Ryun jumped down calmly and said, "Lord Hokage, what brings you here?"
"I'm getting on in years, just taking a stroll. I saw you writing and got curious, so I came over for a look."
"Well then, Lord Hokage, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Ryun was only being polite as a formality, but to his surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen actually nodded and followed him inside.
As a result, Ryun himself wasn't even familiar with the new house's layout yet, and it took him a good while before he could serve tea to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Throughout this, Sarutobi Hiruzen showed no impatience at all; instead, he looked around Ryun's house with curiosity.
"Lord Hokage, please have some tea."
"You're too polite, Ryun. In just a little over half a year, I never imagined you would achieve so much."
Sarutobi Hiruzen exclaimed, "Leaving aside your book writing, just now I saw your steps were steady while walking on the wall; it seems your chakra control has already reached a decent level."
"Furthermore, you've become friends with Sasuke, Naruto, and many girls, and you've even learned quite a few jutsu."
"I heard from Guy that you've also designed ninja tools, run a Yakiniku restaurant, made a good amount of money, and now you've even finished building a new house."
"Ryun, in all my years, this is the first time I've seen a genius like you. I am already old, and I envy the vibrant energy of youth like yours. Can you tell me how you did it?"
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was smiling warmly, Ryun knew that this was undoubtedly a moment of probing from him.
Clearly, Ryun achieving so much had already aroused Sarutobi Hiruzen's suspicion, and behind it, there might even be proposals from Danzo.
This was actually the result of Ryun deliberately hiding his strength. If Ryun were to display Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique now, he wondered what expression Sarutobi Hiruzen would have.
In fact, Ryun felt that if he revealed his full strength now, Sarutobi Hiruzen would probably try to cultivate him as a direct confidant, doing his utmost to push Ryun's position higher in the time he had left.
Unfortunately, Ryun had no intention of accepting Sarutobi Hiruzen's help. If Sarutobi Hiruzen had shown keen insight when Ryun first started writing books, Ryun naturally wouldn't have been able to refuse his guidance back then.
But now, Ryun knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't possibly sever the bond between himself and Danzo.
So, Ryun would still rely on himself. If, in the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart softened and he asked Ryun to go easy on Danzo, wouldn't Ryun then become an ungrateful villain?
"Lord Hokage, you are in your prime and will surely live to be a hundred."
Ryun, calm on the surface but inwardly amused, paid Sarutobi Hiruzen a compliment, then said, "As for the small achievements I've made,
compared to the geniuses who became jonin at my age, they are utterly insignificant."
"I merely took the time that other ninja spend training hard every day and used it for some miscellaneous tasks."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "But it's clear you also train very diligently. Anyway, what I came for is to ask you about your plans for your next book."
Ryun's expression turned slightly serious. Could this really be Sarutobi Hiruzen's goal?
"May I ask what advice Lord Hokage has?"
"It's simple. You're interested in the Will of Fire of the First Hokage, aren't you? Then just write a biography of the First Hokage. I'll oversee it for you."
Upon hearing this, Ryun showed a delighted expression and said, "Then I am extremely grateful to you, Lord Hokage."
"I'm glad you can accept this suggestion. You might not know this, but Konoha has entered another turbulent period recently."
"Some people are spreading rumors that Konoha harbors too much darkness, but which village's continuation has ever been smooth sailing?"
"It's also time for everyone to reflect on the difficult journey the First Hokage undertook when he founded Konoha. I think your new book can be the key to boosting Konoha's morale."
After speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and left Ryun's house.
Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen's retreating figure, Ryun slowly let his smile fade.
He knew there were no flaws in his performance this time, but for old-school ninja from the Warring States Period like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo, suspicion doesn't require any evidence.
But so what?
Ryun's power had now grown to a point where he was no longer someone Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo could suppress.
Ryun then closed the door, returned to his room, and began setting up various sealing techniques and cursed seals in the room to prevent possible sneak attacks or sensory observation.
