"But it didn't even cost that much," Kushina muttered, her head hung low.
Xin chuckled. "Kushina, it's not about the money. It's the principle. If you keep giving without limits, people will start to depend on you, you know?"
"Not just friends even with family, you can't let it turn into a one-way street. No one should become dependent."
"But your relationship with Minato has always been fine, right?" Kushina still didn't get why Xin often treated Minato to meals and why their friendship remained unchanged, yet she couldn't do the same.
"That's because Minato has principles."
Xin patted her on the shoulder as they walked, Kushina quickly catching up, her head tilted in thought.
"Think about it. Why do you think Minato buys groceries, drinks, or snacks when he comes over, even if it's just to hang out?"
"Is it because if he didn't, I wouldn't let him eat?"
Kushina scratched her head, frustrated.
Xin continued, "It's because that's what he can afford to contribute right now. If he had the means, he'd probably haul an entire cow over for a barbecue."
"Both of us understand that no matter how good the relationship, you can't always let the other person shoulder all the responsibility. Otherwise, it creates an expectation, like it's normal to rely on them."
"So is that why Mikoto always buys something for me whenever we go out together?" Kushina thought back to when she and Mikoto would go shopping or grab a meal.
If Kushina paid for lunch, Mikoto would always cover the drinks or snacks or buy a small gift. At first, Kushina thought it was just Mikoto's habit.
Now, she realized it wasn't. It was about principle.
"Exactly."
"Remember what I'm telling you. No matter who it is-whether it's your friends, me, your clan, or even the village-you can't keep giving without boundaries. People will always take more if you let them."
"You've helped your clan with housing and furniture-that's your kindness. But you can't support them forever. If you do, there will come a time when you can't keep up, and they'll turn around and blame you."
"They'll say it's your fault they can't fend for themselves, that if you hadn't coddled them, they'd still be able to work and make money. People's hearts aren't always ready for that kind of test."
Kushina wasn't dumb, not at all. She just hadn't thought about these things deeply before, which is why she'd ended up in her current situation.
Xin wanted to use this moment to help her realize that her clan needed to find their own way. It wouldn't be hard for her to ask the Hokage for some jobs-safe, well-paying ones. She could support them, but not indefinitely. Otherwise, it was bound to backfire.
Helping them out was one thing, but keeping them reliant on her? That would only lead to problems.