Night Maple had just walked out with Kushina when she dragged him away.
"What are you doing?"
"We're going out to buy a gift for Mikoto. We can't show up at the Uchiha compound empty-handed tomorrow, can we?"
When Night Maple heard he had to accompany Kushina shopping, he felt miserable.
What do men hate most?
Shopping, of course.
But Kushina was thrilled.
She hadn't gone out for days.
Mikoto had just said those bad guys in high places had been removed or put on leave, so there was nothing to fear.
She had asked Granny Mito too, and Granny Mito said it was fine.
So, whether Night Maple liked it or not, Kushina pulled him out the door.
As Night Maple and Kushina walked down the main street, they ran into a squad.
The one leading them was none other than Danzō.
The two beside him were Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, and Namikaze Minato.
Danzō also saw Night Maple. He glanced over, then withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless.
Seeing they were about to pass by, Night Maple quickly grabbed Namikaze Minato.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Minato shot Night Maple a look. "Classified mission. I can't tell you."
"Really won't say?"
"Can't say. The Hokage is watching."
Night Maple looked around. Although he didn't see any crows this time, he could indeed feel someone peeping.
That old man really loves to spy.
Night Maple let Minato go.
When Minato returned, Hatake Sakumo said, "Minato, you know him well?"
"Same cohort."
"He's strong."
Minato nodded hard. "Yeah. I was planning to challenge him again this week and settle things, but then this mission came up."
"You're not his match."
Minato said helplessly, "Senior Sakumo, could you not discourage me like that?"
White Fang Sakumo shook his head. "It's not discouragement. I think his strength might even surpass mine."
Minato's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it.
…
Kushina asked curiously, "Where are they going?"
"That guy Minato won't say, all mysterious. Why don't we tail them and see?"
Kushina refused. "What's there to see? Come on, we still need to order the cake and buy the gift."
Ugh, I don't want to shop.
Night Maple's objections were overruled. Kushina dragged him through every cake shop in Konoha and finally placed an order.
In the world of Naruto, the currency unit is the ryō. There are banknotes and coins, but everything is calculated in ryō.
As for mission pay, in the setting D-rank missions pay from 5,000 to 50,000 ryō per job, C-rank from 30,000 to 100,000, B-rank from 80,000 to 200,000, and A-rank from 150,000 to 1,000,000.
S-rank missions pay 1,000,000 ryō and up per job.
1 ryō = 10 yen.
A pork cutlet set runs about 800 yen for the regular portion, and around 1,000 yen with extra toppings. A street fashion magazine costs about 600 yen. Three pieces of oden sell for 500 yen…
This time, the cake Kushina bought cost 10,000 yen, which is 1,000 ryō.
Then she bought a pair of earrings for 38,888 yen.
Altogether she spent nearly 50,000 yen, which is 5,000 ryō, the starting pay for a D-rank mission.
A little rich lady indeed.
For reference, Night Maple currently had only 1,000 ryō in his pocket. That was the Ministry of Finance's recent salary payment. Each genin gets a 1,000-ryō basic monthly wage. If you need more money, you have to take on missions.
As they say, even a hero can be stumped by a single coin. This was exactly that.
To earn a living, even the Demon of the Hidden Mist, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Momochi Zabuza, had to work for Kakashi.
Fortunately, Night Maple was eating and lodging for free with the Uzumaki. Otherwise, he might have had to go do missions.
…
The next day at noon, in Uchiha territory, which is also the Konoha Police Force headquarters.
The Uchiha are one of Konoha's two great bloodline clans, and since the village's founding they have shouldered the police force.
Back then, the Senju were also among them, making three great bloodline clans.
But twenty years have passed. The Senju clansmen either died in war or set up their own households. Only Princess Tsunade is left.
In recent years, with the Senju nearly extinct and the Hyūga lying low, the Uchiha naturally claimed to be Konoha's number one clan.
The Uchiha of today are in full bloom and blazing with prosperity. Most of them carry themselves with lofty pride and seldom mingle with other clans.
Of course, today they would not slight Night Maple in the least.
Night Maple had burst onto the scene as the last heir of the Senju.
In less than a week, he foiled Kumogakure's plot and even brought down high-ranking figures like Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. His momentum was unmatched.
One could say Night Maple's status rivaled that of the current Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Setsuna.
In terms of strength, Night Maple had awakened the Senju's Kekkei Genkai and single-handedly defeated Root's ten-man squad, stronger than anyone in the Uchiha.
So today, the Uchiha's outstanding youths, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, waited at the gate for Night Maple's arrival.
Night Maple and Kushina arrived on time with cake and a gift. Seeing Uchiha Mikoto at the door, they quickened their steps to greet her.
"Mikoto, happy birthday. This is the cake and the birthday present Night Maple and I prepared. We were short on time, so it's not the best."
"Kushina, thank you. I'm already happy you could come. What a nice-looking cake. What beautiful earrings."
Mikoto took them out and put them on right away. "Kushina, do they look good?"
Kushina shot back at Night Maple, "Night Maple, do they look good?"
Great, a deathtrap question.
"I have face blindness. I honestly can't tell what's pretty and what isn't."
Uchiha Mikoto and Kushina both snorted with laughter.
[Ding, Kushina favorability +5.]
[Ding, Uchiha Mikoto favorability +10.]
System, are you trying to stir things up? I didn't even say anything, so why did Uchiha Mikoto's favorability jump by 10 all of a sudden?