"Ryun-kun, what a coincidence."
Yamanaka Inoichi maintained his politeness and elegance, but Ryun could see clearly that the corners of his eyes were twitching non-stop. He was clearly very angry.
"Father-in-law, you have a good sense of humor."
With just this one calm response from Ryun, Yamanaka Inoichi couldn't laugh anymore.
"Humor? Am I really that humorous? This is the first time someone has praised me for having a sense of humor."
As if he couldn't detect the sarcasm in Inoichi's words, Ryun continued, "Standing at the entrance of my house and saying it's a coincidence to run into me, who is inside my home – isn't that a kind of humor?"
Inoichi's expression stiffened. He then realized he had been a bit careless with his words just now.
He immediately calmed down, refusing to let himself get angry because of his daughter's improper behavior.
"Ryun-kun, you misunderstood. I was just lamenting that I saved the trouble of knocking on the door."
"I see. In that case, I take back what I said."
Ryun made a welcoming gesture and said, "I wonder if there's something Father-in-law came to see me about so early in the morning?"
Seeing Ryun so polite and courteous, Inoichi calmed down another three points.
He wondered if he had been too agitated and had misunderstood his daughter and Ryun.
Was it possible they had just made plans to see a movie or something?
If it was something at that level, he could still accept it.
So Inoichi smiled again and said, "I just got back from a mission and saw my daughter arriving so early, so I got curious and followed her to have a look."
"In a few days, she'll try to take on C-rank missions. So, I was thinking of reviewing the clan's secret techniques with her. If you two don't have anything urgent planned, I intend to take her home."
If Ryun had relented at this point, Inoichi would have acted as if today's incident never happened and might have even felt apologetic towards Ryun.
However, Ryun had no intention of ruining the atmosphere between him and Ino.
As for Inoichi, he just needed to give him a slight explanation.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Father-in-law. There's something even more important that Ino and I need to do."
Inoichi was taken aback, seemingly unable to believe Ryun's words.
But in the end, he calmly asked, "Then can you tell me what you and Ino plan to do that's more important than her practicing clan jutsu?"
"Ryun-kun, you must understand that for a ninja, strength is the foundation. If your strength isn't enough, everything else is just a flash in the pan. You won't be able to hold onto it."
"Thank you for your advice, Father-in-law. But I believe this matter is extremely important for both Ino and me. It's something significant enough to affect our entire lives."
"Today is a day we simply cannot miss. I hope you, Father-in-law, won't disturb us."
Inoichi's expression gradually lost its composure, and a fierce look began to appear in his eyes.
He didn't care whether Ryun truly didn't understand what he was saying or was deliberately provoking him; today, he was going to take Yamanaka Ino home.
He swore it in the name of the Yamanaka clan!
"Then can you tell me what matter is so important to you two?"
This was Inoichi's final question. If Ryun's answer didn't satisfy him, he would resort to force.
"Sorry, I can't say."
The moment Ryun's words fell, Inoichi's fist shot towards Ryun's face.
But the attack was blocked, not by Ryun, but by a flower that flew down from the air.
Using a flower as a shuriken was a minor technique of the Yamanaka clan, though it was more for show than practical combat.
With such a heated argument happening between Ryun and Inoichi, there was no way Ino hadn't heard it.
She just thought Ryun could handle it, but now it seemed like Ryun was getting angry and losing his cool.
Unable to do anything else, she had to step in and ease the tension between the two.
"Dad, why are you so angry!"
Ino pretended to be cute, shaking Inoichi's arm. Seeing that he was unmoved, she went over to Ryun's side.
With her back to Inoichi, she looked at Ryun and mouthed silently, "I'll wait until Dad calms down and sneak back over."
Then she prepared to go back and continue soothing her father, but Ryun grabbed her hand.
"Ino, this is for you."
Ryun's expression was full of apology. "I originally planned to give you a surprise at the end of our date, but I have to give it to you now."
Yamanaka Ino looked at the scroll in her hand quizzically, then immediately saw the words written on it: Secret Technique · Twin Heart Method.
