Yamanaka Inoichi gritted his teeth, turned around, and left without looking back.
At this moment, he felt he was a failed father.
The guilt in his heart, the tears at the corners of his eyes, almost made him regret it.
But then, Ino's happy laughter came from behind him. It turned out that Ryun had told her there was still a big surprise waiting for her.
For a moment, Yamanaka Inoichi was confused; was he, as a father, truly no longer needed?
Suddenly, footsteps came from behind him again, which stirred hope in Yamanaka Inoichi's heart.
He was incredibly familiar with these footsteps; they belonged to his daughter, Ino.
Could it be that his daughter ultimately couldn't bear to part with him and had come to say goodbye?
Unfortunately, reality was cruel.
Ino actively closed the main door and even slid the lock into place.
Although this door held almost no practical significance for a ninja, it represented Ino's attitude.
At least at this moment, for Ino, this place was home, and her father was the outsider.
Yamanaka Inoichi walked away dejectedly.
He decided that once home, he absolutely had to study this wondrous ninjutsu intensively.
Later, he could teach this technique to Ino; at least this way, he could regain his daughter's admiration.
The scene returns to Ryun's side. Ino pressed herself against the door, listening to her father's receding footsteps, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Today was the day she and Ryun were leaving their mark; there was no way she would let her father interrupt all of this.
What she hadn't expected, though, was that Ryun had prepared such an important gift for her.
It was something sufficient to elevate both herself and the Yamanaka clan to the next level. Now that Ryun had given it to Yamanaka Inoichi, and Yamanaka Inoichi had acknowledged their relationship.
Thinking of this, Ino felt her body go weak.
Perhaps the preparations she had made still weren't quite enough?
Just as Ino was about to turn around, she felt a gentle large hand placed on the back of her neck, giving it a light squeeze.
Her face flushed crimson, as if she were a little kitten whose vital spot had been caught. She slowly retreated backward, leaning into Ryun's embrace.
"Ino, are you sick? Why are you so weak?"
Ryun looked at Ino with a faint smile. Ino turned around and reached out to push against Ryun's cheeks. At this moment, she didn't dare look at him.
Because she hadn't yet decided what expression to use.
"Alright, stop messing around."
Ryun caught Ino by the wrist and, without allowing any argument, lowered his head, blowing gently near her ear.
"Start now, or wait until your mood settles a bit?"
Ino took deep breaths. Once she had finally calmed down, she spoke two words decisively.
"Now."
Since Ino had said that, what more could Ryun say?
He took Ino's hand, and together they went upstairs, arriving in front of Ino's room.
Although this wasn't Ryun's first time here, it was his first time coming here *with* Ino, let alone the fact that they would be using this place together for the first time afterward.
Even Ryun inexplicably felt a hint of tension; perhaps emotions were always contagious.
Ryun opened the door, entered first, then turned around and said to Ino, "Welcome home."
"Pfft, 'Welcome home'—using that word here feels so weird!"
Ino giggled, trying to hide her nervousness. Then she took brisk, cheerful steps into the room, pretending to look around her new home appraisingly, before finally tilting her head and smiling: "I'm home——"
Just as Ryun was about to respond, Ino spoke the remaining three words.
"Darling."
Ryun looked at Ino in surprise. Ino wore a smug expression, seemingly proud of gaining the upper hand verbally. The result was that Ryun destroyed Ino's composure instantly with just one sentence.
"Thank goodness you're finally back. Our child wet the bed. How do I change the diaper?"
Ino shot Ryun a fierce glare, rushed over, and started pushing and shoving him, insisting on teaching him how to change a diaper.
But amidst the push and pull, they ended up sitting on the carpet by the edge of the bed, embracing each other tightly.
After a long while, once their emotions had settled somewhat, Ryun said, "Regarding the True Spirit Seal, do you need me to explain it again?"
Ino shot upright and said, "There's something I thought about for a long time last night and couldn't figure out. What the heck was that Sakura girl laughing about?"
"Do you remember..."
Ino started to describe the scene at that time, but Ryun interrupted her, saying, "I remember."
"Hmm?"
Ino looked at Ryun suspiciously and said, "Were you two accomplices? Confess honestly. What bad things did you whisper about me behind my back?"
