Ino: Are you really my mom?

The Naruto world had no "power of existence" to fuel Unrestricted Spells, so the energy they consumed became his chakra instead.

With his current chakra reserves, Yang Cheng could only fire off an Unrestricted Spell like Azure Flame a handful of times.

As for freezing time and space, abilities on par with ultimate techniques, only the Yang Cheng in the Shana world could fuel them with his own power of existence.

The Yang Chengs in the other worlds would probably have to burn through their lifespans to use them.

Fortunately, even without trump cards like Unrestricted Spells, the physical capabilities he had shared with the Shana and One Piece Yang Chengs had already boosted his strength considerably.

And this was only the beginning. If they could reach that space, there were very likely other Yang Chengs in other worlds.

Once more Yang Chengs appeared, or a few more powerhouses showed up to carry them, forget Sasuke-even if those Otsutsuki aliens came, Yang Cheng could easily pin them down and beat them into the dirt over and over.

"Yang Cheng, Ino, you're home a little late today. I don't remember it being your turn for classroom cleanup today."

Yang Cheng had a home of his own, but since both his parents were dead, going home alone meant either eating instant noodles or going out for something else.

Ino's mother, Rino Yamanaka, worried that a steady diet of junk food would affect Yang Cheng's growth, so she had him come to the Yamanaka household for all three meals.

Rino Yamanaka had always wanted a son, but unfortunately, Ino hadn't come equipped with the right parts.

Yang Cheng's parents had died saving her husband, and she had looked after Yang Cheng since he was little, so she had long since come to treat him as her own son.

"They probably got into trouble at the Ninja Academy, so Iruka kept them after class."

Inoichi Yamanaka, who was also sitting in the living room, put down his newspaper and spoke.

Hearing Inoichi Yamanaka's words, Rino Yamanaka turned toward Ino, her expression growing stern. "Ino, what did you do wrong at school this time?

"You're old enough now. Can't you be a little more sensible and learn from Yang Cheng?

"Every time I went to a parent-teacher meeting, the other parents would ask why there was such a huge difference between two children I'd raised and taught myself."

Ino: *(･_･; Are you really my mom?*

Although Ino had been a little mischievous as a child, she really was a poor student compared to Sakura, the model student every parent wished they had.

But they had come home late this time because of him, so Yang Cheng felt bad letting Ino take the blame.

"Um, Aunt Rino, I was the one Iruka-sensei punished this time. I fell asleep in class..."

Wrongfully accused, Ino planted both hands on her hips and waited for her mother to apologize.

A moment later, however, she was dumbfounded. Her mother, Rino Yamanaka, had no intention of apologizing to her.

Instead, she hurried over to Yang Cheng with a worried look, cupped his face in both hands, and asked anxiously, "You fell asleep in class, Yang Cheng?

"Why? Were you feeling unwell? Or did you not sleep well last night?

"I've told you ages ago to move in with us. That empty house must be so lonely with just you in it. It's not as if we don't have a spare room."

No matter how many times he experienced Rino Yamanaka's almost overflowing affection, Yang Cheng still found it a little too much to handle.

"Aunt Rino, I'm fine. It's just that the graduation exam is coming up, so I can't help feeling a little worried and nervous."

Yang Cheng knew Rino Yamanaka, who was practically his adoptive mother, very well. If he didn't give her a reason, she would never stop worrying.

"Oh, so that's all it was. If you're worried about not graduating, you really don't need to be.

"The Ninja Academy's graduation exam usually isn't very difficult. With your abilities, Yang Cheng, never mind passing-you should have no trouble placing near the top of your class."

Yang Cheng had always considered his talent mediocre, but to Rino Yamanaka, who had once been a civilian-born ninja herself, his talent and abilities were already exceptionally impressive.

He had learned to extract chakra on his own from a scroll when he was only a few years old, and by the time he entered the Ninja Academy, he had already mastered a C-rank ninjutsu.

Her own Ino, by comparison, had only barely mastered the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique recently.

Children usually grew proud or conceited after achieving a little success, yet Rino had never seen those flaws in Yang Cheng.

He was already so outstanding, yet he remained hardworking and humble, courteous and gentle, as well as reserved and considerate.

Compared with him, Rino always felt that, apart from inheriting her good looks, her hopeless daughter hadn't inherited a single one of her other excellent genes.

That was right. Ino's hopelessness had to be down to the poor quality of her pops Inoichi Yamanaka's little swimmers.

At any rate, it certainly couldn't be a problem with Rino Yamanaka's parenting.

Wasn't Yang Cheng, whom she had also raised, unbelievably outstanding in both character and grades?

The parents of those Ninja Academy students often came to shop at her flower store, too.

Whenever someone mentioned how outstanding her Yang Cheng was, Rino Yamanaka would positively glow with pride.

That was right. Although Yang Cheng wasn't her biological child, she had raised him herself.

Naturally, Yang Cheng's thoughtfulness and excellence had something to do with the guidance she had given him since childhood, so it was perfectly normal for Rino to feel proud.

What? What about Ino?

Rino Yamanaka could only say that her daughter turning out wrong definitely wasn't her fault. It had to be because Inoichi Yamanaka, her father, spoiled and indulged her too much.

"Iruka-sensei went too far! You only dozed off a little in class because you were tired. Did he really have to make such a big deal out of it?

"The next time I see him, I'm definitely going to have a word with him!"

Rino Yamanaka had been criticizing Inoichi Yamanaka for spoiling and indulging their daughter just a moment ago, but the words that came out of her mouth next left the Yamanaka father and daughter utterly speechless.

Yet neither Ino nor Inoichi Yamanaka dared utter so much as a peep about Rino Yamanaka's double standards.

They knew perfectly well who the real "head of the household" was!

Inoichi Yamanaka? Nothing but a king in name.

Even with Ino and Yang Cheng included, he still firmly occupied the bottom rung of the family hierarchy.

Rino Yamanaka was the true head of the household!

At the dinner table, Rino Yamanaka still made no attempt to rein in her boundless maternal affection. She kept piling food onto Yang Cheng's plate and encouraging him to do his best on the graduation exam in a few days. She was still counting on him to make her look good in front of the other parents at the parent-teacher meeting.

She certainly couldn't count on her daughter, Ino Yamanaka. As long as the girl didn't embarrass her, that would be enough.