"Hey, hey! What's with that look of disgust and disdain?!"
Reeking of alcohol, Kushina dropped her arms from where she had been crossing them over her chest, clearly dissatisfied.
Sure, she was usually a bit rough around the edges, but come on! She had the looks, she had the figure—she was a proper beauty, alright!
Did he really have to make that face?
"How much did you drink?"
Ignoring Kushina's protests, Yamanaka Shinno swept his gaze across the living room, feeling more exasperated than he could put into words.
The once pristine and tidy coffee table was now cluttered with empty instant ramen cups and scattered liquor bottles. Magazines and ninja scrolls were strewn haphazardly across the floor and couch.
Even the small training puppets he used for ninjutsu practice—normally kept in pristine condition—had been mercilessly tossed aside after being used as playthings.
"J-just a little bit~!"
Kushina finally noticed the mess around her. The fog of alcohol in her brain cleared somewhat, and she shrank back, sneaking careful glances at Shinno's expression.
Wait… she hadn't even done anything crazy today. So how had the place ended up looking like this?
"...If something's bothering you, don't just drown it in alcohol. It's not good for you."
Seeing the uneasy look in her eyes, Shinno swallowed back harsher words and opted for concern instead.
They had known each other for years—long enough for him to understand her well. Kushina never touched alcohol, which meant something must have happened after her confrontation with Danzo that morning. Something bad enough to make her reach for a drink.
Forming the 'Ram' seal with one hand, Shinno activated an advanced jutsu, an evolution of both the 'Mind Clone Switch Technique' and 'Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique'—'Mind Puppet Clone Jutsu.'
Five humanoid puppets, each just over a foot tall, suddenly sprang to life, flipping upright in perfect synchronization before darting around the room, cleaning up the mess with impressive efficiency.
The once filthy coffee table was soon spotless, and the scattered magazines and scrolls were neatly sorted back into their proper places.
Kushina, now barefoot, eagerly scampered after the puppets, pretending to help. Watching her so diligently tidy up, one might almost think she was naturally hardworking.
"Alright, alright. Now spill it. What do you need from me?"
Watching her attempt to act cute and charming, Shinno felt an inevitable sense of resignation.
"Hehehe~ Shinno-kun~ Let's talk about something... How about lending me eight million ryo? Pretty please~?"
Kushina's voice was sweet and coaxing, her demeanor shy and hesitant—completely unlike the fierce, hot-tempered Red-Hot Habanero she had been earlier that day.
"Hold on. You just collected rent in July. It hasn't even been three months. You spent it all already?"
Shinno's disbelief was written all over his face.
When Uzumaki Mito passed away, she had left Kushina an incredibly generous inheritance. The ten-plus shops she owned on Konoha's commercial street alone brought in more than enough rent to keep Kushina living in luxury for years.
How in the world had she managed to burn through all that money so quickly?
"I-I lent it to Tsunade…"
"That gambling addict… You've got some real guts, huh?"
"I didn't have a choice! Tsunade-nee cried and told me she was starving, that she had no clothes, that she was practically dying..."
"And you actually believed her?!"
"Aww, come on, Shinno-kun~ That bastard Danzo is the real villain here! He completely denied any responsibility for the damage to the Jonin standby quarters and forced me to cover all the rebuilding costs myself! Even the Third sided with him…"
Kushina quickly glossed over the part about lending money to Tsunade and dove headfirst into ranting about the true source of her problems—Shimura Danzo.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, didn't escape her wrath either.
Listening to her complaints, one would think she had absolutely nothing to do with the destruction of the standby quarters in the first place.
"Fine, fine. Eight million, right?"
"If you could spare a little extra so I can at least eat, that'd be even better~."
"You… listen, from now on, set aside some emergency funds when you collect rent. Plan your expenses better. And if someone asks you for money, at least check whether they actually need it for something important…"
Shinno sighed as he stood up from the couch and walked over to a hidden compartment in his study.
Kneeling obediently by the coffee table, Kushina watched him pull out two bank deposit slips from the Land of Fire's national bank.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but as Shinno continued to nag, her mind drifted to memories of Uzumaki Mito.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she accepted the two slips—each worth five million ryo.
Shinno noticed her dazed expression and waved a hand in front of her face.
"That extra two million? Use it to eat properly and buy yourself some nice clothes. And next time, don't take your frustration out on yourself. Like the old saying goes—if you're feeling angry, don't suffer alone. Make someone else suffer instead."
He had barely finished speaking when he saw tears welling up in Kushina's eyes. Within seconds, fat drops were rolling down her cheeks.
Handling emotional situations was not his strong suit. Panicking, he hastily grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.
As she sat there, crying her heart out, Shinno sighed. Searching for the right words, he finally suggested,
"If you really can't get over it… how about we sneak off and give Danzo a beating? I know how Root operates. If you don't want to be seen doing it, I can take care of him for you."
"Waaahhh—! Shinno! Waaaaah! I miss Mito!"
Kushina, who had initially been crying quietly, completely lost it at his words. All the pent-up frustration, all the loneliness, all the grief she had bottled up came pouring out at once.
She tilted her head back and wailed, her face a mess of tears and snot.
Ever since Mito had passed away, it had been so long since anyone had spoken to her like this.
Because of her status as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, she was practically a prisoner. She couldn't leave the village to take on missions like a normal shinobi. She couldn't live freely like everyone else.
And no matter where she went, she always felt those eyes on her—the ones filled with wariness and disgust.
As if that wasn't enough, village higher-ups like Danzo constantly made her life harder. Even the Third Hokage never did anything more than offer a few comforting words after the damage was already done.
And always, always, the burden of being 'mature' was placed on her shoulders.
But if it was really for the sake of the village, then why wasn't it them who backed down for once?
"...Want me to take you to the Senju compound?" Shinno offered tentatively.
Kushina shook her head, sniffling as she wiped her face.
"Shinno… did you use some jutsu on Danzo today?"
"Huh? Nope. Why?"
Though his heart skipped a beat, his face remained neutral as he feigned ignorance.
"Liar! You might fool others, but not me~! I sensed it! When Danzo left, I caught a flicker of your killing intent."
Tear-streaked but grinning, Kushina's eyes curved into crescents.
Shinno's brow twitched. Sighing, he shoved another tissue at her.
"Wipe your face. You look ridiculous."
"Hehe~ Shinno, I'm really glad I met you~!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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