Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Even with Family, Keep the Accounts Straight

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Even with Family, Keep the Accounts Straight



Teuchi's smile froze on his face, veins popping out on his forehead as he yelled at Takuya's retreating back.

How is it my fault I look older than I am?

Rubbing his face, Teuchi began questioning his life choices.

Running into Uchiha Fugaku had been a minor interruption, but Takuya hummed a tune from his past life as he made his way back home.

The next morning, Takuya was still snoozing when someone barged in, yanking the covers.

"Takuya, get up! I need to talk to you!"

Kushina tugged at the blanket with enough force to nearly pull Takuya out of bed.

"It's only seven in the morning... and I'm not wearing anything," Takuya groaned, thoroughly awake now.

"Really?" Kushina asked, peeking curiously, while Takuya twitched slightly.

Since when did Kushina get this bold, pulling my blanket like that?

Even though she was just teasing and hadn't actually looked, her transformation from her former, more timid self was shocking.

So, you want to peek, huh?

Fine, let me give you something to see!

With a sharp tug, Takuya threw the blanket off himself. Kushina's mischievous grin froze on her face.

Two seconds later, she screamed, covering her eyes as she dashed out of the room.

Just as I thought-hadn't even seen anything, and she freaked out.

Though Takuya wasn't wearing a shirt, his lower half was covered by custom-made pants. It wasn't like he slept naked.

"Takuya, you tricked me again!"

Kushina poked her head back through the doorframe, glaring at him with puffed-up cheeks.

"Well, that's what you get for yanking my blanket," Takuya shrugged, yawning as he made his way to the bathroom.

"By the way, why'd you wake me up so early?" he asked.

He'd planned to sleep in, but that idea had clearly been shattered.

Sensing his irritation, Kushina grinned sheepishly.

She quickly jumped to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of orange juice and even twisting the cap open for him.

Watching her casually twist off the cap with ease, Takuya was reminded of a meme from his past life: I might not be able to open this bottle, but I can crack open your skull!

"Something's up, isn't it? You've got that overly sweet act going on," Takuya muttered, giving her a suspicious glance. Better to be on guard than let her trick him into something.

"No, nothing like that!" Kushina pouted, stomping her foot in protest.

"I just wanted to talk to you about opening a restaurant together," she said.

Pffffft!

Juice sprayed from Takuya's mouth as he stared at her, wide-eyed.

"A restaurant? Are you serious?"

You own an entire luxury street in Konoha, filled with all kinds of shops. You really need to open a restaurant? Are you messing with me?

urged.

"...Hold on, I'm still not dressed!"

Takuya found himself staring at a newly renovated shop on one of Konoha's luxury streets. Kushina buzzed around him like an excited little bird, chattering away non-stop.

He hadn't expected her to go all out like this-using one of her own shops and transforming it into a hotpot restaurant. Everything was ready, just waiting on him to come in and prep the

broth.

After a quick look around, Takuya realized there was no getting out of this.

Well, money is money, he thought.

No one ever complained about making more of it, not even him.

Since Kushina had already set everything up, he figured he might as well go along with her

plan.

"Alright, but let's get one thing straight: I'm fine with opening the restaurant and partnering with you, but we need clear agreements. Even with family, you have to keep the accounts straight. Your clan members can get a cut of the profits, but they can't get involved in the restaurant's management."

"And absolutely no clan members handling the cash," Takuya added firmly. Boundaries needed to be set, or things would get messy fast. The Uzumaki clan could handle odd jobs and help out, but they shouldn't interfere with running the restaurant.

"No problem! You can have a 50% share," Kushina said cheerfully, pounding her flat chest

with pride. Money wasn't a big deal to her.

If it weren't for her clan members, she wouldn't have bothered going through all this trouble.

Of course, she also had a bit of a selfish motive-she missed the food.

When Takuya was around, she could always sneak over to his place for a meal.

But when he was away from Konoha, she found herself bored and frustrated, especially after

being spoiled by his cooking.

She was sick of dango, ramen, BBQ... nothing satisfied her anymore.

"Alright then. Start getting the supplies. I'll find someone reliable to handle the cash,"

Takuya said.

He needed someone trustworthy and with plenty of free time, so he decided to pay a visit to

Mikoto's mom.

With a few gifts and some fruit in hand, Takuya returned to the Uchiha district for the first

time in years.

"Isn't that Takuya Yagami?"

"What's he doing here in the Uchiha clan grounds?"

"Maybe he's visiting Mikoto and her mother."

As soon as he stepped into the district, Takuya noticed the subtle surveillance that began

tracking his movements.

Ignoring them, he made his way to Mikoto's house with practiced ease.

The door wasn't locked.

Mikoto's mother was sitting in the courtyard, enjoying a cup of tea.