"Well, you're right," Tsunade said, calming down. There were still many masters in Konoha. Madara Uchiha alone couldn't cause too much trouble.
"Although Grandpa is gone, I'm still here," Kawakaze added, patting Tsunade's shoulder. He believed that even if he were to face Madara Uchiha at his prime, he would now be more than a match for him. Besides, he still had time to continue improving, while Madara was merely hanging on.
"Yes, there's you," Tsunade replied with a smile. "What did you extort from Kirigakure?"
A playful expression crossed her face. She knew Kawakaze's strength was no less than her grandfather's. She also knew Kirigakure wouldn't willingly give Kawakaze any benefits, so he must have outmaneuvered them. It wasn't an exaggeration to call it extortion.
"You're so rude," Kawakaze said, feigning dissatisfaction. "It's called being unable to refuse a kind offer."
Tsunade laughed out loud, imagining the expression on the unlucky person who had been forced to agree to Kawakaze's request. "Fine, fine, I can't refuse your hospitality."
"Not much, just 200 million in cash," Kawakaze said nonchalantly. "Deliver it to Konoha within a month."
He ran a hand through his silver hair, feeling quite pleased with himself.
"You're amazing—you've solved my urgent problem!" Tsunade exclaimed, overjoyed. She threw her arms around Kawakaze's face and kissed him, feeling as though she had just confiscated the money herself.
"It's only fair," Kawakaze said, turning the other side of his face toward her, completely unbothered. As long as Tsunade was happy, he didn't mind.
"Good boy," Tsunade said, poking his forehead playfully as she slowly leaned in closer.
At that moment, Kawakaze suddenly turned his head, and their lips met.
"It really smells good," Kawakaze remarked, even licking his lips after getting his way.
Although they were already an old married couple, Tsunade still blushed. This was the Hokage's Office, and she felt a little embarrassed at the thought of someone possibly seeing them.
"Stop fooling around," Tsunade said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before preparing to continue her work.
"Don't worry, there's more," Kawakaze said, pulling out the Ninja Blades Summoning Scroll from his pocket.
"What is this?" Tsunade asked as she picked up the scroll and opened it. The seven names on it clearly represented the code names of each Ninja Blade.
"Ninja Blades Summoning Scroll," Kawakaze explained. "It can summon the blades that Nawaki and the others brought back."
"It'll do for now," Tsunade replied, glancing at it briefly before putting it back on the table with little interest.
She had already sealed the Ninja Blades, so the Summoning Scroll felt dispensable. However, having it in Konoha was still a safeguard, so it wasn't entirely useless.
"Quite the picky one," Kawakaze commented, ignoring the scroll. It was just a spur-of-the-moment addition.
"Those blades are indeed quite good," Tsunade said. "Nagato, that spendthrift, broke one. We from Konoha can at most form a group of six people with those Ninja Blades."
Although she called Nagato a spendthrift, there was no particular criticism in her tone.
"No need. Just hand them out to the right people when the time comes," Kawakaze said.
He was generally unimpressed by the seven blades, except for Samehada, which had proven its worth in Kisame Hoshigaki's hands. The others didn't have particularly impressive battle records.
"Except for Samehada, which was taken by Nawaki, the rest are stored in the Kinjutsu Room," Tsunade said.
"No one is interested in these blades for the time being."
Tsunade had been heavily ripped off by Nawaki for these blades. Despite her efforts, the Iron Fist of Love had failed, and Nawaki walked away with a hefty sum, even with his head still bandaged. When he left the Hokage's Office, he was beaming.
"Nawaki sure knows how to pick things," Kawakaze remarked, shaking his head with a smile. With Samehada continuing to replenish his energy, Nawaki's combat power had significantly improved.
"That rotten brat—now I'm the one getting extorted!" Tsunade grumbled, still fuming over how things had turned out.
"Haha~ who's to blame for his obsession with money?" Kawakaze teased, glancing at her.
"None of your business!" Tsunade snapped.
As the saying goes, "Loose lips invite trouble." Tsunade's anger flared, and she landed a punch on Kawakaze.
The conversation between the two came to an abrupt end, and they both quietly went back to working on their documents.
Meanwhile, Nagato had returned to the Hatake Clan. When he saw Minato and the others, tears welled up in his eyes. He had never imagined he would see them again.
"Nagato!" Minato called out, quickly moving to stand beside him and giving him a hug.
Nagato had played a significant role in Minato's life.
"Senior Brother Minato," Nagato said, patting Minato's back, his voice breaking.
"It's good that you're back. Where's Sensei?"
Yahiko and Konan stood nearby, their eyes filling with tears as they watched.
"Sensei was caught by his wife and dragged off to deal with paperwork," Minato replied, smiling. "Luckily, I was quick on my feet."
Nagato and Minato parted, laughing with joy at Kawakaze's misfortune, even as the tears on Nagato's face hadn't dried yet.
"Haha~"
Nagato's words made everyone burst out laughing.
"Let's go inside and talk," Minato said. "It's been a long time since they saw you."
Minato led Nagato to the living room, with Yahiko and Konan following close behind. Before long, the four arrived.
Nayuki watched as Kakashi played with Shiromaru, the once-tiny white puppy, while Onimaru lounged lazily nearby, eyes closed in rest.
"Auntie, I'm home," Nagato said as he entered the living room, immediately meeting Nayuki's loving gaze.
She truly treated them as her own children and had been exceptionally kind to them over the past week.
"Nagato, you're finally back!" Nayuki exclaimed, standing up in surprise and hurrying over to him.
"These days, you've had everyone worried sick."
She carefully examined him, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw he was unharmed and had all his limbs intact.
"Brother Nagato!" Kakashi ran up and hugged Nagato's leg tightly.
"Kakashi, did you miss your brother?" Nagato asked, smiling as he picked Kakashi up.
"Heh, I did," Kakashi said enthusiastically, grabbing a handful of Nagato's crimson hair.
"You're hurting your brother," Nayuki said, feigning anger as she slapped Kakashi's hand away.
Despite his young age, Kakashi's pulling hurt—something Nayuki had experienced herself more than once.
"It's fine, Auntie," Nagato said, not minding at all. He enjoyed the feeling of being relied on.
"You guys, sooner or later you'll spoil him," Nayuki said with a shake of her head as she put Kakashi down. With these mischievous older siblings, she couldn't imagine what Kakashi would grow up to be like.
"Go play by yourself," Nayuki said, giving Kakashi a gentle kick on his butt.
"Okay, Mom," Kakashi replied as he stumbled forward slightly, then stood up and ran over to Shiromaru.
The one-year-old Shiromaru was already much bigger than Kakashi, and the two quickly began playing together with great enthusiasm.
"You didn't suffer in Kirigakure, did you?" Nayuki asked as she sat back down. She waited for everyone to settle before starting the conversation.
"Not really. I was just locked up for a while," Nagato replied. Thinking back, he felt he had been treated rather well for a prisoner.
"That's good. I hope your Sensei didn't cause any trouble in Kirigakure," Nayuki said, her tone curious.
As she asked this, everyone's attention shifted to Nagato. With Kawakaze having returned so quickly, the news from Kirigakure hadn't yet spread, leaving everyone eager to hear what had happened there.