"Hey! What's with that look of disdain and contempt!"
Kushina, reeking of sake, dropped her arms from where they were crossed in front of her chest in frustration.
Despite her normally easygoing nature, she was still a beautiful young girl with both looks and figure!
Was that really an appropriate expression to make?
"How much did you drink?"
Kei Yamanaka ignored Kushina's question directly.
Looking at the living room now completely trashed, he couldn't feel more speechless.
The coffee table, once empty and clean, was now cluttered with instant ramen cups left with only soup dregs, along with scattered empty bottles of sake.
Magazines and carelessly placed ninjutsu scrolls were strewn all over the sofa and floor.
Several small, cute puppets he often used for training had been abused and tossed aside.
"W-Well... just a little bit~"
Kushina finally noticed the messy state of the living room.
Her drunken haze cleared significantly in an instant. She shrank back slightly, cautiously sneaking glances at Kei's expression.
Inwardly, she muttered to herself—she hadn't done anything that bad today, so why did the living room end up like this?
"...From now on, no matter what troubles you have, try to drink less. It's not good for your health."
Seeing Kushina's uneasy look, Kei softened his words into concern.
Having known each other for years, he understood Kushina better than anyone else.
This girl usually didn't touch alcohol at all. She must've drunk so much today because something happened in the afternoon after her morning confrontation with Danzo—something hard for her to accept.
He made the "Snake" hand seal.
Kei activated an advanced technique combining the Mind Body Switch Technique and Puppet Possession Jutsu—the Mind Transfer Puppet Jutsu.
Five small humanoid puppets, each about a foot tall, sprang up from the floor at once and started cleaning the mess in the living room with great efficiency.
The previously cluttered coffee table was quickly cleared and cleaned.
All the scattered magazines and scrolls were neatly categorized and returned to their original places.
Barefoot, Kushina darted around, pitter-pattering as she followed the puppets to help tidy up.
Her exaggerated enthusiasm made it look like she was actually trying hard—anyone who didn't know her might believe it.
"Alright, alright. Cut the act. Tell me, what do you need me for?"
Watching Kushina act all sweet and apologetic with a sheepish grin, Kei found himself utterly unable to stay angry at her.
"Hehehe~ Kei-kun~ Let's talk about borrowing eight hundred thousand ryo from me, okay~"
Kushina spoke in the cutest tone possible, her bashful demeanor showing none of her usual fiery persona as The Red-Hot Habanero.
"What do you mean? You just collected rent in July. It hasn't even been three months yet. You're saying you already spent all of it?"
Upon hearing her request for money, Kei wore an expression of utter disbelief.
After all, when Mito Uzumaki passed away, she left Kushina a substantial inheritance.
Those dozen shops alone along Konoha's commercial street brought in enough rent every year to keep her living comfortably for years.
How on earth did this girl blow through all her money and end up needing a loan?
"I... I lent it to Lady Tsunade."
"That gambling addict... You've really got some nerve, I'll tell ya!"
"I didn't have a choice, Tsunade-nee was sobbing about having no food or clothes—like she was barely surviving out there..."
"You actually bought that?"
"Aww~ Kei~ That creep Danzo Shimura isn't even human! He said the damage to the Jonin Dispatch Office had nothing to do with him and made me pay all the repair costs myself. Even the Third's taking his side..."
Kushina sniffled through her tears, conveniently omitting the part where she'd lent money to Tsunade, and quickly shifted blame onto the real culprit—Danzo Shimura.
She didn't hold back on cursing the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi either.
By the way she told it, you'd think the Jonin Dispatch Office collapsing had *nothing* to do with her at all.
"Alright alright, eight million then, right?"
"If it could be just a *tad* more—I'd like a little set aside for food too, y'know."
"Tsk tsk, you need to learn. Next time you collect rent, don't forget to stash away some emergency cash. Budget smartly. And next time someone asks to borrow money from you, judge whether they truly need it for something important..."
Sighing helplessly, Kei Yamanaka rose from the sofa.
As he spoke, he walked into the study and pulled two bank deposit slips from a hidden compartment.
Kushina sat obediently by the coffee table on her knees.
Maybe it was the alcohol talking.
As his gentle scolding brushed past her ear, memories of Grandma Mito Uzumaki drifted into her mind.
Still dazed, she took the two deposit slips, each loaded with five million ryo.
Seeing her look so spaced out, Kei waved a hand in front of her face before reminding her again.
"The extra two mil? Splurge on some good eats and cute clothes. If something like today ever happens again, don't take it out on yourself. Old saying—you're better off giving someone else hell than punishing yourself..."
Just as Kei muttered those words, he saw big teardrops start rolling down Kushina's cheeks with a pitter-patter.
Always terrible at dealing with situations like this, he quickly grabbed a tissue from the box and handed it to her.
Watching Kushina cry her eyes out like a stormy rain,
Kei sighed, racking his brain for a way to calm her down.
"If you're still too upset about it… What if we sneak up behind Danzo and smack him one upside the head? I'm pretty familiar with Root tactics—I can handle him secretly if you'd rather not get involved directly..."
"Waaahhh~~~ Kei, waaaahhhh~~~ I miss Grandma Mito~~~"
Until now only silently shedding tears, Kushina completely broke down after hearing Kei's comforting words.
All the bottled-up hurt and homesickness for her family came spilling out.
She tilted her flushed face upward and sobbed loudly,
snot running down her face as she completely fell apart.
Ever since Grandma Mito had passed away,
she hadn't heard words like that—full of care and warmth—in a long, long time.
Because of her role as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki,
she couldn't freely leave the village to go on missions or live like normal ninja.
Every day, she endured endless stares brimming with hate and fear—the kind that never really go away.
Even some of the higher-ups in the village, led by Danzo Shimura, would sometimes target her.
The Third never offered any words of comfort until after the fact.
He usually told her to act more maturely, always claiming it was for the sake of the village.
Yet it was clearly them causing all the trouble. If they really wanted what's best for the village, why didn't they show some self-restraint instead?
"...Should I go with you to check out the Senju ancestral house?"
Kei Yamanaka asked tentatively.
Kushina shook her head, wiping away the tears streaming down her face as she asked,
"Kei, did you use some kind of ninjutsu against Danzo today?"
"Huh? No, why do you say that?"
Kei felt a flicker of alarm inside, but like always, he kept his face blank and feigned ignorance.
"Hmph! Liar! You might fool others, but not me! I felt it! That brief surge of hatred you gave off when Danzo left."
Tears and snot streamed down Kushina's face, but her eyes sparkled with crescent-shaped smiles.
"...Here, wipe your face. Crying and laughing at once—so ugly."
Kei's eye twitched slightly, and he stopped denying it. He pulled out a tissue and shoved it against Kushina's face.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!