A Wardrobe Malfunction Isn't Scary

"I never expected Grandpa's Hokage Cloak to have been made by an old lady..." Nawaki muttered in shock.

He also hadn't expected that such an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman would be the creator of the Hokage Cloak.

"Nawaki, don't be rude!"

Tsunade patted Nawaki on the head. "How can you call her an old lady?"

"Haha... I am an old lady, after all. Time really flies; I was still a young girl when I first sewed the haori for the First Hokage."

The proprietress covered her mouth with a chuckle, waved her hand, and spoke with a nostalgic tone.

"Back then, my craftsmanship was the best in the village. Come to think of it, the Second Hokage personally came to commission me. Later on, the Second also had his made here, and by the time it reached the Third, it had become a tradition."

"Thanks to the successive Hokage, my reputation grew quite a bit. Many noble families would come to ask me to tailor garments for them."

"You're lying, right..."

Nawaki looked skeptical. "This place is clearly so run-down."

"Hahaha, one must have a storefront, after all."

The proprietress laughed heartily. "This was originally just a sewing shop; it was only later converted into a clothing store. My son and daughter-in-law look after it, but they went to visit relatives yesterday, and I only come by occasionally to help out."

"I never imagined there was such a connection." Tsunade's tone was filled with surprise.

"Did you not know either, Teacher Tsunade?" Minato asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I only knew this was an old shop with a complete range of clothing styles and very affordable prices."

"That's because I designed them all. I even opened a garment factory, you know."

The proprietress smiled proudly and pointed to the haori on Minato's body. "The haori you're wearing is one I improved based on the Hokage Cloak."

"Eh? Really?"

Upon hearing this, Nawaki looked on with envy.

"That is indeed the case. Come to think of it, it's all thanks to the Third."

The proprietress explained with a beaming smile, "Because the Third is rather thin and short, the Hokage Cloak would look a bit hunched when he wore it. It was only then that I realized that while the haori of the past Hokage were solemn, they weren't convenient for combat."

"Although the Hokage holds a noble position, their primary job is still that of a ninja. So, I thought of the God Robe. I raised the collar of the God Robe to make it look more dignified, and I've designed several other styles of similar haori."

"The one you are wearing is a child's size I designed specifically. With the short hem and high collar, doesn't it look quite dashing?"

"Yes, I love it!"

Minato nodded with a smile. From his aesthetic perspective, the Yondaime's Hokage Cloak style was indeed the most handsome among all the Hokage.

"So there are other styles? I want one too!"

Nawaki looked at Tsunade, his eyes filled with pleading. "Big Sister—"

"Sigh..."

Tsunade pointed at Nawaki. "Pick one out for this child as well."

The proprietress sized Nawaki up, nodded without a word, and silently retrieved a size that would fit him.

Nawaki couldn't wait to change into it and stood before the full-length mirror.

After looking at Minato in the mirror and then at himself, Nawaki suddenly fell silent.

For some reason, the same garment brought out the absolute peak of handsomeness when worn by Minato.

But on himself, it looked somewhat silly, as if he were just putting on airs and trying to act cool.

As the saying goes, wearing the same outfit isn't scary; the one who looks worse is the one who feels awkward.

In that instant, the atmosphere in the shop suddenly went quiet.

The proprietress observed the scene. "As expected, a round face doesn't suit a high-collared garment..."

"I can tell that much!"

Nawaki's face darkened. "I'm never wearing the same style of clothes as Minato again."

Minato felt a bit awkward. "Sorry..."

Nawaki pursed his lips. "It has nothing to do with you..."

Children are the most sensitive. Just a moment ago, he had vaguely felt that the way the proprietress looked at Minato carried a sense of destiny, as if she were looking at a future Hokage.

This left him feeling somewhat dejected, and he began to connect many things.

For instance, this garment was inspired by the Hokage Cloak, and the fact that it fit Minato so perfectly—did that imply some sort of calling? Did it mean that Minato was destined to become the Hokage?

Thinking back to Minato's immense strength and his terrifying talent of possessing two bloodline limits, he felt even more defeated.

Seeming to see the dejection in Nawaki's heart, Tsunade rubbed his head.

She chose not to use words to comfort him or tell him that he would definitely become Hokage.

If Minato hadn't existed, she might have done so.

But from the day Minato appeared, there had been no suspense left regarding the succession of the Hokage position.

Minato will definitely become Hokage!

If Minato can grow to reach the level of strength her grandfather possessed, then even if he didn't want to be Hokage, a crowd of people would push him into that seat regardless.

This is because while the Hokage doesn't necessarily have to be the strongest person in the village, there certainly cannot be too great a gap between them and the strongest.

By comparison, factors like personal morality or the approval of the villagers are all secondary.

If Minato were not allowed to be Hokage, then once a Hokage's order conflicted with his own will, who would be able to command the village's greatest combat power?

As an adult, Tsunade understood the principle that the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment, so she did not attempt to soothe Nawaki.

Rather than blindly immersing himself in a dream only to wait for the day it shattered, she hoped Nawaki would recognize reality early, pull himself together, and continue striving toward his dream; she believed her younger brother could certainly do it.

Sure enough, after a brief moment of dejection, Nawaki perked up once again.

"One day, I will definitely have a Hokage cloak that fits me perfectly!"

Nawaki looked at Minato with burning eyes: "I'll let you win this time, Minato!"

"Eh?"

Minato was somewhat baffled, having no idea what had gotten into him.

Tsunade smiled amusedly, and the proprietress standing to the side watched the scene with a grin.

"Is that all the clothes?"

"Let's buy a few more pairs of pants."

Soon, the morning passed, and the three of them had purchased quite a lot.

With clothes, pants, ninja sandals, brand-new ninja tool pouches, and sets of kunai and shuriken, everything needed for the start of school had been bought.

Minato also bought quite a few plant seeds, intending to try his hand at growing some vegetables and fruits later on.

After dropping their things off at home, the group arrived at the sukiyaki restaurant Tsunade had mentioned was delicious.

Just as Tsunade had said, the sukiyaki here was excellent, and the shop also served sushi and sashimi, though the prices were quite steep; the three of them spent a full six thousand ryo on a single meal.

Fortunately, being a ninja is a high-paying profession, so this amount of money was nothing to Tsunade. Although she had a gambling habit, her household funds were still very ample, and she was not yet at the point where she would be chased all over the ninja world by creditors, as she would be in the future.

After lunch, the three of them strolled along the street for a while before heading home to grab their toiletries and making their way to the hot spring district.

Then, while passing through a small alleyway, they happened upon a certain white-haired man peeking through the wooden fence of the women's bath...