In fact, if it wasn't for his ninja instincts, he might have mistaken the little lady for a little lord instead. Sakumo didn't know what she was pondering but decided to make some conversation in respect for his friendship with her father.

"Actually, maybe it was fated for your father and me to befriend each other. After all, we both have the word 'cloud' in our name." [1]

Sakumo's words broke Mikumo out of her thoughts.

"Fated?"

"Indeed. Although it's not the craziest thing for a person to have the word 'cloud' in their name, in Konoha this holds a special meaning. After all, everyone descended from the Kurama clan has this word in their name."

Mikumo raised a slight eyebrow at the obtained knowledge.

"Really? I didn't know that. Does that mean you're also descended from the Kurama clan, Hatake-san?"

Sakumo laughed and shook his head.

"Ahaha, unfortunately not. I'm a part of the Hatake clan, but my father was saved by someone from the Kurama clan, so he named me Sakumo in that honor."

"Ooh, I see."

"That's right, so don't be a stranger just call me Sakumo. If you ever need any help, just ask me. Oh also, I have a son named Kakashi. He's four years old now and should be starting ninja academy next year. Maybe I'll bring him around some time for you guys to play together. He's a bit of a shy boy so I hope you can get along with him."

Mikumo nodded happily upon hearing what Sakumo said. She then looked around to see that no one else was around and leaned in toward Sakumo.

Sakumo was amused by what the girl was doing but played along.

"Sakumo-san, I'm trying to convince my family to let me join the ninja academy."

Mikumo whispered.

However, upon hearing this Sakumo had a slight frown on his face.

"Mikumo-chan, this...might not be a good idea."

As someone closely connected to the higher-ups of Konoha, Sakumo knows that even though the second shinobi war has ended, the third shinobi war isn't far away. In his eyes, Mikumo is a civilian with no ninja training who will be capped at Chunin at best. With this kind of aptitude, it's inevitable that she will end up a victim of the war.

Mikumo didn't get angry upon hearing what Sakumo said, she knows Sakumo is concerned about her.

"Thank you for your concern Sakumo-san, but I'm confident in my talent for ninjutsu!"

'This is at least half true, I am confident in my ability to grow with my knowledge of future events, and my bloodline has strong potential if I can unlock it.'

Sakumo stared directly into Mikumo's unwavering eyes and sighed.

"Okay, before we make any rash decision, first come with me."

"Oh okay, but first let me put this cart back to where it's supposed to be or else mom will yell at me."

Sakumo couldn't help but laugh with a crooked smile at what he just heard.

"Alright got it, I'll be over in the ninja section on aisle 4."

Mikumo nodded and quickly pushed the cart to the back of the store.

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[1] Kumo = Cloud in Japanese