The next day.
After a night of chaos, the three girls slept straight through until noon.
Maybe it was the smell of lunch that finally woke them—yawning, hand in hand, they shuffled into the dining room.
Inside, Rinjin and Tsunade sat at opposite ends of the long table, quietly eating.
"Uncle! Why didn't you wake me up?" Little Mei Terumi pouted, plopping down at the table.
Rinjin shot her a look, a silent chuckle in his eyes.
Needing someone to wake you up now, huh? Heh~
Enjoy the good life while your friends are here.
Once they're gone, I'll show you my new Seven Wolves belt—see if you still sleep in!
As Rinjin gave the girl a once-over, Rin politely bowed to both adults and introduced herself.
"Rinjin-sama, Tsunade-sama, hello. I… I'm Nohara Rin."
Rinjin nodded.
"No need to be so formal—think of this as your own home. Your mother and I were old friends; we used to swap child-raising tips back in the day."
A flicker of nostalgia crossed his face.
Damn, it was already Year 39 of Konoha.
These legendary little ones were finally growing into the figures he remembered.
Time flies~
Who'd have thought I'd end up as one of Konoha's elders?
It's a bittersweet feeling—hard to put into words.
But as this generation of kids grew up, the Third Great Ninja War was drawing near.
What a tragic batch.
Obito, whose Kamui couldn't hide his blood and tears; Kakashi, carrying the will of too many lost friends; Rin, whose death was shrouded in mystery—
And the one yet to come, Uchiha Itachi, who would sever bonds for the sake of bonds.
Konoha's unlucky stars were about to take center stage.
Come on, Uncle's Amegakure is full of surprises—everyone's invited, and I've got plenty of good stuff to show you!
Noticing Rinjin zoning out at the mention of Mrs. Nohara, Tsunade scratched her head, feeling like she was growing green hair.
Damn guy—last night's lesson wasn't enough? Tonight, she'd really teach him a thing or two!
Suppressing her anticipation, Tsunade smiled warmly at Rin and invited her to sit down and eat.
After a quiet lunch, Tsunade stood up, ready to take Shizune to check out Konoha Hospital.
Just then, Shizune shyly tugged at Tsunade's sleeve and whispered,
"Tsunade-sama, can we stay in the village a few more days?"
It sounded like a question, but the longing in her voice was clear as day.
This girl had really been through a lot, tagging along with her.
Feeling a rush of maternal affection, Tsunade gently patted the little one's head and nodded.
"Alright! I lost 137 rounds yesterday anyway, so I won't argue this time. We'll stay in the village for a week!"
Shizune's lips curled up in a smile she couldn't hide, her heart brimming with joy.
Seeing her so happy, Tsunade smiled too.
"Come on, let's go check out Konoha Hospital! If we're here for a week and don't find something to do, that old man will nag me to death!"
With that, she grabbed her tan coat from the chair and strode toward the door.
Seeing this, Mei Terumi leapt from her seat and grabbed Rin's sleeve.
"Uncle! I'm going to the hospital with Auntie Tsunade!"
Without waiting for a reply, she dragged Rin out the door, chasing after Tsunade and Shizune.
In the blink of an eye, the house was empty.
Staring at the table full of dirty dishes, Rinjin sighed and created a shadow clone.
"Bro, the dishes are all yours."
Poof!
Without a word, the shadow clone self-destructed, dying a martyr's death.
"…Seriously?"
Watching his clone explode on arrival, Rinjin covered his face, on the verge of tears.
"Forget it, I'll just hire a cleaning lady."
Cooking was fun, but washing dishes? No thanks.
He sent another clone off to find a housekeeper, while his real body sat on the veranda, gazing at the distant sky, digesting lunch and pondering the current situation.
He liked to joke about Tsunade's spending habits, but in reality, there were far bigger expenses to worry about. Tsunade's costs were a drop in the bucket compared to the rest.
Orochimaru's lab was a money pit.
Rinjin had checked the expense reports—everything was above board. He knew that, since ancient times, two things always burned through cash the fastest:
The visible and the invisible.
The invisible: biological sciences, microphysics, and the like. A single particle accelerator could cost a fortune.
The visible: aerospace.
No joke, you could pour endless money into either field and barely make a splash. But if either produced results, it would change the world.
That's why, even when funds were tight, Rinjin still backed Orochimaru's research—though that bastard liked to slack off and study his cells for fun.
Thankfully, Amegakure had nearly balanced its books these past two years.
Iwagakure's war reparations and Sunagakure's water fees kept the people afloat.
Meanwhile, TVs made from Rinnegan black rods had quickly taken over the markets across the ninja world.
Those black rods were a godsend—super-strong, stable signals, and nearly impossible to copy.
As long as Uchiha Madara didn't jump into the market, Amegakure's tech barrier was unbreakable.
Who would ever guess that the TV antennas everywhere were actually products of the legendary Six Paths Rinnegan?
The only regret was that the black rods were too big—so cell phones were out of the question for now.
Thinking of all this, Rinjin shook his head and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
"Who'd have thought a former drifter with a little sister would end up as the CEO of a multinational company! Damn, Third Hokage, hurry up and retire so my wife can take over. Then Rain Six Paths Technologies Unlimited can team up with Konoha's Terror Education Training Institute!"
He couldn't help but snort with laughter.
Pretty interesting~
But for now, Konoha was still under the old man's rule.
As a model youth of the new era, Rinjin was getting ready to pull out all the stops—double-peak ear flicks, antelope leaps, walnut-cracking headbutts, mouse-stealing cheese…
In plain English: he was about to dig a big pit for Konoha's higher-ups and the major clans, all while easing his own cash flow problem.
After all, Tsunade was Konoha's princess.
If Konoha's son-in-law uses Konoha's money to support Konoha's princess, who can complain?
Thinking this, Rinjin sighed with satisfaction.
"Man, I really am something else!"
…
What can you say? Once you start thinking shamelessly, there's no end to the excuses you can dream up~
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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