In the Yamanaka clan compound, Yamanaka Inoichi dragged his tired body out of the clan's training room.
Last night, he had been unable to bring Ino back, and had instead brought home a ninjutsu scroll.
Although this was something Ino was willing to accept, he still felt he had failed in his duty as a father.
Filled with guilt, he had poured all his energy into researching the technique.
After an entire night, he had fully grasped the curse marks needed to practice this technique.
Just as he was planning to come out and share the good news with his clansmen, he heard from them that his daughter had run away from home, and that his wife and mother had chased after her.
Hearing this news, Inoichi's blood ran cold.
He immediately wanted to go to the Hokage's office to post a mission to find his daughter.
But then the scroll in his hand reminded him; rather than running away from home, his daughter had probably gone to see Ryun again.
As for his wife and mother, they had most likely discovered Ino hadn't come home last night, gotten angry, and wanted to teach her a lesson.
But Ino, at her current age, wasn't one to listen to lectures.
Having become a kunoichi and found a boyfriend, her rebellious nature was maxed out.
If even he couldn't discipline Ino, how could two women manage it?
Wait, they wouldn't end up fighting, would they?
The moment this possibility crossed his mind, Inoichi's body automatically used the Body Flicker Technique, rushing towards the direction of Ryun's house.
There absolutely must not be a conflict!
Otherwise, as the head of the family, he really wouldn't know how to resolve it.
The outcome would most likely be permanently offending either his daughter and Ryun, or his wife and mother, one side or the other.
However, when he arrived at Ryun's house, he found it eerily quiet.
He entered Ryun's home uninvited, constantly on guard against a possible conflict, but even after he reached the entrance to the living room, the explosive arguments he had anticipated never came.
Instead, what reached his ears was Ino's cheerful laughter.
"Grandma, don't praise Ryun-kun so much, he'll get conceited."
"Ino, outstanding young people deserve praise. Geniuses have their own way of living; don't overthink things for him."
"Grandma, Ryun-kun is my boyfriend, don't I know him well?"
"Alright, Mother, stop lecturing Ino. Do you really think she'll listen to you?"
"Auntie, Ino is actually very well-behaved and sensible. It's just that she's grown up and has her own opinions now."
"Yes, grown up, doesn't listen to grandma anymore—"
"Grandma!"
Ino's voice switched to a coaxing tone, and by the time Inoichi peeked into the living room, Ino was already clinging to Yamanaka Mayu's back, whispering sweet nothings into her grandmother's ear.
Yamanaka Mayu also dropped her feigned displeasure and laughed happily, the room filled with harmony, showing no signs of a recent conflict at all.
"Inoichi, you're here too. Come and sit down."
"Ah? Oh! Okay."
Inoichi also sat down by the table, subconsciously showing a restrained side of himself in front of his mother.
Ryun, on the other hand, calmly poured tea for Inoichi, saying, "Uncle, make yourself at home, don't stand on ceremony."
Inoichi's mouth twitched. What kind of scenario was this? Had his entire family gone mad?
He wanted to speak but found he couldn't get a word in.
In the end, he could only pretend to be the taciturn head of the family, watching them make awkward small talk for an hour, until Yamanaka Mayu finally stood up to leave. "Ino, what about you?"
Seeing Ino still sitting there with no intention of leaving, Inoichi couldn't help but ask, only to receive a glare from Yamanaka Mayu.
This left Inoichi even more bewildered.
"Ino is going to report to her team leader soon to get a mission. She wants to practice ninjutsu with Ryun-kun for a while longer, so let them be."
This time it was Yamanaka Rino who spoke. Her indulgent attitude towards her daughter made Inoichi feel like his wife was a stranger.
Only after they had left Ryun's large compound and walked a fair distance away did Inoichi finally ask, unable to hold back, "Mother, what exactly happened?"
Only then did Yamanaka Mayu reveal her true expression, her gaze towards her son holding a hint of shock.
Inoichi understood. Seeing no one around, he activated a sensory technique.
Only after confirming no one could possibly be observing them did he say, "Mother, you can speak now."
"There's actually not much more to say."
