Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!-Chapter 339: The Minister of Finance

"You're back?"

The four members of Minato's team stumbled into the house, their movements unsteady, and soon saw Kawakaze sitting in the dojo.

"Sensei."

It felt as if they had been caught doing something wrong. In an instant, they sobered up considerably.

"Have you been drinking a lot?" Kawakaze frowned but chose not to scold them. A little sake every now and then wasn't a big deal.

"I've only had a little," Minato said, his speech slurred as he tried to maintain a facade of innocence.

"That's enough. You can go back; I have something to tell them," Kawakaze said with a laugh, waving Minato off and signaling him to head to bed.

"Okay, Sensei."

Minato obeyed, leaving Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato standing uneasily before Kawakaze.

"Sit down," Kawakaze said, gesturing toward the floor.

"Sensei, is there anything else you want to tell us?" Yahiko asked as he sat down, trying to shake off the haze of drunkenness and focus on the figure of Kawakaze in front of him.

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"In the future, if you can't handle your drink, drink less. Have some tea to sober up," Kawakaze advised. He didn't dive into the main topic yet, instead pouring tea for his three disciples.

"Thank you, Sensei," Yahiko said. Konan and Nagato echoed his words, their politeness unwavering.

After drinking the strong tea, their minds cleared a bit.

"This is the strategy I have formulated for you. When you return to the Land of Rain, follow this plan," Kawakaze said, handing a scroll to Yahiko. It contained carefully thought-out strategies for their mission.

"We will definitely not let you down, Sensei," Yahiko replied, his trust in Kawakaze absolute. Without even glancing at the contents, he tucked the scroll away, confident in his teacher's wisdom.

"This is money for you. Don't spend it all at once," Kawakaze said, rolling his eyes as he passed a thick envelope to Konan. It wasn't because she was particularly skilled at managing money but because her eager expression left him with little choice.

"Thank you, Sensei," Konan said, her smile as bright as a flower. She clutched the envelope tightly, knowing it would last them a long time.

"Hasn't Sensei's wife already approved the funding?" Nagato asked honestly, his simple nature showing through. He had little understanding of the importance of money.

"That's public money; this is your private money," Kawakaze clarified. "It's Sensei's love for you."

He felt there was little else he could do for them, so offering a modest amount of money was the best he could manage.

"Thank you, Sensei, for your love," Konan replied, giving Nagato a gentle slap. In her mind, she wished this "love" could be a little more substantial. If only it were enough that she couldn't see its end at a glance.

"No, no, you can't have this money," Kawakaze suddenly said, seeming to remember something. He promptly took the envelope back.

"Sensei, how can you do that?" Konan stared at her now-empty palm, dumbfounded. Her disbelief was evident—how could her teacher take back what he had just given?

"Sensei doesn't want you to go hungry. You still need one more person," Kawakaze said, giving Konan a stern look.

"What kind of person?" Yahiko asked, confused.

"You need someone to manage the money," Kawakaze explained. A figure came to his mind—someone he suspected might still be alive.

"Sensei, I can manage the money," Konan interjected, but her gaze wasn't fixed on Kawakaze.

"I don't believe you," Kawakaze replied bluntly. Perhaps his perception was influenced by stereotypes from the past, but he wasn't afraid of offending Konan.

"Sensei~" Konan pouted, using her usual tactic to get her way. It had worked countless times before.

"Calling me 'Sensei~' won't help," Kawakaze said, unmoved. "Do you remember the person I told you to capture a few years ago?"

"Who?" Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan exchanged confused glances.

Kawakaze sighed. At the time, the three of them had been more interested in messing around, leaving Minato to handle the serious work.

"It's Kakuzu. No recollection?" Kawakaze prompted.

Slowly, the three began to recall.

"That unlucky bastard," Yahiko said with a laugh. He remembered the man who had been thoroughly humiliated by their Sensei, though Yahiko thought he had it coming for trying to assassinate him.

"Yes, that's him," Kawakaze confirmed. "Don't underestimate him. He may not be good at much else, but when it comes to making money and managing accounts, he's unmatched."

"Really? I feel like he's a bit dumb," Nagato said, his impression of Kakuzu far from flattering.

"Never mind if he's smart or not," Kawakaze said, pressing the matter. "Just bring him along."

Kawakaze tried hard to sell the idea. Kakuzu was a criminal, but he could be of great use.

"Are you serious?" Konan asked, clearly unimpressed. She didn't think that wretched man was any better than herself.

"Serious," Kawakaze affirmed with a nod. In his eyes, Kakuzu was far more reliable than Konan. He was hardworking, knew how to manage a household, and lived simply. After all, how else would he have amassed 900 million to buy his freedom?

"Hmph, it's hard to say if he's even alive," Konan muttered, sulking. Was she really so unreliable in her Sensei's eyes?

"That's not good," Kawakaze said. "Tomorrow, you two go to the Anbu prison and check. If he's alive, take him with you; if he's dead, forget about it. For now, I'll give the money to Nagato to hold on to."

Kawakaze handed the envelope to Nagato, avoiding Konan entirely. He knew that if Konan got her hands on the money, prying it away later would be nearly impossible. Giving it to Yahiko wasn't an option either—he'd just hand it to Konan anyway. Nagato, being the most obedient, was the only one he could trust.

"What if he doesn't cooperate?" Nagato asked, holding the envelope and addressing a key concern.

"Kakuzu values his life and loves money above all else," Kawakaze replied confidently. "I believe you can handle him."

He wasn't worried. In the original story, even a healthy Kakuzu was no match for Deva Path Pain. Now, with only one heart and years of imprisonment behind him, Kakuzu would likely jump at the chance to regain freedom. If not, they could always use force—strength was the ultimate truth.

"Okay, then tomorrow we'll go to the Anbu first before setting off," Yahiko said, ignoring Konan's pained expression. There was nothing he could do about it.

"Hm," Kawakaze replied. "It's getting late. You should go home and get some sleep."

"Goodbye, Sensei," Yahiko and the others said as they stood up and respectfully bowed.

Kawakaze had already told them he wouldn't see them off tomorrow, so tonight was their final farewell.

"The door to my home is always open to you," Kawakaze muttered softly as he watched the three of them fade into the distance. He didn't move until they were completely out of sight.

"Did you finish explaining everything?" Tsunade asked as she lay down, having just put Ginji to sleep.

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel right," Kawakaze admitted, taking off his coat and lying down beside her, resting his head against her soft shoulder.

"Sigh, does it ever really feel right for anyone?" Tsunade replied. "They're good kids. How'd you manage to get so lucky, stumbling across three such great disciples just wandering down the road?"

"You didn't even want to let me take them back then," Kawakaze teased, a smug grin spreading across his face. "See now how sharp my instincts are?"

"Shut up," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Just wait and see—they'll do a great job," Kawakaze said, his voice filled with certainty.

In the small Land of Rain, their king was about to return.