Chapter 176: A Victory of Strength, the Yamanaka Clan Bets on Makoto
Yamanaka Inoichi dragged his exhausted body out of the clan's seclusion room.
Last night, he had failed to bring Ino back, and had instead returned with a ninjutsu scroll. Although this was something she had willingly accepted, he still felt that he was not a dutiful father.
Filled with guilt, he had thrown all his energy into studying the ninjutsu.
After a whole night, he had already figured out the curse marks needed to cultivate this technique. He was just about to go out and share this good news with his clan members when he heard that his daughter had run away from home, and his wife and mother had gone after her.
Hearing this news, half of Inoichi's blood ran cold.
He immediately wanted to go to the Hokage's Office to issue a mission to find his daughter. But then the scroll in his hand reminded him that it was more likely she had gone to find Akiyama Makoto than that she had run away. And his wife and mother had probably discovered that she hadn't come home last night, were furious, and wanted to teach her a lesson.
But was the current Ino at an age where she would listen to a lecture?
She had become a ninja and even had a lover, her rebellious attribute was maxed out. Even he couldn't control her, let alone two women.
Wait a minute. They're not going to fight, are they?
At the thought of this possibility, Inoichi's body automatically used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed towards Makoto's house.
There must not be a conflict!
Otherwise, he, the head of the family, would really not know how to handle the situation. He would most likely have to offend one side to death: his daughter and Makoto, or his wife and mother.
However, when he arrived at Makoto's house, he found it frighteningly quiet.
He entered uninvited, constantly on guard for a possible conflict. But even as he walked to the living room door, the expected sounds of rage did not appear.
Instead, he heard Ino's happy laughter.
"Grandma, stop praising him! He'll get arrogant."
"Ino, young people should be praised when they are outstanding. Geniuses have their own way of life. Don't be too quick to judge others."
"Grandma, he's my boyfriend! How could I not be familiar with him?"
"Alright, mother, stop lecturing her. Do you think she'll listen to you?"
"Auntie, Ino is still very well-behaved and sensible. It's just that she's grown up and has her own opinions now."
"Yes, she's grown up. She doesn't listen to her grandma anymore—"
"Grandma!"
Ino's voice turned into a pout. When Inoichi poked his head in to look at the living room, she was already hanging on her grandmother's back, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
Mayu Yamanaka also went from feigning annoyance to laughing happily. The room was full of joy and harmony, showing no signs of a recent conflict.
"Inoichi is here. Come and sit down."
"Ah? Ah! Okay."
He also sat down at the table. In front of his mother, he subconsciously showed a restrained side.
Instead, it was Makoto who calmly poured him tea. "Uncle," he said, "make yourself at home. Don't be polite."
The corner of Inoichi's mouth twitched. What kind of play was this? Had his entire family gone mad?
He wanted to speak but found he couldn't get a word in. In the end, he could only pretend to be the taciturn head of the family, watching them chat awkwardly for an hour before Mayu finally got up to leave.
"Ino, what about you?"
Looking at his daughter, who was still sitting and had no intention of leaving, Inoichi couldn't help but ask. To his surprise, he received an eye-roll from his own mother. This left him even more confused.
"Ino has to go to her team leader to report and receive a mission in a bit," Rino Yamanaka spoke up. This indulgent look made Inoichi feel that his wife was a stranger. "She wants to practice ninjutsu with Makoto-kun for a while longer. Just let them be."
It wasn't until he had left the courtyard and walked a good distance away that Inoichi finally couldn't help but ask, "Mother, what on earth happened?"
Only then did Mayu show her true expression. Her gaze towards her son was filled with a hint of horror.
Inoichi understood. Seeing that no one was around, he used his sensory ninjutsu. After confirming that it was impossible for anyone to be observing them, he said, "Mother, you can speak now."
"Actually, there's not much more to say."
Mayu sighed faintly. "Ino has fallen for a man who will one day become a god among ninja. And this man has promised that the first son she bears will take the Yamanaka name."
"As for the Dual Heart Method in your hands, we have also witnessed it—"
Inoichi looked at his mother in shock. Her evaluation of him was so high? What on earth had he encountered?
Seeing that her son still wouldn't give up, she finally spoke slowly. "The First Hokage's Unconscious Healing, plus a spiritual power so strong we couldn't comprehend it. He created a ninjutsu that we couldn't even understand—and the most crucial thing is, he taught it to Ino overnight."
"Inoichi, this is our family's great fortune. So just let her be."
Beside him, Rino then told her husband about her earlier encounter. When he heard that Makoto could silently control his wife and mother with genjutsu, Inoichi was completely silent. His wife was not skilled in genjutsu, so it was one thing for her to be controlled. But his mother's spiritual power and mastery of their clan's secret techniques were no weaker than his own. So what level was he at?
And the most crucial thing was, how old was he?
And—hadn't he only started training less than a year ago?
Thinking this through, Inoichi sucked in a cold breath. No wonder that guy Hiashi Hyūga had placed his bet so early—their family must have seen a lot of things they shouldn't have with their Byakugan.
"I understand."
Inoichi slowly let out a breath and, as the head of the family, acknowledged his mother's judgment. But then, as a father, he said with worry, "Ino is my daughter, after all, and your granddaughter. Will she... will she be happy in the future?"
"Inoichi, for a family like ours, to be able to taste happiness is already a rare thing."
"It seems that a life of peace has smoothed out your edges."
"Our three families, the Ino-Shika-Chō, have always been united and have never suffered great losses. But that doesn't mean the ninja world is at peace."
A jolt went through him, and only then did he realize how unrealistic his expectations had been.
He took a deep breath and nodded. "Then from now on, we will treat Akiyama Makoto as one of the family."
"Wife, on every holiday, try to invite him over. It doesn't matter if he doesn't come, but it's our sentiment."
"Leave it to me. I can still do this kind of thing well."
The Yamanaka family had finally reached a consensus on the matter of Akiyama Makoto, which also meant that his choice to show his strength had been a great success.
Although all of this was basically within his expectations, Ino seemed to have collapsed. She lay limply in his arms, unwilling to get up for a long time.
He gently patted her back. He knew that what had just happened was a major turning point in her life. From now on, she had basically gained her freedom. She had to learn to say goodbye to her simple past self and try to stand on her own. Although it sounded cruel, it was a necessary process for any ninja. He had just made it happen a few months earlier.
"Huh? What on earth happened?"
Sakura actually walked in at this moment. She looked at the dejected Ino with a puzzled expression, then covered her mouth and laughed.
"Don't tell me your constitution is too weak, and you can't handle the True Spirit Seal?"
"It's okay, it's okay! I'll protect you in the future, Ino. After all, we're best friends, right?"
A vein pulsed on Ino's forehead. In an instant, she regained all her vitality, swaggered over to Sakura, and, to her puzzled gaze, struck a flirtatious pose, "accidentally" revealing her beautiful cosmos.
Seeing it, Sakura's eyes instantly went straight.
Why was hers just a thumb-sized cherry blossom, while Ino's was a real flower?!
The two immediately started arguing. Sakura then demanded that he change her design, while Ino was being passive-aggressive on the side.
Makoto took a sip of tea. It really was more lively with more people. If he were alone, he probably wouldn't have been able to say a word all day.
In the end, under Sakura's fake tears, he helped her change her cherry blossom design into a complete flower with a thin branch, making it about the same size as Ino's. Only then did the two girls quiet down.
Sakura then explained her reason for coming. Team 7 had received the C-rank mission to the Land of Waves. She had come specifically to tell him that they wouldn't be able to meet for a while.
However, she didn't know that he was planning to set out a step ahead of them.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 200 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you