Although the way Uzuki Yūgao spoke affectionate words was very moving, Nojuro Ryun had already seen this sentence in the simulation.
What he wanted to know more was Uzuki Yūgao's feelings at this moment.
Otherwise, just being true to one's word alone could not be considered a very deep emotion.
Uzuki Yūgao fell silent, and Ryun was not in a hurry either.
The two of them just kept running like this, finally arriving at the boundary line between the forest and the sand dunes.
Uzuki Yūgao stood at the top of a sand dune, looking up at the bright moonlight. Her somewhat shadowy and unclear expression gradually softened.
"Ryun-kun, may I call you that?"
Ryun nodded gently, looking curiously at Uzuki Yūgao, wondering what words she would say this time.
"Ryun-kun, you probably don't know yet, but I am an orphan just like you."
"I once thought Konoha was my home. There, I had elders who trusted me, my friends and comrades. In the future, I would also start a family there and live a happy life to the end."
"But..."
Uzuki Yūgao's gaze became firm. "The Third Hokage died, and my friends and comrades died too. Konoha cannot help me take revenge, and even stops me from seeking revenge."
"And you, who should have been a hero of Konoha, instead became Konoha's sacrifice."
Uzuki Yūgao turned around and actively hugged Ryun. Her brave voice carried a trace of fear as she said, "I cannot accept all of this."
"If you died, I truly don't know what else I could live for."
"So... let us become each other's reason to live, okay?"
Looking at Uzuki Yūgao's tearful face on the verge of crying, Ryun finally understood everything.
This answer was not as romantic and sentimental as Ryun had imagined, but it was convincing enough for him.
Desperately grabbing onto a straw and devoting everything to it, perhaps this is the final way for many people to keep living in the ninja world.
Ryun raised his hand, wiped away Uzuki Yūgao's tears, and then tightly held her hand.
"Let's go, I'll take you to embrace a new life."
"I promise, in this lifetime, I will make you happy and fulfilled."
Under the moonlight, Ryun made his promise.
He originally intended to exit the simulation then, but he saw Uzuki Yūgao lower her head, and the hopeful smile curving at the corners of her moist lips.
When Ryun's consciousness returned to reality, he instinctively looked towards the figure outside the window in the dark night.
Thanks to Ryun already possessing the primary chakra sensing talent, Uzuki Yūgao could no longer hide from his perception.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Ryun felt that Uzuki Yūgao was also looking at him.
...Never mind, it must be an illusion.
Ryun touched the corner of his mouth. The feeling of Uzuki Yūgao's lips was nice, seemingly possessing a naturally cool, watery moistness.
But this should be the last time. Ryun didn't plan to simulate Uzuki Yūgao again afterwards.
After all, the variables in Uzuki Yūgao's life simulation were too many. His Tenten, fragrant and soft, was easier to simulate.
Ryun calmed his mind. Unlike when simulating Tenten, he did not go to experience the feeling of being lost in passion with the simulation subject, unaware of the sun rising or setting. Instead, he directly checked what simulation gains he had obtained over the years in Sunagakure.
First and foremost, the scientific ninjutsu scrolls must be mentioned.
Actually, such things had already taken rudimentary form in the ninja world. Whether it was Jiraiya sealing Amaterasu, or Nara Shikamaru, who couldn't use Water Release, employing Water Release with the help of a scroll, both were early forms of such scrolls.
It's just that ninjas of this time had to first learn to use ninjutsu scrolls to release the ninjutsu sealed within, and furthermore, ninjutsu scrolls were basically single-use.
The scientific ninjutsu scrolls developed by Ryun allowed users to simply perform hand seals to invoke the ninjutsu sealed within. They themselves did not need to understand how the scrolls worked.
Moreover, because these scrolls achieved template-based production, empty scrolls could be handed over to the logistics department to have ninjutsu sealed into them again.
As long as the scroll itself was not damaged, it could basically be used an unlimited number of times.
This gave Sunagakure, originally skilled in puppet techniques, a series of additional means to deal with enemies, and was also the fundamental reason for Sunagakure's progress in strength.
Of course, this progress only helped Sunagakure stabilize its status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and enhanced its war potential. It did not raise Sunagakure's upper limit.
It was basically impossible for Sunagakure to challenge other villages relying solely on these methods.
Secondly, Ryun had basically mastered the vast majority of non-Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu that had appeared in Sunagakure. From Wind Release ninjutsu, Sand Release ninjutsu, to the manufacturing and control of puppets, he didn't even let go of poison techniques and medical ninjutsu.
It was just a pity that Ryun could not achieve the level of puppet control of someone like Akasuna no Sasori or Chiyo. That was not something attainable through study alone.
The last point was also the most unexpected gain for Ryun.
He had successfully walked a completely new life path of not living in Konoha. This meant that even if Ryun really couldn't stay in Konoha in the future, he could still achieve something by going to Sunagakure.
Even compared to the disaster-prone Konoha, Sunagakure seemed safer, a good place to easily coast through a lifetime.
Of course, the environment there was definitely much harsher than Konoha's, but that wouldn't affect Ryun as a high-ranking member of Sunagakure.
Ryun vaguely felt that this path was the greatest harvest from this simulation.
Just thinking that he now had a fallback plan made Ryun feel his body lighten by three parts.
He stretched lazily, decided to go to sleep, and prepared to meet the new day with full spirits.
The next day, Ryun began his daily routine.
Refining chakra, writing books while summarizing and understanding his simulation gains, and finally preparing to welcome the elderly coming for tea conversation and the children coming to play at the main hall in the afternoon.
This kind of life would probably continue for a while, until Ino came to perform her mission of teaching him chakra control methods.
But Ryun didn't expect that, at sunset, a cute and beautiful figure peeked her head outside the gate of Ryun's house.
Tenten stared in shock at Ryun's house. She thought she had come to the wrong place.
Less than a week ago, Ryun's house had still been in a dilapidated state, which made Tenten feel heartache just looking at it.
But now, Ryun's house was simply too lively. She instinctively thought a new shop had opened here.
"Who are you looking for?"
A little girl, licking a lollipop, stood curiously in front of Tenten. Possessing a naturally outgoing personality, she looked Tenten up and down.
Just as Tenten was planning to find an excuse to get rid of her, the girl took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Brother Nojuro, your girlfriend is here to see you!"
The gazes of young and old in the small courtyard all looked over at once. In that moment, Tenten felt she was under a Kage-level mental attack.
Her face grew hot while her body seemed to have turned to stone, unable to move.
Just as she was thinking about how to escape, a *thump* sounded, followed by the little girl's scream as she clutched her head.
Ryun twisted the little girl's nose and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Tenten is not my girlfriend."
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