To the west of Konoha, near the riverbank, stood a small wooden cabin—hand-built from planks and timber by Might Duy himself.
Night had already fallen.
An old oil lamp hung from the eaves, its soft orange flame casting gentle shadows across the yard.
Inside the cabin, Duy's wife—an ordinary-looking young woman with a thin frame—moved slowly around the kitchen.
Her swollen belly pushed against her clothes awkwardly; she looked about three months pregnant.
Duy pushed through the curtain excitedly, arms full of fresh vegetables and a small portion of expensive lamb.
"Wife! Look what I bought!"
"You're soaked in sweat again. Go wash up at the river before you come in."
She pinched her nose, but her smile was warm.
In these turbulent years, she held onto one hope—meeting her child.
Embarrassed, Duy carefully set the vegetables and lamb on the table. His hands were clean; he had washed them on the way back.
He picked up a wooden bucket and jogged to the river, stripping down and washing quickly under the moonlight.
This was the life of ordinary people in Konoha—behind the prosperous façade, countless civilians and low-ranking shinobi like Duy struggled with everything they had.
But reality could be harsh.
Those without a clan background had to rely purely on talent and luck.
Some excelled and became prodigies; countless others faded away.
"Fate always circles back, doesn't it?"
A voice murmured silently in the trees.
Kaito stood on a branch, arms folded, observing quietly.
"Even someone like the Second Hokage—who invented countless forbidden techniques—still fell victim to a carefully laid rebellion from Kumogakure."
Duy's homemade traps surrounded the cabin—simple snares, rope triggers, wooden spikes.
Enough to stop animals… not enough to stop shinobi.
Kaito's chakra control was so precise he made no sound at all moving across the branches.
Inside the kitchen, Duy's wife blinked.
For an instant she thought she sensed someone outside.
But seeing nothing from the window, she shrugged.
"Must be my imagination. Duy checks the traps every day. Nothing to worry about."
She hummed a little tune while cutting lamb.
She lit the small gas stove and prepared a pressure pot—tonight she wanted to reward her husband with lamb soup.
In a world where war could erupt at any moment, living long enough to cook dinner was already a luxury.
Kaito leaned against a tree trunk, waiting until Duy finished bathing.
Only when the sweaty, garbage-pit smell had finally washed off did Kaito speak:
"Duy. Do you normally bathe this slowly?"
Duy froze mid-wipe.
Then—
"AAHHHH—GHOST!!"
Several minutes later, Kaito found himself apologizing to Duy's wife, assuring her it was his mistake for startling Duy.
When she returned inside, Duy—now dressed—glared while scrubbing his clothes.
"You scared the life out of me! Don't sneak around like that!"
Kaito shrugged and glanced toward the warm kitchen lights.
"You seemed to be enjoying your bath.
By the way—have you taken Rin-san for checkups? Ultrasound? Any medical scans? Pregnancy isn't something you can be careless about."
"Don't worry! Rin's as healthy as can be!"
Duy puffed his chest proudly… then paused, suddenly uneasy.
"But… Kaito… you didn't come here at night because something's wrong with our squad, right?"
Kaito waved him off.
"Nothing like that. You've got two months.
During this time, I'll push you hard—D-rank missions every day.
Enough experience so you can take them alone later and make money steadily. No more starving outside the village."
Duy's eyes watered slightly.
Back when he had been kicked from his old squad and couldn't afford rent—nearly forced to wander the streets with his wife—it was Kaito who told him to build a cheap cabin outside the village.
With a simple permit request and Hiruzen's approval, he'd managed to survive.
Kaito hadn't expected Duy to end up here with a pregnant wife… but life was cruel like that.
"At least I've saved a bit," Duy said.
"In a few months, before the baby comes, I want to rent a nice place inside the village. So Rin can give birth comfortably."
Kaito stared at him.
Was Duy simply honest… or unbearably naïve?
If this were the modern world, Kaito thought, the internet would chew this man alive.
"Actually, I'm planning to buy a place," Kaito said.
"My current landlord won't refund the rent—paid a full year upfront.
If you want, you can move in."
Duy froze, hands slowing on the washboard.
"I only have… twenty or thirty thousand ryō saved…"
"When did I say you had to pay?"
Kaito rolled his eyes.
"There are ten months left on the lease. Just handle water and electricity. That's all."
Duy's eyes shone instantly.
"Kaito!! You're too good to me! You're not after my body, are you?!"
Kaito ignored that.
Duy was already calculating how much nutrition he could now buy for his pregnant wife.
The next day, Kaito woke up in his tiny 20-square-meter rental.
Last night's visit wasn't just kindness—it was practical.
He couldn't get a refund, and two months' rent had already been paid.
Back then, he had almost become a thief just to afford shelter.
"After lunch, I'll go check the houses I shortlisted.
I'll make those three brats help Duy move. Make good use of them."
After brushing his teeth, he changed into clean clothes and walked to their meeting point.
One Week Later
The team's synergy grew steadily.
They weren't the most talented graduates—but their D-rank mission evaluations were the best among all squads.
Now, inside a third-floor apartment in a prime district near Konoha's commercial center—a spacious 60-square-meter unit—the entire Squad Eleven plus Duy's wife gathered around a wooden dining table.
Kaito placed a steaming iron pot of stew on the table.
"Careful, it's hot.
Thank you all for helping clean the place today."
Mikoto, trying to act mature, raised her glass of orange juice.
"Ahem—Nonō! Let's celebrate Sensei and Duy-san moving into their new home!"
"Yay!"
Nonō clinked her glass enthusiastically.
She took a sip, then asked:
"We've already completed five D-rank missions…
Are we going to start doing C-rank missions soon?"
The room quieted.
All eyes shifted to Kaito.
He nearly choked.
C-rank missions?
In this political climate?
That was basically signing their death certificates.
He deflected the question with a vague answer—none of them noticed the Third Hokage's shadow clone arriving later to deliver small red envelopes.
A humble housewarming gift: 3,000 ryō each.
The apartment itself had been a stroke of luck—thanks to Nonō's mother being a medical-nin acquainted with the previous owner.
Kaito managed to buy it for 4.5 million ryō, almost 300,000 less than market price.
In Konoha, new and second-hand housing barely differed in value—every square meter was golden land.
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