Chapter 6: Everything is Ready
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
Yamamoto Ryusei was preparing to go find Senju Miyuki for his ninjutsu training. He said to his friends, "Yuki, So, come to my house for dinner tonight. Big Sister Senju Miyuki, who teaches me ninjutsu, will be there too. You can use the opportunity to get on her good side."
"Okay, thank you, Ryusei-nii." Komiya Yuki gave Ryusei a bow.
Yamashita So directly hugged Ryusei's leg. "You're too good to me, Ryusei-kun! I don't know how I can ever repay you."
Ryusei broke free with a speechless expression. "You need to be more composed and stop being so impulsive. We need to leave a good impression this time. Also, Lady Miyuki likes things that are on the cuter side, so you two should dress up a bit."
So looked troubled. "Cute? That's not really my style. Besides, I don't know how to dress up."
"You just need to wash up and change into some clean clothes," Komiya Yuki said, full of confidence. "When it comes to being cute, you have to leave it to us girls."
When Ryusei arrived at the training grounds, Senju Miyuki hadn't arrived yet. He could only practice his ninja tool throwing and hand seals first.
"Working hard, I see, little Ryusei." Senju Miyuki, who had appeared at some unknown point, was now standing behind him.
Ryusei put on a cute, complaining act. "Big Sister Miyuki, you're finally here. You're late."
Senju Miyuki twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, her expression one of utter self-assurance. "A girl has to wash up and get ready. How can I see anyone if I don't make myself look pretty?"
Ryusei was speechless. It's not a date, is it really necessary? Won't you just get dirty again when we practice ninjutsu later? What a hassle.
Miyuki looked at the pouting Ryusei. "Alright, don't be angry. Today, we're going to practice the Three Basic Academy Techniques."
The Three Basic Academy Techniques were the Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu—the absolute fundamentals of ninjutsu.
With Senju Miyuki's demonstration, two hours later, Yamamoto Ryusei had finally learned all three jutsu and had mastered them with considerable skill. At the very least, his Clone Jutsu didn't produce a half-baked, monkey-like version of himself like Naruto's.
Ryusei asked with an expectant look, "Big Sister Miyuki, with my learning speed, can I be considered a genius?"
Miyuki chuckled. "A genius? You're really confident, aren't you? A true genius would learn it after seeing it just once. You? I'd say you're above average."
Ryusei couldn't help but feel a little dejected. But it was fine, he would just have to train harder. The most important problem, however, was his lack of access to more ninjutsu.
This era was truly unfriendly to civilian ninjas. Even if a Ninja Academy was established, the students who graduated would just be cannon fodder who only knew the three basic techniques. And the Jonin squad leaders of this period had more feudal mindsets; he would probably only learn one or two C-rank ninjutsu at most.
Therefore, after entering the Ninja Academy, he absolutely had to get first place in his class to gain the Hokage's attention. That was his only hope.
Senju Miyuki squatted down and looked at Ryusei. "Don't be sad. Being a ninja isn't just about talent. With hard work, you can become a great ninja too. That's all for today's lesson. I have to go transport supplies tomorrow, so you'll have to practice on your own for the next few days."
"Okay, Big Sister Miyuki. My parents invited you to our house for dinner. Our food is really delicious."
"Really? Then I'll go home and change my clothes first. You can head back ahead of me." After saying that, Miyuki vanished with a swoosh.
Looks like Big Sister Miyuki has the traits of a foodie.
When Ryusei returned home, Yamashita So and Komiya Yuki had already arrived.
So was wearing a T-shirt-like garment with shorts, looking quite sharp.
Komiya Yuki was wearing a white kimono with pink cherry blossoms printed on it. Her blonde hair was tied up, making her face look round and exceptionally cute.
Ryusei took a bath and changed into clean clothes first. He saw So and Yuki leaning over the table reading and asked, "What books are you two reading?"
"Ryusei-kun, it's a mineralogy encyclopedia. Teacher gave it to me," So said, waving the book.
"Since you are my disciple, you should call him Big Brother Ryusei," Yamamoto Shuichi, who had come home early today, likely to welcome Miyuki, interjected.
"Yes, Teacher," So said respectfully.
Komiya Yuki looked up. "I'm reading about herbal medicine, but the stuff in here is so difficult!"
Ryusei smiled. "What part of learning isn't difficult? If it's hard, you just have to learn it slowly."
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came from the door.
Ryusei opened it to see Senju Miyuki standing there, holding a box of sweets.
She was wearing a long blue dress with her hair draped over her shoulders, looking particularly beautiful.
"Big Sister Miyuki, you look so beautiful today! Please, come in."
"You little sweet-talker. Excuse my intrusion. This is a gift I brought."
Ryusei took the gift and led Miyuki to the table. After they introduced themselves to each other, he brought out some crackers. "Dinner isn't ready yet. Have some crackers to tide you over."
