"You should go inside and sit down first, Kushina and my mom are both inside..." Ryun instructed the group.
"Alright, we're troubling you again today, Ryun-kun..."
The three adults originally intended to take the two youngsters inside with them, but the next moment, Ryun proactively spoke up to keep the two of them behind.
A short while later, only Ryun, Naruto, and Sasuke remained in the garden.
"You came to Otogakure today. Presumably, you already understand the current state of the Ninja World and have planned for your future, right?" Ryun asked casually with a calm expression.
With the Five Great Shinobi Villages personally dismantled by him, only Otogakure remained in the entire world now. Naruto and Sasuke, unwilling to be ordinary, had no other choice.
"We know some... We are willing to join Otogakure..." Sasuke replied after a moment of thought.
"Simply being willing is not enough. Do you know how many people outside are breaking their heads trying to join Otogakure but cannot? My place isn't somewhere you can join just because you want to..." Ryun said with a smile.
Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but look at each other in surprise.
"What does Uncle Ryun want us to do? Just..." Naruto couldn't help but speak up, but the next moment, Sasuke pulled him, signaling him to stop talking.
"There's nothing I want you to do specifically. However, Otogakure has many missions that require ninja to complete..."
"Unifying the nations by force will inevitably involve conquest and slaughter. You need to first complete a series of complex tasks without any reward, pass the village entry performance assessment set by the Sound Shadow, and only then will you be qualified to become a member of Otogakure..."
Ryun's meaning was very clear. If you want to join Otogakure, you must work first. You must first demonstrate loyalty and a workhorse spirit thoroughly. Then, it will depend on Orochimaru's opinion. If the work is done well, you'll be given the chance to join Otogakure and share in its prosperity. If the tasks are not done well, then go back where you came from. Otogakure does not accept useless people.
Hearing that Otogakure would initiate a series of war operations, Naruto's expression stiffened.
"Your parents were acquainted with me after all, so I will naturally accept them. As for you two..."
"I understand. I will carry out all tasks assigned by Otogakure and strive to become a member of Otogakure through my own power. I will not make things difficult for Uncle Ryun, nor will I embarrass my mother..." Sasuke proactively spoke up, taking over the conversation, his attitude extremely humble.
"Very good!" Ryun laughed and clapped his hands.
The defeated should behave like the defeated. Joining the winning side after losing is a privilege reserved for close acquaintances. Naruto and Sasuke were not among the so-called close acquaintances...
Sasuke, who once lived in the Shadow Mansion, could be counted as one. However, twice he had defied Ryun because of that dead older brother of his, causing this uncle to lose favor and patience with him.
"Don't say I, as your uncle, am not giving you a chance. Someone..."
Ryun suddenly called out. The next moment, an Anbu operative instantly appeared before him.
"Go inform the Sound Shadow. Tell him to have these two boys join the conquest vanguard unit from now on. If you pacify one country, I will agree to let you join Otogakure. If you pacify ten countries, I will allow you into the core of Otogakure..."
"Yes!"
The Anbu member, having received the order, prepared to lead the two away. However, the next moment, Sasuke suddenly made a move that utterly surprised Naruto. He saw Sasuke go down on one knee, lower his head, and speak with a serious expression.
"Thank you, Uncle Ryun, for giving us this chance. I will not disappoint you again!"
"Haha, then prove it to me with your actions." Ryun gave a faint smile in response, then turned his gaze to Naruto beside him.
"Sasuke-nii..."
But before seeing any reaction from Naruto, Nanaise quickly arrived in the garden and greeted Sasuke with a happy expression.
"Nanaise..." The moment he saw Nanaise, a mix of panic, guilt, and a bit of joy flashed in Sasuke's eyes.
He was afraid Nanaise would ask him why he left without saying goodbye all those years ago. Fortunately, Nanaise knew the real reason, so she didn't ask those questions now.
"It's been many years. Sasuke-nii has grown so much taller, and you seem to have become much more handsome too..." Nanaise stared at Sasuke's handsome face, looking him over.
Hearing this, the corner of Ryun's mouth twitched violently.
Although Ryun also knew the sixteen-year-old Sasuke was very handsome, hearing these words from his own precious daughter made him feel a little uncomfortable...
Sasuke, flustered by this compliment and Nanaise's gaze, blushed deeply. After a long pause, he stammered.
"Nanaise, you have also grown much taller... and... have become more and more beautiful!"
Naruto: "???"
He felt Sasuke was like someone who had taken the wrong medicine today. That cold, arrogant, and seemingly somewhat misogynistic Sasuke would actually praise a girl to her face? And would get nervous and blush in front of a girl???
'So Sasuke isn't really misogynistic. He just really doesn't like Sakura... My poor Sakura-chan...'
Naruto thought this silently to himself, also deciding he must tell Sakura about this. Perhaps then Sakura would give up on Sasuke and accept his pursuit...
"Thank you for the compliment, Sasuke-nii, haha!" Nanaise couldn't help but laugh heartily. Although it seemed a bit lacking in restraint, her behavior was generally quite decent and graceful.
Nanaise's personality was straightforward like her mother's, saying whatever came to mind directly. Ryun wasn't surprised by this.
Just like when she met Might Guy before, Nanaise would directly say, 'Guy-nii, your eyebrows have gotten thicker again...' Sasuke's handsomeness was undeniable. You could call him pretentious, but almost no one would say he isn't handsome... Nanaise was just speaking her mind.
"Dad, don't make things difficult for Sasuke-nii... Mom asked me to call the two brothers inside to have some fruit..."
Nanaise had just seen Sasuke kneeling with his head bowed, and she thought her dad was giving him a hard time...
"Make things difficult? When did I ever make things difficult for him???" Ryun frowned and said somewhat annoyed.
"No... Uncle Ryun didn't make things difficult for me at all... Nanaise, you misunderstood..." Sasuke hurriedly explained.
"He didn't? Then why were you kneeling on the ground looking so dejected..." Nanaise asked, tilting her head.
"I... I was just... expressing my loyalty to Uncle Ryun..." Sasuke explained in a low voice, his face still red.
"Oh, so that's what it was..." Nanaise suddenly understood, her gaze towards her father carrying a hint of embarrassment.
"Apologize to me..."
Ryun spoke coldly with an expressionless face.
"Sorry, Dad..." Nanaise apologized while playfully sticking out her tongue.
"No sincerity at all. I don't accept it..."
Nanaise was instantly amused by these words. The next moment, she actively walked behind the long bench and began diligently massaging and kneading the shoulders of this petty old father of hers, being extremely attentive.
"My most, most, most dear Dad, we are the only two little dark purples in this world... Please forgive your daughter..."
Nanaise hugged his neck, rubbing her cheek against Ryun's while acting coquettishly. In no time, she had coaxed the angry old father back into a good mood.
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