After staying in the estate for another twenty minutes, Ryun found an excuse to get up and leave.
But before he could walk out of the Uchiha clan grounds, a female chunin from the clan intercepted him.
"Ryun, please wait..."
Seeing this, Ryun instinctively frowned.
"The Third Elder has sent me to invite you over for a visit." The female chunin first bowed politely, then directly stated her purpose.
"What is it about?" Ryun asked expressionlessly.
He knew exactly why the old man wanted to see him, but he was no longer interested in pretending to be polite. After all, they had already had an unpleasant encounter last time.
"!!!"
The female chunin was visibly taken aback by Ryun's cold response but quickly explained, "The Third Elder didn't specify. He only told me to wait here for you..."
"Go back and tell him..."
"Ryun!!!"
Before Ryun could finish, a girl's voice called out from a distance.
Seeing the girl smiling brightly as she jogged over, Ryun couldn't help but show surprise.
"Miss Mikoto... What are you doing here?"
The girl was Uchiha Mikoto, who could be considered his classmate.
"Grandfather asked me to invite you. Would you have time to come over for a visit?" Mikoto asked with a light smile.
"May I ask, who is your grandfather?" Ryun scratched his head.
"My grandfather is the Second Elder of the Uchiha clan."
"..."
Ryun was puzzled. Why were these elders suddenly so eager to invite him? During the gathering earlier, none of them had shown much interest in talking to him.
"Miss Mikoto..." The female chunin bowed respectfully to Mikoto.
"Clan sister, are you... also here to see Ryun?" Mikoto returned the greeting and asked in surprise.
The female chunin thought for a moment, then simply nodded without mentioning the Third Elder's invitation.
But then Ryun spoke up and revealed her purpose: "She was sent by the Third Elder to invite me, and you were sent by the Second Elder..."
"Both elders had the same idea at the same time. Which one should I go with?"
Ryun shook his head with a wry smile.
The two girls fell silent, unsure whether to insist on completing their assigned tasks.
Before they could speak, Ryun turned to the female chunin with an apologetic look:
"With both elders inviting me, rejecting either would be impolite... But Miss Mikoto is an old classmate of mine. A classmate's invitation is hard to refuse, so I'll have to apologize to the Third Elder..."
"Don't worry about it, Ryun. You can visit the Third Elder another time when you're free..."
"Of course..."
The female chunin didn't argue and politely excused herself.
The two teenagers walked side by side. Mikoto occasionally stole glances at the handsome boy beside her, her eyes filled with admiration and her cheeks slightly flushed.
Ryun didn't notice the girl's shyness, but Mikoto's perfume smelled particularly pleasant, making his breathing unconsciously deepen.
'This scent feels familiar... Have I smelled it somewhere before?' The thought inexplicably crossed his mind.
"Thank you for coming with me, Ryun. If I failed to bring you back, Grandfather would have complained to me again..." Mikoto smiled sweetly.
"Haha, how could I refuse an invitation from Miss Mikoto? I'd rather reject an elder than reject you..." Ryun joked.
Mikoto blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter. As a well-mannered noble girl, she covered her mouth even when laughing joyfully.
"By the way, Ryun, you're now a famous hero of Konoha. Kushina told me your classmates are planning a celebration for your promotion to jonin..."
"Can I join too? After all, you're the only one in our grade who's become a jonin!"
Mikoto looked at him hopefully.
"Kushina already mentioned that to me. Of course you're welcome, Miss Mikoto. It would be my honor..." Ryun replied casually.
"Then it's settled. I'll prepare a gift for you too." Mikoto's cheeks turned pink with excitement.
"No need to trouble yourself. Just your presence is enough."
"But I insist..."
The two chatted happily as they walked, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant. Before they knew it, they had arrived at Mikoto's home, where Ryun met the Second Elder of the Uchiha clan again.
"Ah, you're here, my boy!"
The Second Elder stood up warmly to greet him, his attitude friendly and without any airs.
"Greetings, Second Elder..."
Ryun bowed before sitting down as gestured. Mikoto obediently served tea.
"What brings you to invite me, Second Elder?" Ryun got straight to the point.
"Nothing major, just regarding your family's property within the clan grounds."
"Since you've achieved great merits outside and been promoted to jonin, the clan has decided to grant you a proper residence. As the one in charge of land allocation, I wanted to ask if you've taken a liking to any particular area. I can arrange it for you..."
"But I heard you and your mother moved outside the clan grounds. Could you tell me what happened?"
The Second Elder explained the reason for the invitation and inquired about his situation.
Ryun was momentarily stunned, not expecting this to be the topic.
In Konoha, promotion to jonin came with many benefits, including land and housing. However, the Uchiha clan controlled land distribution internally, and most rewards were granted by the clan rather than the village. This was why most Uchiha members remained loyal to the clan.
"No need for land or housing. My mother and I weren't happy living in the clan grounds, so we moved out." Ryun declined the offer after some thought.
"!!!"
The Second Elder was visibly surprised, and even Mikoto, who had been quietly listening, showed astonishment.
"Could you explain why? If there were any troubles or grievances, you can speak freely. I promise to resolve them."
The Second Elder pressed further. He wasn't from Ryun's faction and didn't know why his family had left.
"Thank you for your kindness, Second Elder. It's nothing serious. My mother is from an outside clan, originally from the Uzumaki clan, so she received strange looks and exclusion from some people..."
Ryun hadn't known about Asuka's connection to the Uzumaki clan until Tsunade mentioned it during a casual conversation.
"Since living in the clan grounds was uncomfortable, we decided to move out. Whether our home is inside or outside the clan grounds doesn't matter. What matters is that my mother and I are happy."
Ryun spoke frankly, briefly concluding the topic.
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