"Yoshino Rin, hear my command. Although your chakra quantity has not reached the level of a Jōnin, your combat strength is sufficient, and you have saved countless lives. Therefore, you are hereby granted the rank of Special Jōnin, enjoying the same treatment as a Jōnin." Ryun Uchiha smiled slightly.
Uchiha Obito and Hatake Kakashi looked at each other, then spoke simultaneously, "Thank you for the reward, Hokage-sama!"
After Yoshino Rin processed this, she also knelt on one knee. "Thank you for the reward, Hokage-sama!"
Ryun waved his hand with a smile. "From now on, you must exercise self-discipline and devote yourself to public service, contributing to Konoha!" After saying this, Ryun dismissed the three.
After the three youngsters left, Ryun looked at Uchiha Izuna, who was standing motionless to the side. "Grandfather, how much longer until Sunagakure sends someone for peace talks?"
"Probably at least a day or two, right?" Uchiha Izuna gave his response.
"Impossible. Do you want to bet? Before the sun sets today, someone will come to inform us that Chiyo, accompanied by Pakura and Ebizō, has come to discuss war reparations." Ryun said playfully.
"She's that old, would she act so quickly? I find it hard to believe. On one hand, she needs to oversee the overall situation, on the other, she needs to stabilize public sentiment. These are not simple tasks to accomplish."
"I said one or two days was already optimistic. As for half a day, I really find it hard to believe." Uchiha Izuna shook his head.
The corners of Ryun's mouth turned up. "Shall we see?"
"Fine, it's not like we have anything else to do right now." Uchiha Izuna replied.
And so, Ryun and Uchiha Izuna made a bet. As for what the wager was, neither of them said.
After Namikaze Minato went to arrange everything Ryun had ordered, he was sweating profusely. Even though our Hokage-sama's orders were only a dozen words, executing them, and dealing with the officers, was not an easy task.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was similarly out of breath. Finally, the two met at the entrance, looked at each other, and couldn't help but laugh.
Time passed until the afternoon. Ryun was playing Go with Uchiha Izuna.
This Go set was obtained from a previous system lottery draw; it even included an instruction manual with the rules. Ryun had taken out the Go set to kill time, setting it up on the table.
Uchiha Izuna was first surprised, curious about what this thing was. Ryun handed the Go rules to Uchiha Izuna, who read them for nearly half an hour before putting them down.
"Quite interesting. Ryun, shall we try?" Uchiha Izuna was somewhat impatient. Looking at the 19x19 board, he was eager to start.
Ryun nodded. "No problem, this is just to pass the time."
Subsequently, they decided who would go first. Ultimately, Ryun took black, and Uchiha Izuna took white.
At first, perhaps because it was his first time playing, Uchiha Izuna lost by twenty points. This delighted Ryun, who exclaimed, "If you're bad, just practice more."
In his high spirits, he even failed to notice Uchiha Izuna's slight smile. Through this round, he had completely figured out the rules of Go.
So next, it was hunting season! But he couldn't let Ryun catch on, otherwise if he refused to play, wouldn't that be boring?
So in the second game, Uchiha Izuna lost again, this time by one and a half points. His face was calm, but he was secretly pleased. He glanced at Ryun.
He saw Ryun looking grave, sweat dripping down his back. "What's going on? It's only the second game, how has Grandfather's skill improved so much!"
But, in the end, he had won. Ryun smiled. "Grandfather, I won again!"
Uchiha Izuna put on a look of defeat. "Again, again! I don't believe it!"
Ryun was taken aback, thinking he had won two games, and muttered to himself, "Maybe last game Grandfather was just lucky. It's fine, let's play a few more rounds."
Unbeknownst to him, in Go, what luck is there? It's all about skill. Ryun had been addled by victory.
A glint of laughter appeared in Uchiha Izuna's eyes. He thought, "He took the bait."
So the third game was a draw. The fourth game, Ryun lost by one and a half points. The fifth game, Ryun lost by five points.
After these three games, Ryun was drenched in sweat. He slowly looked up, his eyes catching the slight smile on Uchiha Izuna's face. He understood, he understood everything!
"Well, that was satisfying. Killed over three hours. This Go is quite interesting. Ryun, you're welcome to come play with your grandfather anytime. Oh, right, look at my memory." Uchiha Izuna slapped his forehead.
"If you're bad, just practice more. If you can't handle losing, don't play!" Uchiha Izuna laughed heartily, his Mangekyō Sharingan even appearing from laughter.
Ryun gritted his teeth. This guy was definitely doing it on purpose, setting him up, afraid that he would realize his strength and refuse to play!
Damn it! I treat you like family, and you stab me in the back! Baka yarō~~~
"Report! Hokage-sama, Vice-Commander-sama, Sunagakure's Pakura is here. She says she has important matters to discuss." Namikaze Minato walked in.
Uchiha Izuna's laughter stopped abruptly. His eyes widened as he looked at Ryun. Ryun seemed to regain his composure here, unconsciously straightening his posture and glancing at Uchiha Izuna.
