Chapter Forty: Kushina's Graduation

"Don't worry about Kushina, just let her be. Nanami, is Tsunade still in the village lately?"

"It seems Lady Tsunade hasn't left the village. I saw her around here two days ago," Nanami replied, though her mind lingered on the matter with Kushina. Did 'let her be' mean to intervene or not? Was she supposed to casually share information about the boss?

Kahn nodded and said, "Help me get in touch with Tsunade. If she has time, I'll invite her for a drink in the private room upstairs at Kahn's Tavern."

"Understood."

Afterward, Nanami discussed a few other matters with Kahn. The thirteen shops in the Leaf Village were all doing reasonably well—only the pharmacy was a bit quiet, but the other stores' revenue was steadily climbing. The game shop, dessert shop, and tavern were especially thriving, fast becoming the village’s signature spots.

The flow of people brought a growing reputation, and since this street was all about consumers, it naturally attracted others. At this time, Kahn's commercial street was the only one in the Leaf Village; even members of the Uchiha clan came here, many of whom seemed to love sweets.

The orphanage sponsorship had lasted well over a year. By now, Kahn had built quite a name for himself in the village. Many knew that he donated two hundred and ten thousand ryo every month to the orphanages, ensuring war-displaced children had food and shelter.

With the number of children in the orphanages increasing, the sponsorship had risen from fifty thousand ryo to seventy thousand ryo half a year ago. Now, the three orphanages cared for more than three hundred war children; without Kahn’s support, the village would never have shouldered such a cost.

This effort bore fruit: thirteen children from the orphanages had been sent to the ninja academy, and the brightest among them was Nonoyu Yakushi, who graduated in the same year as Kushina and ranked fourth in the last exam.

Her performance in combat classes dragged her down a bit, but her theoretical scores were unmatched.

Moreover, Nonoyu Yakushi often brought Kahn information she gathered at the academy—not because he asked, but purely of her own initiative. She kept a low profile and, while listening to small groups talk, gleaned plenty of news about their families.

Yakushi wasn’t sure what was useful or not, but Kahn was satisfied with her efforts—though, sometimes, she was a little too obvious.

...

After Nanami left, Kahn waited in his room for nightfall.

Even if Tsunade hadn’t left the village, she was most likely busy with her medical reforms. Over the past year, her fame had grown, and not just because of her connection to the legendary Sannin, but due to her medical ninjutsu.

Though Kahn rarely stayed in the Leaf Village, his house was always kept spotless, and he had installed several cameras inside. Each time he returned, he would check them; so far, no one had entered uninvited, aside from the cleaners.

A short while later, a familiar voice sounded outside, followed by the patter of footsteps. After that costly lesson of more than a hundred thousand ryo, Kushina had developed the habit of knocking over the past year.

"Come in," Kahn called.

The door slid open, and a little red-haired head peeked in. Spotting Kahn at the tea table, Kushina smiled and walked in.

“Boss, I didn’t expect you to return so soon.”

As she spoke, she expertly poured herself a cup of tea and sat across from Kahn.

“The real surprise is catching you here the moment I arrive. Seems like fate... Did you graduate from the ninja academy? Congratulations, Kushina.”

The first half of Kahn’s sentence made Kushina grin, but upon hearing the second half, she proudly lifted her fiery red hair to show off her forehead protector.

“How about it? Isn’t this headband cool? I ranked third in the whole school.”

“That’s impressive. Here’s your graduation gift.”

With that, Kahn pulled a piece of chocolate from the snack box and placed it in front of Kushina. His casual gesture immediately wiped out her good mood, and she puffed her cheeks in protest.

“So stingy, boss! Besides, these snacks are leftovers from last time…”

“Is that so?” Kahn chuckled, then got up to walk deeper into the house. “Wait a moment, I’ll get you a different gift.”

Seeing this, Kushina’s pout faded, and she waited with a hint of anticipation. Kahn was off to check what he had in his dimensional pouch; little girls were quite easy to please.

Soon after, when Kahn emerged from the inner room, Kushina’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

She’d had cake twice before, but she’d never seen one nearly a meter tall. Previously, she’d only tasted single-layer cakes.

“Boss, is… is this for me?” Kushina’s eyes never left the cake as she asked, her hands nervously fidgeting under the table, anxiously awaiting Kahn’s reply.

“That’s right, it’s all yours. Make sure to finish it tonight; it’ll go bad if you wait until tomorrow.”

Kahn placed the cake on the table and gestured for her to take it as she wished.

Kushina stared at the cake, licking her lips. “Then I’ll call my squadmates over, and we’ll share it. Boss, will you join us?”

“I’ll pass; I have things to do tonight. Go celebrate.”

Kahn declined. He had no intention of visiting the Senju clan’s territory.

After lingering a little longer, Kushina finally left to notify her teammates.

“I’ll see you out,” Kahn said, rising to follow her. Now, Kushina seemed almost comical, hugging a cake big enough to hide her face, making it difficult to walk down the street without craning her neck to avoid bumping into others.

As they left the dessert shop, Kahn suddenly sensed someone watching them. He glanced around and spotted a figure behind the utility pole at the corner.

He signaled Kushina and asked, “Kushina, do you know who that is?”

“That guy? I know him, but we’re not close.” Kushina scowled as she spotted Minato Namikaze pretending to stroll by. “He’s a classmate from the ninja academy, but he talks like a girl and once mocked me. What’s he doing here?”

“Maybe he’s here to celebrate with you?”

“I don’t plan on celebrating with someone who’s laughed at me. Boss, I’ll head home now.”

With that, Kushina carefully made her way home, head craned to protect her precious cake, knowing that if she ruined it, she’d be heartbroken for half a month.