Chapter 480: Choosing a Daughter-in-Law
It wasn't until dinner that Ryo remembered he had forgotten to leave food for Naruto. As a reliable Great Ancestor, he naturally couldn't let the boy resort to eating bugs.
After finishing his own dinner in a leisurely manner, Ryo strolled back to Mount Myoboku to deliver the leftovers from Kushina's house. Unfortunately, Naruto was an impatient brat and had already stuffed his stomach by then...
"Well, you can't blame me for this," Ryo said, spreading his hands at Naruto's aggrieved expression. "A true warrior dares to stand at the absolute peak of the food chain. Naruto, since you can even stomach bugs, you will undoubtedly become a spectacular individual in the future!"
"Great Ancestor, have you ever eaten bugs too?"
"The Great Ancestor isn't that spectacular yet."
Naruto: "..."
Since Naruto was slated to cultivate at Mount Myoboku for several months, Ryo moved back into Kushina's house and occupied Naruto's bedroom. The family business, Ichiraku Ramen, had been closed for a solid half-year and was basically defunct by now. Having amassed a colossal repository of gambling funds, Ryo didn't care much for such a tiny estate anyway...
Without the rascal Naruto around, Ryo didn't need to stay on guard against midnight ambushes. He slept in for the first time in ages, and by the time he woke up the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Did Minato take Tsukika out for training?"
Kushina was busy wiping down the tables and chairs. Hearing his voice, she didn't even turn her head as she spoke: "Great-grandfather, you're finally awake. Minato took Tsukika out first thing this morning. He has to teach Tenten the Flying Raijin now, so his schedule isn't as open as before."
Ryo scratched his head: "Then you can just leave Tsukika to me, I can teach her..."
"Forget it. You spoil Tsukika to high heaven. Even when she said she wanted to be an actress, you just indulged her."
"I've told you before, daughters must be raised with absolute pampering. Besides, whether she becomes an actress or not is a matter for the distant future. What's the rush!" Ryo shook his head helplessly.
Kushina turned around with a deeply melancholic look: "Then what's with that word 'cool' that she keeps spouting out of her mouth?"
Ryo let out a light cough: "Ahem, anyway, Kushina, the Great Ancestor just harvested a magnificent treasure."
Kushina was an absolute money-grubber. Hearing the word 'treasure', her focus shifted instantly, her dual eyes lighting up...
Ryo smiled, flicking his wrist to materialize the wooden box from his Eight Trigrams space: "Inside this is snake powder—the authentic snake powder of the White Snake Sage. It is packed with rich nutrients, and it can thoroughly detoxify the system and beautify the skin!"
Hearing this, Kushina's eyes grew even brighter. She was thirty-seven years old, after all. Even if she was naturally beautiful, it was getting a bit difficult to maintain a flawless, youthful teenage appearance... The real problem was that Minato only grew more and more handsome as he aged. Where was the justice in that?
"Great-grandfather, you are simply too good to me!" Kushina leaped forward to throw herself into Ryo's arms.
Ryo shook his head with a laugh: "Alright, look at how old you are, don't let the kids watch a comedy show."
"Kids?" Kushina paused. Following Ryo's gaze, she turned around to find a pink-haired young girl standing right at the doorway, staring in absolute, jaw-dropped bewilderment at the two embracing...
"Ah, Sakura. Are you here looking for Naruto?" Kushina smoothly let go of Ryo, her expression instantly reverting to a gentle, warm smile. "He isn't home. He should have already secured his leave from Kakashi, right?"
"Ah—ah—ah! Aunt Kushina, I didn't come looking for Naruto, I came to find the Great Ancestor." Sakura's vocal pitch shifted dynamically across three different keys.
"Looking for me?" Ryo glanced at the square box Sakura was cradling to her chest. "You even brought a gift?"
Sakura's face flushed a deep crimson. Stepping briskly to stand in front of Ryo, she bowed to present the box.
Ryo accepted it with a smile. It was a perfectly square box without any redundant decorations—nor did it require any, because the faint aroma wafting from within clearly indicated it was a food tier bento box...
Resting inside were standard sweet pastries—mochi—artfully arranged with various floral adornments. One look was enough to tell it was a love bento crafted meticulously by a young girl.
