Chapter Nine: Asking for Help
The first meeting of the new Team Thirty-One lasted more than two hours. By the time Ryūya returned to the Akimichi clan compound, the sky was already growing dark.
Walking along the small paths within the clan grounds, the slanting summer sun stretched Ryūya's shadow long across the ground.
To be honest, Ryūya's mood at the moment could hardly be called pleasant.
After comparing himself with Yūhi Teru and Sagawa earlier that day, Ryūya had finally come to realize just how poor his foundation in ninjutsu really was.
They were all genin who had graduated in the same year, yet Ryūya's basic skills were actually inferior even to those of a civilian ninja like Sagawa.
That was truly hard to accept.
After all, although Ryūya was only a branch member of the Akimichi clan, the resources and education he had been able to access since childhood were far beyond anything Sagawa could compare to.
At the very least, Sagawa's parents were not ninja with chūnin-level strength.
Ever since acquiring the biological chip—his overpowered cheat—Ryūya's ambition had soared, and he had set his sights on becoming one of the chosen of the ninja world.
But after yesterday's failed request and today's meeting, Ryūya was forced to face a depressing reality: he was still a genin among genin, a rookie among rookies, his strength firmly at the very bottom of the ninja world.
And in the short term, there seemed to be no way to turn things around.
This sharp psychological gap was indeed difficult to accept.
According to the memories in his mind, it would be only about a year after Namikaze Minato took office as Fourth Hokage before a massive upheaval would strike Konoha once again.
With Ryūya's current strength, it was practically impossible for him to make any meaningful impact during the Nine-Tails Incident.
Right now, the only thing he could realistically consider was how to stay alive during that chaos.
Letting out a silent sigh, Ryūya entered the clan compound, then turned at an intersection and headed in the opposite direction from his own house.
After leaving the Ninja Academy, if he wanted to truly grasp these fundamental ninja courses, he would need to find another teacher to instruct him.
After walking several dozen meters, he arrived in front of a small building and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
A middle-aged woman's voice sounded from inside.
"Aunt Hui, it's me—Ryūya," he said obediently from outside.
"So it's Ryūya! You little brat, why haven't you come to see your aunt in so long?"
Hearing Ryūya's voice, the woman inside complained with pleasant surprise.
"You little rascal, you've grown taller since the last time I saw you! Come in!"
The door opened to reveal the face of a beautiful middle-aged woman, who looked at Ryūya with mock reproach.
Though her mouth was full of complaints, she immediately and attentively brought out slippers for Ryūya to change into.
"Ah—okay, Aunt Hui!"
Seeing her actions, warmth welled up in Ryūya's heart. He obediently changed his shoes and followed her inside.
The middle-aged woman's name was Takahashi Hui, the wife of Akimichi Rōu. From her expression and mannerisms, it was obvious that Ryūya's visit had made her very happy.
Within the clan, Ryūya's father, Akimichi Suyō, and Akimichi Rōu had been childhood playmates. Although a gap in their strength later emerged, it never affected their relationship.
When Ryūya was young, he often came by to visit. After marriage, and having no children of their own, Akimichi Rōu and Takahashi Hui had always treated him as if he were their own son.
As he gradually grew older, however, the original, shy Ryūya rarely came by on his own.
That, however, was no longer the case for the current Ryūya.
Having been in this world for over two months now, although he hadn't spent much time with Akimichi Rōu, he had already genuinely felt the heartfelt care the clan's jōnin showed him.
Ryūya sincerely regarded Akimichi Rōu as one of his elders.
Since they were family elders, there was naturally no reason for Ryūya to hide anything from them.
"Aunt Hui, where's Uncle Rōu?"
So without the slightest reservation, Ryūya followed Takahashi Hui inside, craning his neck to look around as he walked. When he didn't see Akimichi Rōu, he finally asked.
"Hmph! So you only have eyes for your Uncle Rōu? If he's not around, would you not come see your aunt at all?" Takahashi Hui turned and scolded him playfully.
