Konoha's Mission Master

For some reason, she instinctively felt hostile towards the gentle and frail pharmacist Nono, and even thought that Nono's friendly smile was fake.

Yakumo could only tutor Nonou secretly to prevent her from being eliminated in Aoyama Reiko's assessment. Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Shizune and Nonou stayed in the lab as assistants and began to learn from scratch how to cultivate living cells.

Actually, the two assistants were not very useful to Yakumo, but they could reduce the workload for Aoyama Reiko.

By the end of April, Yakumo had accumulated 3.8 gold coins through his efforts, but he did not upgrade the Wood Release Manual for the time being, instead focusing on accumulating the gold coins.

There are no battle plans at the moment, so there's not much need to improve Wood Release. Instead, the most important thing is to enhance the Intelligence attribute, which can strengthen the ability to comprehend Dao.

This is about maximizing the profits of the Taoist scroll.

Early May.

Yakumo took out a silver disc and began to inject chakra. Before long, the aura of the White Snake Sage in the room became stronger.

With a flash of light and shadow, Yakumo arrived at Ryuchi Cave.

He began to channel his life energy into the crimson tree roots beneath his feet. He would go there almost every day to strengthen the crimson tree and allow it to radiate into the surrounding hundred miles.

During this time, Yakumo used Wood Release to renovate Ryuchi Cave, sending the snake carcasses to the depths of the earth.

At the same time, the remaining snakes were driven into a corner, and a boundary was set up using Wood Release to restrict their living space.

Then, a suitable living space was built using the blood-red tree roots. Photosynthesis filled this space with oxygen, and after this period of growth, the blood-red tree has broken through the soil.

To Yakumo's surprise, Ryuchi Cave, located underground in the Land of Waterfalls, was not an independent space attached to the ninja world, but a natural energy node hidden underground.

Yakumo guessed that Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku were the same, only they were hidden in relatively remote locations in the ninja world.

This became Yakumo's secret base.

Of course, Yakumo did this to prevent Orochimaru from making a comeback, using it as a watchdog to keep an eye on him.

Because no one is absorbing it, the natural energy in Ryuchi Cave has become extremely concentrated, to the point that it is visible to the naked eye.

For people with special physical conditions, living in such a space for a long time can easily lead to physical mutations.

Yakumo used the crimson trees as a barrier to prevent the natural energy from spreading to the surrounding area, further increasing the natural concentration of Ryuchi Cave.

When his life force was exhausted, Yakumo infused himself with chakra and left Ryuchi Cave. He believed that in time, he could transform the surrounding hundred miles into his own domain.

With a flash of light and shadow, Yakumo appeared in the bedroom.

According to Minato Namikaze's calculations, Kushina Uzumaki's due date is in July, at which time the Nine-Tails will definitely take the opportunity to cause a disturbance. Although two alternative safe houses were designed, Yakumo did not consider them foolproof.

Yakumo planned to persuade Minato Namikaze to let Kushina give birth in Ryuchi Cave, where the surrounding wood-style trees could help suppress the Nine-Tails.

After a brief hesitation, Yakumo decided to visit Minato Namikaze the next day.

At 11 p.m., Yakumo collected the daily mission reward.

"Grateful, my bones are covered in snow."

The next day, early in the morning.

After eating the breakfast prepared by his shadow clone, Yakumo went to Konoha Hospital and found that he had already completed his daily morning run.

He spent four hours completing a day's worth of tasks.

Around noon, Yakumo went to Minato Namikaze's house.

"Ding ding ding."

Yakumo rang the doorbell, and soon after, Minato Namikaze opened the gate.

During this time, as Kushina Uzumaki's due date approached, Minato Namikaze abandoned his mission and devoted himself entirely to taking care of her at home.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze had a big smile on his face, clearly in a good mood.

"Yakumo, please."

Yakumo walked forward and noticed that the base of Minato Namikaze's house was also coated with a layer of white paint to repel mosquitoes, and the air was filled with the scent of flowers.

The plants lining both sides of the cobblestone path were cultivated exceptionally well, with lush foliage, vibrant flowers, and a lively atmosphere.

Minato Namikaze led Yakumo to the living room, but Kushina Uzumaki was nowhere to be seen.

"Kushina is taking a nap. Naruto has been quite a handful lately, so she hasn't been getting enough rest at night."

Minato Namikaze's tone was full of reproach towards Naruto, but the smile at the corner of his mouth directly revealed his true feelings.

Yakumo sat on the sofa, picked up an orange, and began to peel it.

"I've thought about it for a while and found a safer and more suitable location for Kushina's production."

Minato Namikaze immediately asked, "Where?"