Yamanaka Mayu sighed softly. "Ino has set her sights on a man who will become the God of Shinobi in the future, and this man has agreed to let the first boy Ino bears take the Yamanaka surname."
"As for the Twin Heart Method technique in your hands, we've also seen it—"
Inoichi looked at his mother in shock. Was her evaluation of Ryun really this high?
What exactly had she encountered?
Seeing that Inoichi still wouldn't let it go, Yamanaka Mayu finally spoke slowly: "The First Hokage's Markless Healing, combined with mental strength so powerful we can't comprehend it, he created a technique we can't even understand... Most importantly, he taught Ino that technique in a single night."
"Inoichi, this is our Yamanaka clan's good fortune, so just let Ino be."
Yamanaka Rino, standing by, then began to explain her earlier experience to her husband. When he heard that Ryun could silently control his wife and mother with Genjutsu, Inoichi fell completely silent.
His wife wasn't skilled in Genjutsu, so being controlled was one thing.
But his mother's mental strength and mastery of the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were no weaker than his own. Just what level was Ryun at?
Most importantly, how old was he?
And also... hadn't Ryun only started training less than a year ago?
Understanding this, Inoichi sucked in a cold breath.
No wonder that guy Hyūga Hiashi had placed his bet so early—their clan had probably seen many things they shouldn't have with their Byakugan, right?
"I understand."
Inoichi slowly exhaled, affirming his mother's judgment in his capacity as clan head.
But then, as a worried father, he said, "Ino is, after all, my daughter, your granddaughter. Will she... truly be happy forever?"
"Inoichi, for families like ours, just being able to taste happiness is a precious thing."
"It seems the peaceful life has dulled your edges."
"Our three clans, Ino–Shika–Cho, have always stood together and never suffered major losses, but that doesn't mean the shinobi world is peaceful."
Inoichi's spirit shook, and only then did he realize how unrealistic his wish had just been.
He took a deep breath and nodded. "Then from now on, we'll treat Ryun as part of the family."
"Dear, try to invite him over during holidays. It's fine if he doesn't come, but it's our way of showing we care."
"Leave it to me. I can still handle this kind of thing."
The Yamanaka family had finally reached a consensus on the issue of Ryun, and this signified the complete success of Ryun's choice to display his strength.
Although this was mostly within Ryun's expectations, Ino felt as if she were drained of all strength, going limp in Ryun's arms, unwilling to get up for a long time.
Ryun gently patted her back. He knew that everything that had just happened was a major turning point in Ino's life.
From now on, Ino had essentially gained her freedom. She would have to learn to bid farewell to her simpler past self and try to stand on her own.
Although it sounded cruel, for a ninja, this was a necessary process.
Ryun had merely advanced this process by a few months.
"Eh, what exactly happened?"
At that moment, Sakura unexpectedly walked in. She looked doubtfully at the dejected Ino, then suddenly covered her mouth and giggled.
Saying, "Could it be that your constitution isn't good enough to handle the True Spirit Seal?"
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll protect you from now on, Ino. After all, we're good friends, right?"
A vein pulsed on Ino's forehead. In an instant, she regained all her vitality and swaggered over to stand in front of Sakura. Under Sakura's puzzled gaze, she struck a glamorous pose while casually revealing her beautiful cosmos flower.
Seeing this, Sakura's eyes went wide instantly.
Why was hers just a thumb-sized cherry blossom mark, while Ino had a real flower!
The two immediately started arguing, and then Sakura demanded that Ryun modify her design, while Ino made sarcastic comments on the side.
Ryun took a sip of tea. Indeed, it was livelier with more people!
If he were alone, he probably wouldn't have spoken a single sentence all day.
Finally, under Sakura's fake tears, Ryun helped change Sakura's cherry blossom design into a full cherry blossom with a thin branch, making it comparable in size to Ino's, and the two girls finally calmed down.
Then Sakura explained the reason for her visit. Team 7 had accepted a C-rank mission to the Land of Waves, and she had specifically come to tell Ryun that it would be a while before they could meet again.
However, she didn't know that Ryun planned to set off one step ahead of them.
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