Ryoma had just stepped outside with Kushina when she suddenly tugged him along.
"What now?" he asked.
"We need to buy a gift for Mikoto. We can't show up at the Uchiha household empty-handed tomorrow, right?"
The moment Ryoma realized she wanted him to go shopping, he felt a headache coming on.
And what do men hate most?
Shopping, of course.
But Kushina was excited. She hadn't been out in days.
Just earlier, Mikoto had told her that the higher-ups who had been scheming were now either dismissed or weakened—there was no longer much to fear. Even Lady Mito had reassured her that everything would be fine.
So whether Ryoma liked it or not, Kushina dragged him along.
As they walked through the streets of Konoha, they happened to cross paths with a group of shinobi.
At the head was none other than Danzo.
Beside him were two figures Ryoma immediately recognized: Hatake Sakumo, the "White Fang of Konoha," and Namikaze Minato.
Danzo glanced briefly at Ryoma, then withdrew his gaze, his expression unreadable.
Just as the group was about to pass, Ryoma reached out and grabbed Minato.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Minato gave him a look. "It's a confidential mission. I can't tell you."
"Really not even a hint?"
"Not possible. Lord Hokage is watching."
Ryoma frowned. He couldn't see the usual crow that Sarutobi Hiruzen used to observe from the shadows, but he could still feel eyes on him. That old man really did enjoy peeking.
Sighing, Ryoma let Minato go.
As they continued down the street, Sakumo spoke quietly. "Minato, you seem quite familiar with him?"
"We've crossed paths," Minato admitted.
"He's strong."
Minato nodded sharply. "Yeah. I was planning to challenge him again this week to settle things properly, but then this mission came up."
"You won't be his match," Sakumo said calmly.
Minato winced. "Senior Sakumo, do you have to crush my spirit like that?"
The White Fang shook his head. "I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm saying his strength may even surpass mine."
Minato's eyes widened in shock.
…
As they moved on, Kushina tugged Ryoma's sleeve. "Where do you think they're going?"
"That guy Minato wouldn't tell me. All mysterious… Want to follow them?"
Kushina shook her head. "Forget it. We still need to order the cake and buy Mikoto's gift."
Ryoma groaned inwardly. He'd rather face a hundred battles than go shopping.
His protest meant nothing, of course. Kushina dragged him across nearly every cake shop in Konoha before finally placing an order.
The currency in the shinobi world was measured in ryō. Though there were coins and bills, all transactions were calculated in ryō.
Mission payments were standardized:
D-rank missions: 5,000–50,000 ryō
C-rank missions: 30,000–100,000 ryō
B-rank missions: 80,000–200,000 ryō
A-rank missions: 150,000–1,000,000 ryō
S-rank missions: above 1,000,000 ryō
For reference:
1 ryō = 10 sen.
A pork cutlet rice set costs about 800 ryō.
A roadside fashion magazine runs around 600 ryō.
Three pieces of oden go for about 500 ryō.
And yet, the cake Kushina bought this time was a staggering 10,000 ryō.
On top of that, she purchased a pair of earrings for 38,888 sen.
All together, she spent nearly 50,000 ryō—comparable to the starting payout of a D-rank mission.
She really was a little rich girl.
Meanwhile, Ryoma checked his wallet: only 1,000 ryō. That was the monthly base salary given to every shinobi by the Finance Department. If a shinobi wanted more, they had no choice but to take on missions.
As the saying went, "Even a hero can be stopped by a single coin."
That was the shinobi's reality. Even in Kirigakure, the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen took on bloody jobs just to keep themselves fed.
Fortunately, Ryoma was living in the Uzumaki household. Otherwise, with how broke he was, he'd probably be forced to take on missions just to get by.
…
By noon the next day, the Uchiha compound—also serving as the headquarters of the Konoha Military Police Force—was bustling.
The Uchiha clan, one of Konoha's two great bloodline families, had been in charge of the village's Guard since Konoha's founding.
In the past, the Senju clan had stood alongside them. Together with the Hyūga, they were considered the three great clans of Konoha.
But that was more than twenty years ago. Most of the Senju had perished in countless battles, leaving only Tsunade-hime as the clan's last direct heir.
With the Senju clan nearly wiped out, and the Hyūga clan choosing to remain in the shadows, the Uchiha naturally rose to claim the title of "Konoha's foremost clan."
Their wealth and influence flourished. Many Uchiha carried themselves with pride, rarely mingling with members of other families.
But today was different. Today, none of them would dare look down on Ryoma.
Ryoma, after all, was the last heir of the Senju bloodline.
In less than a single week, he had crushed the schemes of Kumogakure, exposed and eliminated Danzo, Homura, and Koharu from power, and stood unchallenged in the limelight.
His current status was on par with the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Shuna.
In terms of strength, Ryoma had awakened the Senju's Wood Release bloodline and had single-handedly defeated Root's elite forces. Even among the Uchiha, none could boast the same power.
That was why the young Uchiha prodigies—Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto—were personally waiting at the gates to welcome him.
Ryoma and Kushina arrived right on time, carrying the birthday cake and gift. Spotting Mikoto at the entrance, Kushina immediately stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Mikoto, happy birthday! This is the cake and present Ryoma and I prepared for you. We didn't have much time, so forgive us if it isn't perfect."
Mikoto's eyes lit up. "Kushina, thank you! I'm so glad you came. The cake looks delicious—and these earrings are beautiful!"
Without hesitation, she slipped them on and twirled slightly. "How do they look, Kushina?"
Kushina's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Ryoma, what do you think? Pretty, right?"
Ryoma froze. A trap question…
"I must be blind," he muttered, "because I can't tell."
Both Mikoto and Kushina gave an unamused hmph.
[Ding! Kushina Uzumaki's affection +5]
[Ding! Mikoto Uchiha's affection +10]
Ryoma's eyes twitched. System, what are you pulling this time? I didn't even say anything nice—so why did Mikoto's favorability jump by ten?!
...
TN:
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