"Samui's heading to Konoha—I'm going with her to protect her!"
"Bullshit!"
Yugito's declaration was immediately shut down by the Fourth Raikage, who barked with fury:
"Right now, the entire ninja world is quiet. Forget wandering rogue ninjas—even mountain bandits are laying low or surrendering. What danger?"
"And we've got the trains running! Do I really need to remind you how safe those are?"
His forehead veins bulged as he turned to another familiar face. "Mabui! What about you?"
Mabui smiled sweetly. "I'd like to see Konoha for myself too."
"We can't just stay behind closed doors forever," she added casually.
The Fourth Raikage's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
"…Fine. The two of you can go. But Yugito—you're the Jinchūriki, you can't just—"
"They're all leaving! You expect me to just sit around in the village alone?" Yugito snapped back, crossing her arms.
"You three! Don't even listen to me anymore, huh? Am I even Raikage to you?!" he exploded.
The current Jinchūriki had it easier than before. No more prejudice. No more restrictions.
Freedom came naturally now.
That didn't mean the Raikage had to like it.
But in the end, he gave up. The three women left together.
If Killer Bee were in front of him now, he would've gotten a knuckle sandwich.
And speak of the devil…
"Yo~ Bastard~ Idiot~"
Whoosh!
Boom!
Gah—
Killer Bee clammed up, sunglasses flashing as his pupils shrank.
No emotion showed on his face. But his head lowered to glance at the fist slammed against his gut.
"…Brother, why?"
His voice was eerily calm.
Boom—
He staggered back several steps, knees shaking.
At that moment, the three women exchanged glances.
Yugito grabbed Mabui's hand; Samui went solo.
Whoosh—
The three of them vanished simultaneously.
The Fourth Raikage, of course, could sense it.
He didn't stop them.
Meanwhile, in Konoha…
Kushina was gently holding Mei Terumi's hand, chatting about family life to help ease her nerves.
She shot occasional glares at Kurama.
The Nine-Tails didn't even flinch, pretending not to notice as he fiddled with an account ledger.
Only after quite a while did he finally grin in satisfaction.
Naruto's obsession with money started when he was young—because he had none.
As for Kushina's own financial instincts… let's just say she fell in love with money slowly but surely.
Foxes love money, after all. But at least this one made it honestly.
Mei Terumi finally snapped out of her daze.
She had originally planned to buy the authenticity rights to some land from Kurama using cold, hard cash.
As for Uchiha Obito—she had intended to use the Nine-Tails as a bargaining chip.
But now she realized… it didn't need to be that complicated.
If she wanted to meet Naruto, she just had to go to Konoha and speak to a certain woman.
No need to buy anything.
She didn't ask for the money back either. She understood something now:
The person managing Naruto's finances… was the "fox" in front of her.
In short—the money was still in her own hands.
The only catch?
She had to succeed first.
Kushina patted her hand. "Relax."
Mei Terumi nodded softly.
How could such a sweet, youthful girl possibly be old?
And with Lady Tsunade around, there was no fear of aging anyway.
Soon after, Kushina led Mei Terumi and Kurama home.
As soon as the door opened, all eyes turned to the newcomer.
Mei Terumi immediately straightened up, instinctively standing at attention.
Her gaze fell on a particular figure among the group—the one whose presence and aura stood apart from the rest.
Kaguya.
Kaguya gave her a brief, indifferent glance, then nodded slightly and rose from her seat.
Mei Terumi's body went rigid.
The aura Kaguya emitted was overwhelming—Mei even forgot to greet her.
But Kaguya simply walked over to Kushina, took her hand, and sat back down calmly.
Mei: "…"
All these years of experience…
And here she was, feeling like a rookie again—even compared to someone like Hinata.
Thankfully, Tsunade reached over and pulled her to sit down.
"What's with the formal act, Mizukage?"
