Patting the dirt off his pants, Ling Yun got up and walked over to Uchiha Izumi.
"Izumi, my mom's making braised beef for lunch. Do you want to come over and eat? It's tender, savory, and so delicious it'll make your mouth water!"
Braised beef was a staple dish for New Year's Eve in the North, but of course, it wasn't from the world of Naruto. Ling Yun had taught his mom, Suzuki Ryoko, how to make it.
After all, he was still a Chinese person at heart and wasn't used to the cold-food-centric meals of the 'Land of the Rising Sun'.
Ryoko Suzuki loved to cook, so she learned every dish her son taught her. By now, she had mastered dozens of Chinese delicacies. Uchiha Izumi had eaten them a few times before and always found them incredibly delicious.
Licking her lips with her pink tongue, Uchiha Izumi's face was filled with internal conflict.
"I'm really busy today. Itachi promised to teach me shurikenjutsu today."
"What? I know shurikenjutsu too! Do you really need to ask that stoic Itachi?"
With that, Ling Yun directly grabbed six shuriken from his ninja pouch and threw them.
The shuriken spun rapidly in the air before embedding themselves in a large tree ten meters away, forming a perfect five-pointed star!
"Wow~~ Ling Yun, you're amazing! I didn't realize your shuriken throwing was so accurate. I heard the ninja academy also teaches shurikenjutsu, but you only need to hit eight rings with a single throw to pass."
Ling Yun walked over, pulled out the shuriken, and put them back in his ninja pouch.
"For descendants of ninja clans like us, the only thing the ninja academy can teach us is ninja bonds—oh, and the Will of Fire. Everything else is hardly worth mentioning. Anyway, I can also teach you shurikenjutsu. Don't bother with that stoic Itachi. Come on, let's go home with me."
With that, Ling Yun, without further ado, pulled Uchiha Izumi and started walking home.
Uchiha Izumi was still a child at heart. Faced with the temptation of delicious food, she half-heartedly followed him back, leaving the 'filial son' Itachi hanging.
Uchiha Izumi ate the braised beef for lunch with great relish, her mouth glistening with oil. In the afternoon, Ling Yun even personally taught her how to throw shuriken. In short, Ling Yun was working very hard to steal Itachi's thunder.
After their practice, Ling Yun, ever the gentleman, escorted Uchiha Izumi home before leaving.
As the saying goes, if you put in the effort, there's no wall you can't dig through. Ling Yun was highly motivated when it came to going against the 'filial son'.
After dinner, Ling Yun took on the task of washing the dishes, then pulled his mother, Suzuki Ryoko, into the living room.
"Mom, I have something important to confess to you."
Upon hearing this, Suzuki Ryoko immediately put on a serious expression. Then, before her son could speak, she sighed.
"Ah... I knew this day would come sooner or later. So, it really happened?"
"Huh?"
Ling Yun looked bewildered, not knowing what his mother was talking about.
"Let's go. After all, you're my son, and your father is gone. If we need to apologize, I'll go with you."
"Apologize? Apologize for what? Mom, what are you talking about?"
"What else could it be? Did you lay hands on Izumi? How many bases did you reach? First base or second base? Don't tell me you even reached third base?"
Seeing Ling Yun's face turn dark, Suzuki Ryoko feigned "great surprise" and said, "Did you even reach home plate?"
"I'm telling you, Mom, can you be a bit more serious? Is that how you talk to your son? Besides, I'm only five years old. Do I even have the ability to reach home plate?"
"You never know. I gave birth to you when I was 15, and your dad was only 7 when he first kissed me. You inherited our superior genes. I can't even imagine what a 5-year-old can do."
Looking at his unconventional mother, even Ling Yun, who was an experienced 'driver' in his previous life, found himself a bit overwhelmed.
"Alright, alright, we'll have the 'health education' class later. Mom, take a look at this first."
Knowing he couldn't win against the 'female driver' in front of him, Ling Yun quickly took out the black tube and handed it to his mother.
