"What I'm entrusting you with is a Scroll. Minato, under no circumstances should you open it without the Master's permission... That's our agreement."
Well, additional clauses were normal when selling advanced weaponry.
"Next, I'll take you to meet Sakumo Hatake. You probably already know him. I believe you can learn a lot from him. If you want to become an extraordinary ninja, this should be your first step."
"I understand, Kushina, but... why do you seem a bit anxious?"
"Because you probably won't see me for quite some time afterward. Soon, I have to turn myself in."
"T-turn yourself in? Kushina, could it be that what you've given me..."
"...was contraband obtained through improper channels. But even if you try to return it now, it's already too late—simply taking it out of a certain place was a serious mistake. And making mistakes means bearing responsibility."
To keep [Cat Sister] from getting dragged into this mess, I have to surrender myself... [Cat Sister] has always been kind and loyal to me. The only thing that really hurts is that I put six months' worth of pay into this deal.
What hurt Kushina most was how her dear [Cat Sister] suddenly reneged on their deal at the last minute and dramatically raised her price from three months' pay to six whole months. What the hell! What happened to the basic trust between people and cats... Yet considering how [Cat Sister] described her *so-called* efforts along the way, Kushina could only grit her teeth and pay up.
"Kushina, if it really is something that important, rather than going to see Lord Sakumo Hatake, I think we'd better return it right away... Even if you're turning yourself in, bringing it back would show sincerity. Besides, whatever consequences come, I'll face them with you. It's definitely better than you facing everything alone."
That's what Minato Namikaze immediately said—he still had a noble heart.
"Minato, you don't understand. Without tacit approval, there's no way that Scroll could ever leave the Base..."
"Tacit approval? Then if they already knew, why..."
Minato Namikaze couldn't quite grasp Kagenami's code of conduct.
"Exactly—if it got taken out, then there must've been tacit approval. Tacit approval means they already knew. And once they knew, it became even more necessary to turn myself in first so that my sentence might be lighter... Except lately, Lady Shikou has been especially strict."
There were many things Kushina didn't understand, but one thing she was certain about was that the density of barriers within the Kagenami Underground Base was absurdly high. As Uzumaki's old hideout, it might very well be the place with the strongest barrier coverage throughout Konoha.
So overthinking things wasn't always helpful either. [Black Cat] accepted bribes; Haseo took kickbacks, then passed on the [Flying Thunder God] technique to the most suitable person—it should've ended right there. Yet Kushina kept battling invisible obstacles and devising plans to "surrender herself willingly."
If she ended up in Lady Shikou's hands, the punishment would be brutal... At most, Haseo might hang Kushina on a flagpole, but Lady Shikou would never tolerate her reckless behavior.
[The Red-Hot Habanero] bouncing around in front of the [Uzumaki Clan Leader]?
Haseo didn't take the Flying Thunder God matter too seriously. What mattered more to him was whether his earlier warning had any effect on Orochimaru—and how much.
Orochimaru being happy had always been a good thing. But if he became too ecstatic to the point of losing himself, then maybe someone should try killing him... Well, considering Orochimaru wasn't easy to kill in the first place, they could keep trying repeatedly anyway.
Meanwhile, while little kids were anxiously worrying over the punishments awaiting them, Haseo was comfortably lounging at home... After all, as the top leader of Kagenami, he could choose whenever he wanted to work—or not work at all.
Besides, what actual use would he even be if he did show up at work?
Right now, Haseo was lying on his desk, drawing something onto a large piece of blank paper.
He spent the whole day on it, and by the time Tsunade returned from Konoha Hospital, most of the work was already done.
"Haseo, what are you doing? Is that a house blueprint? A wooden cabin?"
Standing beside him, Tsunade curiously leaned closer. It wasn't often that she saw him holding a pen.
"Actually, it's a treehouse design. I plan to spend some time in Shikkotsu Forest next... I've made up my mind to fully complete my Sage Art training—it's either success or failure."
