Torifu smiled slightly. "Of course. You are the Mistress here. After we look around, we'll go see my parents."
Naori turned to look at Torifu. "They are our parents. We can look at the house later. Let's go see Mom and Dad first."
"Okay."
Torifu led Naori to the room where his parents' memorial tablets were enshrined. The incense they had lit before leaving that morning had long since burned out.
"Mom and Dad, I'm back. I told you this morning I was getting married. Here, I've brought your daughter-in-law for you to see."
Naori bowed to the tablets of the two elders. "Mom and Dad, I am Uchiha Naori. Torifu and I have known each other since we were children—or as they say in the Kumotsuru Clan's old words, we are childhood sweethearts."
"Today, the two of us have achieved our happy ending and are now married. Our future life will certainly be happy. Please bear witness."
Her words were brief but sincere. Torifu lit three more sticks of incense and placed them in the censer. Afterward, the couple left the memorial room.
"Phew, I wonder if Mom and Dad will like me."
Torifu patted Naori's head. "I think they will. After all, you're so outstanding. My father was barely a Jōnin, and you're already an Elite Jōnin. How could he not like you?"
"You can't judge it by that," Naori argued. "What if they think I'm too violent and wouldn't make a good wife?"
Torifu couldn't help but chuckle. "You really have an imagination! My mother was a Chūnin, at least. I remember she was a blade user, so she's pretty similar to you."
Torifu rarely spoke to Naori about his parents. Naori was only learning these details today. It seemed that he had finally come to terms with the past, as he was now able to talk about things he usually never mentioned.
"In that case, I feel relieved. If you ever complain that I'm too violent or not gentle enough, I'll go file a complaint with your mother."
"Don't worry, that day will never come."
Afterward, Torifu took Naori to look through the master bedroom, and Naori was satisfied with everything. The interior decoration and furnishings were entirely in the style of the Kumotsuru Clan, completely different from the Uchiha Clan. This made Naori feel very intrigued and she liked it very much.
"I'm a member of the Kumotsuru Clan now, too. When are you going to tell me about the clan's origins?"
Torifu raised an eyebrow at Naori. "Oh? Interested in the clan's history?"
Naori nodded. "Of course. I've always been very interested in history. For example, the Uchiha Clan has a very long history; it's said we can trace our lineage back to the time of the Sage of Six Paths."
That much was true. To be more precise, the Uchiha Clan was descended from the Sage of Six Paths' son.
"I have two versions: one from the family scroll, and one that is my own. Which one do you want to hear?"
"Huh?" Naori was momentarily stunned. One from the scroll and one that was his own?
"Let's hear your version first. Don't tell me you made it up yourself?"
Torifu laughed. "Well, you asked for it. The ancestor of the Kumotsuru Clan was actually a person from another world who, by chance, came to this world, brought all of our culture and customs, left behind descendants, found a way to leave this world, and then departed."
Naori had only one word upon hearing this: Impossible!
"Another world? You're just trying to mess with me, aren't you?"
Torifu spread his hands and said helplessly, "I let you choose yourself. One is the family scroll, and one is my own. The truth is obvious, but you just had to be so curious."
Sure enough! He was just trying to trick her!
Realizing she had been fooled, Naori started playfully pummeling Torifu with small fists.
"Hey, hey! Stop hitting! I'll tell you the family scroll version!"
Naori clapped her hands together. "Hmph, that's better! Be serious! Don't make up any more tall tales!"
Torifu nodded repeatedly on the surface, but inwardly he lamented, 'Sigh. I already told you the real story, but you didn't believe me and even hit me. Honestly!'
He cleared his throat and continued. "The version from the family scroll states that the ancestor of the Kumotsuru Clan, Kumotsuru Kajin, was an existence that rivaled the Sage of Six Paths, and might even have been his friend."
"He relied on Cloud Release to carve out a place of secluded residence in the turbulent ancient world. The Kumotsuru Clan has lived there ever since. Because of the power of Cloud Release, every successive Clan Head was extraordinarily powerful."
Then Torifu smiled. "You know the rest of the story: my father never mastered Cloud Release, and my grandfather, fearing the family's decline, decided to move the entire clan into Konoha."
Hearing this version, Naori finally nodded in approval. "That's what I thought. Something about a visitor from another world sounds too outlandish. This family scroll version is much more reliable."
Torifu listened and then tentatively asked, "Reliable? You have absolutely no suspicion that my ancestor and the Sage of Six Paths were friends? I find that pretty far-fetched myself."
Naori looked at Torifu with an expression that suggested he was truly naive. "If a descendant many generations removed like you is so powerful, how could your ancestor have been weak?"
That argument was surprisingly sound, and Torifu wanted to refute it but didn't know where to start.
"Well, in any case, that is the history of the Kumotsuru Clan. If you are still interested, you can go search through the storage room. There should be some collections of books there."
Naori's eyes lit up. "Great! I'll go look when I get bored."
While the two were chatting excitedly, Amado and Minato returned.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-Law, you came back so fast! I was looking for you earlier, but in the blink of an eye, you were gone." Minato said with a cheerful laugh.
"Of course. We flew straight down. We didn't have to squeeze to use the stairs."
From the direction of the Kumotsuru Clan compound, they could clearly see the Cloud Palace's platform. Even half an hour later, it was still packed with people—some lingering to enjoy the view, and others rushing to descend. They were probably in a hurry to use the restroom, as the Cloud Palace, despite its sophistication, had missed one crucial detail: they had forgotten to set up toilets...
"Starting today, we have one more person in our family, and we also have a Mistress. From now on, you two need to listen carefully to Naori!"
Minato immediately stood ramrod straight. "Yes, Big Brother!"
Amado imitated Minato, standing equally straight, which looked utterly comical.
However, this was precisely the source of happiness in their home. If everyone lived life with a tense face and a formal demeanor, they would surely exhaust themselves.
"Let's cook dinner here at home tonight. After all, it's our first meal after getting married."
Torifu agreed without issue and then instructed Amado and Minato to go out and buy groceries.