C 75

He hadn't seen her in a while, and Kain suddenly noticed that Kushina had grown a lot. Although she was only thirteen, there was a certain charm in her presence—her fiery red hair flowing down to her waist, black stockings against her fair thighs, and the smile that blossomed when she saw him.

"Smiling so happily? Looks like you've saved up a bit. Go on, hand over that little orange wallet," Kain said in a gentle tone, though his words sounded more like those of a highway robber.

Kushina's smile froze, as if she'd been startled out of her joy. How could those beautiful lips say such cold words? No, why was she even noticing that her boss had beautiful lips?

"Where's the wallet?" he prompted again, extending his hand toward her.

"Ugh, what a waste of my excitement, boss!" Kushina muttered, her expression twisting like tasting a sour lemon. Reluctantly, she pulled out a small orange wallet from her ninja bag. She had been practicing sealing techniques lately and rarely took missions, so her savings weren't much.

What annoyed Kushina most was that Kain actually counted the money in front of her. After finishing, he returned the wallet with a grin, saying, "This is only enough to cover half a month's interest. Keep working hard, Kushina."

With a pitiful look, Kushina whined, "...Please save a bit for me—I still need to buy food."

"Don't eat snacks. I'll let you keep 10% for buying snacks in the future."

Kain thought for a moment, realizing his teasing might be a bit much. He reached into his bag, pulled out a chocolate frog, and handed it to her. "Try this—a chocolate frog that can jump. Be careful, or it'll escape."

"Escape? Boss, what do you mean?" Kushina asked, puzzled, as she opened the package. Inside was a frog-shaped piece of chocolate, which immediately sprang out of her hand, leaping from the box with surprising agility.

But Kushina's reflexes were quick, and she caught the frog mid-jump. It wriggled in her grasp before eventually settling down.

"Boss, is this a frog? Or chocolate?"

"It's a chocolate frog. It'll only hop for a bit. You can eat it now."

This was a magical treat Kain had bought at a dessert shop in Diagon Alley. It didn't come with any cards or English instructions—just the simplest packaging.

Kushina took a small bite and, realizing it was indeed chocolate and tasted good, closed her eyes in contentment as she finished the rest of the chocolate frog.

After she finished eating, Kushina approached Kain with a smile. "Boss, about that treat just now..."

"My shoulders are a little sore," Kain replied.

Without missing a beat, Kushina began to massage his shoulders with her delicate hands. As she worked, she noticed a bit of chocolate stuck to his collar, likely from the chocolate frog she'd just eaten. 

For a moment, she hesitated, but then continued the massage as if she hadn't seen anything.

Just then, a blond boy wearing a forehead protector ran past nearby.

Namikaze Minato was on his way to Training Ground No. 3, summoned by his teacher for practice, when he thought he recognized someone. He backtracked a couple of steps and saw Kushina giving Kain a shoulder massage, wearing a bright, eager smile.

Minato could tell she was genuinely happy, not forced. A pang hit his chest as he called out, "Kushina."

He took a deep breath, determination filling him. 'I'm going to be Hokage. I'll become stronger and better so I can win her heart!' With this resolution, Minato continued toward Training Ground No. 3, doubling his training load for the day.

Later, Tsunade brought a freshly prepared meal to the table. Seeing it, both Nawaki and Kushina grimaced. Since their team had been reduced from three to two people, they had gotten used to ordering takeout every day, enjoying better meals. 

But Tsunade had insisted on cooking herself, saying ninjas needed to save money—meaning Kushina and Nawaki had been eating her meals every day.

"Ugh, so gross!" Kushina muttered under her breath and heard Tsunade asking about Kain's arrival.

She then asked cautiously, "Sister Tsunade, what did you need the boss for?"

"Buying medicine, of course," Tsunade replied, then turned to Nawaki. "And recently, I'll be checking your training progress. If you're as careless as last time, you'll be flat on your back in Konoha Hospital..."

Tsunade trailed off, remembering that Nawaki had been injected with the new Extremis virus, which allowed him to recover from even serious injuries unless he completely depleted his chakra. She quickly corrected herself, "Well, you know the consequences!"

Nawaki nodded hurriedly. His close encounters with death and constant ambushes from Orochimaru's training had given him plenty of hard-won wisdom.

Suddenly, Kushina spoke up, "Miss Tsunade, can I take a mission outside the village?"

Tsunade paused, thoughtful, then replied, "Kushina, I'd suggest holding off on missions for now. Once you're able to control the power of the Nine-Tails like Grandma Mito, then we'll talk."

Kushina fell silent. She was still learning to wield the Nine-Tails' chakra, and it had taken her two months just to reach a point where she could use it freely, like Grandma Mito. She wasn't sure how long it would take to reach that level of control.

Grandma Mito had told her to "fill it with love," but though Kushina believed she'd understood love, she wasn't quite sure how to fill it. And Grandma Mito hadn't explained in detail.

