"But it didn't even cost that much," Kushina muttered, her head hung low.
Takuya chuckled. "Kushina, it's not about the money. It's the principle. If you keep giving without limits, people will start to depend on you, you know?"
"Not just friends—even with family, you can't let it turn into a one-way street. No one should become dependent."
"But your relationship with Minato has always been fine, right?" Kushina still didn't get why Takuya often treated Minato to meals and why their friendship remained unchanged, yet she couldn't do the same.
"That's because Minato has principles."
Takuya patted her on the shoulder as they walked, Kushina quickly catching up, her head tilted in thought.
"Think about it. Why do you think Minato buys groceries, drinks, or snacks when he comes over, even if it's just to hang out?"
"Is it because if he didn't, I wouldn't let him eat?"
Kushina scratched her head, frustrated.
Takuya continued, "It's because that's what he can afford to contribute right now. If he had the means, he'd probably haul an entire cow over for a barbecue."
"Both of us understand that no matter how good the relationship, you can't always let the other person shoulder all the responsibility. Otherwise, it creates an expectation, like it's normal to rely on them."
"So is that why Mikoto always buys something for me whenever we go out together?" Kushina thought back to when she and Mikoto would go shopping or grab a meal. If Kushina paid for lunch, Mikoto would always cover the drinks or snacks or buy a small gift. At first, Kushina thought it was just Mikoto's habit.
Now, she realized it wasn't. It was about principle.
"Exactly."
"Remember what I'm telling you. No matter who it is—whether it's your friends, me, your clan, or even the village—you can't keep giving without boundaries. People will always take more if you let them."
"You've helped your clan with housing and furniture—that's your kindness. But you can't support them forever. If you do, there will come a time when you can't keep up, and they'll turn around and blame you."
"They'll say it's your fault they can't fend for themselves, that if you hadn't coddled them, they'd still be able to work and make money. People's hearts aren't always ready for that kind of test."
Kushina wasn't dumb, not at all. She just hadn't thought about these things deeply before, which is why she'd ended up in her current situation.
Takuya wanted to use this moment to help her realize that her clan needed to find their own way. It wouldn't be hard for her to ask the Hokage for some jobs—safe, well-paying ones. She could support them, but not indefinitely. Otherwise, it was bound to backfire.
Helping them out was one thing, but keeping them reliant on her? That would only lead to problems.
"Got it. I'll make sure to sort everything out. Thanks, Takuya." Kushina nodded seriously, lifting her head to look at him with genuine gratitude. No one had ever talked to her like this—not her clan, not the higher-ups, not even Tsunade. Only Takuya, worried she'd fall into a trap, took the time to warn her.
Kushina had known for a while that the situation with her clan couldn't continue, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to take action. Now, Takuya had helped her see the reality of it.
"You know, I'm handsome, but you don't have to stare like that," Takuya teased with a smirk.
"...."
Kushina was fuming. Why did he have to ruin the moment? She clenched her fists, fighting the urge to smack him.
"Haha! Come on, let's go. They've probably already started eating by now," Takuya said, waving her off as he started running.
"Takuya, you get back here!" Kushina yelled, chasing after him, her cheeks puffed up in frustration.
"If you're brave, stop running!"
"If you stop chasing, I'll stop running!"
"If you don't run, I won't chase!"
"If you don't chase, why would I run?"
As their voices faded down the street, an old man basking in the sun couldn't help but smile and think, Ah, to be young again.
Meanwhile, as Takuya and his friends enjoyed their celebratory meal, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, two supposedly "too busy to negotiate" elders, barged into the Hokage's office.
"Hiruzen, what were you thinking, letting Tsunade get away with this? And now you're letting Takuya Yagami take the jonin exam? He's only ten!" Koharu didn't even wait to sit down before she started her tirade.
Beside her, Homura exchanged a glance with the Hokage that said, I didn't want to come, but I couldn't stop her.
Of all the higher-ups, Koharu had the worst relationship with Tsunade. Whenever Tsunade was involved, Koharu felt the need to interfere. In the original story, she was the one who shot down Tsunade's proposal to prioritize medical ninja training, claiming there weren't enough resources for it.
Because she controlled the medical division, even the Hokage couldn't override her. And with Danzō and Homura backing her up, the issue was swept under the rug. Ironically, it was that very conflict that brought Tsunade and Dan Katō closer, eventually leading them to become a couple.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had anticipated this visit—especially from Koharu.
He calmly handed her the files on Takuya's contributions and war achievements.
Koharu flipped through the papers, her anger visibly deflating as she read. There was nothing she could say—Takuya had earned his promotion. His contributions and accomplishments more than met the requirements for the jonin exam. Age didn't matter.
How many jonin in Konoha could claim they were stronger than Takuya?
"Even so, you can't just let Tsunade bully you like this! She's practically holding the village hostage with these negotiations, as if we couldn't proceed without her!" Koharu, unable to poke holes in Takuya's qualifications, redirected her frustrations back at Tsunade.
Hiruzen smiled faintly, his tone calm but firm. "And what would you have me do? Danzō is out of commission, Jiraiya and Orochimaru both refused the mission, and the battle in the Land of Rivers is draining our manpower. None of us can leave the village. So tell me, Koharu, who should represent Konoha in the negotiations?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Can you order Tsunade to go?"
If orders were that effective, they wouldn't be in this situation. Tsunade wouldn't hesitate to ignore such orders, and if things got really bad, she could go straight to the daimyo to lodge a formal complaint. While Tsunade had never done that before, if it came to it, the elders would be in hot water.
Koharu fumed silently. She knew there was no way she could get Tsunade to follow her commands. Tsunade barely gave her the time of day, let alone respect.
"Well then, why don't you go in her place?"
***********
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