Suzuki Ryoko took the black tube and examined it carefully. The more she looked, the more serious her expression became. This time, it was genuinely serious, unlike when she was just teasing her son earlier.
"Ling Yun, did you make this thing?"
Ling Yun nodded slightly.
"Before, didn't I ask you for five million? I used that money to buy a piece of chakra metal, and then combined it with sealing jutsu to make this ninja tool. The jutsu carved on it is the Great Fireball Jutsu. I tried it by the clan's small lake this morning. As long as enough chakra is provided, this jutsu can be used."
Suzuki Ryoko herself was a sealing jutsu master, so she immediately recognized the sealing incantations carved on the outer wall of the black tube. She was initially trying to discern the effect of these combined incantations, but as soon as her son mentioned the Great Fireball Jutsu, she instantly understood.
"Using sealing incantations to construct a ninjutsu, and a C-rank ninjutsu at that? How did you even think of doing something like this, you little rascal?"
Ling Yun selectively explained his purpose. After hearing about the advantages of instant casting and chakra conservation, Suzuki Ryoko also understood the value of the ninja tool.
"This ninja tool is very valuable. If reported to Lord Hokage..."
Ling Yun raised a hand, interrupting his mother's words.
"Mom, have you forgotten which clan Dad belonged to? Haha, if you hand this over to the Hokage, believe it or not, in a few years, the Hokage's faction will be using a bunch of these ninja tools to deal with the Uchiha. By then, I won't just be seen as a traitor by all Uchihas, I might even die by the very ninja tools I invented."
"Ling Yun, why do you hate the Hokage so much?"
"It's not that I hate them, but the entire Hokage faction hates the Uchiha. And I am an Uchiha. I have no choice, and I can't escape it."
Suzuki Ryoko sighed. As the wife of an Uchiha and a member of the sealing squad, she was all too aware of the conflict between the Hokage faction and the Uchiha. Even when she married Uchiha Tatami, she had faced opposition from her family.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
"Mom, I want to learn more advanced sealing jutsu, and that's where I need your help."
"You want me to steal the Uzumaki clan's sealing scrolls?"
Ling Yun waved his hand.
"Mom, your sealing jutsu skills are decent, but your ninja skills are... letting you steal would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den. It's too unrealistic. We'll use another method."
Ling Yun took out a pen and a piece of chakra paper, wrote down a sealing jutsu on it, and then handed it to Suzuki Ryoko. After looking at it for a while, her brows furrowed.
"This is a Storage Seal? But why are nearly one-third of the incantations missing?"
"Hehe, first, try its effect."
Suzuki Ryoko placed the teapot on the table onto the seal, then infused it with chakra.
"Bang"
A puff of white smoke appeared, and the next second, the teapot vanished, sealed away.
"Keep going~~"
At Ling Yun's prompting, Suzuki Ryoko successively sealed the teacups, the tray, and finally even the table itself.
Each time an item was sealed, one or two of the incantations forming the sealing mark would change color. When all the incantations had changed color, it indicated that the sealing space was full.
"The sealing space has doubled! Plus, the incantations used are one-third fewer. Ling Yun, you've optimized it?!"
Ling Yun nodded slightly, then picked up the chakra paper with the storage seal drawn on it and handed it to Suzuki Ryoko.
"Mom, tomorrow, you take this to the Hokage and tell him you've found a way to optimize sealing jutsu. Then, request to learn more advanced sealing jutsu. Hiruzen Sarutobi may not be as strong as he once was, but he's not senile yet. He should understand the value of optimized sealing jutsu and will surely agree to your request. This way, I'll be able to learn more advanced sealing incantations."
Suzuki Ryoko understood her son's intention, but still wanted to try and persuade him one more time.
"Son, if you personally give this to the Hokage, he will surely value you greatly."
"Mom, my blood carries not only yours but also Dad's. As an Uchiha, this mark cannot be shed. And the prejudice the Hokage's faction holds against the Uchiha is far more severe than you imagine. Just follow my plan."