News of the victory spread like wildfire across the village. Minato, one of the main stars, became insanely popular, way more than the Sannin were back when they were his age.
It wasn't just hype either.
Minato was young and already doing ridiculously impressive stuff. Geniuses always become the talk of the town, just like how people obsess over exam toppers back on Earth. Everyone loves a prodigy.
Two days later, Konoha received a formal peace letter from the Sand Village, signaling a temporary truce.
What followed was basically a spoils-splitting meeting, prisoner exchanges, compensation talks, that sort of thing.
Haruki didn't bother showing up. Instead, he had Tsukasa go in his place.
Following his suggestion, they pitched the idea of setting up some trade agreements with the Sand Village, using the excuse that they lost forty ninjas in the war.
To keep the Hyuga clan happy and loyal, Hiruzen approved the request.
Besides, Leaf and Sand already had some trade ties going on.
Nobody really understood why the Hyuga clan would care about setting up deals with the broke Sand Village, but if anything, that just made it more likely Sand wouldn't refuse.
Back in the day, the First Kazekage actually had the nerve to demand things like trading tailed beasts for land in the Land of Fire, or wanting a 30% cut of the profits other villages made off their tailed beasts.
And he said all this right in front of Hashirama Senju and the other Kage at the time.
By the time Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, came around, he was practically running a gold-selling business thanks to his magnetic release jutsu.
He went to war several times because he was broke, desperate to turn his old rust bucket into a Ferrari.
Too bad he never made it happen.
Haruki, on the other hand, saw potential. He had his eyes on gold dust and a few other desert-based industries.
Just selling raw gold dust felt like flushing money down the toilet.
If they shifted into the jewelry business instead, it would bring way bigger returns.
Especially in a world like this, where nobles and royals are everywhere, flaunting wealth like it's a competition.
It'd be easy to slap a "luxury" label on some shiny accessories and drain the pockets of the rich.
If Sand Village wanted cash that badly, Haruki was more than willing to make it rain.
Adapting to local resources and building up trade was second nature to him in his previous life.
He refused to believe they wouldn't come running once the profits started rolling in.
"Sensei? What kind of animal is this? It's so cute!"
Kushina had barely stepped into the room before her eyes locked onto the furry little creature Haruki was petting. It had reddish-golden fur, about the size of a small dog, with oversized ears that made it look like it walked out of a cartoon.
"It's a fennec fox. Desert species. Got it from the Sand Village," Haruki said casually, shifting aside as he noticed Kushina staring like she'd just found a new obsession.
Without hesitation, she scooped it up in her arms.
Her expression turned weirdly serious, like she was about to sign adoption papers. Her eyes sparkled like she'd found treasure.
Just as he expected. Kushina had no defense against adorable animals.
"Sensei, why are you keeping it?" she asked, gently stroking its soft fur.
The fox nestled in her arms, occasionally lifting its tiny head to nuzzle her hand, even letting out tiny yips that sounded like it was trying to talk.
"It's for an experiment. I'm teaching the medical class and needed a test subject," Haruki said.
"What?" Kushina looked up, frowning with puffed cheeks. "Sensei, that's awful!"
Haruki laughed at her reaction. "Relax. Don't you trust my medical skills? Even if something did happen, I could just heal it back to life."
"No!" She hugged the fox tighter, as if shielding it from evil.
The way she glared at him, eyes full of justice, made Haruki feel like some cartoon villain who just kicked a puppy.
"Alright then, what do you plan to do with it?" he asked.
"Raise it, of course!" she replied, like that was the only logical answer.
"You're serious?" Haruki gave her a skeptical look.
"I'll take care of it!" she said.
"Raising a fox isn't like keeping a cactus. It's not just feed it and forget it," Haruki warned. "It might even have a nasty attitude. Before you know it, your pretty little face will be covered in scratch marks."
Kushina blinked, clearly not expecting that. Then she scowled. "Tch, sensei, don't make stuff up! I'm a kunoichi, some tiny scratches won't scare me!"
Haruki grinned. "Alright, alright. Since you're that into it, it's yours."
"Really?" Her eyes widened as she leaned in, making sure. "You're Haruki-sensei, the famous Leaf Twin Pillar! No take-backs, okay?"
"No take-backs." Haruki gave her a thumbs up.
"Thanks, sensei!" she beamed, cradled the fox like it was her child, and practically skipped out of the office humming some random tune.
Haruki chuckled to himself, watching her go. He smiled softly and muttered, "Hope she ends up liking Kurama this much too..."
Funny thing was, he hadn't planned to give her the fox.
The Sand Village rep who came over brought some local specialty gifts for Konoha's major clans, mostly to curry favor during the peace talks. The fox just happened to be part of the package.
Haruki opened the thick medical textbook authored by Tsunade and officially kicked off his first class.
Now that the war had ended, the ninjas were steadily returning to the village.
It wouldn't be long before both he and Tsunade could stop showing up to classes in person, finally getting some quiet couple time without interruptions.
Right after class wrapped up, he got a message from Satoshi.
Jiraiya's new book was ready.
"That was quick," Haruki said as he picked up the sample copy.
Unlike the flashy poster they'd designed, the cover was surprisingly simple.
Still, the book itself felt premium. The material was expensive and well-crafted.
He flipped through a few pages. The layout, the paper, the print, it all looked good.
Satisfied, he didn't say much and headed straight to the Hokage Building.
The place was buzzing.
Preparations for the upcoming peace talks were in full swing. Papers flying, people rushing, the usual chaos. He waited a bit before Hiruzen finally meet him.
"Hokage-sama," Haruki greeted as he walked in.
Hiruzen looked up and smiled. "Haruki. What brings you here? Another one of your famous books?"
Haruki chuckled and handed the copy over. "Not this time. It's Jiraiya's masterpiece."
"Jiraiya?" Hiruzen's brows lifted in surprise. Hearing the name of his wayward student always triggered a mix of nostalgia and mild exasperation. He laughed, shaking his head. "That guy's got time to write novels but still won't come home?"
"He's gathering intel for the village," Haruki said, keeping it vague but plausible.
Of course, Haruki knew Jiraiya had his own agenda, digging up prophecy clues, hunting signs of Akatsuki, but in the public record, he was still considered Konoha's loyal informant.
Hiruzen had always been soft on his students. Especially Orochimaru.
Even when he'd discovered Orochimaru's early human experiments, Hiruzen had hesitated to punish him harshly.
Flipping through the book, Hiruzen smirked. The protagonist's antics were unmistakably Jiraiya's style, brash, goofy, and somehow still charming.
"I'll give it a read when I get the chance," Hiruzen said, closing the book. "But I assume you didn't come all this way just to hand me a book?"
"There is a little favor we're hoping for." Haruki smiled. "Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I opened a bookstore together. This book's our first release, and we were hoping you'd help us promote it."
"Me?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow but didn't look opposed. "What did you have in mind?"
"Nothing big. Just a mention at the next Jonin meeting."
"That's it?"
Haruki nodded. "Well... also, we'll need a photo."
Without missing a beat, he pulled an old-school camera from a storage scroll. The kind that clicked loud and needed actual film.
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