Kei suppressed his temper and went to check on the remaining crows once again. He also took a look at the falcon that had arrived just yesterday.
The young crows were still living comfortably, without any issues.
Pidgeot was also inside the aviary, spending affectionate time with its mate from the Island of Summoning.
Only after confirming everything was fine did he bid farewell to the caretakers and leave the area. He had arrived with his chest full of anger, but by the time he left, he felt much better.
He never imagined that this "boomerang" would hit so hard!
What was this?
Karma? Retribution?
Nonsense!
Danzō had done countless despicable and unforgivable things. If karma were real, he should have been dead long ago!
Still feeling somewhat irritated, he walked along the streets of Konoha toward Amaguriama, where Kurenai, Guy, and Genma were currently staying.
Amaguriama was a well-established confectionery shop in Konoha, having been around since the era of Tobirama. The shop's specialty, yōkan, was a jelly-like dessert made from simmered beans or chestnuts mixed with other ingredients. It was a favorite among the younger crowd.
Since joining Kei's squad, Kurenai, Guy, and Genma had already completed two D-rank missions.
These missions had not only helped ease their financial burdens but, thanks to the continuous Four Limbs Weighting Seal, had also significantly improved their combat abilities.
Their teamwork had become much more synchronized after a week of missions together. Originally, the three had planned to train at Training Ground 4 today, but due to the weather, they had to change their plans.
"You guys heard about it, right? Those summoned beasts that were auctioned off recently—turns out they were all taken down at once by a genjutsu."
Genma, chewing on a senbon, casually chatted with his teammates while watching the rain outside.
"Yeah, over a hundred summoned beasts of various sizes. Even if they were all squeezed into one area, the range would still be larger than the school's training ground. Sensei is really amazing."
Kurenai propped her elbow on the table and rested her cheeks in her hands. Her slightly chubby face, still carrying traces of baby fat, was full of admiration.
She really wanted to become such a powerful genjutsu master—someone who could make enemies fall into endless nightmares with just a flick of the wrist.
"That sounds like an incredible battle achievement!" Guy punched the air enthusiastically, as energetic as ever.
"I think I just heard someone praising me." A familiar male voice suddenly came from behind them.
The three of them turned around with bright smiles. There stood Kei, holding an umbrella and wearing his usual warm smile as he looked at them.
"Huh?! Sensei! Good morning!"
Genma reacted first, quickly standing up to salute.
Guy followed suit, mimicking his movements with such a serious expression that one might think he was heading to the battlefield.
Kurenai quickly walked around him, checking him over.
Only after confirming that there were no bloodstained bandages or the scent of medicine on him did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
In the shinobi world, except for those who used umbrellas as ninja tools, most ninjas didn't carry them. During high-speed movement, umbrellas would be an obstruction and hinder mobility.
So when she first saw their sensei carrying an umbrella, she thought he might have been injured and was avoiding getting his wounds wet.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. I'm carrying an umbrella because… well, someone told me to take one when I went out today."
Kei easily picked up on Kurenai's unspoken worries and casually ruffled her hair.
He had to admit—his students' concern for him felt quite heartwarming. Of course, that didn't mean he was going to let them slack off. If they worked hard enough…
Hmm, maybe he'd give them a small reward.
"Kushina-senpai is so gentle~"
Kurenai immediately realized who had reminded their sensei, and her eyes sparkled with admiration. Kushina gave an order, and their teacher followed it so seriously—it looked so sweet!
Guy and Genma, hearing Kurenai's words, silently nodded in agreement.
During their teacher's absence on missions, Kushina had been the one taking care of them, answering their questions, and guiding their training. Though, sometimes, just like Kei, she had a mischievous side.
For example, just when they had finally adapted to the Four Limbs Weighting Seal their teacher had left on them, Kushina used the same excuse of "giving a gift" to suddenly increase the seal's restriction level by one notch.
But despite this, Kushina was truly an outstanding and gentle senpai.
"Are you all coming over to my place today? I'm planning to make some new dishes and have someone taste them tomorrow."
Seeing how much the three admired Kushina, Kei felt even better and decisively set his trap.
"Your house? Then we'll help too! I've actually learned a lot about cooking at home!"
Without a second thought, Kurenai jumped right into the pit, completely unaware of how massive an undertaking this would be.
"We can probably help with the prep work."
Genma scratched his head and pulled Guy along into the prep team.
At their age, even if they weren't too keen on learning how to cook, they couldn't resist the power of delicious food.
Kushina had mentioned more than once that back when their teacher was in the Ninja Academy, he was already an exceptionally skilled cook.
Who didn't love good food?
Taking advantage of the lighter rain, the group made their way to Kei's house.
When they arrived, the luxurious three-story mansion, spanning over 200 square meters, left the three of them in awe. But when they entered and saw the massive amount of ingredients and kitchen tools occupying nearly half of the living room, they all fell silent.
Damn it!
They got tricked again!
With this much food, you could open a restaurant!
Click—
"Haah~ I'm heading to the hospital. Save some lunch for me."
Yawning, Tsunade, dressed in casual and slightly messy clothes, opened the bedroom door and walked out, casually greeting Kei while putting in her lunch order.
"Lady Tsunade! Good morning!"
Kurenai's eyes sparkled like jewels upon seeing Tsunade.
Guy and Genma quickly snapped out of their daze, standing up stiffly to salute Tsunade.
Even though they knew Kushina and Tsunade had some sort of family-like relationship, wasn't this a little too much? Living together with her boyfriend and bringing her bestie along?
"You're heading to the hospital at eleven?"
Kei raised an eyebrow. He thought Tsunade and Kushina had gone out together this morning, but she had actually slept in until now?
"As long as I make it in time for the funeral."
Tsunade waved it off nonchalantly and turned toward the bathroom.
Honestly, she was only going out of respect for the old man. Some of the people attending made her sick—why would she bother healing them?
"… You're not treating Danzō, are you?"
Kei immediately had a hunch based on her expression.
There were very few people in Konoha who could irritate Tsunade this much, and Danzō just happened to be one of the ones not doing so well recently.
"You sure are well-informed. Want to come watch the show?" Tsunade smirked slightly, knowing that both Kei and Kushina were at odds with Danzō.
"Ahem~ More like I'm just worried about how much trouble you'll cause."
"Tch~ That brat really tells you everything." Tsunade clicked her tongue in annoyance and continued toward the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Kei's grin was so wide it was harder to suppress than an AK-47's recoil.
Danzō!
You didn't see this coming, did you?!
I'm on my way!
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Please don't give me too many Power Stones. My theory is that if a translation gets too popular (700-1000+ Power Stones), WN will delete it. I don't think we will ever reach 700 or beyond, but I've noticed several stories getting removed this way. Commenting and leaving reviews is more helpful!
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