Relieved to see someone familiar, Mei relaxed slightly. As a fellow Kage, she and Tsunade had crossed paths before.
"I came to ask Naruto for something," she said honestly.
Before anyone else could reply, the Great White Snake Sage spoke up:
"Queue."
"…What?"
Oh, right.
Naruto wasn't just lounging around every day. Just like back in the Hidden Mist, there were always people lining up to report to the leader.
Not long after, Naruto finally emerged.
Behind him trailed Katsuyu, the great slug.
Mei Terumi's eyes widened.
There was a big difference between the real Naruto… and his photos.
At that moment, she could hear her heartbeat.
Her marriage decision was made instantly.
No hesitation.
Kurama glanced at her.
Not surprised at all.
It was the same story as when he brought Konan back.
But more than that—it was what Mei had seen on the streets, and what had happened in the Hidden Rain Village… That's what sealed her feelings.
"Hmph~"
Kurama snorted softly, then reached over to serve Kaguya a piece of meat.
"Lady Kaguya, here, eat~"
Kurama quickly picked up another piece and passed it to Kushina.
No reason.
If Kushina could suck his chakra dry, so could Kaguya.
Being a fox is suffering… woo woo woo~
After lunch.
The White Snake Sage finally entered Naruto's home, as she'd hoped.
Outside, the three Snake Princesses chatted non-stop.
All the girls who had missions left promptly. Those without any were heading to Tsunade for lessons.
Even Mei Terumi followed the others, listening as Tsunade explained the essentials of the Yin Seal.
This is eternal youth, people!
Chakra?
With Kurama around, there's no shortage.
As for the Snake Princesses, they had no interest in the Yin Seal.
They were already ageless.
After swallowing a mouthful of charcoal-grilled Myoboku frog, Princess Ichikishima whispered, "The White Snake Sage has gone in."
"Mmm… looks like Ryuchi Cave's future is secure," replied Princess Tagorihime.
"What about us?" Ichikishima asked.
Tagitsuhime immediately jumped in: "Me!"
"It's me! We agreed before—first one to enter, first one to stay!"
This time, neither Ichikishima nor Tagorihime replied.
Ichikishima instinctively glanced at Kushina—
Only to find Kushina was already watching them with a smile.
Seeing that, Kushina walked over.
After all the subtle psychological nudging she'd done before, she finally dropped all pretenses:
"Wouldn't it be better if all three of you stayed with the White Snake Sage?"
"Eh?" x3
You want all of us?
Gulp—
Wait… that might not be bad.
"Do we get charcoal-grilled Myoboku frog every day?" asked Tagitsuhime, eyes sparkling.
"Plenty!" Kushina patted her chest with pride.
Gulp—
Tagorihime and Ichikishima swallowed hard.
"…Mom~"
Who said Tagitsuhime was clueless?
She understood perfectly well.
That "Mom~" made Kushina's soul fly to the moon.
"So sweet~"
Kushina immediately pulled out a beautiful jade bracelet and slipped it onto Tagitsuhime's wrist.
Then came two sparkling earrings.
"Thank you, Mom~"
And finally, the pièce de résistance—a little card with a magnetic strip.
"This is the Ultimate Membership Card for 'Charcoal-Grilled Myoboku Frog' right outside the toad breeding grounds."
"Use it freely. Hei won't charge you a single ryo."
Truth be told, Black Zetsu didn't open the restaurant to make money.
He did it so that the smell of roasted frog would haunt the Toad Sage's nose 24/7.
If a particularly well-known toad got grilled, Black Zetsu would shout it proudly at Mount Myoboku's entrance:
"Fried toad legs~!"
"Toad Hiro's thighs~!"
Worst of all, the Great Toad Sage could see and hear that these frogs had been personally raised by Jiraiya.
And then... Kushina flashed the membership card.
Tagorihime and Ichikishima couldn't resist anymore.
"Mom~"
"Mom~"
"Hehe~!"
Kushina beamed from ear to ear.
