Although Ino was a year younger than Tenten, the sociable Ino had already known Tenten back in the Ninja Academy. Now she took the opportunity to get closer, leveraging their past acquaintance.
Tenten was in a good mood and thus chatted idly with Ino. She didn't even notice that Ino was deliberately trying to draw information from her.
It wasn't until Ino repeatedly mentioned Ryun that Tenten became alert and said, "Are you very interested in Ryun? You shouldn't know him, right?"
Ino had long prepared a reason. With an expectant expression, she said, "I heard he is writing a biography about the Uchiha clan. I want to learn about the Uchiha clan's affairs so I can better understand Sasuke-kun."
"So that's it..."
Tenten believed this reason. Subsequently, her gaze towards Ino became a bit more affectionate, feeling as if they now shared more common topics.
The two walked and chatted, even having dinner together at Ichiraku Ramen before parting ways.
By this point, Ino felt she had obtained all the intelligence she wanted. Tomorrow happened to be the weekend, so she could begin her mission.
However, rashly approaching Ryun still seemed a bit abrupt... Right, she could ask her grandmother to help out.
Didn't Ryun like telling stories? Her grandmother, a former Konoha jounin, could surely tell stories unlike any ordinary ones!
So the next afternoon, Ino led a somewhat reluctant, simply dressed Yamanaka Mayu in a kimono to the front of Ryun's home.
"Ahem, Grandma, you need to follow my instructions from now on, okay?"
Ino put on a serious act. She had already told her grandmother this was a mission; otherwise, her grandmother wouldn't have indulged her mischief.
Yamanaka Mayu nodded, pretended to cough twice, and said, "Ino, aren't you going to present the visiting card to Mr. Nojuro?"
Ino immediately complied.
She politely knocked on Ryun's door, then called out softly in a cheerful voice, "Good afternoon, Mr. Nojuro. The Yamanaka family has come to visit!"
Ryun had already learned through simulation that this would happen, but he was still somewhat bewildered by Ino's mannerisms.
Did it really need to be this formal?
Ryun could only stand up, made a gesture of invitation, and said, "You are most welcome. I am Ryun. May I ask, miss, who you are?"
"I am Yamanaka Ino. Outside is my grandmother, Yamanaka Mayu. My grandmother would like to tell you a story. Do you have time now?"
Ryun nodded and accepted the visiting card.
He then politely invited the old man who had been telling Ryun how the Uchiha family raised cats to have tea outside in the courtyard. Afterward, he formally invited Yamanaka Mayu inside.
Ryun was an orphan. Originally, he shouldn't have known how to interact with people from a major clan like the Yamanaka.
But he already had the simulation experience of three lifetimes. In one lifetime, he even became the Kazekage's advisor.
Therefore, when facing Yamanaka Mayu, he carried himself with graceful composure. His demeanor and expression were even more at ease than those old ninjas in their sixties and seventies in the courtyard.
These unusual behaviors immediately caught the attention of the Yamanaka grandmother and granddaughter.
After Ryun finished brewing tea and setting out the refreshments, Yamanaka Mayu couldn't help but praise, "Mr. Nojuro, where did you learn these details of daily life? You perform them even more excellently than my granddaughter."
"Grandma!"
Ino couldn't help but pout coquettishly, but her gaze towards Ryun was already filled with astonishment.
She had originally thought Ryun was just a somewhat handsome lucky guy who happened to catch the Hokage's eye.
But now it seemed, apart from strength being inferior to hers, Ryun seemed superior to her in every other aspect.
He even seemed more outstanding than Sasuke...
Ino was startled by her own thought and quickly averted her gaze, pretending to be busy examining Ryun's room.
Ryun smiled lightly in response to Yamanaka Mayu and said, "You flatter me, ma'am."
"There is a saying: 'Within books, there are houses of gold. Within books, there are faces like jade.' I have simply read many books and learned some rigid principles from them. I truly cannot compare to the heritage of a major clan."
Ryun could only use the excuse of reading a lot to prevaricate for now.
However, unlike the trepidation he felt when first using this excuse, Ryun's mindset had now leveled out.
He only needed to avoid offending the Third Hokage for these next six months or so. By the time of the Chunin Exams, he could fully elevate his strength to jounin level. Then, the world would be his oyster, he could go anywhere.
This was the reason Ryun now exuded confidence from head to toe.
"A very good saying. I will remember it and use it to encourage the younger generations of the Yamanaka family in the future."
Yamanaka Mayu praised sincerely, though her scrutinizing gaze made it clear she did not believe Ryun's words.
If one could grow to Ryun's level merely by reading books, then Ryun's home would at least need to be filled with a roomful of collected books.
Looking again at Ryun's desk, there were only a sparse few books there, the vast majority of which were newly purchased.
All of this indicated that Ryun had secrets... But what did that have to do with the Yamanaka family?
Doing their own duties well to ease the Hokage's worries was the Yamanaka family's consistent survival strategy.
The rest could be left for the Hokage and the advisors to fret over.
"Since we've mentioned books, Mr. Nojuro, may I see the book you are writing? That way, I can better understand how to narrate the story I know."
"Of course."
Ryun handed over the book he had written, which was more than one volume long. Ino immediately took it proactively, opened it before herself and her grandmother, and began reading with keen interest.
Although she came here to carry out a mission, Ino was genuinely curious about Ryun's book.
As a result, after reading just one page, she became completely engrossed, her heart gripped by the tense, stormy, and bloody atmosphere of the Warring States period.
Yamanaka Mayu, meanwhile, seemed to recall those life-and-death crises one after another. Her face gradually paled, and her eyes became moist and glistening.
Only after the grandmother and granddaughter finished the last page, and Ino somewhat reluctantly closed the book, did Yamanaka Mayu speak, "Mr. Nojuro, you are truly a genius."
"I dare not accept such praise, ma'am. Please just call me by my name."
"Then you should not call me 'ma'am' either... call me Grandma. That would feel more intimate."
"Huh?!"
Ino exclaimed in surprise. How did Ryun suddenly qualify to call Yamanaka Mayu 'Grandma'?
The relationship had progressed so dramatically. How did she not keep up?
Yamanaka Mayu saw her granddaughter's confusion, smiled, patted her granddaughter's head, and said, "Mr. Nojuro will write more books in the future. The books he writes will surely become classics recited by everyone in Konoha."
"Perhaps one day in the future, the name of our Yamanaka family will also appear in Ryun's books."
"Such a person naturally deserves to be a guest of honor at our Yamanaka house."
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