"Ah! How could that be? Of course I miss Aunt Hui too!
I've been craving your cooking for ages. I really couldn't resist today, so I shamelessly came over to mooch a meal!" Ryūya said quickly, his survival instincts kicking in. He stepped forward, grabbed Takahashi Hui's arm, and put on a flattering smile.
After doing so, Ryūya realized that his movements were unexpectedly practiced.
It wasn't that Ryūya, this "old man," enjoyed acting cute—it was simply that Takahashi Hui's presence in his memories was too deeply ingrained.
Don't be fooled by her current gentle and virtuous appearance; when she got angry, she was terrifying—on the same level as an enraged Kushina or Sakura.
In the original owner's memories, this aunt had beaten him up more than a few times when she lost her temper.
The key point was that Takahashi Hui was also a chūnin. If she wanted to beat Ryūya, there was absolutely no way for him to escape.
This was also one of the reasons why Ryūya had stopped coming here so often as he grew older.
With the original owner's level of emotional intelligence, it had been impossible to understand this kind of sincere, parent-like affection.
"Hmph, sweet-talker!"
You sit down obediently. Your Uncle Rōu should be back before long. I'll go prepare dinner first—tonight I'll make all your favorite dishes."
Hearing Ryūya's words, Takahashi Hui finally showed a satisfied smile and "gently" patted his shoulder before heading into the kitchen, leaving him alone in the living room.
Behind her, Ryūya sat down with a pained expression, baring his teeth as he rubbed the shoulder she had patted.
Aunt Hui's affection was as domineering as ever!
He hadn't been sitting there long when the sound of the door opening rang out again. A weary-looking Akimichi Rōu walked in from outside.
"Uncle Rōu," Ryūya hurried over obediently.
"You're here," Akimichi Rōu said flatly, casting a glance at him.
Clearly, he was still somewhat dissatisfied with Ryūya's performance the previous day.
Seeing this, Ryūya smiled awkwardly and stood quietly in the living room without offering any excuses.
Half an hour later, Takahashi Hui prepared a table full of food, much of it made up of dishes Ryūya had loved in the past.
During the meal, Akimichi Rōu barely spoke, while Ryūya and Takahashi Hui chatted from time to time.
After dinner, Takahashi Hui went to the kitchen to clean up, leaving Ryūya and Akimichi Rōu sitting across from each other.
"Today should have been the first meeting of your new Team Thirty-One, right? How did it feel?" Akimichi Rōu asked after a brief silence.
Ryūya replied obediently, "It was alright. The new instructor and teammate are both pretty good. It's just that my strength is the weakest in the team, so I feel a bit upset about it."
"Oh? Weren't you acting quite confident yesterday? Why so down today?" Akimichi Rōu glanced up at him, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
"The confidence I should have is still there. Growth just takes time," Ryūya said, straightening his chest and raising his voice slightly.
Akimichi Rōu's gaze lingered on Ryūya for a moment before he continued, "Alright, then. Tell me—what did you really come here for today?"
"Hehe, come on, Uncle Rōu. Can't I come by just to visit you and Aunt Hui when there's nothing else?" Ryūya said with a flattering smile.
Akimichi Rōu looked at him silently.
Ryūya laughed awkwardly, then said with some embarrassment, "Well… there is something. Yesterday I heard the clan head say that you're especially skilled at teaching ninjutsu, Uncle Rōu. I'd like to ask you to help me make up for my basics. My foundation is really too weak."
"Mm. In that case, you should start going on missions tomorrow. The mission locations will probably be near the village. From now on, after you return from your missions each day, you can come straight here. I'll set aside time to tutor you," Akimichi Rōu said, nodding after studying Ryūya for a moment.
"That's great! Thank you so much, Uncle Rōu!" Ryūya exclaimed with delight.
Being able to receive private tutoring from a clan jōnin was a privilege not just anyone could enjoy.