From the moment the Kumogakure delegation left Konoha, Hyuga Kiyonari's "script" finally came to an end. After the settlement, he had earned a full 230 correction points.
With that many points, he could loosen up a bit and start doing bigger things.
Kiyonari narrowed his eyes, a trace of coldness flashing through them.
If it still wasn't time to undo the Caged Bird Seal… then the best solution was obvious: deal with the people who kept insisting on the problem.
Among all the Hyuga main family, Hinata was the one closest to him. And as clan head, Hiashi still owed Tsunade a favor—and he also had to consider Kiyonari's relationship with Hinata.
As for the other main-family elders—years of pampered living had turned them into parasites, petty and hard to deal with. If he could press them down and keep them there, it would honestly be good news for the entire Hyuga clan.
Come to think of it, in this Kumogakure incident, all he had to do was write behind the scenes, give the plot a little push at key moments, and then leave everything else to Hinata and Tsunade. The feeling of raising them and then "winning while lying down" was unbelievably satisfying.
So he might as well hand the "main family elders" problem to them too.
Walking home, Kiyonari looked at the street growing quieter and couldn't help yawning.
"Still…"
Now he had a teacher. If he acted too lazy, Tsunade definitely wouldn't be pleased. If he wanted to slack comfortably, it was still necessary to keep their relationship good.
Kiyonari rubbed his chin. Then… the second drifting bottle could go online.
He could have Tsunade back Hinata up, and at the same time… reveal a bit of information about Akatsuki to give Tsunade something to do—so she wouldn't stare at him all day. But he had to control how much he revealed; if he gave away too much, the script would become hard to control.
Back home, Kiyonari compiled the message for the "drifting bottle" and sent it. Then he washed up and went to sleep.
The next day, he got up especially early, changed into clean clothes, and went out.
Konoha still hadn't fully woken up, but the morning market was already lively. Vendors bustled as they set up stalls, fresh vegetables, meat, and fish laid out in rows.
Kiyonari made a round through the market and stopped in front of a stall selling game. The vendor was a middle-aged man; cages held a few wild rabbits and pheasants, all still alive.
"Customer, what are you looking for?" the vendor greeted warmly when he saw Kiyonari stop.
Kiyonari nudged a fat pheasant with his foot. "How much for this one?"
The vendor picked it up and weighed it in his hands. "Caught it fresh from the mountains yesterday—couldn't be fresher. Five hundred ryo. How about it?"
"Too expensive."
The vendor immediately looked anxious. "Customer, I caught these in the forest myself. A wild pheasant this big isn't easy to—"
Kiyonari raised a hand to cut him off, looked him up and down, then said, "You haven't been in Konoha long, have you? Business isn't going well."
"T-that…" The vendor hesitated, then nodded. "How did you know?"
"I understand catching game isn't easy," Kiyonari said, "but this is Konoha. Even a kid my age can hunt game if he feels like it. It's not some huge feat here."
He counted out three hundred ryo and held it out. "If I were you, I'd either do a different kind of business in Konoha, or go sell game in the Fire Capital. The nobles there will happily pay—and they don't lack money. You could even set your prices higher."
The vendor froze, staring at the three hundred ryo, then thinking about what Kiyonari had just said.
He tied up the pheasant Kiyonari had chosen, then pushed the money back toward him. "Customer, I'll give you this pheasant for free. But… what kind of business should I do in Konoha?"
Kiyonari didn't refuse the goodwill. He just asked, "You really want to stay in Konoha that badly?"
The vendor nodded repeatedly. "It's safe here."
The phrasing was rough, but the logic wasn't. In this mud-pit of a world, staying alive really was the most important thing.
Kiyonari thought for a moment, then offered a suggestion. "If you've got some capital, try getting into entertainment. Bringing some of the new, trendy stuff from the capital to Konoha might work."
"Thank you so much! You're my benefactor!" The vendor's eyes lit up, looking like he'd trade his whole stall just to get Kiyonari to say a few more words.
Kiyonari waved him off, then went to a Nara clan herbal shop to buy ingredients: goji berries, red dates, angelica, codonopsis, and more. These herbs didn't just add flavor to soup—they were also very nourishing, and especially good for someone with a hangover.
After buying everything, Kiyonari went home.
He found a clean basin, grabbed the pheasant by the neck, and gave it a swift cut to drain the blood. Then he boiled water, plucked feathers, cleaned out the organs… his movements were smooth and practiced. Clearly, this wasn't his first time doing it.
Once everything was prepared, he put the ingredients into a clay pot, lit the stove, and let it simmer slowly over a low flame.
He sat by the fire, watching the heat while refining details for the next script.
Time passed, second by second, and a tempting aroma began to rise from the pot.
Kiyonari lifted the lid to check. The meat was soft from simmering, the broth a clear golden color—presentation-wise, it was perfect.
"About done."
Satisfied, he turned off the stove and found a food box, carefully pouring the soup inside.
When he finished, he glanced out the window and saw it was almost noon.
"She should be awake by now, right?"
He didn't know Tsunade that well, but he knew his past self. Even without drinking, he'd sleep until noon on weekends—let alone Tsunade, who was basically on "vacation" every day.
Carrying the food box, Kiyonari headed to Tsunade's residence.
The gate was open. He went in and looked around but didn't see Shizune—she was probably out.
Then he walked to Tsunade's bedroom, raised his hand, and knocked on the beam beside the paper door. From inside came Tsunade's hoarse voice.
"Shizune?"
"Sensei, it's me," Kiyonari called loudly.
There was silence for a moment, then footsteps.
The door slid open, revealing Tsunade. She looked… pretty rough: hair a mess, eyes slightly swollen and red, face still flushed with hangover heat.
She wore a loose night robe, the neckline slightly open—enough to make anyone's imagination run wild.
But—
From Kiyonari's angle, aside from the "southern hemisphere" being lifted by the fabric, he couldn't see anything. For the first time, he truly hated not being older.
"Kiyonari?" Tsunade rubbed her eyes, looking at him in confusion. "Why are you here?"
Kiyonari raised the food box. "I made lunch. I brought it for you to try."
Tsunade froze. Then, unexpectedly, a slightly embarrassed look appeared on her face.
"You little brat… you're actually pretty good at taking care of people."