Chapter 27: Here Comes the Chicken Soup
From the moment the Cloud Village delegation left Konoha, Hyuga Kiyonari's script finally drew to a close. After settlement, he'd harvested a full two hundred thirty correction points.
With this haul of correction points, he could loosen his grip slightly and accomplish some major things.
Kiyonari narrowed his eyes, a trace of cold intent flashing through them.
Before reaching the point where the Caged Bird could be removed, eliminating those who raised the problem was undoubtedly the best solution.
Among all Hyuga main family members, Hyuga Hinata had the closest relationship with him. Hyuga Hiashi as clan head had just incurred a debt to Tsunade and also had to consider his relationship with Hinata.
As for other main family members—after years of luxurious living, they'd become parasites with difficult, stubborn personalities. If he could eliminate them, it would be a delightful thing for the entire Hyuga clan.
Speaking of which, in this Cloud Village incident, he'd only needed to write scripts behind the scenes, step forward at critical moments to give a push, then leave everything else for Hinata and Tsunade to handle. This feeling of nurturing them then lying back to win felt absolutely amazing.
Might as well leave dealing with the main family trouble to them too.
Kiyonari walked home along the road, watching the gradually quieting streets. He couldn't help yawning.
"Though..."
Now that he had a teacher, if he appeared too lazy, Tsunade definitely wouldn't be pleased. If he wanted to slack off comfortably, building a good relationship with her was quite necessary.
Kiyonari rubbed his chin. So... the second drift bottle could go online. Have Tsunade back Hinata while also... revealing some Akatsuki intelligence to give her something to do so she wouldn't watch him constantly. But the intelligence's measure had to be precisely calibrated. Reveal too much and the script would become hard to control.
Arriving home, Kiyonari compiled the drift bottle's information and sent it out before washing up and resting.
The next day, he deliberately rose early, changed into clean clothes, and headed out.
Konoha hadn't yet awakened from sleep, but the early market was already bustling. Vendors busily set up stalls, various fresh vegetables, meat, and fish filling them completely.
Kiyonari circled the market before finally stopping at a wild game stall. The vendor was a middle-aged man. Cages held wild rabbits and pheasants—all still alive.
"Customer, what would you like?" Seeing Kiyonari stop, the vendor greeted him enthusiastically.
Kiyonari kicked a plump pheasant with his foot. "How much for this one?"
The vendor picked up the pheasant, hefting its weight. "I just caught this from the mountains yesterday—extremely fresh. Five hundred ryo. How about it?"
"Too expensive."
The vendor immediately grew anxious. "Customer, these are all caught from the forest. Getting a pheasant to this size isn't easy..."
Kiyonari raised his hand, cutting off the chatter. After sizing him up, he said, "You've only been in Konoha a short time, right? Business isn't good?"
"This..." The vendor hesitated before finally nodding. "How did you know, customer?"
"I understand catching this game isn't easy. But this is Konoha. Even kids my age—hunting wild game is just a matter of whether we feel like it today."
Kiyonari counted out three hundred ryo from his wallet and handed it over. "If I were you, I'd either do some other business in Konoha, or go sell wild game in the Fire Country capital. Those nobles would be very happy to buy, and they don't lack money. You might even raise prices."
The vendor froze, looking at the three hundred ryo extended toward him, then thinking about what Kiyonari had just said.
He tied up the pheasant Kiyonari had chosen, then pushed the money back. "Customer, I'll give you this pheasant. Could you tell me... what business should I do in Konoha?"
Kiyonari didn't refuse his goodwill, only asking, "You want to stay in Konoha that badly?"
The vendor nodded repeatedly. "It's safe here."
Crude words, but sound logic. In this muddy world, survival came first.
Kiyonari thought for a moment before offering a suggestion. "If you have capital, you could try the entertainment industry—bring some novel things from the capital to Konoha. Might work well."
"Thank you so much! What a benefactor!"
The vendor's eyes lit up, practically wanting to trade his entire stall for a few more words.
Kiyonari declined and went to the Nara clan's pharmacy to buy medicinal herbs—goji berries, red dates, angelica root, codonopsis, and so on. These herbs not only added flavor when making soup but also provided excellent nourishing effects, especially useful for those with hangovers.
After buying all the ingredients, Kiyonari returned home.
He found a clean basin, grabbed the pheasant by the neck and made a cut to bleed it, then began heating water to pluck feathers and process internal organs... His movements were practiced—clearly not his first time.
After preparing all ingredients, he placed them in a clay pot, lit the stove fire, and slowly stewed on low heat.
He sat by the fire, watching the temperature while refining details of his next script.
Time passed minute by minute. The chicken soup in the clay pot gradually released an enticing aroma.
Kiyonari lifted the lid to check inside. The chicken meat had stewed very tender, the broth turning golden and transparent. The appearance was maxed out.
"About ready."
He nodded with satisfaction, turned off the stove, then found a food box and carefully ladled the soup inside.
After finishing everything, Kiyonari looked at the sky through the window and found it was nearly noon.
"Should be awake by now."
He didn't know Tsunade, but he knew his past life self. Even without drinking, weekends meant sleeping until noon. What about Tsunade who was "on vacation" every day?
Kiyonari carried the food box toward Tsunade's residence.
The estate gate stood open. He walked in and looked around without seeing Shizune—probably out.
Then Kiyonari walked to Tsunade's bedroom, raising his hand to knock on the beam beside the paper door. Inside came Tsunade's somewhat hoarse voice.
"Shizune?"
"Sensei, it's me." Kiyonari called loudly.
Inside fell silent for a while before footsteps approached.
The door slid open, revealing Tsunade's figure. She looked rather disheveled—hair messy, eyes somewhat red and swollen, face still carrying the flush of a hangover.
She wore a loose sleeping robe, neckline slightly open, enough to invite imagination about what beautiful scenery lay beyond.
But!
From Kiyonari's angle looking up, besides the southern hemisphere propped up by clothing, he could see nothing. For the first time, he truly hated not being grown up.
"Kiyonari?" Tsunade rubbed her eyes, looking at him with some confusion. "Why are you here?"
Kiyonari raised the food box in his hand. "I made lunch. Brought it for you to try."
Tsunade froze, her face actually showing a trace of embarrassment.
"You little brat... quite good at taking care of people."
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