The moment Miyuki saw Komiya Yuki, her eyes lit up with a glint exactly like the one Jiraiya had when peeking into the women's bathhouse. She sat down right next to Yuki. "Yuki, you are so cute!" she exclaimed, unable to resist pulling Yuki into a hug and snuggling against her.
Yamamoto Nami poked her head out of the kitchen. "Ryu-chan, come and get the dishes."
"Okay, coming!" Ryusei got up to get the food from the kitchen. Feeling that as Shuichi's disciple he should also help, So followed him.
Before long, the table was filled with food: Chicken and Mushroom Stew, Braised Fish, Mapo Tofu, Steamed Dumplings, and other Chinese dishes.
"Wow, I've never seen any of these dishes before! And they smell so good!" Miyuki's eyes shone as she stared at the food, her nose twitching as she inhaled the fragrant aroma.
So and Yuki couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Seeing their expressions, Shuichi said directly, "Let's eat. Everyone must be hungry."
"Itadakimasu!"
They all started eating. The only sounds were the chewing of food and exclamations of how delicious everything was.
After the whirlwind of eating, Miyuki sat back, satisfied, savoring the aftertaste.
Ryusei poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. "Big Sister Miyuki, how was our food?"
"Super delicious! I've never eaten anything this good before!" Miyuki said excitedly. "Especially that Mapo Tofu. At first, it was a bit hard to take, but the more I ate, the more delicious it became."
Yuki also said excitedly, "Yeah! I think the best was the Chicken and Mushroom Stew, especially the mushrooms. When you bite into them, they're full of chicken soup flavor. So good!"
"Yes, yes! I liked the Braised Fish the most. Teacher, can I come over to eat in the future?" So asked.
Shuichi smiled. "You are all welcome anytime."
Miyuki's mood suddenly dropped, and she looked as if all hope was lost. "It's a shame I have to go transport supplies tomorrow. It'll probably be more than ten days before I'm back. Thinking about the food just now, and then thinking about the military ration pills I'll have to eat tomorrow... life feels so hopeless."
Yamamoto Nami, who was just coming out of the kitchen after washing the dishes, said, "In that case, let me prepare some spices for you. When you're out in the wild, you can catch some animals and grill them. They'll be delicious with these spices."
Miyuki excitedly hugged Nami. "Really? Thank you, Big Sister Nami!"
Ryusei looked confused. "Big Sister Miyuki, you're calling my mom 'Big Sister'. Doesn't that mess up the seniority? How about I just call you Auntie Miyuki instead?"
Miyuki immediately refused. "No need! Just call me 'Big Sister'. Besides, how could I call someone as young and beautiful as Big Sister Nami 'Auntie'? We can just have our own separate terms of address."
Yamamoto Shuichi, who had been called 'Uncle', sat to the side smoking, his face a little dark. 'Does that mean I'm old?'
Nami was delighted and ran off to pack the spices for Miyuki.
Ryusei looked at the eagerly waiting Miyuki and said, "Big Sister Miyuki, if we were to open a restaurant, do you think we could make money?"
Miyuki nodded her head rapidly. "You definitely could! If you open a restaurant, I'll be there to eat every single day."
Ryusei then asked, "So, would Big Sister Miyuki like to partner with us?"
"Partner? But I don't have any money," Miyuki said, looking dejected. "I don't even have enough money for myself."
Ryusei finally showed his fox's tail. "You don't, but the Senju clan does."
Realization dawned on Miyuki's face, followed by a sly grin. "Little Ryusei, so that was your plan all along. You're trying to get something for nothing!"
Ryusei put on a sincere expression. "How is it getting something for nothing? This is clearly a win-win situation. We can't protect these recipes on our own, and we don't have the resources. Only by relying on the Senju clan can we maximize the profits, and only the Senju clan can deter those with ill intentions."
Miyuki looked conflicted. "But it's useless even if you ask me. A matter this big has to be decided by Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama."
Ryusei asked seriously, "Then can Big Sister Miyuki meet with the two lords?"
Miyuki propped her chin on her hand. "I can meet them, but it's impossible for me to take you to see them. Besides, I'm just a Chunin. My words don't carry any weight."
Ryusei said confidently, "Just being able to meet them is enough. When the time comes, I will prepare a dish. You just have to take it to the two lords to eat, and this matter will be settled."
Miyuki stood up, placed both hands on the table, and leaned her head close to Ryusei's. Her eyes shone with a light so bright that Ryusei couldn't look directly at it. "What dish is it? Is it even more delicious than Mapo Tofu?"
Ryusei deliberately slowed his speech, saying one word at a time, "It's... Buddha... Jumps... Over... the... Wall. And it's much more delicious than Mapo Tofu."
Miyuki pondered for a moment, then slowly sat back down. "So, what's in it for me?"
Remembering the glint in her eyes from just a moment ago, Ryusei made her an offer she couldn't refuse. "From now on, whatever you want to eat, I'll make it for you."
"Deal!" Miyuki immediately agreed.