The sky was overcast, and a steady drizzle fell.
Despite the heavy rain, not a single bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
The trio, who had agreed to meet at Kushina's house, peered out the window at the fine rain.
As for why they had chosen this location, that was something only Kushina could answer.
"I said we had guests coming over, and you didn't even prepare any snacks," Kin grumbled, slapping the table in dissatisfaction.
Thud. Kushina tossed a plate onto the table, causing the fruit on it to scatter. Her mood was clearly foul, likely due to some annoying jerk.
Namikaze Minato sat upright with perfect posture, but his face wore a lecherous expression.
Kin couldn't help but ask, "Minato, how do you manage to make such a creepy face with that cute little mug of yours?"
"Huh?" Minato blinked in confusion, then noticed Kushina's look of disgust. He forced a smile.
"Even creepier now."
Kushina's disgust deepened.
Defeated, Minato slumped onto the table, feeling as though his life was over.
At that moment, Kushina pulled out a scroll from behind her and tossed it to Kin.
"Here. Take this."
Kin caught it and immediately unrolled it, discovering several sealing techniques his family hadn't yet recorded.
"I don't owe you anything," Kushina huffed, turning her head away pridefully as she sat beside Minato.
"Read it here. You can't take it with you."
Though these sealing techniques were once the exclusive property of the Uzumaki clan, with the clan's destruction, they now belonged to Konoha.
If Kin brought them to the Uchiha clan, it would undoubtedly cause trouble. Kushina, living alone, understood this well.
"So that's your goal," Kin said, suddenly realizing why Kushina had invited them.
He picked up the scroll and began memorizing its contents intently.
Thanks to his "Deduction Cheat Ability," any knowledge he encountered was automatically stored in his mind, making learning effortless.
He could now call himself a master of sealing techniques—though he couldn't actually use them.
"By the way, why is there no school today?" Kin asked while rapidly memorizing the scroll. With his cheat ability, he could review the details later.
The three of them had only gathered here because the ninja academy had unexpectedly closed. It wasn't even the weekend yet.
Silence filled the room. When no one answered, Kin looked up to see Minato and Kushina both hanging their heads.
"Nawaki-senpai…"
"Big Brother Nawaki… he died."
Kushina's voice was heavy with sorrow. The kind older brother who had always looked out for her was gone forever.
"Today is his funeral," Minato added quietly.
"What?!" Kin slammed his palm on the table with a loud bang, his expression shifting through a storm of emotions.
"Nawaki… is dead?"
"Did you know Nawaki-senpai?" Minato asked, startled by Kin's dark reaction.
"I knew of him. We weren't close."
Kin shook his head.
He had been in the same year as Nawaki, but as a B-class student, he'd had no chance to interact with the elite A-class.
This left Minato and Kushina even more confused. Kin seemed more affected by Nawaki's death than they were.
Kin fell silent, his eyes scanning the scroll.
Nawaki's death meant nothing to him personally, but the timing was critical.
His memories of the original timeline were hazy, but one thing was certain: within a year of Nawaki's death, the Second Shinobi World War would break out.
Worse, Sarutobi Hiruzen—that old bastard—would lower the graduation age and standards, sending a flood of children to the battlefield as cannon fodder.
The First War hadn't depleted Konoha's forces too severely, but the constant skirmishes afterward had taken their toll.
The village was running out of soldiers.
Which meant Kin would soon be thrust onto the battlefield.
And who the hell wanted that?!
"I have to go."
Kin set down the scroll—he'd already memorized everything.
"But you haven't finished—"
Ignoring Kushina, he bolted for the door.
Minato and Kushina exchanged bewildered glances, utterly lost.
The rain battered the earth.
Perched atop a telephone pole, Kin looked down.
A man in a green jumpsuit was crouched in the grass, struggling to pull out a cat.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back to your owner," the bearded man said, tucking the cat into his soaked shirt to shield it from the rain.
The cat's head poked out from the collar, staying quiet and obedient.
"So he really came here," Kin mused.
Might Dai. He'd been searching for this man for a while. An unknown genin with no reputation in the village wasn't easy to find.
