The boxes of items that Kushina had packed were quickly transported back under Kei's Flying Thunder God Technique.
After reopening the protective barrier of the old residence, the two of them, just like when they arrived, walked hand in hand toward the commercial street.
As they walked, Kei shared his breakfast shop plan with Kushina.
As expected, he received her full support.
She even mentioned that among the dozen or so shops left to her by Mito, several tenants were planning not to renew their leases due to the recent instability in the shinobi world. This would be a perfect opportunity to use those spaces for a breakfast shop.
Kei naturally wouldn't refuse Kushina's goodwill.
Since it would ultimately be a family business, they would draft a profit-sharing agreement in advance.
When the time came, he would just allocate a little more to Kushina.
However, to avoid the issue of some dishes not suiting the tastes of people in the shinobi world, it was necessary to have a taste test beforehand.
"The day after tomorrow, let's invite some friends over to try the dishes for the shop. Do you have anyone in mind to invite?"
After some thought, Kei decided on the day after tomorrow.
Although he had many breakfast recipes stored in his memory palace, most of them were from various social media platforms rather than hands-on experience.
He needed time to prepare ingredients, conduct trial runs, and adjust the recipes.
Besides, tomorrow, he still had to visit the archives to select the two ninjutsu techniques promised by the Third Hokage.
To avoid being too rushed, the day after tomorrow was the best choice.
"Hmm... You'll definitely invite Inoichi and the others. Morie, Yoshino, and Choen will probably come too, right? Will you invite Minato? I kind of want to see Honoka again, hehe~ Actually, I also want to invite Mikoto, but I'm worried that since everyone else is paired up, she might feel left out..."
"With Tsunade around, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Oh yeah! Haha~ Tsunade-nee to the rescue!"
"Wait, did you just compare Tsunade to the Paw Patrol? Are single people not even respected anymore?"
"No way~"
Kushina blushed and playfully punched Kei twice.
Back in the Ninja Academy, she had heard Kei tell the story of Paw Patrol, and she had even wanted to get a ninja dog because of it.
Her words earlier just slipped out naturally—she wasn't actually teasing Tsunade.
"Oh? Right! Should we invite your three disciples? They really miss you."
"Damn! How could I forget about such a great source of free labor?!"
"??? Those obedient and well-behaved disciples... you're only thinking about making them work?"
"Good disciples should do good deeds. If they behave well, isn't it natural?"
Kei smirked proudly.
His disciples were like his personal Charlie's Angels team.
The comparison made him chuckle internally. Only Kurenai was female, while Guy had his bowl cut and Genma was always chewing on a senbon. They hardly resembled glamorous beauties. Still, in his mind, they were just as effective.
And compared to people like Orochimaru, Obito, and Nagato, who were known for their dramatic betrayals, his disciples were definitely here to repay kindness.
Forgetting about them earlier was a big mistake.
In the future, he would make sure to remember them first for any "bond-strengthening" activities.
Kushina couldn't stop laughing at Kei's smug expression.
Meanwhile, Kei was already planning the next steps.
Since many guests would be coming over, including the big eater Chōza and his wife, he had to make sure no one left hungry.
There were too many breakfast options in his mind.
Even if he selected just a portion of them, he and Kushina alone wouldn't be able to handle the workload.
Using the Shadow Clone Technique or Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique just to cook? That would be exhausting!
So...
Guy had great strength and endurance—he would be perfect for kneading dough.
Genma was skilled with ninja tools, so his knife and pastry skills should be impressive too.
Kurenai was dexterous—her hands were perfect for shaping croissants!
---
As the evening set in, many shops in the commercial street were preparing to close.
Kei took Kushina straight to Shushu-ya.
This restaurant was something he started back in his fourth year at the Ninja Academy with Inoichi, Chōza, and Shikaku.
Inoichi provided the funds to lease the shop. Chōza, through his clan, supplied high-quality ingredients. Shikaku handled rare spices and premium deer meat. Together, the three of them held a 60% share of the business, while Kei, who contributed the recipes and managed operations, took the remaining 40%.
In the years immediately after graduating from the Ninja Academy, Kei was busy with missions.
So, he hired Yoshino, who was from a previous graduating class to manage the restaurant on his behalf.
Many years had passed since then.
"Yoshino-nee, help me prepare some things. Just have them delivered to my house before noon tomorrow."
Lifting the curtain of Shushu-ya, Kei spotted Yoshino, elegantly dressed in a crimson yukata with delicate makeup, standing behind the cashier counter. Without hesitation, he handed over a written list.
Perhaps because she hadn't given birth to Shikamaru yet, or maybe due to years of work experience, Yoshino, though still married to Shikaku, no longer had the homely and gentle housewife image from the original story. Instead, she appeared more refined and capable.
"All-purpose flour, bread flour, butter, fresh yeast..."
Yoshino scanned the list and nodded slightly.
"Thanks! We'll get going now."
"Yeah, yeah, go on your date with Kushina and stop bothering me while I do business."
Yoshino waved them off impatiently. Watching Kei pull Kushina out the door, she glanced at the list again, deep in thought.
---
"Huuh~ Kei, why are you running so fast?"
After being dragged along for quite a distance, Kushina blinked in confusion.
"It's not just Shikaku who hates trouble—I do too!"
"Huh?"
"Yoshino-nee is really smart. Do you believe that just from that list, she'll be able to figure out a lot?"
"So what? What's the trouble?"
Kushina looked completely clueless.
"She has talked about expanding the business for a long time. If she finds out about the breakfast shop, what do you think her reaction will be?"
"Uhh... She'll want to manage it?"
"Bingo."
"And that's a problem because...?"
"She has to convince Shikaku herself. I don't want to be blamed for it! That guy wouldn't dare argue with her..."
Kei sighed and explained the situation between Shikaku and Yoshino.
After their marriage last year, Shikaku had already complained countless times about how profitable Shushu-ya was. And as the wife of the Nara clan's leader, Yoshino had outright refused to help manage the clan's medicinal herb and livestock businesses.
Instead, she left early and returned late every day, fully focused on Shushu-ya, insisting that it was her career.
What could Kei do?
He just wanted to fill his treasury a little—was that so wrong?
If a breakfast shop got added to the mix and Yoshino continued to run the business, Shikaku's expression would definitely turn as dark as storm clouds!
"Shikaku has that little authority at home?"
"..."
Kei genuinely didn't know how to respond to that.
Had his actions somehow lowered Shikaku's household authority even more than in the original story?
Well, considering that Yoshino was the woman who managed to keep two generations of Konoha's tactical geniuses in line...
Terrifying.