She opened it curiously, reading the contents inside.
But after just reading a few lines of the introductory text, her beautiful eyes widened to the size of saucers, and her heartbeat nearly stopped from excitement.
This jutsu was practically tailor-made for the Yamanaka clan!
No one knew better than the Yamanaka themselves the enormous flaws in their secret techniques.
If it weren't for having members of the Nara and Akimichi clans as teammates, Yamanaka clan members couldn't even participate in front-line combat.
Of course, even if they couldn't fight on the front lines, Yamanaka members could still contribute to the village by working behind the scenes on intelligence gathering and communications.
But a Yamanaka clan member couldn't always have someone from another clan accompanying them for personal protection. They needed the combat power to handle unexpected situations on their own.
This problem had plagued the Yamanaka clan since the Warring States Period. And now, in her hands, was the fundamental solution to this very problem.
Yamanaka Ino quickly rolled up the scroll, looking at Ryun with immense excitement. "Where did this come from? It must be incredibly valuable, right?"
"It's a little technique I researched myself. A gift for you. Don't you want it?"
"No, I want it! I want it so much! I absolutely want it!"
Ino jumped up excitedly, wrapped her arms around Ryun's neck, and hung onto him.
Ryun also held her waist. The two of them were so intimate and excited, it was hard to tell what they might do next.
Inoichi's face darkened like the bottom of a pot, and he moved to intervene again.
But this time, Ino proudly tossed the scroll to Inoichi, saying, "Old man, see for yourself! The gift my boyfriend gave me!"
"If you dare lay a finger on him, I won't give this to you. I'll use it all by myself!"
Inoichi caught the scroll. Though his heart was full of disbelief, he still chose to listen to his daughter and opened it.
In less than a second, Inoichi was completely absorbed.
Unlike Ino, he didn't get excited immediately. Instead, he patiently observed the principles behind the jutsu. After understanding part of the sealing technique's structure, a gleam of excitement finally began to shine in his eyes.
This technique wasn't just well-conceived; it also came with a complete, practical implementation and training method. It didn't seem like a newly created technique at all, but rather like some kind of clan secret passed down through generations.
Where on earth did Ryun get something like this?
Inoichi bit the tip of his tongue. That wasn't his concern.
Even if Ryun had robbed the Senju clan's treasury, so what?
This was a good thing his daughter had earned!
But looking at his daughter, Inoichi felt a flicker of hesitation in his heart.
Because taking this scroll meant acknowledging what his daughter had just said – that Ryun was now her boyfriend.
But that guy, Ryun, liked several people at the same time!
Inoichi was caught in a fierce internal struggle. He didn't want to sacrifice his daughter's happiness for the clan's benefit.
However, a casual remark from Ryun made Inoichi suddenly see the light.
It turned out this wasn't a multiple-choice question. Clearly, he could have it all!
"We'll practice this technique together later. You can use me as your practice target."
"Ah... is that really okay?"
Unlike the Ino in the simulation, the real-life Ino still remembered the rule about not using clan secret techniques lightly on partners.
But Ryun touched her cheek and said, "Silly, why should there be any barriers between us? Just... don't laugh at me when you see some things in my memories, okay?"
Ino burst out laughing. "No way! I'm definitely going to laugh at you mercilessly. But... only when we're alone."
Hearing his daughter say such sappy things, Inoichi surprisingly didn't feel angry. In fact, he felt a faint sense of relief.
Even his own wife wouldn't allow him to use Yamanaka clan techniques on her, because even between husband and wife, there needed to be personal space.
But this rule didn't apply to Ryun and Ino here... Even if it was just for now, Inoichi wanted his daughter to enjoy this period of pure trust and intimacy for as long as possible.
"Father-in-law, do you find any mistakes in this secret technique?"
Ryun addressed Inoichi again, his demeanor as calm as before. However, the expression on Inoichi's face had become rich and varied.
Finally, these emotions coalesced into an awkward laugh: "Haha, it's a good thing. I'll take this and study it back home."
"As for you and Ino... have fun. Remember to come home for dinner before it gets dark."
***
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