Little Princess of the Terumi Clan

In contrast to the lively scene in the guest hall, a courtyard in the backyard—though also brightly lit—was significantly quieter. The servants coming and going kept their voices as low as possible.

It seems this is the courtyard of the Terumi Clan's little princess, Jiogan thought.

When the banquet first began, the Terumi Clan's little princess had been brought out by her mother for a brief appearance before being taken back to the backyard. At the time, Jiogan had been busy carving food and hadn't been able to get a look at all.

As his perspective shifted into the room, a woman was nursing an infant while two servants attended to her. The woman was Mei Ling, the wife of the current clan head, Miho Terumi.

Mei Ling looked at her daughter suckling with a face full of maternal love; the adorable sight was enough to melt her heart.

"Mei, my child, you must grow up healthy and happy," Mei Ling said.

Mei? Could it be! Is this child the future Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Mei Terumi?! Jiogan suddenly thought.

At this realization, Jiogan couldn't help but take a closer look at the infant. Although she was still too small to resemble the future beauty, the color of her hair confirmed to Jiogan that this was indeed the future Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi.

Without focusing too much on the situation in the backyard, Jiogan withdrew his sensory technique. I never expected that in the future, I'd be cooking for the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi. That's certainly a unique experience, he thought, shaking his head with a smile.

The banquet ended that night and the guests departed. Jiogan hadn't gathered any classified intelligence today; it wasn't the kind of occasion for the people of Kirigakure to exchange sensitive information, as most of the talk had been purely formal.

Soon, Jiogan fell into his first sound sleep in Kirigakure.

The next day, Jiogan rose early to go to the kitchen and help Uncle Kang prepare breakfast for the clan head's family. Uncle Kang also took the opportunity to teach Jiogan some culinary skills. Since Jiogan was already an expert at grilling fish and had previously sought advice from Maruboshi Kosuke on making soup, he learned very quickly.

"Oh! A Xin, how did you suddenly have such a breakthrough? You're learning quite fast today!" Uncle Kang said in surprise.

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Uncle Kang! I've been helping in the kitchen for so long, watching you work and practicing in private, all to help lighten your load as soon as possible!" Jiogan laughed.

Hearing a few words of flattery from Jiogan, Uncle Kang burst into laughter, clearly pleased. He told Jiogan that he still had many secret techniques to share and urged him to study hard, saying that the position of head chef would be his one day.

Jiogan humbly accepted, promising to study diligently and not let Uncle Kang's efforts go to waste.

A week later, Jiogan had identified his primary sources of intelligence: Miho Terumi's study, the reception hall, and the Mizukage Building.

The Terumi Clan's compound was located in the eastern part of Kirigakure, three kilometers in a straight line from the Mizukage Building. Jiogan's sensory ability, which ignored barriers, was far too broken; as long as he wanted to, he could probe almost any part of Kirigakure at any time.

However, he only needed to report on Kirigakure's external intelligence and check in periodically. There was no need to dig up all their secrets; Konoha wouldn't attack this barren land isolated overseas.

His undercover mission was really more like a vacation to experience the local customs of Kirigakure.

What Jiogan didn't know was how difficult it was for other Root operatives to infiltrate the village, and how they lived their lives in constant fear.

At this moment, Jiogan was in the kitchen, busily preparing miso soup. Ever since Miho Terumi and his wife, Mei Ling, had tasted the miso soup Jiogan made, they had grown very fond of the flavor and often specifically requested that he be the one to make it.

Nonsense, this is a miso soup recipe that Maruboshi Kosuke spent years perfecting—the only one of its kind in the ninja world! No, now there are two! Just watch how I conquer you all! Oho! Jiogan turned up the heat on the stove to make the soup richer.

"Achoo!" Maruboshi Kosuke, who was performing a patrol mission in the Land of Fire, sneezed. Did I catch a cold while camping last night? I should make myself a pot of miso soup to recover when I get back to the outpost!

Half a month later, Jiogan had completely integrated into the Terumi Clan. At the same time, he used the Monkey Clan to communicate and transmit his first piece of intelligence.

"Kirigakure has dispatched a team of about 15, led by two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen: Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the longsword Nuibari, and Jūzō Biwa, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō. They are secretly heading to the Land of Whirlpools, plotting against the Uzumaki Clan!"

An hour later, this intelligence reached Hiruzen Sarutobi. This kid Jiogan, he's already settled in and started relaying intel so quickly!

The Uzumaki Clan? Kirigakure must be after their Sealing Jutsu! I must stop their plan! Hiruzen Sarutobi thought.

He immediately dispatched a team of Anbu, led by his student Orochimaru, to the Land of Whirlpools to sabotage Kirigakure's plans.

Jiogan didn't care about Hiruzen Sarutobi's follow-up actions; he was only responsible for relaying the intelligence.

Half a year passed quickly. Jiogan's specialty, grilled fish, had become a massive hit within the Terumi Clan, and thanks to his excellent culinary skills, he was living quite comfortably.

Although he hadn't been in any combat, his high-frequency use of the Qi Sensing Technique over the past six months, combined with his practice of Tai Chi, had led to a noticeable expansion of the gas mass in his Dantian—despite the constant fog and rain in Kirigakure. This, in turn, fed back into his chakra reserves, which had now increased to the equivalent of over a hundred C-rank ninjutsu.

Seeing that his strength hadn't stagnated due to his undercover mission, Jiogan became even more dedicated to his task. Over the past six months, he had sent six intelligence reports to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, maintaining a frequency of roughly once a month. Several of these reports contained critical classified information, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi very satisfied with Jiogan's efficiency as an undercover agent.

Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected Jiogan to report back only once every three months. It seems Jiogan is perfectly suited for undercover work. Let him continue this long-term infiltration mission for now!

There was no helping it; Jiogan was just too useful!

Jiogan had no idea that his undercover career might not end for several years!

At that moment, he was dealing with a servant in the courtyard of the young lady, Mei Terumi. "A Xin, the young lady is growing up and needs baby food. Do you have any ideas?"

"Is that so?" Jiogan replied, then thought for a moment. "I've got it. I'll make a bowl of Red Bean and Barley Porridge!"

He then busied himself in the kitchen, eventually placing a bowl of soft, mushy, sticky, and sweet Red Bean and Barley Porridge into a food box, which he handed to the servant to take to Mei Terumi.

Back in Mei Terumi's courtyard, the servant opened the box and served the porridge to the lady of the house. It was still steaming.

"It smells so good! What kind of porridge is this? I've never seen it before. Did A Xin come up with something new again?" Mei Ling took the bowl, her eyes lighting up as she caught the scent of the porridge.

"Yes, my lady. A Xin says it's called Red Bean and Barley Porridge, and it's perfect as a supplement for the young lady," the servant replied.

Picking up a spoon, she blew on the steam and took a taste. Mei Ling's eyes brightened even more. "My goodness, this porridge is delicious! A Xin's cooking is truly beyond reproach!"

She then began feeding it to the growing Mei Terumi. The sweet, soft, and glutinous texture was a hit with the young lady, who ate nearly half the bowl and giggled happily! Not long after she was full, she fell asleep, still hiccuping in her slumber.

Watching her daughter's adorable appearance, Mei Ling felt her heart melt, but she didn't forget to finish the remaining half of the bowl herself. She then handed the empty bowl back to the maid and said, "Tell A Xin that the young lady loves his Red Bean and Barley Porridge. Tell him to make a bowl every night."

The maid acknowledged the order and withdrew.