Ryuku's House
The clone sat on the floor, swiftly drawing separate seals on sheets of paper using special ink. He was finishing seals within seconds, one after another. A neatly stacked pile of finished seals—each a basic formation of the Four Symbol Seals—rested beside him. As he finished another, a thought crossed his mind.
What the hell is taking the original so long? Since I'm still active, he couldn't have run into any trouble…
Shaking off the thought, the clone focused on analyzing each seal's design. How it operated, what it symbolized, and why the corners always followed such precise symbolic patterns.
"Oh… down by one-fifth chakra," the clone muttered in surprise. "Over half an hour passed, so… two hours left."
Need to work even faster…
----
Back to Ryuku's side.
Lounging on the comfy sofa with his legs stretched out, Ryuku stared at the ceiling for a long while.
I need to focus on Barrier Seals too, alongside my Fūinjutsu research... It shouldn't be too hard since they operate on the same formula, but they're actually used for surveillance and creating sealing barriers... Like the one Konoha uses to sense chakra signatures... Though it doesn't restrict people from entering...
Over half an hour had passed since he arrived at the restaurant. One strawberry cake and three cups of tea were already consumed—brought one after another by the same waitress—who only stopped after he told her to. Otherwise, who knew what she would've brought next?
That aside, he had already sensed the entire restaurant a few times and discovered that the top floor had a barrier installed; he couldn't detect any chakra signals from there at all. From this, he concluded it was most likely due to the noble's arrival—meant to keep the meeting as private as possible.
Hm... Let's wait ten more minutes. If he comes, good—this delay can't be helped. But if he doesn't... tomorrow, I'm asking for Body Flicker as compensation for wasting my time. It's not some advanced jutsu or their clan's secret technique, so there shouldn't be any disagreement... I suppose.
Closing his eyes and letting his body relax, he began analyzing the pre-developed seals of the Flying Thunder God Technique etched into his memory.
As long as he remembered the seal and had enough chakra, warp-like teleportation was entirely possible. But unlike Minato, who could teleport with a single kunai, he needed to prepare two distinct Marks in advance to shorten the distance.
The reason he couldn't use Flying Thunder God to its full potential was simple:
His understanding of Fūinjutsu and space-warping was still too shallow.
That's why he sent a shadow clone back—and planned to keep doing so every day—to deepen his comprehension of Fūinjutsu and the Four Symbol Seals.
There was a reason the Uzumaki Clan had been feared during the Warring States era.
And he fully intended to revive their glory—by mastering everything Fūinjutsu had to offer.
A few quiet minutes passed as Ryuku continued to focus... waiting.
----
Periphery of Konoha.
Seated atop the mountainous range, Naruto and a small boy stared at the public bathroom through binoculars, giggling and drooling, their faces reddened from an unusual feeling neither fully understood.
"Focus... hehe, this is the final step... Hehe, look... you get it, slim and beautiful... Just like—"
Naruto's advice to the boy was cut short by an enraged voice from behind.
"Arghh! What are you teaching the young lord, you stupid brat!? And young lord, why are you listening to and obeying his repulsive demands!? If Hokage-sama finds out, he'll be furious!!"
Following the voice, a man with glasses stormed over.
The little boy—grandson of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Konohamaru—was startled by the sudden shout and nearly dropped his precious binoculars.
"Wah! Naruto Nii-chan, I think I can do it now," he said quickly, confidence radiating from his face as he grinned at the yellow-head.
In response, Naruto smiled, carefully set down his binoculars, and gave a thumbs-up. "Yosh! Go for it! Show him what Konohamaru can do!"
The small boy nodded and made a hand sign. "Haaaa..."
"Sexy Jutsu!"
With a puff, an extremely beautiful woman appeared in his place.
Slim, fair-skinned, long hair and eyebrows, and obviously a well-endowed figure.
"ARGHHH!!"
Seeing this, not only Ebisu—Konohamaru's home tutor—but even Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, both of their noses bursting with blood like a fountain.
What the hell... He mastered Sexy Jutsu so quickly...
Naruto, stunned, clutched his nose tightly, his heart swelling with pride. He had a truly excellent subordi—no, student.
---
Hokage Building.
Hiruzen saw everything through his Telescope Technique and deadpanned.
A bloodied handkerchief sat beside the crystal orb.
What I feared... it happened. Damn it, Minato... your son is the complete opposite of you...
Though he couldn't help but mutter:
"Should I place Sexy Jutsu in the Forbidden Scroll?"
----
Sensing Choza's chakra emerging from the top floor through his spiritual sense, Ryuku's violet eyes suddenly opened.
So he finally decided to show up...
Within seconds, Choza—a chubby man with short brown hair and purple markings on his cheeks—entered the room. "Forgive me for being late. I didn't have much of a choice when a man of that calibre demands a private meeting..." he apologized with an awkward smile, settling himself down on the other side.
Ryuku gave a slight nod and replied, "I hope my presence didn't disrupt the meeting."
"No, no, absolutely not," Choza said hastily, his voice heavy yet polite. "It was already well over, but a few things took a bit more time because of their importance."
Oh... I wonder what that is...
Affirming with a smile, Ryuku responded, "It's alright. I did wait, after all."
Hearing those words, Choza let out a short laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed.
But his next words came soon after. "Ryuku, I have something important to discuss with you."
Hm, as I guessed. Whoever that person was, he came here because of me, indirectly...
It's only been a few days since the food made from my recipes was introduced, though...
His expression shifted, turning more curious. "What is it, Choza-san?"
Taking a deep breath, Choza began to explain, "Well, it's like this. The food we made using your recipes became popular very quickly... To the point that Daimyo-sama himself sent a high-ranking noble to propose an exclusive agreement with our clan."
Hoo... Daimyo got involved?
Ryuku gulped. He hadn't expected this. How could he possibly have foreseen such results—it was just a simple deal.
Choza continued. "You see, Daimyo-sama has offered to construct a massive restaurant in the Fire Capital for the Akimichi Clan on his behalf. It'll be done in a few weeks..." Rubbing his hands with a smile, he added slowly, "With this agreement, we'll gain massive benefits... and many opportunities directly from Daimyo-sama himself."
Choza stopped talking. A brief silence filled the room.
"..."
Damn...
Letting out a quiet sigh, Ryuku asked with a strange look, "Choza-san, are you feeling down because you think I've been mistreated? Because the recipes originally belonged to me?"
Choza gave a silent nod. Of course he felt that way—only now did he realize how significant the agreement was. He couldn't help but feel as if he had wronged the boy.
On the other side, although Ryuku looked polite on the surface, deep inside he was calculating wildly.
You're too easy to read...
Ryuku added calmly, "Then please make it up to me with an increase in installments, so you can finally have peace of mind."
"..."