Ryo pinched a piece and tossed it into his mouth, nodding as he chewed: "The flavor is thoroughly average, but the Great Ancestor has received the sentiment. However, the age structural disparity between the two of us is simply too massive; it is fundamentally improper. You should comfortably carry on pursuing Sasuke."
Sakura: ???
Kushina also pinched a piece of mochi: "The flavor is actually quite decent. Great-grandfather, you're being mischievous again."
Ryo wore a helpless look. How are you talking to me? Zero respect for generational hierarchy...
Sakura's inner persona was screaming in absolute, wild fury. Only after a long while did she barely manage to pacify her chaotic emotions, speaking softly: "Great Ancestor, I wanted to request your guidance..."
"You want to learn culinary arts from me? Your innate culinary talent is indeed quite decent, leagues ahead of Kushina..."
"Great Ancestor!" Sakura hollered at the top of her lungs. Realizing her attitude was out of line, she immediately shifted back into a cute, innocent persona, even mimicking Hinata's classic shy behavior by twirling her two index fingers together: "Great Ancestor, could you please guide me in my cultivation?"
Ryo pinched another piece of mochi, tossing it in his mouth to chew: "What exactly do you wish to learn?"
"Medical Ninjutsu. I have completely mastered the baseline Medical Ninjutsu scrolls you gave me before, as well as the other two volumes!"
"Then you should rightfully be aware that your true peak talent lies in Genjutsu, correct?" Ryo ate another piece.
"Mmm... but Sasuke-kun's Genjutsu... and once Naruto returns from his training, he will undoubtedly become significantly stronger..."
Sakura's words were slightly fragmented, but Ryo smoothly parsed out her intent, popping another piece of mochi into his mouth...
In truth, the absolute millisecond Sakura appeared, Ryo had already deduced her objective. In the original story timeline, to stop dragging Naruto down, she had apprenticed herself under Tsunade in hopes of becoming strong and resilient... The exact same logic applied here.
However, in this reality, Tsunade and Sakura shared zero active interaction, and since Ryo had previously given her baseline guidance, tracking down Ryo to be her teacher was perfectly logical. Choosing to study Medical Ninjutsu and sacrificing her natural Genjutsu talent was specifically so she could become useful to Sasuke and Naruto as quickly as possible.
"Are you aware that throughout my entire life, the Great Ancestor has only ever accepted five official disciples? Even Kimimaro and the other two aren't permitted to call me Master?" Ryo ate another piece.
Sakura's face washed over with profound disappointment: "I am aware."
Ryo chuckled softly, sharing the final two pieces of mochi with Kushina: "Since you are aware, make sure to bring a significantly larger batch of mochi tomorrow. This wasn't enough to eat."
Sakura stood frozen, staring blankly as Ryo stuffed the empty bento box right back into her hands.
"Why are you still standing there dazed?"
"Oh? Oh!" Sakura's face erupted into a radiant flower of supreme joy. Clutching the bento box to her chest, she sprinted out the door, not forgetting to politely holler back: "Goodbye, Aunt Kushina!"
"Great-grandfather, you intend to officially take her on as a disciple?"
Ryo pondered for several moments: "Taking her on is fine, let me give it a bit more consideration. For now... let the two of us figure out exactly how to eat this treasure!"
Sakura hadn't originally harbored much expectation, merely wanting to test her luck. If it failed, she had intended to simply beg Ryo for the cultivation methods of advanced Medical Ninjutsu. She hadn't anticipated such an unexpected harvest, trotting all the way back home with an uncontained smile pinned to her face. Along the highway, she ran straight into an acquaintance.
"Sakura, what... happened to you?"
Sakura brought her steps to a halt: "Ah, Hinata..."
That evening, facing Hiashi—who was dragging the sisters Hinata and Hanabi—and Hizashi—who was dragging Neji—both brothers manifesting an expression that screamed 'feel free to select whomever you desire', Ryo was entirely left speechless.
After a long silence, Ryo shook his head with a laugh: "Did the rumor that the Great Ancestor is choosing a daughter-in-law spread this fast? But why on earth did you guys bring Neji along?"
Hiashi and Hizashi stared at each other in complete, blank bewilderment.
Hinata covered her mouth in absolute shock. Sakura... Hanabi cast a highly confused glance toward her older sister.
As for Neji, he directly activated his Byakugan—though this time, it was blindingly obvious he was just rolling his eyes. It was fundamentally not a Kekkei Genkai activation...
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