Having executed countless high-difficulty missions across the ninja world, Nono was an absolute master at reading the room.
She quietly brought her conversation with Yasuka to a halt.
Even though she had found herself involuntarily opening her heart to him—sharing many things she would normally never disclose—she knew better than to bring trouble to Yasuka.
“Lord Yasuka, thank you so very much.
You are simply an angel.
If you ever need my help with anything in the future, I…
I will absolutely do whatever it takes!”
For the current Nono, every single scrap of aid was something she had to fight for.
To ensure the future healthy growth of the children, she had to curry favor with the man before her.
Yasuka understood exactly why Nono was acting this way, and he cut her off with a light chuckle.
“Please don’t look at me as an angel.
Because the real angel is right here in front of me.”
With a playful, teasing tone, Yasuka reached out and casually adjusted Nono’s glasses for her, then placed an Ouroboros Corp check into her hand.
“Huh?”
Nono was completely flustered by Yasuka’s sudden, intimate gesture.
An indescribable emotion welled up within her, leaving her utterly bewildered.
On top of that, Yasuka’s comment about the real angel…
meant her?
“Eeeek!!!”
Nono didn’t snap out of it until long after Yasuka had departed.
She couldn’t help but let out a high-pitched, burning squeal of embarrassment, sounding like a boiling kettle.
It was the very first time she had been flirted with like this, and yet…
she didn’t hate it.
Thinking back to her brief interactions with Yasuka just now, even though they had only met today, it felt exactly like the stories she used to read to the children.
When the heroine falls into deep despair and hardship, a prince will descend from the heavens like a hero.
Nono shook her head.
What on earth was she thinking?
Yasuka was probably just teasing her.
If she took it seriously, that would be incredibly rude!
Though she knew this logically, Nono’s heart had already been unconsciously swayed by Yasuka.
Forcing down these bizarre emotions, Nono finally found the time to look at the check.
The moment she saw the figure written on it, Nono instinctively thought her nearsightedness had severely worsened.
She quickly wiped her glasses and brought the check closer to take a better look.
But no matter how she looked at it, the number was still two zeros higher than what she had anticipated in her wildest dreams.
With this sum of money, as long as she budgeted carefully, it would be enough to keep the orphanage running for three entire years.
She could also purchase warm new cotton blankets for the children, along with all sorts of essential items they should have bought ages ago.
Nono’s first reaction wasn’t joy, but complete panic.
She wanted to chase after Yasuka to ask if he had accidentally added a couple of extra zeros.
“Director Nono.”
Haku stepped out and blocked Nono’s path.
Although watching Yasuka and Nono laughing and chatting just now had made her feel a little uneasy, having lived as a stray herself, she knew how noble Nono truly was.
Therefore, her respect for Nono far outweighed that tiny bit of petty jealousy.
“Little sister Haku, you’ve arrived at the perfect time.
Just now, did Lord Yasuka perhaps…”
Nono anxiously tried to hand the check back, but Haku informed her that this was exactly the amount Yasuka intended to give, and that she should consider it a small gift.
Furthermore, he would write Nono a letter of recommendation.
As long as she took the check to any bank under Ouroboros Corp, she would receive official support from the company.
Nono didn’t fully comprehend the business aspect of it, but she knew this was Yasuka’s profound kindness.
“Little sister Haku, please…
please thank Lord Yasuka on my behalf.
This…
all of this…
I will risk my life to repay him!”
Haku, however, knit her delicate brows, cutting Nono off to correct her.
She stated that Yasuka helped Nono simply because he was kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to watch the children suffer in poverty.
Therefore, Nono didn’t need to stress over how to repay him; Yasuka didn’t need it.
“Is that so…”
Nono came to her senses.
For someone who could hand out such a massive sum of money so casually and held ties to the continent-spanning Ouroboros Corp, why on earth would he care about the repayment of an old woman like her?
“But…
please thank Lord Yasuka for me all the same.”
Nono pushed up her glasses, making the request with the utmost solemnity.
“I will.”
Yasuka paid no mind to what his casual act of kindness might bring.
He arrived at the ninja tool shop to pick up the custom-ordered Flying Raijin kunai.
“Brother Yasuka!”
A beautifully crafted little girl with her hair tied up in twin buns came hopping over to welcome Yasuka.
Yasuka smiled and greeted Tenten, reaching out to gently pat her small head before inquiring about the kunai.
“Hmph~ They’ve been ready for ages!”
Tenten puffed out her chest proudly, resting her hands on her hips in an adorable, spunky display.
Tenten led Yasuka to the back of the shop and pulled out a massive crate of kunai.
Since Naruko was currently tinkering with the Flying Raijin, Yasuka had prepared the kunai for her in advance.
“Thank you, Tenten.”
Even though Yasuka wasn’t a ninja, he could tell that the craftsmanship and materials of the kunai were top-notch.
He praised the quality of Tenten’s family shop while giving her bun-styled hair another fond pat.
After spending some time playing with the energetic little girl, Yasuka finally headed home carrying the sealing scrolls.
“Yo!
Yasuka.”
Just as Yasuka and Yugao were discussing what to have for dinner tonight, a greasy voice echoed out.
Yasuka glanced over at Jiraiya, who was leaning against a wall covered in black and blue bruises—clearly, his recent “research” trip had ended in disaster.
Facing Jiraiya’s sleazy smile, Yasuka took half a step back in sheer disgust.
“Hey, hey, hey!
Are you seriously taking a step back from me?!”
Jiraiya was incredibly offended.
Back when Yasuka was learning medicine under Tsunade, he had helped Yasuka plenty of times.
For instance, whenever he got beaten to a pulp with broken bones for peeping, he would actively volunteer as Yasuka’s guinea pig.
Occasionally, he would even test out experimental drugs.
Once, he took Yasuka’s muscle-building formula, and the top of his head remained pointed for months.
Granted, that was only because he didn’t have the money to pay his medical bills, so he had used his body to clear his debts…
“Spit it out, Jiraiya.”
Yasuka shrugged, giving Jiraiya zero respect, though Jiraiya didn’t seem to mind.
The reason he had stayed behind was because he had promised Minato.
Until Danzo coughed up everything he owed, Jiraiya would stay in Minato’s stead to keep a watchful eye on things.
Secondly, he wanted to see Naruko.
She was his student’s daughter, after all; he had to see her at least once.
“I want to see Naruko.”
Yasuka didn’t refuse him.
Along the way, Jiraiya’s mouth didn’t stop moving for a second, though most of his topics revolved around his other two teammates.
“How are things…
between you and Tsunade?”
Jiraiya asked, feigning casual indifference.
Others might not know, but he was acutely aware of how much Tsunade fixated on Yasuka.
Back when they were in Konoha, Tsunade knew exactly who Yasuka interacted with, how long they spoke, and what they talked about.
She was more thorough than the Anbu.
Later, when Yasuka left the village, Tsunade immediately went to find him, sticking to his side with high intensity every single day.
At the time, plenty of noblewomen had flocked to Yasuka, but without exception, every single one of them had been physically shoved away by Tsunade.
Even Orochimaru knew exactly what Tsunade was after, but the problem lay right there…
Yasuka viewed Tsunade as a sort of NEET older sister.
Though he complained about her constantly, no matter how useless she was, he would still take care of Tsunade for the rest of his life.
As for Tsunade, she was a titan when it came to actions, but her stubborn mouth refused to cooperate; she simply couldn’t bring herself to clearly say that she liked him.
And so, the two sides remained locked in this strange, eternal stalemate.