The few boxes of belongings that Kushina had packed up were swiftly transported back with Shinno's Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
Once they reactivated the protective barrier around the Senju estate, the two of them—just like when they arrived—held hands and headed toward the shopping district.
As they walked, Shinno explained his breakfast shop idea to Kushina. As expected, she was fully on board.
She even mentioned that several of the ten-plus shops Mito had left her were about to become vacant. Due to the recent instability in the ninja world, some tenants weren't planning to renew their leases—perfect timing for opening the shop.
Of course, Shinno wouldn't turn down Kushina's generosity.
Since he planned to partner with the Yamanaka clan to open the store, they would settle profit distribution in advance. If anything, he'd just make sure Kushina got a bigger cut.
However, before finalizing the menu, they needed to test the dishes to avoid any unexpected failures in this world.
"Let's invite some friends over the day after tomorrow to try out the food. Anyone you want to invite?" Shinno decided on the timing after some thought.
Although his mind palace held plenty of breakfast recipes, most were things he had picked up from random food blogs and videos. His actual hands-on experience was limited.
Between gathering ingredients, prepping, and adjusting recipes based on test runs, they needed at least a full day.
Besides, he also had to visit the archives the next morning to pick out the two jutsu the Third Hokage had promised him. If he didn't want to rush things, the day after tomorrow was the best choice.
"Hmm… You're definitely inviting Haichi and the guys, right? Marri, Yoshino, and Choan will probably come too? Are you inviting Minato? I kind of want to see Honoka, hehe~ Actually, I was thinking about inviting Mikoto too, but then I figured… if everyone's coupled up, she might feel awkward…"
"Tsunade's going to be there, so what's the problem?"
"Oh, that's true! Hehe, Tsunade to the rescue!"
"Did you just say Tsunade is part of the Paw Patrol? Are single people not allowed to have rights?"
"I didn't mean it like that~"
Kushina playfully punched Shinno's arm, her face slightly flushed.
She had heard Shinno tell the story of the Paw Patrol back in the Ninja Academy and had even dreamed of raising a ninja dog herself. Her earlier comment had just slipped out—she wasn't making fun of Tsunade!
"Oh, right! What about your three students? They really miss you."
"Shit! How did I forget about such useful free labor?!"
"??? Those sweet, obedient students, and all you can think about is making them work?"
"Isn't it only natural that my disciples are well-behaved?"
Shinno raised an eyebrow smugly.
Compared to the likes of Orochimaru, Obito, and Nagato—who excelled in the fine art of 'teacher assassination'—his disciples were basically sent by the heavens to repay their debts.
Forgetting them earlier was a grave mistake. From now on, whenever an opportunity for "bonding time" arose, he would make sure to call them first.
His three disciples: ???
Kushina burst into laughter at Shinno's self-satisfied expression.
Meanwhile, Shinno was already strategizing. After all, the day after tomorrow, they'd be feeding quite a crowd—including Chōza Akimichi and his wife, both of whom had impressive appetites.
He couldn't have everyone coming over excited for food only to leave hungry.
There were way too many breakfast dishes in his memory. Even if they only made a small selection, there was no way he and Kushina could handle all the work alone.
Using Shadow Clones or Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique just to cook? That sounded like a shortcut to exhaustion.
So...
Might Guy was strong and had insane stamina—he'd be perfect for kneading dough.
Genma Shiranui was skilled with ninja tools, which meant he could probably handle a knife and rolling pin just fine.
Kurenai Yuhi was nimble with her hands—having her make dumplings would be a waste if anything!
[...]
As the evening rolled in, the shopping district was beginning to wind down, with many shops preparing to close.
Shinno led Kushina straight to Sanmaiya, a restaurant he had started back in his fourth year at the Ninja Academy alongside Yamanaka Haichi, Chōza Akimichi, and Shikaku Nara.
Haichi had funded the lease, Chōza used his clan's connections to supply ingredients, and Shikaku sourced rare spices and high-grade venison.
The three of them shared a 60% cut of the profits, while Shinno—who provided the recipes and managed the operations—kept the remaining 40%.
In the years after their graduation, when Shinno got busy with missions, he had handed over the management to Yoshino Nara, who was a year ahead of them in school.
That had been quite some time ago now.
"Yoshino, I need a favor. Can you have this stuff delivered to my house by noon tomorrow?"
Shinno lifted the noren curtain at Sanmaiya's entrance and handed over a written list to the woman standing behind the counter—a poised Yoshino Nara, dressed in a crimson cheongsam with flawlessly applied makeup.
Perhaps because she hadn't given birth to Shikamaru yet, or maybe due to her years in business, Yoshino looked far more polished and independent than the traditional housewife she was portrayed as in the original story.
"High-gluten flour, sweet potato starch, rice flour, yeast..."
Scanning the list, Yoshino nodded slightly.
"Thanks, Yoshino. We'll get going then."
"Yeah, yeah, go enjoy your date with Kushina. Stop bothering me while I'm working."
She waved them off impatiently.
As Shinno dragged a peeking Kushina out the door, Yoshino glanced at the list again, a thoughtful look on her face.
[...]
"Shinno, why are you running?"
Kushina blinked her big eyes in confusion as she was pulled into a light jog.
"It's not just Shikaku who hates trouble—I do too!"
"Huh?"
"Yoshino is sharp. You don't think she'll figure things out from that list?"
"And? What's the problem?"
Kushina still looked confused.
"She's been talking about expanding for a while now. If she finds out I'm opening a breakfast shop, what do you think she'll do?"
"Uh... offer to manage it?"
"Bingo."
"And that's bad because...?"
"Because she'll have to convince Shikaku herself. I don't want to deal with his complaints!"
Shinno sighed and explained the situation.
Ever since Shikaku and Yoshino got married last year, Shikaku had been grumbling about Sanmaiya.
As the head of the Nara clan, he had hoped Yoshino would help with the family's medicinal herb business and deer farms.
But instead, she had thrown herself into running Sanmaiya, calling it her own career.
What was Shinno supposed to do?
All he wanted was to fatten his wallet a little. Was that so wrong?
And now, if he added a breakfast shop into the mix...
With Yoshino running things, Shikaku's face would turn even darker.
"So... Shikaku has no authority at home?"
"..."
Shinno had no words.
Could he really tell her that, thanks to his interference, Shikaku's already-low standing at home had dropped even further?
Well, what could he say?
Yoshino Nara—capable of keeping two generations of Konoha's greatest strategists firmly under her thumb.
Terrifying!
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