The mission Yūki accepted was to help run a shop.
Raizen, Kurenai, and Asuma were assigned to clean and run errands, while Yūki repaired the leaky roof.
"So this is a mission…"
Sarutobi Asuma had gone from excited to bored in record time.
"Of course the first ones aren't going to involve fighting ninja."
Yūhi Kurenai browsed the books on the shelves, occasionally pulling out one that caught her interest and flipping through a few pages.
This was a bookstore selling popular youth novels.
"A customer's here."
Raizen said.
Compared to searching for lost pets or babysitting, this mission was actually quite nice.
When there were no customers, he could sit and read ninjutsu scrolls.
"Oh, it's you."
A red-haired girl approached, a hairpin glinting in her crimson locks.
"Kushina."
Raizen set down the Fire Release scroll and greeted her.
The shop was located near the center of the village—well within the sealing barrier that confined Kushina.
"You're working here?"
A familiar figure appeared, her red hair shimmering in the sunlight, a hairpin tucked in place, faint weariness in her eyes.
"No, I'm on a mission."
Raizen pointed to the headband on his forehead.
"I'm already a shinobi. I'm here on duty."
"Raizen, I didn't know you were such a genius!"
Kushina clenched her small fists and punched the air excitedly, as if trying to express how impressive he was.
"Are you here to buy a book, Kushina?"
Raizen smiled lightly and walked to the entrance.
"Yeah, I've been bored lately. Thought I'd see if there was anything good."
Kushina stopped swinging her fists. Disappointment was visible on her beautiful face.
Every day she was trapped inside the sealing barrier, suffocating her.
Especially recently—Minato was always busy, spending less and less time with her. She felt forgotten in a corner.
"Come in and take a look."
Raizen led Kushina to the new arrivals section.
Kushina frowned, resting her chin on her hand, looking conflicted.
"This one looks good."
Raizen pulled a picture book from the shelf—colorful illustrations filled the cover, very eye-catching.
In the original story, Kushina hadn't shown much interest in reading.
Naruto inherited her personality, and he hated books.
Raizen didn't think the girl in front of him—whose eyes wandered restlessly, clearly just looking for something to kill time—would enjoy reading either.
"So many pictures!"
Kushina flipped through it and saw it was like a children's picture book—mostly illustrations with very little text.
"I'll take this one."
She looked up and shook the book in her hand.
"Alright."
Raizen nodded, wrapped the book, and put it in a bag.
As he handed the bag to Kushina, the entry panel appeared.
"You have obtained a new entry: [Legendary Nine-Tails (White)]."
[Entry: Legendary Nine-Tails (White)]
[Requirement: Make initial physical contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.]
[Progress: 10%.]
[Effect: Increases the vitality of your body's cells, boosting chakra's ability to heal injuries by 5%.]
[Note: Can be upgraded later.]
"Even a fingertip counts?"
Raizen looked thoughtfully at Kushina, who was holding the bag.
Just now, his finger had accidentally brushed her hand, triggering the panel.
"Kushina, this is my first sale. Thank you."
Raizen suddenly took both of her hands in his, as if genuinely happy.
"Ah… really?"
Kushina didn't think much of it.
But Raizen held on for a long time.
Just as Kushina was about to ask if he would let go, Raizen finally released her.
"Who's that guy?"
Sarutobi Asuma glanced over, watching Raizen shake hands and talk with the red-haired woman.
He felt the red hair looked familiar, like he'd heard his father mention it before.
"No idea."
Yūhi Kurenai shook her head.
The Uchiha all had black hair—this woman wasn't one of them.
"Thank you so much. You've been a big help."
The shop owner, who had been out all day, finally returned, and Mizunashi Yūki had finished repairing the roof.
"Alright, mission complete. Let's head back."
Mizunashi Yūki wiped the water from his clothes and noticed Raizen and Kushina.
"Uchiha Raizen…"
Mizunashi Yūki frowned slightly.
He remembered this woman was Uzumaki Kushina—a surviving member of the Uzumaki clan. She rarely interacted with others; only Namikaze Minato ever visited her.
Still, she was quite attractive by his standards.
"Are Uchiha really that popular?"
A pang of jealousy rose in Mizunashi Yūki's heart.
"Uchiha Raizen, we need to report back. Don't waste time."
Mizunashi Yūki fixed his wet, messy hair, flashed what he thought was a charming smile, and walked over.
"Hello, I'm Mizunashi Yūki."
"Oh, hello."
Kushina nodded, finding the man odd. His name sounded nice, but his appearance was… underwhelming.
"Raizen, you guys have to report in, right? I'll head off then."
Kushina didn't want to interact too much with strangers. The village high
er-ups wouldn't allow it anyway.
She had only approached Raizen because they shared similar circumstances. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered.
With that, Kushina quickly paid, took the bag with the book, and left.
She had carried out missions before—back before she became the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
After becoming the jinchūriki, she could no longer leave freely and had to constantly guard against the Nine-Tails' influence inside her.
Mizunashi Yūki's expression shifted uncertainly.
He glanced at Raizen, lips parting, but said nothing.
Openly opposing an Uchiha? He didn't dare.
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