Chapter 547: A Math Problem
After briefly touring the Uchiha clan and visiting Obito's house to see Rin and the recently three-year-old Xiao Ming, Ryo and Naori left the Uchiha clan grounds.
By now, the sky was growing dim, and the two happened to run into Izumi Uchiha returning from outside the clan.
This girl's appearance somewhat clashed with Kakashi's wife, Hanare; both had a slightly noticeable black mole under their right eye, which looked quite playful. Compared to Hanare, Izumi Uchiha, with her round chin and a bit of baby fat, was somewhat cuter.
Having just finished a date, her face carried a slight blush. Not far from the Uchiha clan, she rubbed her face, trying hard to calm her emotions... She didn't yet know that her romance with Itachi had actually been exposed.
"This girl is quite cute," Naori said to Ryo with a light laugh.
"Naori, why do you find everyone cute?"
Naori glanced at him: "Not true."
Ryo blinked, deciding not to delve deeper into the question of 'who isn't cute', and greeted Izumi Uchiha with a face full of smiles.
Then, Izumi Uchiha looked at Ryo with a bewildered expression and brushed past him.
Ryo: "..."
"Hahaha..." Naori laughed out loud.
Ryo turned around and spread his hands: "So tell me, what about this girl is cute?"
Just then, Izumi Uchiha, who had already walked into the Uchiha clan grounds, suddenly came trotting back: "Are you Great Ancestor Ryo Uzumaki?"
Ryo was finally satisfied: "I am."
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you for a moment just now. Hello, I..." Izumi Uchiha paused, then trotted away into the distance again.
Ryo scratched his head, almost wanting to use Universal Pull to suck her back. What exactly was she trying to do here?
"She probably went to find Itachi Senju, to let him explain the situation to you and seek your help." Naori smiled: "A shy little girl, how cute!"
Ryo rolled his eyes: Alright, she's cute, you have the final say!
"It's getting late, let's find a place to stay, Naori. Do you want to stay at my house in the Senju clan grounds, or my house in the Land of Whirlpools?"
"...Why are they all your houses?"
Ryo raised a brow: "You just resurrected not long ago. Besides the Sky Island, do you have anywhere else to go?"
"Don't you know Wood Style?"
Ryo was silent for two seconds: "Building illegal structures will result in a fine."
"...Illegal structures?"
"Forget it, let's stay at Kushina's house."
"Kushina's house... that works too. Does her house have enough rooms?" Naori asked.
"You sleep with Tsukihi, I'll sleep with Naruto."
"Tsukihi, that red-haired little girl? She looks very cute too..."
Ryo: "..."
...
The next day, early morning.
When an energetic Ryo walked out of Naruto's room, he saw an equally energetic Naori walking out of Tsukihi's room.
"Looks like you rested well. Was Tsukihi well-behaved in her sleep?" Ryo smiled and greeted her.
Naori shook her head: "Not very well-behaved, but... later I hugged her in my arms, and she couldn't move around anymore."
"Heh, it was the same on my side."
Naori was stunned: "You..."
"Naruto isn't well-behaved in his sleep either. Later I pinned him under my feet, and he couldn't move around anymore."
Naori: "..."
"Hahaha, hearing a joke early in the morning makes you happy all day, hahaha... Isn't it funny?"
"...It's funny."
In the next room, Kushina walked out yawning: "Great-Grandpa, Senior Naori, you're up quite early. What's so funny?"
Saying this, she walked towards the kitchen: "What do you want to eat? I'll make breakfast for you! Minato has become lazy these past few days, always sleeping in!"
"Just make something simple..."
"Ahem, Kushina, seeing how you're yawning non-stop, go back and catch up on your sleep. Great-Grandpa will make breakfast for you all!" Ryo hurriedly interrupted.
"Mhm!" Kushina accepted gladly.
Waiting for Kushina to return to her room, Naori leaned against the kitchen door, watching Ryo get busy: "Is Kushina's cooking... average?"
"...Edible."
"Understood." Naori smiled, then suddenly showed a sighing expression: "Where are we going after breakfast?"
"I have to go to the Senju clan and the Hyuga clan. I don't know if you want to go. If you don't, then stay at Kushina's house and wait for me."
"I'll... wait for you." Naori sighed long and hard.
Ryo frowned slightly, sensing something wrong with her tone. The hand chopping vegetables paused slightly: "Are you feeling lost about your life right now?"
"Yes, I..."
"Do you feel that your life has lost its direction?" Ryo added.
"That's right, I..."
"Then what are you waiting for, hurry up and..."
"Ryo Uzumaki!"
"Haha... hearing two jokes early in the morning makes you happy for several days. Is it funny or not?"
"Sigh... it's funny!"
Ryo, however, reined in his smile at this moment: "May I ask this female patron, why are you lost?"
"Pfft..." Naori covered her mouth: "Don't pretend to be a monk, it's so stupid!"
"Chop, chop, chop..." Ryo continued chopping vegetables, "Was this trip to the Uchiha clan very disappointing?"
"...Ah."
"Did you originally want to find a few young people in their sixties or seventies and tell them interesting stories from their grandparents' childhood?" Ryo smiled.
"Not quite." Naori sighed lightly: "It's just that even the Uchiha clan has changed so completely, making me even more unsure of where I belong."
"Belong with me."
Naori shook her head: "I'm not joking with you... maybe you shouldn't have resurrected me."
Ryo skillfully ignited the fire and poured the oil, turning his head and smiling: "It was my oversight. I overlooked that the time you actually lived was only twenty years, not the 132 years like me. The gap in our psychological age is indeed a bit large."
"Yes, you are the real old man."
"But your seniority is too high. Only I am of the same generation as you, so what is placed before you now is actually a fatal question: When Ryo Uzumaki is the only man left in the world, do you choose him or not?"
Naori was speechless.
Ryo suddenly showed a deep expression: "Naori, a great man once said: 'Life is not only about the current compromises, but also long-term making do.' Let's just make do and live, besides... it's not too bad a compromise, right?"
Naori laughed and shook her head: "Not bad... although the jokes you tell aren't very funny."
"Those were just thought up on the spot to liven up the awkward atmosphere." Ryo shook his head, "The jokes I think deeply about will make you laugh so hard you can't stand straight!"
"...I'll wait and see."
Ryo spoke in a deep voice while stir-frying: "The difference in our actual ages is actually not a problem. We both have long lifespans. When your actual age is half of mine, you will naturally get used to my way of speaking and acting."
Naori was silent for two seconds: "How many years later will that be?"
Ryo was stunned, two lines of text rapidly emerging in his mind.
'Naori's actual age is 20, Ryo's actual age is 132. Question: How many years later will Ryo's age not exceed Naori's by more than double?'
"An algebraic equation, ummmm..."
Naori covered her mouth and snickered: "You'd better figure out this problem first."
Ryo: "..."
A trivial question, no difficulty at all! Let the Great Ancestor find two boxes of matches to arrange...