Aokumo wasn't really needed here, so Torifu released his summoning jutsu and sent him home to rest. He would summon him again when he was done. Aokumo was happy with that and released the summoning jutsu himself before Torifu could.
He had spent a lot of Peace Points on a pile of materials and decorations, but it was a necessity. It was a sign of Torifu's seriousness about Naori. Naori's many years of companionship had made Torifu feel so secure that he had made her wait year after year. This could be considered an apology to Naori.
And so, Torifu and his puppets worked together for a long time to build the set. But in the end, whether Naori would like it or not was up to her to decide. There wasn't enough time to have Naori come now, so he would have to wait until tomorrow. Torifu intentionally left a few puppets behind and ordered them to guard the area. If the place was stolen from him, then Torifu would be completely ruined. Although the area was remote, it was better to be cautious. He might run into some rogue bandits or missing-nin.
With the setup complete, Torifu summoned Aokumo again and returned to Konoha. Aokumo didn't even get a chance to see what the so-called human proposal site looked like before Torifu threw him into the sky, forcing him to fly.
"Why are you being so petty? You won't even let me have a look? We've been through life and death together and have lived together since we were kids."
Torifu grabbed Aokumo's neck. "Once upon a time, there was a crane that was too curious, and in the end, it became a salt-baked crane. I don't think you want to follow in its footsteps, do you?"
"Are you treating me like a child?" Aokumo was a little speechless. He wasn't human in the end, but that didn't mean he should be treated like an idiot. His intelligence was no different from a normal adult man.
Torifu smiled. He didn't expect this trick to not work. Time had changed, and even Aokumo had matured. Sometimes, he would forget that Aokumo was a father to a group of children and that the little cranes had already grown up. They were naturally born with Cloud Release, which was better than Torifu's talent. Torifu's Cloud Release was self-taught.
The man and the crane bickered all the way back to Konoha. Torifu, as usual, climbed over the wall into the village without being noticed. But when he returned to the Kumotsuru Clan Compound, he saw that Yahiko and Konan were still training. The note and money on the table had not been touched.
This was not good. A day of training could not be sustained on just the food they ate in the morning. He immediately woke up Yahiko and Konan. "How are you two doing?"
The two of them opened their eyes but were visibly weak. "Sensei, you're back... Konan and I didn't slack off. We've been training all this time."
Torifu sighed. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have said 'on a daily basis'." Then he immediately took out two soldier pills from his ring and put them in their hands. "Eat these quickly. Your bodies are overdrawn. If you don't replenish your energy, you'll have big problems."
The soldier pills were known for being nutritious, filling, and tasting bad. Torifu couldn't get used to any flavor of them. However, because their ingredients were so numerous and complex, they were very rich in nutrients and could help a ninja quickly replenish their strength and needed nutrients. Yahiko and Konan took them and immediately ate them. However, from their expressions, they seemed to like them. Was Torifu the only one in this world who hated eating soldier pills?
"Sensei, what did you do all day? Why are you just getting back?"
Torifu touched Konan's head. "I went out to take care of some things. You two did very well, but you don't know how to adapt. When you're hungry, you have to go eat, no matter what you're doing." Then he pointed to the note on the table. "If one of you had just opened your eyes and looked, you would have seen the note on the table, and you wouldn't have had to go hungry."
But these two kids didn't. He didn't disturb them because they were so focused on their training. He didn't expect it to almost cause a big problem.
"Okay, don't train anymore today. I'll heal you, and then you should go to bed quickly."
Yahiko and Konan's complexions were noticeably better after eating the soldier pills, and their faces became a little rosier. One soldier pill was enough to make up for a ninja's daily consumption. It was just enough to replenish the energy they had overdrawn today.
Torifu used a healing jutsu on each of them. Although they didn't have any external injuries, it could also heal their exhaustion. "Has Amado not come out all day?"
Yahiko scratched his head. "Actually, Uncle Amado did come out and told us to eat, but we listened to your words and didn't leave. We've been holding out until now."
Torifu could only say that these two silly kids, training was secondary. Life was the most precious thing. How could they not distinguish between the primary and the secondary? But he was also glad that he came back early this time. Otherwise, he didn't know what the consequences would have been. Now that the two of them looked much better, Torifu wasn't in a hurry to make them go to bed.
Torifu took out three rocking chairs from his ring and placed them in front of the house. Then the three of them lay down on them together. "You two have to remember that you must stop and replenish your energy while training in the future. Chakra is extracted from your cells, which consumes a lot of physical strength. Do you understand?"
Yahiko and Konan nodded. "We understand, Sensei."
In the end, what happened today was Torifu's fault. He couldn't say "on a daily basis" anymore, because these two silly kids would actually train for an entire day. Torifu felt a little ashamed. When he was a child, he would find a way to sneak away after only half a day of training with Hashirama-sama.
The sky gradually turned dark, and a moment later, Minato came back. "Oh, Big Brother, Yahiko, and Konan, are the three of you enjoying yourselves?"
Torifu smiled. "What? Do you want to lie down for a bit?"
Minato waved his hand. "No, no. I'll practice with kunai. I feel like I'm getting better with kunai recently, so I plan to take advantage of this feeling and practice well."
Minato was still a worry-free and smart kid. He wouldn't really train all day. Even when he was more reserved, he would tell Torifu when he was hungry. However, Torifu didn't use him as a comparison. People were different. Minato knew how to adapt, while Yahiko and Konan were more sincere. All three of them had their own strengths. They were all good apprentices of Torifu's, and there was no need to compare them to each other. As long as they continued to develop in their current state, Torifu felt that it was very good.