Kushina Uzumaki's face flushed red with shame as she answered awkwardly.
"I'm not hurt. Thank you for saving me again."
Uchiha Kurohane bent down, extended a hand to Kushina Uzumaki, and pulled her to her feet.
Kushina Uzumaki sighed helplessly to herself.
I wanted to prove myself to Kurohane, but a real kunai scared me stiff. I didn't help at all.
I'm really useless!
Luckily, Kurohane is amazing. He won all by himself. I want to become as strong as him too.
Seeing her dejected expression, Uchiha Kurohane guessed that she was blaming herself for what had happened. After thinking for a moment, he took a lollipop from his pocket, tore off the wrapper, and stuffed it into Kushina Uzumaki's mouth.
"Mmph—"
"Hm?"
Something sweet had suddenly been shoved into Kushina Uzumaki's mouth. Not understanding what was happening, she stared blankly at Uchiha Kurohane.
"It's a lollipop. Eat it and calm down."
Uchiha Kurohane liked the feeling of forcibly feeding little girls, so he always carried a lollipop with him, though he had never had a chance to use it.
Now, he had finally succeeded in feeding someone.
Kushina Uzumaki held the lollipop stick in her little hand and gave it a lick. A rich sweetness spread through her mouth.
A warm feeling rose in her heart, and her low spirits improved considerably.
Kurohane is so gentle!
She sighed sincerely.
Watching Kushina Uzumaki's puffed-up cheeks and adorable appearance as she licked the lollipop, Uchiha Kurohane felt a wave of satisfaction.
[Oh my~ The host stuffed a lollipop into Kushina Uzumaki's cherry lips, achieving "Feeding Kushina" and obtaining the Entry "Kushina Uzumaki's Little White Socks B."] (Kushina Uzumaki's Little White Socks B: The little white socks once worn by Kushina have been placed in the host's pocket.)
What was going on?
Uchiha Kurohane was somewhat dumbfounded as he looked at the system reward.
He had fought so hard earlier and wrecked five kidneys just to earn an achievement.
Yet simply feeding Kushina a lollipop had earned him one. This achievement system was far too strange.
The reward was even stranger.
Why was he being rewarded with the little white socks Kushina Uzumaki had worn?
What use could a girl's smelly socks possibly have?
Uchiha Kurohane was not a girl, so he did not wear girls' socks.
Besides, Kushina Uzumaki had slender arms and legs, so her delicate feet had to be tiny. Her socks would not fit Uchiha Kurohane at all.
Uchiha Kurohane lowered his head and looked at the open-toed ninja sandals beneath Kushina Uzumaki's beautiful legs.
Her ten toes were round and tiny, like delicate little rice cakes.
Though they were cute, Uchiha Kurohane still could not understand what use Kushina's little white socks had.
Compared to Kushina Uzumaki's little feet, Uchiha Kurohane spotted something much more useful.
A whole floor full of shuriken!
It was wartime, and combat ninja tools were extremely expensive.
A single shuriken cost as much as 500 ryō, equivalent to six bowls of Ichiraku Ramen.
Pumpkin Head had thrown 800 shuriken earlier, which amounted to 400,000 ryō.
The ground was covered in money!
"...Medical Ninja, hurry and find a Medical Ninja!"
Pumpkin Head had climbed back up by then. His mind was filled with his injured kidneys, and he only wanted to find a Medical Ninja for treatment immediately. Without bothering with the shuriken on the ground, he limped away with his companions.
Uchiha Kurohane regarded their actions as throwing away trash, then gathered up all the shuriken and ninja tool scrolls.
Through an Entry, he had learned Shuriken Barrage. Once he finished picking up these shuriken, he too would be able to throw eight hundred shuriken at once.
Compared to ordinary shuriken, Giant Fuma Shuriken were even more valuable.
Because it was wartime, a single Giant Fuma Shuriken cost as much as 10,000 ryō!
That was equal to 125 bowls of Ichiraku Ramen!
Uchiha Kurohane picked up two of them. He had struck it rich!