After Ryun finished all this, the sound of knocking came again.
Ryun opened the door and was surprised to find the doorway crowded with people he knew well.
Not only the girls, but even Guy and the others had come. Clearly, everyone was there to celebrate Ryun's housewarming.
Ryun naturally wouldn't refuse everyone's visit. He had actually already ordered food from various restaurants, and the food and drinks would be delivered shortly.
The group celebrated boisterously at Ryun's place until late into the night before leaving one after another. Just as Ryun was about to clean up by himself,
Anko turned back.
"Yo, I came back to help you clean up. Touched?"
"Is it really just to clean up?" Ryun looked at Anko with a teasing expression.
Anko's face flushed red, and she shot Ryun a glare.
But in the end, she just shook her head and said, "I don't have money to pay my utility bills lately. Could I possibly find a room in your house to stay temporarily? I can pay you rent after I finish my next mission."
"I mean, your house is pretty big..."
Ryun sighed and said, "Nojuro Anko, don't be so coy. From now on, this is your home. You can come and go as you please."
"But, you need my permission before entering my room."
Before Ryun could finish his sentence, Anko had already pounced on him, clinging to his body, laughing joyfully like a carefree young girl.
Her cheeks were flushed, and because of Ryun's words "Nojuro Anko," she was already dizzy with joy, urgently needing Ryun to administer some in-depth treatment with his medical ninjutsu.
Ryun checked the time and felt it was about time for bed.
He was just about to carry Anko to the extra-large bathroom in his house for a romantic shower together when more girls turned back.
Tenten, Ino, Sakura, Hinata. The four girls stood dumbfounded at the doorway, staring at Ryun and Anko embracing, momentarily feeling like they were hallucinating.
Anko's face instantly turned pale, her blood running cold.
Although Ryun had accepted her, she knew that what she had done might not be accepted by others.
Originally, she planned to let a few years wear away this memory, but now it seemed she would have to make a greater sacrifice to protect Ryun's reputation.
Just as she was about to pretend to be drunk and frivolously flirt with Ryun to give the girls an opportunity to intervene, Ryun spoke first.
"You came just in time. Anko-nee wants to take me as her little brother and have me change my surname to Mitarashi. Do you all agree?"
The girls immediately erupted, rushing over and grabbing Anko, practically carrying her straight out the door of Ryun's house.
It wasn't until Anko saw the door firmly closed that she realized she had instead been saved by Ryun.
Anko found the whole situation both funny and annoying, while also marveling that her beloved little brother truly was someone who dared to think about building a big clan. It seemed he really had the capability!
She just wondered how he would manage when faced with four little girls simultaneously.
However, Anko couldn't imagine that Ryun didn't need to make a move at all.
The four girls nervously surrounded Ryun in the middle, educating him about the terribleness of "bad women" and telling him to stay away from those potentially ill-intentioned older sisters.
As for being angry or jealous about seeing him and Anko embracing, that had long been cast from their minds.
Then, Ryun's words made everyone present blush.
"To make it easier for us to train together in the future, I've reserved a room for each of you. Each room only has one key. You can keep some spare clothes inside."
"I also built a large bathhouse imitating the Kazamatsuri Hot Spring House. However, due to limited land, it's not separated by gender. But that's okay; when you're here, I'll just use the shower in my room."
Afterwards, Ryun handed keys to each of them.
Besides the keys to their respective rooms, there were also keys to the front gate of Ryun's house.
"I built my house quite large, but unfortunately, I'm all alone. Living in such an empty, spacious house inevitably gets lonely."
"So, if you all want to come, feel free to do so. You can treat this place as a free hotel or even a hot spring house. You are one hundred percent welcome."
Seeing the girls unmoving, Ryun showed a disappointed expression and said, "You don't like it?"
"Well then, I'll just..."
Ryun pretended as if he was going to take the keys back, but the four girls' actions were surprisingly unanimous. They quickly hid the keys on their persons, firmly refusing to give Ryun the chance to take them back.
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