Unlike his son, who trained relentlessly and left an indelible mark on Konoha, Dai's efforts were quieter, hindered by his lack of talent.
Kin's "Basic Inner Energy" technique could be mastered quickly by the talented, but hard work could bridge the gap.
And no one in Konoha worked harder than the Might family.
Dai had been on Kin's radar for a while, but as an academy student, approaching a genin outright would raise eyebrows.
He'd been waiting for the right opportunity.
The two cat-retrieval missions Dai had taken? Kin had posted them. The "cat" in Dai's arms was actually a disguised ninja cat.
He'd begged Granny Cat for ages to get her to cooperate.
Originally, he'd planned to engineer a "chance encounter," but Nawaki's death had thrown everything into chaos.
Now, survival took precedence over subtlety.
Kin dropped lightly to the ground.
"Mister, that's my cat." He tilted his head up, enduring the rain pelting his face.
His height was a real disadvantage—he had to crane his neck to look at Dai.
"Huh?" Dai blinked in confusion. Why was the client here?
Seizing the moment, Kin called out,
"Little Miao."
The white cat leaped from Dai's collar to Kin's shoulder, meowing insistently.
Thanks to his deduction of cat language, Kin understood perfectly.
"One year's worth of cat treats, or I spill everything."
"Fine, fine."
The audacity! Even cats were extorting him now.
He wondered if reporting this to Granny Cat would count as fraud.
"Mister, thanks for finding Little Miao. You're soaked—come to my place for some hot tea."
Before Dai could react, Kin grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the Uchiha compound.
"Wait, that's not necessary! This was just a mission!" Dai protested, digging in his heels.
"I'll give you your reward while we're at it."
"But—"
"No buts!" Kin's eyebrows twitched in feigned anger, just enough for Dai to see. Then he gestured to the Uchiwa fan on his back.
"Unless you're looking down on the Uchiha!"
"Uchiha?!" Dai yelped, jumping back.
The Might family really had a talent for comedy.
"I-I didn't mean that!"
"Then let's go."
Bullying an honest man was too much fun.
The two walked into the Uchiha compound, one leading, the other following nervously.
The heavy rain had left the streets empty except for a few open shops.
As for attending Nawaki's funeral? Unlikely. The village wouldn't allow it, and the clan wanted no part in the Senju's affairs.
Dai trembled with every step, half-expecting the Uchiha Police Force to jump out and arrest him. Their reputation was legendary.
Luckily, it didn't happen. When they entered a large house, Dai gaped.
"This place…"
"Don't worry. I live alone."
Kin stepped inside, first bowing to two black-and-white photos on the wall before turning to Dai.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll get some snacks."
"T-thank you." Dai sat gingerly where his wet clothes wouldn't ruin anything.
Soon, Kin returned with tea and sweets.
"There's a bathroom upstairs if you want to clean up and change. You can leave once the rain stops."
"Thank you."
Dazed, Dai knelt on the tatami in borrowed clothes (sans clan insignia), too nervous to touch the food.
Kin, now freshly washed, slid a scroll toward him.
"Your reward."
"This is…?"
"A small jutsu."
Dai reached for it but hesitated, then clenched his teeth.
"C-could I just have the payment for the mission instead?"
He was here for the cat-retrieval fee, not to greedily take something else.
Kin's expression darkened. "Sorry… I don't have enough money. This is all I can give you."
"Then forget it!" Dai shook his head, flashing a thumbs-up. "Young man, work hard and live well! Consider this mission free of charge!"
Kin grinned. "So you're saying the Uchiha are cheapskates? You're looking down on us?"
Dai flailed. "No! That's not what I meant!"
"Then…" Kin pointed at the scroll.
Defeated, Dai took it.
"Make sure to practice, Mister. Anyone can learn this with enough effort."
"Thank you."
Kin's third "victim" stumbled out of the house, scroll in hand, and was even forced to take an umbrella.
Once Dai was gone, Kin pulled out a notebook.
It was filled with names. He circled "Might Dai," joining Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina in receiving this honor.
"That's enough for now."
(End of Chapter)