Building an emotional bond was the official phrasing for the mission. To put it more accurately, it was about establishing a deep, psychological connection. To put it bluntly, it was a honey-trap.
The mission was a calculated gamble, one that required Yakushi Nono to invest her own life and identity as the price. The only thing that made Nono feel even slightly fortunate was the nature of her target. Minato Namikaze was an undeniably outstanding boy. Whether one looked at his appearance, his temperament, or his sheer talent, he was impeccably excellent.
However, Nono felt that Danzo had overlooked a very practical matter. "Lord Danzo, regarding the mission, I have one more question I must ask."
"Speak."
"Does building an emotional bond with Minato Namikaze mean... specifically making him fall in love with me?" Nono asked, her voice small in the cold room.
"You can understand it in that way." Danzo nodded slightly. In his mind, the logic was flawless. "Compared to the simple friendship between teammates, a relationship where two people intend to spend their lives together is far more reliable and harder to break."
"Then... exactly how should I go about making him like me?" Nono tilted her head, her small face filled with genuine confusion.
Although her life in the Orphanage had forced her to be more mature than other children her age, she was still only five years old. In the past, she had been satisfied just to have enough food to eat and clothes to wear. She had never possessed the mental luxury to think about romance or attraction. Now, she was suddenly being told by the leader of Root to ensnare a boy she barely knew. In this regard, she was a complete blank slate.
"You possess the natural gentleness of a Yamato Nadeshiko, and your physical appearance is quite outstanding. That is precisely why I chose you for this task," Danzo said indifferently. "Men are drawn to gentle women, especially those who make it clear that they only have eyes for them."
"But... Lord Danzo," Nono said timidly, "all the girls in the class are acting exactly like that."
"How is that possible?" Danzo snorted coldly, his expression dismissive. "Everyone is an independent individual; their personalities should naturally differ from one another."
Nono nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is true, but they all act with extreme gentleness whenever they are in front of Minato."
Danzo remained silent for a long moment, the gears in his mind turning. "Tell me more about this."
"Yes." Nono began to report the details of her first day. "Every time a class ends, the girls in the room immediately surround Minato. They are constantly inviting him to eat lunch, to walk home together, to practice Cultivation, or to go on dates. It is so crowded that I can't even find an opening to get a single word in."
Is this kid really that popular? Danzo's cold, singular eye widened almost imperceptibly. I wasn't bad-looking back in my younger days, but I certainly never dealt with anything like this!
Danzo failed to understand that there are tiers of attractiveness even among handsome men. The world of Naruto was full of them—Sasuke, Itachi, Madara, Izuna, Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, Kakashi, Yahiko, Nagato, and Sasori. These were individuals publicly recognized for their looks, and Danzo was not someone who could even hope to be compared to that list.
"Girls nowadays truly have no sense of reserve..." Danzo shook his head slowly. "In our era, even the girls who had just entered the Academy already possessed excellent Ninja qualities and discipline."
"Um..." Nono hesitated before speaking. "Actually, they are still very reserved and disciplined when they are facing anyone else."
The implication hung in the air: meaning, I'm just not handsome enough? Danzo fell silent. He was beginning to doubt his own eye for talent, or perhaps his understanding of the younger generation. After a long, awkward silence, he spoke calmly. "So, your problem is that there are too many competitors, and you are unable to secure the target's attention?"
Is he trying to change the subject? Nono pursed her lips. "Yes. I was wondering if Lord Danzo had any personal experience in this regard that might help..."
Danzo fell silent once again. Why does this child keep poking at my sore spots? If this were any other subordinate, he might have assigned them a suicide mission to assassinate the Raikage on the spot.
But Yakushi Nono was just a five-year-old girl, an orphan with zero experience in social maneuvering. To take his frustration out on her for his own lack of romantic history felt unreasonable, even for a man as despicable as him. The truth was, he didn't understand these matters at all. His most trustworthy subordinates were all killing machines with erased personalities; they lacked a sense of self, let alone an understanding of romance.
Danzo was at a loss. After pondering the situation for a long time, he finally waved his hand dismissively. "Before he shows a clear preference for someone, just maintain the status quo. You are dismissed."
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
After Nono left the room, Danzo immediately summoned another subordinate. "Go. Find and buy some books on love... on emotional matters."
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, at Tsunade's residence, the atmosphere was much warmer. Minato was busy cutting freshly bought mutton into small, uniform pieces. He began marinating the meat to ensure the gamey smell was completely removed.
Once the preparation was done, he performed a quick set of seals and created several Wood Clones. The clones surrounded the large basin of meat and began using bamboo skewers, which they had crafted using Wood Release, to thread the mutton.
Tsunade stood nearby, watching with a look of pure curiosity. "Is this... mutton BBQ?"
"Mhm... you could describe it that way." Minato smiled at her. He was actually preparing Xinjiang Mutton Skewers. The recipe was simple enough: after neutralizing the scent, one only needed salt, Cumin, and chili. However, the salt had to be controlled perfectly—too much and it was ruined, too little and it lost its authentic flavor.
"Are we only going to eat mutton tonight?"
"Of course not. I have also prepared grilled vegetables to help cut through the greasiness of the meat!" Minato took fresh vegetables from the refrigerator and began washing and slicing them with practiced ease.
As she watched him work, Tsunade's gaze softened significantly. "By the way, I haven't asked yet—how was your very first day at the Academy?"
"It felt pretty good, overall." Minato thought for a second. "But I'm not particularly interested in the standard courses. If it were possible, I'd rather spend my time on real Cultivation and just send a Wood Clone to attend school in my place."
"A Wood Clone, huh..." Tsunade sighed. It seemed that even a child with Minato's steady personality found the Academy tedious. "Just wait a bit longer. At your age, you should be making friends and playing. I met many of my lifelong friends at school. With your looks and your strength, I imagine you're very popular, right?"
Minato gave a helpless, weary smile. "Yeah. It's almost a bit scary how popular it is..."
"Hehe, I knew it." Tsunade gave him a playful, teasing look. "What about you? Is there any girl in that class that you've taken a liking to?"
"No." Minato quickly shook his head. He had no intention of becoming the subject of Tsunade's gossip. Because of the "original" story he knew, he felt a natural, favorable inclination toward Kushina, so she would always be his first choice. Besides, he preferred being the one who observed others.
"What about you, sensei? Do you have someone that you like?"
"No~ I happen to be quite popular too, you know. Unfortunately, so far, no man has been able to make my heart flutter even a little bit..."
As she spoke, Tsunade suddenly remembered the strange throb she had felt in her chest around Minato a few days ago. She let out an awkward cough to cover her tracks.
"Is it because there isn't a specific type you like, teacher?"
"Something like that, I suppose."
"Then what is your type?"
"Well, first, they must be handsome, obviously. Second... maybe a gentle personality? Their strength shouldn't be too weak, either. And of course—" Tsunade stopped mid-sentence, turning her head away with a sudden sense of guilt.
"Hmm? And of course what?" Minato stopped cutting the vegetables and turned to look at her, confused by the sudden silence.
"No, it's nothing, haha~" She waved her hand dismissively, her smile appearing a bit forced.
Of course, it would be even better if they were good at cooking... She realized she couldn't say that out loud; it sounded too much like a direct hint! As his teacher, with a $14$ year age gap between them, she should have been able to say it openly: "A boy like you—sunny, handsome, gentle, and a good cook—is a rare find."
But she had a guilty conscience. It made her feel a sense of perversion, as if she were committing some sort of crime against a minor, no matter how she tried to phrase the compliment.
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