"Minato, you take, ah no, please invite her in." After saying this, Ryun looked at his grandfather. Uchiha Izuna's expression was complex.
Although Namikaze Minato didn't understand why Ryun was being so polite, he wasn't incapable of understanding instructions. Since he said 'please', he would treat her respectfully.
After Namikaze Minato left, Ryun laughed. "So you're good at Go? What's the use of being good at Go! To survive in this world, you need connections, you need strength!" At this moment, he resembled a street thug.
Before Ryun could finish, Uchiha Izuna's robes fluttered without wind, the skeleton of the Susanoo slowly appearing. Ryun was stunned. "No, no! Grandfather, I was just joking, you, don't! Ah~"
Ryun felt like crying but had no tears. He was just making a joke, playing around, how did he end up getting beaten up like this! His face was ruined!
"It's over, it's over, my face is ruined! Grandfather, it's all your fault! Boo hoo, you go receive Pakura! I can't see anyone today!" Saying this, Ryun used the Flying Thunder God Technique and left the place.
Uchiha Izuna was stunned. Meet Pakura? His eyes moved. Uchiha Izuna swallowed. Now that his elder brother was resting, and his grandson had disappeared, then he alone would have to shoulder the banner of Konoha Village. So he opened the tent and walked towards the reception area.
Ryun appeared on top of the original large tent. A golden light flashed in his left eye, and the swelling on his face from Izuna's beating instantly healed.
Ocular Technique — Samsara
Why did he do this? Wasn't it all because he was worried sick about his grandfather's love life! Clearly having feelings for her, but because of reputation, he beat around the bush and kept avoiding it.
"Really! So dishonest. He clearly wanted to go, but he kept fooling me, and he succeeded!" Ryun sighed.
Then he returned to the large tent. The corners of Ryun's mouth turned up. Just now, while being beaten by Izuna, he had secretly slipped a listening device into his clothes.
He hurriedly took out a Bluetooth earpiece, put it on, and listened to the conversation between Pakura and Uchiha Izuna. He also took out a small table from his system space, placing melon seeds, popcorn, and sake on it.
"Good, very good. Everything is ready, just waiting for today's male and female leads to talk." Ryun's eyes shone, ready for the gossip.
In the reception tent, Yoshino Rin smiled as she poured tea for Pakura. Pakura looked at this girl younger than herself, slightly stunned, and smiled. "Thank you. Ah! Little sister, how old are you this year?"
"Me? I'm 10 years old this year!" Yoshino Rin gave a sweet smile.
Pakura was utterly charmed by Yoshino Rin's appearance. Her original feelings of grievance and tension dissipated completely.
"Sister, and you? I'd say you're not over 18, right?" Yoshino Rin said.
Pakura laughed heartily. "Are all the girls from Konoha so good with words? I'm already twenty-six, almost thirty. I'm not that young!"
Yoshino Rin shook her head. "No, no. Sister, you are beautiful, your skin is tender, you simply don't look like a woman in her twenties."
Pakura's favorability towards Yoshino Rin skyrocketed. A woman always feels very pleased when her age and appearance are praised.
"By the way, sister, are you single?" Yoshino Rin blinked her big eyes.
Pakura nodded. "Yes, why? Little girl, do you have someone you like? Tell your sister!" Pakura looked at Yoshino Rin with a gossipy expression.
Yoshino Rin nodded. "Yes!" Yoshino Rin's eyes shone, her mind flashing with the image of Uchiha Obito's silly smile. Her cheeks flushed red, her eyes smiling.
Yoshino Rin began to tell the story of her and Uchiha Obito. The envy in Pakura's eyes was unconcealed as she listened.
"Uchiha Obito, this guy is so straightforward! I didn't expect you to like this type, Rin!" Pakura laughed heartily.
"You don't understand. Obito is actually a very gentle person. He's handsome and has ambitions; he wants to become Hokage and protect everyone!" Yoshino Rin's eyes held tenderness.
"By the way, Sister Pakura, there's a young man in Konoha about your age who is also single. Should I introduce you?" Yoshino Rin smiled slightly.
Pakura was stunned. A figure flashed through her mind: the moment Uchiha Izuna saved her.
"Sister Pakura? Sister Pakura? What's wrong?" Yoshino Rin, seeing Pakura distracted, waved her hand in front of her eyes.
"Ah? Oh! I was distracted just now, sorry, Rin. I remembered some things from the past." Pakura's brows carried worry, her looking somewhat dejected.
"Right, who did you say you wanted to introduce to me just now~" Pakura said jokingly.
"Our Vice-Commander, Lord Uchiha Izuna!" Yoshino Rin smiled slightly.
Pakura's smile froze. Her voice trembled slightly. "Why him?"
"Because aside from Sister Pakura, no one else is worthy of our Vice-Commander! And most importantly, Vice-Commander-sama is very handsome and still single!" Yoshino Rin said slowly.
Uchiha Izuna, who had just arrived outside the door and was about to enter the tent, froze upon hearing this. His hand, holding the doorknob, loosened. He pressed his ear against the tent, carefully listening to the activity inside!