"Given how thorough and never reckless I usually am, I think this training period's gonna be pretty long.
Therefore, wanting to completely immerse myself in training, I decided to create a decent living environment beforehand... I can't just keep sleeping in caves forever, right?"
Of course, this reasoning was merely an excuse. Haseo actually slept contentedly in caves. The real reason for undertaking this hassle was simply to get Tsunade moving around, helping relieve her mood; otherwise, she might really fall into a state of self-isolation.
Recently, Tsunade's emotional state had indeed become quite gloomy. To put it plainly, she hadn't even participated in her favorite form of entertainment lately… Whenever Haseo looked at the large amount of ryo saved from last month, he felt extremely uneasy.
Extremely.
"Just cultivation? That doesn't sound so exaggerated. Though comfortable living conditions would definitely help.
But... you're building it yourself?"
Although the blueprint appeared quite professional, Tsunade seriously doubted Haseo's practical skills.
"Fine, I'll help you instead. I don't have major tasks recently anyway."
Even though she hadn't heard anything from Konoha Anbu about Nawaki in a long time, Tsunade had logically come to accept that Nawaki might have truly escaped… at least in her mind.
Naturally, Haseo lived up to his name—finally giving Tsunade something new to focus on. Yet again, it was Shikkotsu Forest. The activity he chose for her? Building a treehouse. Yep, basically playing with blocks.
"That'd be best. Although I trust my own manual abilities, teamwork naturally improves efficiency."
Without wasting any time, Haseo finished the blueprint today. Then the very next day, he left Konoha with Tsunade and performed [Summoning Technique] to Shikkotsu Forest.
The two zigzagged through Shikkotsu Forest before finally settling on a flat area. Haseo then carefully selected a straight, towering tree… This poor tree just happened to be born too perfectly.
"The trunk alone at the base is already about ten meters wide, and without even counting the canopy, the main stem stretches over sixty meters tall—perfect for building a house," Haseo said, patting the massive trunk.
Such large trees were common in the lush Shikkotsu Forest. At one point, Haseo had even considered cutting them down for timber and selling them outside—he could have easily become rich—but he eventually restrained himself…
Not because Katsuyu was the true owner of Shikkotsu Forest and he technically had no property rights here, but because he feared that once he started, he might end up clearing out the entire Shikkotsu Forest in no time.
And when it's all cleared out, there still wouldn't be much money to show for it.
"First, let's cut down the surrounding trees. It will help clear the view and also provide wood."
Tsunade gave an approving hum, finding the spot Haseo chose quite suitable.
"Yeah, leave it to me."
Although neither Haseo nor Tsunade carried any tools, cutting down trees wasn't a problem for them. After all, didn't Haseo have his [Wind Sword Lightning Blade]? That thing was overkill for slicing through enemies, but more than suitable for cutting down trees.
While ninjas were primarily combat specialists, if used as labor units, frankly speaking, they could greatly increase overall production efficiency.
Ordinary people needed axes to fell trees, while Haseo was at least somewhat like an electric saw.
Trimming branches, cutting into sections, planing surfaces, drying—it only took moments to transform fresh, moist logs into usable dry beams or planks.
A single ninja could function as a full production line—provided he was someone like Haseo, with mastery over multiple elemental chakra affinities and massive chakra reserves.
Average ninjas would run out of stamina after some time working.
Initially, Tsunade just watched Haseo work; after all, how could a kunoichi handle such heavy manual labor? Could she really carry those enormous logs? And yet… she actually could.
In no time, Tsunade naturally joined in with the work.
With both of them working together, productivity increased dramatically. Within just a few hours, the entire area within a hundred meters was completely cleared.
A small grove now stood empty, save for a single giant tree left standing in the middle.
So what does that say? Labor truly makes one feel fulfilled—and can indeed bring happiness in its own way…
Even the wealthiest billionaire doing some manual labor now and then would make for a hip postmodern lifestyle statement.
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