Like magic, she gifted both of them the same jewelry Tagitsuhime had received.
Ichikishima clung to Kushina's arm.
Tagorihime quickly followed suit.
When Tagitsuhime saw that, she panicked and dove into Kushina's lap.
Kushina laughed joyfully. "All of you~!"
Then she whispered in their ears:
"Whoever gets a bump first gets to manage the 'Charcoal-Grilled Myoboku Frog' shop."
Boom—!
The three Snake Princesses' eyes turned red with competitive spirit.
Kushina clapped her hands. "Alright, let's eat first. I'll have Black Zetsu bring over more frog legs."
"Never mind. I'll do it myself—it's faster."
At that moment, Kushina went to find Kaguya.
Once Kaguya nodded in agreement, a message was sent.
Black Zetsu, who was still greeting customers, suddenly paused.
He wiped the mouths of a few kids munching frogs, entered the kitchen, and picked up several freshly grilled Myoboku frog legs.
Wearing his trademark hat—[Black Zetsu • Charcoal-Grilled Myoboku Frog Takeout]
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Kamui.
Within seconds, he arrived at Naruto's house.
"Mom, your takeout is here~"
After placing the delivery, Black Zetsu respectfully bowed to Kushina and vanished again via Kamui.
The shop was packed.
Now that he could walk in the sun, Black Zetsu was beginning to enjoy life.
In fact, he was already more adjusted than Madara.
Right now, Madara... just hearing "Madara-sama" was enough to make him jump into a Gundam cockpit.
Inside the room.
The White Snake Sage sat across from Naruto.
She said she had something important to discuss.
But once she sat down in front of Naruto… she realized she didn't need to say a word.
He already knew.
"Haaah~"
The White Snake Sage took a deep breath.
She copied what the Slug Sage had done before and moved closer to Naruto.
Naruto blinked. "White Snake Sage, is something wrong?"
Boom—
The White Snake Sage froze.
Why?
Why was it so easy for the Slug Sage, but not her?
Seeing her hesitate, Naruto chuckled softly.
"Don't worry, White Snake Sage. I'll take care of everything for you."
"You're still not used to things. You're not familiar enough with the current shinobi world," Naruto said calmly.
"Take some time to walk around Konoha more. Get a feel for it."
"As for the sealed underground palace in Ryūchi Cave... I'll head there later and check it out."
Hearing Naruto once again promise to visit Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage finally let out a breath of relief.
For now, she had no choice but to wait.
As she stepped out, her gaze lingered on the Slug Sage lying nearby in quiet repose.
She still hadn't figured it out—they were all sages, yet the paths they followed were so different.
Just then, a folded paper fluttered across the room and landed gently in Naruto's lap.
Moments later, Konan appeared in a swirl of paper.
She pouted. "Naruto~"
"Kurama sent Obito to Kirigakure."
"No wonder she turned me down when I tried to handle it earlier."
"How about letting Obito be executed in Amegakure instead?"
Naruto gave a helpless smile. "Kurama's the one overseeing that. She hasn't really been listening to me lately."
Konan was acting unusually clingy today, like she was trying to wheedle him into giving in.
But truthfully, executing Obito in Kirigakure made more sense.
Compared to Amegakure, Kirigakure had suffered far greater losses and cruelty at Obito's hands.
Squeak—
The door creaked open.
Both Konan and Naruto turned toward the sound.
In came Mei Terumi, tiptoeing like a cat burglar.
She quietly shut the door behind her, careful not to make a sound.
"Hehe~ Long time no see, Uzumaki Naruto~"
After taking a deep breath and composing herself, she turned around.
She was ready to jump right into his arms.
But as she spun—
Her joints, aged and stiff, didn't cooperate.
Her confident entrance faltered for a moment.
Then she froze in place.
"…You're… Konan? The Angel of Amegakure?"
...
TN:
Support me on P-com/LordMerlin