After a long time, Nonō finally stopped crying, wiped the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes, withdrew from Minato's embrace awkwardly, and unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers.
"Sorry... I lost my composure."
Nonō looked ashamed, her voice as thin as a mosquito's.
"Um... about the condition just now, why don't we forget it? As long as the village doesn't cut off the funding for the orphanage, I'll be very satisfied. There's no need to add such a burden to Lady Tsunade. I was too selfish just now."
Minato smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't plan to trouble Sensei. Besides, Sensei can't really help much with this kind of thing. She's actually very poor."
Recently, Tsunade seemed to pay more and more attention to her image. The most obvious point was that she hadn't set foot in a casino for a long time.
Occasionally when she was in the mood, she would just drag them to play cards, but with her gambling luck, even playing for a moment was enough to lose all her money.
Fortunately, most of this money flowed into Minato's pocket, becoming the family's food expenses, water and electricity bills, and daily expenses.
Minato had unwittingly become the person in charge of accounts at home...
So he didn't lie to Nonō. Tsunade really had no money; she was the poorest in the family.
"You don't need to worry. Just leave it to me."
Minato said gently, "After school, take me to have a look."
"Then... I'll trouble you."
Nonō nodded and didn't ask further.
She was a very smart girl. She knew that since Minato agreed, he was confident. Even if it was just an idea, it could be considered help for the current orphanage.
Blindly questioning would only show her distrust of the other party, which was very rude for someone seeking help.
Minato nodded, and his figure dissipated with a poof.
Shadow Clone...
Nonō felt a little disappointed. She wanted to spend more time with Minato.
No, no, no, can't be so greedy!
She patted her cheeks twice, shaking her head to dispel distracting thoughts.
After such a thing happened, the other party not only didn't blame her but also extended a helping hand. She felt she shouldn't ask for more.
Especially since Minato was the person Kushina liked...
With a complicated mood, Nonō returned to the classroom.
In the classroom, Minato and Kushina were having lunch. Seeing Nonō return, Minato showed a gentle smile.
Nonō pursed her lips and returned to her seat blushing.
Soon, school was over.
Minato left a Wood Clone to accompany Kushina home, while the main body followed Nonō to the orphanage.
The location of the orphanage was very remote. The dilapidated wooden house sat alone on the edge of the forest.
Nonō pushed the door open lightly and took Minato to find the orphanage director.
The director was a thin priest, looking only about twenty years old, with a gentle appearance.
"Nonō?"
Seeing Nonō return, the priest was surprised. "Why are you back? Aren't you..."
Nonō put her hands behind her back, looking obedient. "I was a little worried about everyone, so I came back to have a look. Does the Director not welcome me?"
"How could that be?"
The priest said gently, "Just a little surprised. Did you suffer any grievance?"
"Let me explain. Nice to meet you, Mr. Director. My name is Minato Namikaze, a disciple of Tsunade-sensei."
Minato took a step forward and nodded politely. "Here's the thing. I encountered a little trouble in my recent training and need someone to help move some sundries. However, because it is a long-term job, hiring a ninja is too much of an economic burden for me, so Nonō recommended this place to me."
"Sundries?"
The priest frowned slightly, hesitating. "All I have here are children. Will it be..."
"Please rest assured, they are not heavy objects."
Minato said warmly, "Is it convenient to move outside and let me demonstrate to you?"
"This... alright."
The three came to the open space outside the house.
Minato took two steps forward and formed seals quickly with both hands: "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Boom—
The huge fireball burst with scorching heat, instantly clearing the snow within tens of meters around.
Then he slapped the ground with his palm, shattering the solid ground into loose soil.
Then, Minato clapped his hands: "Wood Style: Hunger-Sweeping Jutsu!"
Puff, puff, puff...
Under the dull gaze of Nonō and the priest, green seedlings full of vitality broke through the soil!
Minato took out a kunai, dug in the ground, and dug out a string of fist-sized potatoes.
"It's probably like this."
Minato handed a potato to the priest. "As you can see, I am a Wood Style Bloodline Limit ninja. I have been conducting research on plant growth recently, so I will produce a lot of fruits and vegetables. I can't handle them if I keep them, and it's a pity to let them rot in the ground..."
"Please leave it to me to handle!"
Hearing Minato's words, the priest recovered from his shock, his eyes red with excitement.
"I didn't expect Minato-kun to be a Wood Style ninja. I'm really... extremely grateful!"
He held the potato tightly in his hand. How could he not see that Minato was intentionally helping?
"You are too polite."
Minato shook his head, his tone slightly serious. "I am just providing the orphanage with conditions for self-sufficiency. The village's funding not only has many restrictions but once there is a war, it is likely to be reduced or even cancelled."
"As the director, you must understand these things better than I do. You just don't have the conditions to change the status quo. And this happens to be what I am good at. But I won't always focus on this. After all, I have no obligation to be responsible for other people's lives."
He could help for a while, but not for a lifetime.
The village's funding was unreliable. If they encountered someone like Danzo again, they would suffer greatly.
So Minato's idea was simple: it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
He would help the orphanage accumulate some funds, raise some cattle and sheep, and open a fish pond. With the climate and environment of the Land of Fire, self-sufficiency would not be a problem.
Coupled with the monthly subsidy for orphans, their living conditions would not be worse than normal families.
"Please rest assured, I understand!"
The priest said seriously. If there was a choice, who would be willing to accept handouts?
But he was just an ordinary person without the ability to change the status quo, which was also his most helpless point.
"By the way, Minato-kun, can you wait for two days so I can build a warehouse first..."
"Leave it to me."
Minato formed seals with both hands, then slapped his right hand heavily on the ground: "Wood Style: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
Boom!
The ground trembled, and a small building rose from the ground, closely connected to the wooden house of the orphanage.
The small building was more than thirty meters long and nearly twenty meters wide, divided into two floors.
Because it contained Earth Style nature transformation, many areas were made of stone bricks, and even had glass windows!
Minato looked at the two dumbfounded people beside him. "I reserved a few fireplaces in the house, and there is a heated Kang on the first floor, so the heating effect might be better than where you live now. Why not let everyone move over and use the current house as a warehouse?"
"So... so amazing!"
Nonō's small mouth opened slightly, her eyes full of disbelief.
She never thought that ninjutsu could achieve this step!
The priest stared blankly at the building in front of him, the potato slipping silently from his hand. "I really don't know how to thank you... Minato-kun."
Minato smiled and said nothing.
He was just fulfilling what he promised Nonō, not doing it for thanks.
As long as gratitude didn't turn into resentment, that would be the best thanks to him.