"Can't say for sure, but there's a seventy percent chance I'll be back," Mokgetsu thought for a moment and replied.
Based on his understanding of Hidden Rock, it's unlikely they'll attack Konoha again anytime soon unless Konoha gives them an opportunity.
Because that old sly fox Onoki doesn't like to be the first one out the gate.
Hidden Rock has sufficient troops, but Onoki has been hiding for so long, definitely waiting to catch a Great Ninja Village off guard and crush them directly, rather than just take out border troops.
However, because of the presence of Uchiha Madara, Mokgetsu wasn't too sure about anything.
If Uchiha Madara stirs up trouble, it's not impossible for a four-village melee to happen ahead of schedule.
"Hehe, then there's no need for it. I'll go shopping with Minato when he gets back," Kushina chuckled.
Then the three of them walked out of the clothing store, chatting and browsing as they strolled down the street.
To include Uzumaki Karei, Kushina tried to bring up topics she could join in on.
"Hey, Mokgetsu, Karei, look over there, this store's activity seems like a blast," Kushina pointed to a cake shop.
Mokgetsu looked in the direction Kushina was pointing, "Maybe you're a hidden cake master waiting to be discovered."
Mokgetsu roughly understood what the cake shop was up to.
The shop provides the materials, and customers take those prepared materials to make the cake themselves. The shop only charges for the materials.
"Come on, let's go try it out," Kushina pulled them into the cake shop.
Mokgetsu wasn't particularly interested but didn't resist either, so he went along.
What followed was some hands-on time.
However, Mokgetsu felt like he was building with blocks rather than baking a cake.
All the materials were already complete; you just had to stack things on top like a bricklaying game.
Mokgetsu thought for a moment. If they had only given the base ingredients for customers to make a cake from scratch, there would be too many potential problems.
For someone like Mokgetsu who occasionally makes pastries by hand, the difficulty of the cake shop's activity was minimal, and he made a finished product in no time, looking even better than the cakes on display in the shop.
"Mokgetsu, you're so fast, and it looks so delicate," Kushina glanced at Mokgetsu and found that he had already finished.
Kushina instinctively sped up.
But since Kushina wasn't used to making pastries, her increased speed caused problems, and she accidentally ruined the cake's appearance.
Kushina had to start over with new ingredients, being much more cautious this time. The end result wasn't as impressive as Mokgetsu's but wasn't bizarre either—just a simple cake.
Uzumaki Karei, perhaps due to her own baking experience, made a cake that appeared more delicate than Kushina's.
"Would you like it to go?" the cake shop employee asked proactively.
"No need, I want to taste it now," Kushina declined the employee's offer.
Then Kushina looked at Mokgetsu and Uzumaki Karei, asking, "Do you want to take yours home? If we eat here, we can trade pieces and try each other's."
"I don't need to," Mokgetsu replied.
This kind of cake surely doesn't taste as good as pastries he makes from scratch, so there's no need to take it home.
Karei made the same choice.
Then the three of them divided their little cakes into three pieces, exchanging with each other.
"Not bad,"
Whether it was the satisfaction of labor or Kushina's hidden talent, she found her homemade cake to be acceptable, quite comparable to those sold in the shop.
"Karei, yours is nice too,"
Kushina took a bite of Karei's small cake and found it looked better, with a similar taste to hers.
"Yes, Kushina, yours is tasty too," Uzumaki Karei nibbled on Kushina's cake, nodding in praise.
Actually, Karei thought all the cakes should taste similar.
Because the materials were so high-quality, there's little room for variation.
But when Karei tasted Mokgetsu's small cake, she showed a surprised expression.
Mokgetsu's cake not only looked exquisite but also tasted much better than theirs.
"Indeed, it has to be you, Mokgetsu," Kushina wasn't surprised at all.
Compared to Mokgetsu's usual cooking and pastries, this small cake wasn't even a challenge.
After they finished their cakes, Kushina had the employee pack up the failed attempt to take away.
As they were settling the bill, Uzumaki Karei looked at the receipt and thought, "If you want to make a cake, it's better at home."
The cake shop's self-made cakes were only a little cheaper than ready-made ones even if everything went perfectly. If there were big mistakes like Kushina's, the cost of materials could end up more than buying a cake directly.
"Doing it at home is mainly troublesome; it's more convenient here," Kushina felt the activity was decent.
Making a cake at home is much more complicated, and then you have to clean all the tools afterward.
If Namikaze Minato returns while the cake shop is still running this activity, Kushina plans to bring him here again.
With this experience, she'll surely make a cake prettier than Namikaze Minato's next time.
Then the three of them wandered on the commercial street for another hour before parting ways.
It wasn't Mokgetsu who brought it up, but Kushina had things to do, and her free time was up. She had to return to train in mastering the Nine-tailed Power.
Mokgetsu handed Kushina a letter from Namikaze Minato before leaving.
"He even had you bring a letter back when he's coming soon. He's just so eager to see me," Kushina couldn't help but grin, her smile almost spilling over.
Mokgetsu felt a bit awkward; is it necessary to flaunt their affection even when apart?
But he understood Minato's perspective.
Getting back is definitely good, but if not, he could still convey his feelings through the letter.
Unwilling to be a third wheel, Mokgetsu hurried towards home.
As he entered Konoha, he had already planned out his time.
The time from noon to the afternoon could be spent with Kushina, then he would have dinner at Tsunade's place in the afternoon.
Since Kushina had some free time, Mokgetsu planned to utilize it for research on Fuinjutsu and Breathing Techniques.
He had long since completed the cooking arrangements with Tsunade, but Mokgetsu didn't just see her as a tool and pretend to not know her after developing Yang Seal.
At first, Mokgetsu approached Tsunade with an ulterior motive, but they got along quite well and became good friends.
Tsunade's experiences made her a unique ninja in Konoha, and interacting with her felt easy for Mokgetsu.
...
"Karei, do you think Mokgetsu is great?"
On the way, Kushina suddenly asked Uzumaki Karei.
Due to their route home overlapping for a stretch, they still had some time to chat.
"Yes," Uzumaki Karei responded instinctively.
Mokgetsu is handsome, powerful, gentle, and attentive; Karei found it hard to say anything negative about him.
"I'll tell you a secret," Kushina said mysteriously.
Karei looked at her curiously.
"Doesn't Mokgetsu seem like the kind of person many people admire?"
Karei nodded, believing it was true.
She thought it wouldn't be possible to reject someone like Mokgetsu, who possessed both looks and skills along with a good personality.
"Though he seems this way, he's always been single; there are never any girls around him," Kushina quickly said after checking their surroundings.
Although Kushina couldn't quite understand why, Mokgetsu never seemed to have any peers around.
"Really?" Uzumaki Karei widened her eyes slightly, a bit surprised.
Then she thought of a possibility, calming her heart.
Maybe Mokgetsu was single because he had high standards and wasn't interested in ordinary women.
"Karei, if you feel Mokgetsu's nice enough, give it a shot. In Konoha, aside from Minato in our place, there aren't many as outstanding as Mokgetsu. Seize the chance," Kushina suggested.
Having spent time with Uzumaki Karei, Kushina felt she was a good person and a good potential life partner.
However, Kushina had no intention of forcing anything.
If Mokgetsu wasn't interested, she would advise Uzumaki Karei to give up.
Although Uzumaki Karei was the only clan member Kushina had in Konoha, Mokgetsu was her best friend, and naturally, she'd be more inclined to side with Mokgetsu.
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