"Ryuchi Cave, to be precise... is Ryuchi Cave that I completely renovated. Orochimaru, who originally possessed the key, is dead."

"To enter Ryuchi Cave, you must pass through Yakumo."

Minato Namikaze looked thoughtful, considering the feasibility and safety of the two plans.

Yakumo didn't urge him and started eating the plump, juicy orange.

As time passed, Yakumo picked up the second orange.

"Yakumo, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I just analyzed the situation, and it is indeed safer to give birth in Ryuchi Cave than in Konoha. Once Kushina wakes up, I will inform her of the new plan."

As it turned out, it was exactly what Yakumo had expected.

The most perfect production location in Minato Namikaze's original design was Mount Myoboku, but unfortunately, that was rejected... so they had to settle for second best.

The plan that Yakumo is now willing to propose perfectly matches Minato Namikaze's ideal design.

"Then I will go to Ryūchi-dong to make arrangements in the next two days."

Yakumo nodded.

"Come to my house then...find me."

The two discussed the details of the plan again, and finally finalized the entire plan. The person in charge of delivering the baby was still Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, Biwako Sarutobi.

Not long after, Minato Namikaze went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, making sure that Yakumo ate before leaving.

Because he was an orphan, Minato Namikaze's cooking skills were not bad, but they were still far from those of Kushina Uzumaki.

Before long, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.

The freeloader scaled the wall and entered. Jiraiya walked into the living room and was visibly taken aback when he saw Yakumo.

He knew that Yakumo was different from him and would never rashly come to his door just to freeload a meal; there must be something going on this trip.

"It's been a long time, Jiraiya-sama."

"Yes, it has been several months since we last met."

Jiraiya sat down quite naturally next to Yakumo, and the soft sofa immediately dented deeply, like a salted fish that had lost its ideals.

Yakumo leaned close to Jiraiya and asked in a low voice.

"Rope Tree, has it come back to life?"

Jiraiya nodded without changing his expression, and Yakumo understood instantly.

The unfamiliar chakra that Yakumo sensed inside the Senju clan's territory some time ago was indeed Tsunade's younger brother... Nawaki.

Jiraiya said in a low voice, "Let's talk in detail after dinner."

Currently, Tsunade doesn't want too many people to know that Nawaki has been resurrected; Jiraiya hasn't even told Minato Namikaze.

Before long, the three dishes and one soup were ready.

The most eye-catching dish is the chicken soup, made by simmering an old hen with various blood-nourishing and qi-boosting herbs over a low flame for three hours.

Unfortunately, Minato Namikaze specifically instructed that the chicken soup was prepared for Kushina Uzumaki, so neither of them had the chance to eat it.

The other foods were delicious, but they were nothing compared to the chicken soup. Not long after, Kushina Uzumaki, heavily pregnant, came down from upstairs.

Her full head of red hair was like a blazing fire, and she looked to be in great health.

"Yakumo's younger brother is also an old lecher."

"Nonsense, Kushina, how can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?"

Jiraiya's face turned pale, and he asked angrily.

"Innocence? You old lecher, do you even have that kind of thing?"

Kushina Uzumaki replied with a hint of disdain, picked up the chicken soup and took two sips, leaving only oily residue in her mouth.

Minato Namikaze, standing nearby, beamed. He immediately reached out to wipe the grease from Kushina's lips, while saying with a hint of reproach.

"Oh dear, Kushina, you should show some respect for your teacher."

"Heh, I respect him from the bottom of my heart, but that doesn't stop me from calling him an old pervert," Kushina Uzumaki sneered, her tone full of hostility.

"What happened?" Yakumo asked, somewhat puzzled.

“A few months ago, Rina and Kushina went to take a bath and happened to run into the teacher,” Minato Namikaze said with a wry smile.

"No way, Jiraiya-sama, you...?"

"He failed because Rina's Kagura-like cunning caught his eye."

Kushina Uzumaki said somewhat angrily.

"Professional habits, professional habits..."

Jiraiya chuckled and explained that he happened to be in a bad mood that day, and for some reason, he ended up at the bathhouse. Before he could do anything, he ran into Kushina and Rina.

Despite all the explanations, Kushina simply refused to believe it.

After all, he's not stupid. With the Hyuga clan patrolling Konoha, this kind of thing would be easily discovered!

"I really didn't, Minato and Yakumo, you two have to believe me."

Kushina Uzumaki's eyebrows furrowed, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

Minato Namikaze looked pitiful and said, "I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sensei."

Yakumo smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sama."

After the meal, Yakumo and Jiraiya left together. Yakumo smiled and gave a silent chuckle when he looked at Jiraiya.

"Yakumo, I really didn't!"