After a long while, Nonou finally stopped crying. She wiped away the lingering tears from the corners of her eyes and awkwardly pulled away from Minato's embrace, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
"I'm sorry... I lost my composure."
Nonou's face flushed with embarrassment, her voice barely a whisper.
"That... about the conditions I mentioned earlier, maybe we should just forget about them? I'd be satisfied as long as the village continues funding the orphanage. There's no need to burden Lady Tsunade like that. I was being too selfish earlier."
Minato smiled warmly. "Don't worry, I never intended to trouble Teacher with this. Besides, she couldn't really help with this kind of thing anyway. She's actually quite poor."
Lately, Tsunade seemed to have become increasingly conscious of her image. The most obvious sign was that she hadn't set foot in a gambling den for a long time.
Occasionally, when the mood struck her, she'd drag them into a card game, but with her terrible luck, even a short session was enough to lose all her money.
Fortunately, most of that money ended up in Minato's pocket, covering household expenses like food, utilities, and daily necessities.
Minato had, without realizing it, become the family's treasurer.
So he wasn't lying to Nonou—Tsunade truly had no money; she was the poorest in the household.
"Don't worry," Minato said gently. "Leave it to me. After school, take me to see the place, okay?"
"Then... I'll trouble you," Nonou nodded, not pressing for details.
She was a clever girl who understood that since Minato had agreed, he must have a plan. Even a single idea could be a great help to the orphanage right now.
Pressing him further would only make her seem distrustful, which would be rude given her position as someone seeking help.
Minato nodded, and his body vanished with a poof.
A Shadow Clone...
Nonou felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped to spend more time with Minato.
No, no, don't be so greedy!
She lightly slapped her cheeks and shook her head to clear her thoughts.
After everything that had happened, he hadn't blamed her and had even offered to help. She shouldn't ask for more.
Especially since Minato was someone Kushina liked...
With a complex mix of emotions, Nonou returned to the classroom.
Inside, Minato and Kushina were eating lunch. When they saw Nonou return, Minato offered her a gentle smile.
Nonou pursed her lips, her cheeks flushing as she returned to her seat.
Soon, it was time to go home.
Minato left a Wood Clone to accompany Kushina home, while his main body followed Nonou to the orphanage.
The orphanage was located in a remote area, a dilapidated wooden hut standing alone at the edge of the forest.
Nonou quietly pushed open the door and led Minato to the Director.
The Director was a slender priest, appearing to be in his early twenties, with a refined and scholarly demeanor.
"Nonou?"
The priest looked surprised to see her return. "Why have you come back? I thought you were..."
Nonou clasped her hands behind her back, her expression demure. "I was worried about everyone, so I came to check on them. Aren't you welcome here, Director?"
"How could that be?" the priest replied gently. "I was just surprised. Did something happen to you?"
"Let me explain," Minato said, stepping forward and bowing politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Director. My name is Namikaze Minato, and I'm a student of Teacher Tsunade."
"The situation is this," he continued. "I've recently encountered a minor issue during my training that requires some help with moving various items. However, since it's a long-term task, hiring a ninja would be too expensive for me. That's why Nonou recommended this place."
"Moving items?" The Father frowned slightly, hesitant. "I have only children here. Wouldn't that be...?"
"Please don't worry," Minato said gently. "They aren't heavy objects. Would you mind stepping outside so I can show you?"
"This... alright."
The three of them moved to an open space outside.
Minato took two steps forward and rapidly formed hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Boom!
A massive fireball erupted with scorching heat, instantly clearing the snow within a radius of dozens of meters.
Then, he slammed his palm against the ground, shattering the solid earth into loose soil.
Finally, Minato clapped his hands together. "Wood Release: Hunger-Sweeping Technique!"
Puff, puff, puff...
Under Nonou and the Father's stunned gaze, vibrant green seedlings burst from the earth, teeming with vitality!
Minato produced a kunai, dug into the ground, and unearthed a cluster of fist-sized potatoes.
"Something like this," he said.
He handed a potato to the Father. "As you can see, I'm a Wood Release Bloodline Limit ninja. I've been researching plant acceleration, which results in a surplus of vegetables and fruits. It's a waste to let them rot in the ground..."
"Please, let me handle them!"
The Father, jolted out of his shock, his eyes reddening with emotion, responded.
"I never imagined Minato-kun was a Wood Release ninja... I'm truly... eternally grateful!"
Clutching the potato, he couldn't miss Minato's deliberate act of kindness.
"You're too kind," Minato said, shaking his head, his tone turning slightly serious. "I'm just trying to provide the orphanage with the means to become self-sufficient. The village's funding is limited and could be cut or even withdrawn during times of war."
"As the Director, you must understand these matters better than I do. The only thing lacking is the means to change the status quo, and that's precisely my specialty. But I won't keep my focus on this forever; after all, I have no obligation to be responsible for the lives of others."
He could help for a while, but not forever.
The village's funding was unreliable. If they encountered another Danzo, the consequences would be dire.
So Minato's idea was simple: it's better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish.
He would help the orphanage accumulate funds, raise livestock, and establish a fish pond. Given the Land of Fire's climate and environment, self-sufficiency would be achievable.
With the monthly allowance for each orphan, their living conditions would be no worse than those of a normal family.
"Rest assured, I understand!" the Father said earnestly. "If we had a choice, who would want to eat scraps?"
But he was just an ordinary person, powerless to change the status quo—the source of his greatest helplessness.
"By the way, Minato-kun, could you wait two days so I can build a warehouse first?"
"Leave it to me."
Minato formed hand seals, then slammed his right hand onto the ground: "Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique!"
Boom!
The ground trembled violently as a small building rose from the earth, standing right next to the orphanage's wooden cabins.
The two-story structure measured over thirty meters long and nearly twenty meters wide.
Because it incorporated Earth Release's Nature Transformation, many areas were constructed from stone bricks, and it even had glass windows!
Minato looked at the two stunned figures beside him. "I've included several fireplaces inside the house, and there's a heated floor on the first floor, so it should be warmer than our current cabins. Why don't everyone move in and we can use the old houses as storage?"
"I... I'm so amazed!" Nonou's mouth fell open, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She had never imagined that Ninjutsu could achieve such a feat!
The Father stared blankly at the building before him, a potato slipping silently from his hand. "I... I don't know how to thank you enough, Minato-kun."
Minato smiled but said nothing.
He was simply fulfilling his promise to Nonou, not doing it for their gratitude.
As long as they didn't turn into those who forget a single bowl of rice after receiving a peck of grain, that would be the best thanks he could ask for.
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