When it came to Kushina's role as a Jinchūriki, Tsunade didn't have much sway. She could only ensure that Kushina was free to train and take missions within the village limits; if she wanted to leave Konoha, there wasn't anyone who would agree to it.

Kushina wanted to gain full control over the Nine-Tails' power as quickly as possible, but without anyone to teach her, she was forced to figure things out on her own.

The next morning, Tsunade headed directly to Kain's place.

"You didn't even let me know when you got back. Do you not think of me as a friend?" she said, feigning irritation.

Kain glanced at her, brought her breakfast, and replied, "What's the rush? Must be some business."

"How did you know?" Tsunade asked in surprise as she picked up the breakfast. The bread was good, but she wasn't a fan of milk. Still, since Kain had prepared it, she finished it quickly, then got down to business.

"Konoha needs another batch of medicines and medical supplies. The quantity is the same as before. When can you have it ready?"

Kain put down his glass and smiled, "Hold on, Tsunade. Let's discuss the price first."

"What's the issue with the price? Isn't it the same as before?" she asked, only to see him raise two fingers.

Kain replied, "Production has been tricky lately, and I offered too much of a discount last time. It's time for an adjustment."

"Twenty percent, then?" she suggested.

"Double."

Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief. "Double? That's too expensive! Konoha can't afford such a high price."

Kain's expression turned firm. "Tsunade, some people in Konoha know what they did. Doubling the price is generous for your sake; otherwise, it would be four times as much."

His stance was unyielding. Considering Anbu's actions last time, he felt he was being more than fair by still offering the supplies, even at twice the original price. After all, he had investments in Konoha, like Yakushi Nono and other Academy students.

"Just tell them that," he added. "Let's not let this affect our friendship."

Seeing she couldn't change his mind, Tsunade sighed and prepared to relay the message to Konoha's leadership. At least she didn't leave empty-handed; she managed to snag two chocolate frogs. Eating those in front of Jiraiya would be fun.

She had intended to ask for a few more, but Kain shut her down, saying, "I didn't bring many this time. The rest are for Kushina."

After sending Tsunade away, Kain noticed a letter from Yakushi Nono. At first glance, it appeared to be a simple greeting, but Kain quickly realized that Nono had embedded secret codes in the message.

Kain had entrusted the funding of the orphanage for the school to Nono, and she had been managing it, including handling ninja equipment, daily expenses, and communication with the relevant parties.

Nono didn't feel a deep connection to Konoha. Her gratitude was primarily directed toward the orphanage and Kain, who supported it. To her, becoming stronger and repaying Kain was her way of showing her appreciation.

The letter contained a report:

"Four people from the fifth grade, six from the fourth, two from the third, and seven from the second were picked up by Anbu. Nono did a good job, and there are suggestions. As for the high evaluation, it's no problem providing appropriate funding for ninjutsu."

After reading her report, Kain was pleased. He realized that Nono had been an invaluable asset, operating almost like an underground organization within Konoha, thanks to her status as Tsunade's disciple.

Genin who had just graduated usually only knew shuriken techniques and body replacement, but with access to C-rank ninjutsu, their survival rate on the battlefield would increase drastically. For Kain, low-level ninjutsu—especially those with all five elemental attributes—was invaluable.

Kain replied to her letter, noting that since her graduation, the two had rarely met. To outsiders, it may have seemed like their relationship had faded, but Kain knew that Nono was working tirelessly to strengthen herself.

Training Ground No. 3

Jiraiya couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw his disciple pushing through another grueling session. The amount of training the students had gone through the day before would have been enough to bring most adults to their knees, but it seemed Namikaze Minato hadn't reached his limit yet. 

The other two students, however, were too tired to even stand.

"Minato, I've seen your determination to get stronger. After spending some time together, I can see that both your character and talent make you perfect to be my disciple, the toad boy Jiraiya's apprentice! Today, I officially accept you as my disciple!"

Jiraiya struck an exaggerated pose, prompting an awkward round of applause from Minato, who replied, "I'm very honored to be Master Jiraiya's disciple, and I'll be sure to follow your guidance in the future!"

"Good," Jiraiya continued. "As a greeting ceremony, I'll teach you a powerful technique today—the Summoning Technique."

Jiraiya had observed Minato for a while and knew that he had a solid foundation, including proficiency in C-rank Wind Style techniques. Now, he needed a signature move that could turn the tide of battle.

"Remember the seal for this technique: Summoning Technique!" Jiraiya called out.

He performed the Summoning Technique, and with a puff of smoke, a two-meter-tall toad appeared at his feet, holding a large scroll in its mouth.

"This is the Summoning scroll of Mount Myōboku, Minato. After you sign the contract on it, you'll be able to summon toads to help you fight in the future."

Before Jiraiya could finish explaining the Summoning Technique and Mount Myōboku, the toad suddenly spoke to him.

"Jiraiya, Master Fukasaku asked me to call you over. He said Master Fukasaku is looking for you. Don't resist when I summon you later."

…

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