"Naruto, let me introduce you. This is your cousin, her name is Karin. She's from the same clan as your mother."
"Cousin?"
Naruto looked at Karin in confusion.
What stood out the most was her bright red hair—just like his mother's.
He immediately smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Cousin! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! My dream is to become Hokage! This is Hyūga Hinata, and those two are Kiba and Chōji. They're all my friends."
"Naruto's cousin? With red hair?"
Chōji walked over with a goofy grin, squinting his small eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Cousin. I'm Akimichi Chōji."
"I'm Inuzuka Kiba. And this little guy is Akamaru."
"Woof!"
Kiba and Akamaru greeted her enthusiastically.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Karin. Please take care of me."
Though still a bit awkward with so many people greeting her, Karin responded politely.
Kiyosuke said, "Alright then, are you all going to eat? Let's go together—my treat. Shikamaru, you come too."
"So troublesome..."
Pineapple-head muttered, but still said, "Thanks."
"Hey! Sasuke, are you coming?"
Naruto waved at Sasuke, who was surrounded by Sakura, Ino, and a bunch of other girls.
"No. I'm heading back to practice my shuriken."
Sasuke answered coolly.
"Kid, training can wait. Let's go! I'll talk to your dad for you. You girls want to join us?"
"Can we?"
"Of course."
"Thank you! We'll tag along, then."
The girls were surprisingly well-mannered.
Kiyosuke said, "Naruto, invite the rest of your classmates too. Consider it a class gathering."
"Got it!"
Naruto and the others called over a few more classmates.
Aside from the older students like Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji, the rest of the Konoha Twelve were all there.
Kiyosuke took the kids to a yakiniku restaurant. With all-you-can-drink juice and a bunch of kids with small appetites, it didn't cost much.
At the dinner table, Karin was visibly uneasy. She'd never had a meal with so many people before.
But gradually, thanks to Naruto's cheerful lead, she started to open up.
And before long, she was genuinely enjoying herself.
Since everyone at the table was around the same age, they got along easily.
Friendships among kids often formed faster than those between adults.
...
That evening, the children's parents came to pick them up.
Kiyosuke had left word at the ninja academy to have them come to the restaurant.
On the way home, carrying Naruto on his back, Kiyosuke asked:
"Karin, how was it?"
"It was really fun. It's such a different life from what I used to know," Karin said.
"This is what your life will be like from now on. Konoha is one big family. So, are you interested in joining the ninja academy, or would you prefer to work at the Konoha Hospital?"
"If you go to the academy, you'll end up at the hospital after graduation anyway. I'll ask a friend to mentor you—you'll just shadow her and learn. You won't need to use your abilities to heal people directly."
Due to Karin's special constitution, a typical ninja life clearly wasn't suitable for her.
Becoming a medical ninja was the best path.
"Kiyosuke-sama, may I go to school?"
"Of course. Tomorrow I'll talk to the Hokage and get your enrollment processed. I'll place you in Naruto's class."
Attending the academy would help Karin integrate into Konoha and make her own friends.
"Thank you, Kiyosuke-sama."
Her gratitude was heartfelt.
"Mhm. Oh, and don't forget to learn how to cook. No one at home cooks. That job's all yours now."
While Haku could cook, he was often away on ANBU missions.
Kiyosuke and Naruto were too lazy to cook and usually just ate out.
Karin's arrival was perfect.
"Got it! I'll do my best!"
Karin accepted the task, determination shining in her eyes.
...
The next day, Karin joined Naruto's class and officially became one of them.
Since they'd already had dinner together the night before, she wasn't treated like a stranger.
...
That night, Kiyosuke was out drinking with Asuma and Guy.
They ended up talking about Kakashi.
"Huh? He forced the genin the Hokage assigned to him back to the academy?"
Kiyosuke asked, raising his sake cup.
Guy nodded.
"Yeah. On the very day they were assigned to him. Zero passed."
"Well, so be it. If he refused to take them, he must've had a good reason."
Kiyosuke shrugged.
"Training a team isn't easy. It's normal to have high standards."
Kakashi didn't want others to suffer the same tragedy he did.
That's why he wouldn't allow people who didn't value their comrades to become ninja.
The kids actually cooperated well, but when faced with elimination, one of them turned on a teammate.
That set off a landmine in Kakashi's heart.
All of them failed.
"But Kiyosuke, you know... The darkness in Kakashi's heart runs too deep. Assigning him a squad was supposed to help him," Guy said loudly.
"So what can we do? He already rejected them. You think my advice would change his mind? Don't kid yourself. Let's see what happens next year. Hopefully someone can pass by then."
After all, in two years, Naruto would graduate.
Maybe the timing would work out just right.
"That's the only way to look at it. Next time I see him, I'll definitely defeat him! Kakashi! My eternal rival!"
Guy's eyes blazed with passion as he suddenly burst into flames—figuratively.
"So... when's the wedding?"
Kiyosuke asked.
"Half a month from now," Asuma replied with a smile.
Thanks to Kiyosuke's help, things had moved quickly.
He and Kurenai had skipped the awkward stage, and it wouldn't be long before Sarutobi Mirai was born.
"Mhm."
"What about you? When are you going to find someone? You're not getting any younger. Time to settle down."
Asuma teased.
"Men hit their prime at thirty-one. No need to rush."
"So... are you choosing the one from the Land of Water, or the Fifth Kazekage?"
Asuma asked in a low voice.
"Kids make choices. Adults take them all."
Kiyosuke grinned half-jokingly.
Only he knew what his real decision was.
"You're unbelievable..."
Asuma chuckled.
But with Kiyosuke's charm, he just might pull it off.
Still...
Wouldn't that end in a disaster?
"You're not afraid?"
"Who do you think I am?"
"Well, whatever. Hope you survive it."
If he remembered correctly, both women were scary strong.
"Whatever. You're definitely going to be my best man."
"Fwahahaha! Of course!"
Clink!
Their glasses knocked together, and they downed their drinks.
...
The three of them drank late into the night, stumbling home drunk.
Kiyosuke slept straight through to noon the next day.
After grabbing something to eat, he spent the entire afternoon playing at the arcade.
This world's tech tree was bizarre.
They even had pachinko and slot machines.
And so, he played the whole afternoon away.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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