Building emotional bonds...
To put it politely, the mission was about forging connections.
To put it bluntly, it was about seduction.
It was a task that demanded the sacrifice of her entire life.
The only thing that brought Nonou a glimmer of comfort was that her target, Namikaze Minato, was truly an exceptional boy.
Whether in appearance, personality, or talent, he was flawless.
However, Nonou felt Danzo had overlooked something crucial...
"Lord Danzo, I have one more question about the mission..."
"Speak."
"Does 'building an emotional bond with Namikaze Minato' mean I have to make him fall in love with me?" Nonou asked.
"You can think of it that way," Danzo replied, nodding slightly. In truth, that was exactly what he meant. "A lifelong partnership is far more reliable than mere camaraderie."
"Then... how do I make him fall in love with me?" Nonou tilted her head, her small face filled with confusion.
Although her upbringing in an orphanage had made her more mature than most five-year-olds, at the end of the day, she was still just a little girl.
Before, she had lived in an orphanage, where having enough food to eat and clothes to wear had been enough to satisfy her. She'd never had to think about anything beyond that.
Suddenly, Danzo had brought her to Root and told her to establish an emotional bond with an unfamiliar boy.
To be honest, she was completely inexperienced in such matters.
"You possess the gentle grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko, and your beauty is exceptional. That's precisely why I chose you," Danzo said calmly. "Men prefer gentle women, especially those who see only them."
"But... Lord Danzo," Nonou said timidly, "all the girls in my class are like that."
"How is that possible?" Danzo scoffed coldly. "Every person is an individual, and their personalities naturally differ."
Nonou nodded. "Yes, but they all act so gentle around Minato."
"..."
Danzo fell silent for a moment. "Explain further."
"Yes."
Nonou detailed her observations: "Whenever class ends, the girls in my class swarm around Minato. They invite him to eat lunch together, go home together after school, train together, or go on dates. I can't even get a word in edgewise."
Is this kid really that popular?
Danzo's sharp eyes widened slightly.
Even when I was young, with my decent looks, I wasn't this popular!
Danzo wouldn't understand. There's a difference between handsome men.
Naruto had no shortage of handsome men.
The universally acknowledged most handsome group included: Sasuke, Itachi, Madara, Izuna, Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, Kakashi, Yahiko, Nagato, Sasori...
Not a single one of them was someone Danzo could even pretend to compete with.
"Girls these days are so forward..."
Danzo shook his head. "In our time, even newly enrolled girls possessed impeccable ninja decorum."
"Um..."
Nonou opened her mouth. "Actually, they're still very reserved when dealing with others."
"..."
So what you're saying is... I'm not handsome enough?
You're quite subtle about it, aren't you?
Danzo fell silent, beginning to doubt his judgment in choosing subordinates.
After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke calmly. "So your problem is that you have too many competitors and can't attract your target's attention?"
Is he trying to change the subject?
Nonou pursed her lips. "Yes. I was wondering if you, Lord Danzo, have any experience in this matter..."
Danzo fell silent again.
Why does this child always hit where it hurts the most?
If she were any other subordinate, I might have assigned her a mission to assassinate the Raikage.
But Nonou was only five years old, without parents or any experience in such matters. Even Danzo, despicable as he was, felt it would be wrong to blame her for this.
After all, even he didn't fully understand these things.
His most trusted subordinates were personality-erased killing machines, devoid of even the most basic sense of self, let alone romantic feelings.
With this in mind, Danzo found himself momentarily troubled.
After a long moment of contemplation, he finally waved his hand. "Maintain the current situation until she clearly shows preference for someone. You may withdraw."
"Yes, sir!"
After Nonou left, Danzo summoned another subordinate.
"Go and purchase... books on romance."
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, at Tsunade's house...
Minato sliced the newly purchased lamb into small pieces and marinated it to remove the gaminess. He then created several Wood Clones, which surrounded the large basin of lamb and skewered the meat onto bamboo sticks made using Wood Release.
Tsunade stood nearby, her curiosity piqued. "Is this... lamb barbecue?"
"More or less," Minato replied with a smile. He was making Xinjiang-style lamb skewers.
The Xinjiang method was simple: after removing the gaminess, only salt, cumin, and chili peppers were needed.
When grilling, it's crucial to control the salt carefully—too much makes it salty, too little lacks flavor.
"Are we only eating lamb?"
"And grilled vegetables to cut the richness!"
Minato retrieved the freshly bought ingredients from the fridge, washed, and chopped them.
Watching Minato busily prepare the meal, Tsunade's gaze softened.
"By the way, how was your first day of school?"
"It went pretty well," Minato replied after a moment's thought. "But I'm not really interested in the other subjects. If possible, I'd rather spend my time training and send my Wood Clone to school instead."
"A Wood Clone, huh..."
Tsunade sighed. Even a child like Minato, with his easygoing nature, didn't like going to school.
"Let's wait a little longer. At your age, you should focus on making friends and enjoying your time together. Most of my friends were classmates. With your looks and abilities, you should be quite popular at school."
Minato smiled helplessly. "Yeah, it's almost... overwhelming."
"Heh heh, I knew it..." Tsunade chuckled mischievously. "What about you? Any girl you have your eye on?"
"No," Minato quickly shook his head, not wanting to become the subject of Tsunade's gossip.
Partly influenced by the original story, he felt a natural fondness for Kushina, making her his top choice.
Minato preferred gossiping about others rather than being the subject of gossip.
"What about you, Teacher? Do you have someone you like?"
"Nope~ I'm quite popular, you know. But so far, no man has ever caught my eye..."
As she spoke, Tsunade suddenly recalled the faint flutter she'd felt when she touched Minato a few days earlier. She cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Is it because he's not your type?"
"Pretty much..."
"So what's your type, then?"
"Well, first of all, he has to be handsome. And secondly~ maybe someone gentle? Not too weak in the skills department, of course—"
Tsunade trailed off, turning her face away with a guilty look.
"Hmm? 'Of course'?"
Minato paused mid-chop, tilting his head in confusion.
"Nothing, nothing, ha ha~"
Tsunade waved her hand awkwardly, her smile strained.
Of course, it would be even better if he's a good cook...
She couldn't bring herself to say such suggestive words aloud.
As Minato's teacher, with a fourteen-year age difference between them, she could have simply said: A boy like you—sunny, handsome, gentle, considerate, and a good cook—is exactly my type. Too bad they're so rare.
But her guilty conscience got in the way.
This also meant that no matter what she said, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was committing a perverse act against a minor...
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