The few boxes of items Kushina had sorted out were quickly transported back using Kei Yamanaka's Flying Thunder God Technique.
After reactivating the protective barrier around the Senju ancestral house,
the two walked away hand in hand toward the shopping district, just like how they arrived.
While walking, Kei Yamanaka shared with Kushina the idea for a breakfast shop he'd been thinking about.
Unsurprisingly, he received full support from her.
She pointed out that several tenants in the more than ten shops left behind by Grandma Mito no longer wished to renew their leases due to recent instability in the ninja world, which made perfect sense for opening a breakfast shop.
Kei naturally didn't want to refuse Kushina's kindness.
After all, whenever cooperating with family on a business venture, they'd always draw up an agreement detailing profit distribution beforehand.
He'd just give Kushina a slightly bigger cut this time.
However, to avoid any cultural shock when introducing these dishes into the Hokage World,
he still needed to find people to test them out first.
"Let's have some friends over for lunch the day after tomorrow and let them sample the dishes we're planning to serve. Are there any people you want to invite?"
Kei carefully chose the date two days ahead.
Though his mind held a Memory Palace full of recipes for breakfast dishes, most of them came from various self-media platforms.
But he hadn't actually made most of them himself.
Prep work—gathering ingredients, testing by cooking, and making adjustments—would take at least a full day.
Plus, he needed to visit the scroll archives tomorrow morning to choose the two ninjutsu techniques the Third had promised him.
If he didn't want to be too rushed, the only option was to schedule it for the day after tomorrow.
"Hmm... You're definitely going to invite Big Bro Hayato and others. Would you also invite Yuri, Yoshino, and Chao'en? Will you invite Water Gate? I kinda miss Honoka too... Hehe. Actually, I wanted to invite Mikoto as well, but I'm afraid everyone will be in couples, and she might feel sad…"
"You've got Tsunade, a confirmed spinster herself—what's there to worry about?"
"That's true! Haha~ Big Sis Tsunade totally belongs in the Paw Patrol!"
"You actually called Tsunade part of the Paw Patrol? So do singles not count anymore?"
"Of course not~!"
Kushina gave Kei a couple of light punches, blushing shyly.
Back when she was at the Ninja Academy, she'd listened to Kei tell stories about Paw Patrol, and secretly dreamed of having her very own ninja hound.
Just now, she was just speaking without thinking—it wasn't meant to tease Big Sis Tsunade at all.
"Oh, right! How about inviting your three apprentices? They miss you so much!"
"Crap! How did I forget my super useful unpaid labor force!"
"?? Such obedient and sweet disciples, and you can only think about making them work?"
"Kei must've been a total saint in his last life, praying hard on his electronic wooden fish—of course his apprentices would be angels!"
Kei lifted an eyebrow smugly.
Okay, so it was an electronic wooden fish instead of a real one—but did that stop his disciples from being little angels?
Unlike guys like Orochimaru, Obito, and Nagato, who were pros at the classic ninja art of 'teacher-killing,'
his disciples were definitely here to return the favor.
He'd seriously messed up by forgetting about those three adorable troublemakers.
In the future, whenever there's something like this "to enhance the relationship between master and apprentice," he will definitely think of them first.
Three little troublemakers: ???
Kushina found Kei Yamanaka's smug expression absolutely hilarious.
Kei was already mentally mapping out the next day's plan.
After all, they were expecting quite a crowd the day after tomorrow, including the human vacuum cleaner Choza Akimichi and his wife.
If a group of people came excitedly to taste the food, they couldn't possibly send them home hungry!
There were just too many breakfast ideas spinning through his head.
Even if they chose only a portion to prepare, it would definitely be too much for him and Kushina alone to handle.
Surely he wouldn't have to use Shadow Clone Jutsu or Mind Transfer Puppet Jutsu just to cook?
Wouldn't that completely drain him?
So...
Maito Gai had great strength and stamina, kneading dough would definitely suit him well.
Genma Shiranami was skilled with ninja tools, so handling knives and rolling pins should also be no problem.
And Kurenai Yuhi had nimble fingers—that kind of dexterity would go to waste if not put to use shaping dumplings!
By evening, many shops along the commercial street were already shutting down for the night.
Kei Yamanaka led Kushina straight to Sammiya.
Sammiya was founded during his fourth year at the Ninja Academy, together with Hayato, Choza Akimichi, and Nara Shikaku.
Hayato fronted the funds to rent the place, Choza handled all the ingredients through family connections, and Shikaku handled sourcing rare spices and premium-grade deer meat from the ninja world.
The three of them shared 60% of the profits, while Kei provided the recipes and managed operations, keeping 40% of the profits.
In the years shortly after graduating from the Ninja Academy, Kei was busy with missions.
So he hired Yoshino, a senior who graduated one year earlier, to manage things in his place.
That was already many years ago.
"Yoshino-nee, can you help me prepare some stuff? Just deliver it to my place before tomorrow noon."
Kei pulled aside the curtain at the entrance of Sammiya. He saw Yoshino Nara standing behind the counter in an elegant red qipao, her makeup carefully done, and directly handed her the prepared list.
Perhaps because she hadn't given birth to Shikamaru yet, or perhaps due to years of work experience.
Nowadays, although Yoshino Nara was still married to Shikaku, she no longer dressed or presented herself like the typical housewife—she looked refined and sharp.
"High-gluten flour, sweet potato starch, rice flour, yeast..."
Yoshino Nara gave the list a quick once-over and nodded.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Yoshino-nee. We're leaving now."
"Go on go on, spend time with Kushina properly. And don't interfere with my work."
Yoshino Nara waved impatiently.
After watching Kei pull away the Kushina peeking from outside, she looked thoughtfully at the list in her hand once again.
"Phew~ Kei, why are you running off so fast?"
Kushina had been dragged into a quick walk for a while before stopping. She blinked her big eyes, clearly confused.
"Not only is Shikaku afraid of trouble—I am too!"
"Huh?"
"Yoshino-nee is very smart. Believe me, she's smart enough to piece most of it together from just that list."
"What kind of trouble could that be?"
Kushina tilted her head in confusion.
"Yoshino-oneesan has been talking about expanding her business for ages. If she found out about the breakfast shop, can you imagine how she'd react?"
"Hmm... She's planning to run it herself?"
"Bingo! You hit the nail on the head."
"So what's the problem?"
"Well, she'll have to convince Shikaku herself, of course. I don't want him complaining at me—that guy wouldn't dare argue with Yoshino-oneesan anyway..."
Kei Yamanaka sighed and filled them in on the whole Shikaku-and-Yoshino situation.
Ever since they got married last year, Shikaku had been constantly grumbling about how outrageously profitable Sammiya is.
And all because his wife is the head of the Nara clan.
Yoshino Nara actually refused to help manage the Nara clan's herbal medicine business and animal breeding operations.
She spends every waking hour running Sammiya, insisting that this was her real career.
What could Kei Yamanaka do?
He was just trying to fatten up his savings a little—what's wrong with that?
And now if there came another breakfast shop,
once again under Yoshino Nara's management...
Just imagining it, he could already picture how miserably unhappy Shikaku Nara would be!
"So Big Bro Shikaku really has zero say at home?"
"... ..."
Kushina's words left Kei Yamanaka completely speechless.
Could he really admit
that through his little scheming, Shikaku Nara's standing at home had sunk even lower than in the original story?
Well, one could only say—Yoshino Nara was truly born to be the woman who tamed two generations of Konoha's military advisors.
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