"How could that be? Behind your back, I only say you're beautiful, smart, and considerate."
Ino gave a light snort, pretending not to believe him, but the corners of her mouth were already uncontrollably turning up.
"As for the reason she laughed... well, telling you now doesn't matter——"
Ryun looked towards Ino's waist.
At this moment, Ino had her back to the window. Sunlight filtered through the fabric of her dress, revealing her waist, so slender it seemed barely a handful.
Even though Ino's bust still had room to grow, she was already gradually showing the elegant and charming bearing of the future Ino.
Ino naturally knew what Ryun was looking at. She even deliberately stretched lazily. In the interplay of half-revealed and half-hidden, Ino grew increasingly confident in her own allure.
Seeing that Ryun was still just looking without speaking, she traced his lips with her finger and said, "Don't get so infatuated. You still haven't told me why Sakura was mocking me. Don't think you can just gloss over it."
"Alright, the matter is actually quite simple."
Ryun did something Ino hadn't expected. He lifted up Ino's dress.
Ino instantly froze solid.
To meet today's challenge, she hadn't worn any safety shorts underneath; instead, she wore the orange-red "battle attire" she had chosen.
Trembling, she wanted to push Ryun's hand down, but ultimately held back. Instead, she reached out to grab Ryun's ears, using this to vent her displeasure.
Ryun, however, assumed the attitude of a researcher and said, "Sakura's mark is here. Normally, leaving the mark here also has the best effect, but you like wearing crop tops."
Ryun let go of Ino's dress, spread his hands, and said, "Although I can make the mark very aesthetically pleasing, you don't want others to see it either, right?"
Only then did Ino understand. She lowered her head and touched the area of her belly.
Thinking that during battles with others, everyone would be looking at this spot, even though Ino was usually poised and confident, she now felt her body begin to burn and steam.
She could be Ryun's girlfriend and didn't mind others gossiping about the relationship between her and Ryun, but she absolutely would not allow anyone to belittle the feelings between herself and Ryun.
"It's okay. I'll just stop wearing that kind of clothes from now on!"
"Or maybe I could wrap a bandage around my waist. Actually, I often do that too."
What Ino said was true. No matter how much she loved beauty, she wouldn't run around in a crop top in winter. But summer was different.
Ryun shook his head and said seriously, "I actually quite like your style of dress, so you might consider moving the mark to another position."
"For example——here."
Ryun pointed vaguely at Ino's chest. A position close to the heart was also beneficial for the mental energy growth of the True Spirit Seal.
Of course, even if it were changed to another private area, the impact on the True Spirit Seal wouldn't be that significant. After all, this sealing technique was something only Ryun could provide; at most, comparisons would be made among a few girls.
Ino subconsciously crossed her arms over her chest. Although she had prepared herself to be seen by Ryun, leaving the True Spirit Seal there was still a bit beyond her expectations.
However, she didn't refuse outright. Instead, she bit her lip slightly and asked, "How much difference would it be compared to Sakura's?"
"Not much..."
"No, I want a specific number!"
Ino gestured in front of her chest and said, "For example... for example, when we get married in a few years, will hers be bigger than mine?"
Ryun blinked, recalling Ino and Sakura a few years later. In reality, there wasn't much comparison between the two.
Although Ino wasn't exceptionally gifted in this area, she was still at an ordinary person's level.
Coupled with Ino's knack for dressing up, when others looked at Ino, their attention would only be drawn to her beautiful makeup.
As for Sakura... well, let's just say it was a level that even the Yin Seal couldn't save.
Ryun's True Spirit Seal could definitely help her to some extent, but at most, it would bring her up to the lower limit of an ordinary person.
Of course, in the current situation, Ryun naturally wouldn't say that.
Ryun did indeed like seeing Ino in crop tops, but only on the condition that it was just for him to see.
So——Ryun cleared his throat lightly and said, "Probably Sakura will be a little bigger, since she got hers a month earlier."
It was precisely this statement that made Ino finalize her decision.
Compared to a critical issue like chest size, wearing or not wearing crop tops was a trivial matter.
She took Ryun's hand and guided it to touch her belly, saying, "I want to put the mark here too. Now, right now!"
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