Kushina Uzumaki sucked on the lollipop in her mouth and blinked her large eyes blankly. Seeing Uchiha Kurohane frantically picking up shuriken, she asked in confusion.
"Kurohane, why are you picking up shuriken for those guys? They're bad people. They can come back and pick them up themselves later."
Hearing that, Uchiha Kurohane smiled and patted her head.
"Who said I'm picking them up for them? I'm picking them up because I want them."
Kushina Uzumaki tilted her head in surprise.
"Even if they're bad people, those are still their things. Isn't it wrong for you to take them?"
Uchiha Kurohane glanced at her and said seriously.
"Defeat the enemy and take the spoils. That is a ninja's justice. You're my little underling, so learn from me."
Kushina Uzumaki said uneasily.
"...All right. I'm just worried they'll come looking for trouble with you again."
"Do you think they won't come after me if I don't take these shuriken?"
Kushina Uzumaki thought that made sense, which only made her more worried.
"Sigh... You got into trouble because you helped me. What are you going to do now?"
Uchiha Kurohane could see that Kushina Uzumaki was worried about him. Looking into her sincere, watery eyes, he felt a sweet warmth in his heart.
This was the first time a girl had worried about him, and he was a little moved.
He stood up and rubbed her little head.
"Don't worry. I'm from the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan is Konoha's foremost clan and controls the Konoha Police Force. They won't dare do anything to me."
Although Uchiha Kurohane was regarded as the Disgrace of the Uchiha, he was still a member of the Uchiha Clan and had backing.
The future Uchiha Clan leader, Fugaku, was spineless, but the current clan leader, Setsuna, was different.
He was a man who even dared to go after the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. With him around, Konoha would not dare lay a hand on members of the Uchiha Clan.
Besides, three Genin had bullied him, a student. With Kushina as a witness, his self-defense was entirely justified.
Even if they took the matter to that old Third Hokage, Uchiha Kurohane was not afraid.
It was just that Konoha was being ganged up on by several major ninja villages, and the recent war situation had become increasingly dire.
Rumors had spread that Konoha planned to send young Genin who had only just graduated to the battlefield.
From the plot where Nawaki died in battle at the age of twelve, Uchiha Kurohane knew that the rumor was true.
Very soon, twelve-year-old children would be sent to war.
The three people from earlier were thirteen to fourteen years old, and they were not weak. They would likely be heading to the battlefield as well.
Uchiha Kurohane was worried that after injuring them and rendering them unable to go to war,
that old Third Hokage would send Uchiha Kurohane to the Land of Rain in their place.
The Land of Rain currently had Hanzo, the God of Shinobi.
In the final battle against Konoha, Hanzo had wiped out Konoha's army.
Only Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru survived. Because they survived, Hanzo granted them the title of the Sannin.
If Uchiha Kurohane also had to fight in the Land of Rain, his future would be bleak...
That evening, in the Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen finished his work for the day and stretched wearily, preparing to go home and eat the dinner his wife had made.
At that moment, the office's wooden door was suddenly pushed open.
A middle-aged man wearing a black bodysuit and white vest hurried inside.
"Hiruzen, something terrible has happened!"
Shimura Danzō had arrived.
Shimura Danzō said something terrible had happened every day, only for it to turn out to be trivial matters. Sarutobi Hiruzen had long since grown used to it.
His expression did not change as he asked calmly.
"What is it?"
"The Ninja Tool Squad scheduled to head to the Land of Rain battlefield next week has run into trouble. All three of them were injured!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows immediately furrowed upon hearing this.
This really was a serious matter.
The three members of the Ninja Tool Squad were among Konoha's best Genin this year. Their leader, Pineapple Head, was a shuriken prodigy, known as the Little Prince of Eight Hundred Li for being able to throw a shuriken eight hundred li.
Sarutobi Hiruzen appreciated his talent and had personally taught him the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. He had lived up to expectations and learned it in a short time.
Sarutobi Hiruzen considered Pineapple Head part of Konoha's future and thought highly of him.
Pineapple Head had already promised to repay his kindness by going to the Land of Rain to fight for Konoha.
If they could not go to the battlefield because of their injuries at a time like this, who would replace them?
Before you continue