"What monster?"
Kain pretended to be puzzled but guessed in his heart that Kushina would soon become the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails. This thought made him a little sad; perhaps it would not be so easy to see this girl again in the future.
He recalled the last time they met, and the weight of that potential separation hung heavily on his mind.
Hearing Kain's question, Kushina struggled to find the words to describe the Nine Tails. In the end, she resorted to a few vague adjectives while waving her hands animatedly.
"It's just a very scary and terrifying monster. After a while, I might become a monster like that," she lamented.
"Kushina, the scariest thing for me is when someone trades and doesn't give money," Kain replied, trying to lighten the mood.
He gently patted Kushina on the head, comforting her as he continued, "Thank you for your reminder! I just remembered: do you recall the last time I invited you to play games? You ended up eating a dozen boxes of dessert, and there was no bill for it?"
"Ah yes, did that really happen?" Kushina asked, her eyes widening as she pretended to be oblivious to the memory.
"You are really not suitable for lying, Kushina. That guilty look on your face already shows that you remembered," Kain said, his expression transforming into a classic businessman's smile.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an abacus. "A piece of high-end chocolate truffles is three hundred ryo. I remember that there were more than a dozen boxes that day, so let's count as nineteen boxes. Nineteen boxes of high-end chocolate truffles, in total..."
Upon hearing Kain's calculation, Kushina quickly interjected, "There were only thirteen boxes in total, and I didn't eat that many expensive things!"
Kain raised an eyebrow, maintaining his playful demeanor. "Really? Then let's calculate based on thirteen boxes. I'm a businessman, after all. It's perfectly normal to calculate interest on any debt."
As he continued to manipulate the beads on the abacus, the sound filled the room, turning Kushina's initial fear of the Nine Tails into anxiety over the escalating total.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kain concluded with a triumphant flourish. "A total of 763,700 ryo! Thank you for reminding me, Kushina. Make sure to pay me back as soon as possible; otherwise, the interest will only increase! I believe you are now a ninja, so you should be able to earn plenty of money, right?"
Kushina's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Boss, you are such a devil!"
"The devil follows the principle of unequal exchange, whereas I adhere to the principle of equal exchange. It's completely different!" Kain chuckled, patting her head with mock seriousness.
"Remember to hand me your little orange purse tomorrow morning, so the interest won't be too steep."
With that, Kain playfully pushed Kushina out of the room while giving her candies. Before closing the door, he reminded her yet again about the orange purse she owed him.
After leaving Kain's room, Kushina felt dazed. She couldn't quite comprehend how she had managed to rack up a debt of hundreds of thousands of ryo seemingly out of nowhere.
Had she even signed an IOU? The thought flashed in her mind, but as she looked down at the candy in her arms, her mood began to lift.
Maybe, even if she became the Nine Tails Jinchūriki, she could go to Kain, and he would wave the IOU away, concentrating on her little orange purse instead.
"Hey~," Kushina chuckled at the thought, imagining that scenario as she clutched the lollipop jar. She planned to practice early the next morning, excited to see how her boss would find her.
"Kushina, what are you smirking at? What's in your arms, food?" Tsunade's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
Kushina hadn't noticed Tsunade approaching. She instinctively tried to hide the candy but it was too late. Tsunade had already seen it and moved quickly toward her. "Don't hide it! I've seen it all. Those were given to you by Kain; give me half."
"Miss Tsunade, half is too much!" Kushina protested, shaking her head fervently. She felt like she had just stepped out of one dangerous situation only to walk straight into another, surrounded by what felt like a pack of villains.
Despite her spirited resistance, Kushina was too small and too outmatched by Tsunade's determination. In the end, Tsunade managed to take half of the candies, leaving Kushina feeling both frustrated and amused.
The next day, Kushina went out to practice quietly with her small orange purse before dawn. Meanwhile, Tsunade accompanied Kain to his shops. He was there to clarify some matters with Nanami and to recommend Yakushi Nono to Tsunade.
The talent for medical ninjutsu displayed by Yakushi Nono astonished Tsunade. This student, who had just graduated from the ninja academy, compared favorably against some twenty-year-old medical ninjas in terms of skills and knowledge.
After assessing Yakushi Nono's abilities, Tsunade decided to accept her as a student on the spot. However, she didn't have time to teach Nono personally at that moment, so she arranged for her to study with other medical ninjas at Konoha Hospital for a while.
Once Tsunade finished her obligations regarding Nawaki, she promised to return to teach Yakushi Nono herself.
"I'll tell you right now, I will never enter the Uchiha clan. The last time I brought gifts by you was already the limit," Tsunade said to Kain, her expression reflecting her displeasure.
The blood inherited from her body was not compatible with that of the Uchiha clan. While she might not be expelled on the surface, she knew that surveillance and judgmental eyes would be inescapable if she were to join them.
"It doesn't matter; just getting me close to the Uchiha clan is enough. I believe no one will act recklessly in the base camp of the guards," Kain replied with a confident smile. He had learned a lot about the Uchiha clan from Tsunade, including details about the current patriarch and key members.
The Uchiha clan had recently experienced turmoil instigated by Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Setsuna. Now, the more aggressive hawks were scarce; most of the Uchiha were peace-seekers, hoping to translate their battlefield successes into political standing within the village.
Despite the long-standing rivalry between the Senju and Uchiha clans, Tsunade held a favorable opinion of the current patriarch, Uchiha Hamada.
"Just drop me off here, and then I'll visit them myself," Kain instructed, holding the gift he had prepared. The Uchiha guard was only a hundred meters away, making it awkward for Tsunade to accompany him any closer.
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