Ascending Dragon Dumplings

"Eiji, what are we eating today?!"

Nawaki's eyes lit up when he saw Eiji bring out such premium ingredients for once.

Man, he can work wonders with ordinary ingredients. With the good stuff, won't his cooking be out of this world?

"Mm. I'm making dumplings this time."

"Dumplings? With lobster?"

Something about that struck Nawaki as odd, but it was Eiji's idea, so he didn't dwell on it.

Eiji got to work at top speed in the kitchen. He rolled out the wrappers, chopped the shrimp meat, then mixed in cooking wine, white pepper, and other seasonings and left the filling to marinate for ten minutes. He planned to recreate the Ascending Dragon Dumplings from Cooking Master Boy, though his ingredients were far better than the shrimp Liu Mao Xing had used.

When Eiji brought the tray to the table and lifted the lid before Mito, Tsunade, and the others, golden light flashed. Steam billowed out, and a lifelike red dragon rose high from the tray. Everyone's jaws nearly hit the floor.

"Ascending Dragon Dumplings. I hope you enjoy them!"

Eiji clasped his hands in imitation of Soma Yukihira. He savored their stunned expressions. At least all that work hadn't gone to waste.

If he was going to live in this grand house, he needed something special to offer. Otherwise, he would have felt uneasy staying here.

"Wow... Is that a dragon?"

Kushina's eyes sparkled. My "partner" is amazing!

She began imagining her future: standing out from every other wife to become the most envied wife in the entire Shinobi World, enjoying food like this every day. I really know how to pick them!

Even Kushina wondered whether the Sage of Six Paths had possessed her back then and made her pay such special attention to Eiji.

No. Those love letters this morning are dangerous. I need to keep a close eye on him!

There are way too many people trying to steal my place as the happiest wife in the Shinobi World!

Tsunade stared at the lifelike red dragon dumplings in shock, then turned to Eiji's utterly calm face.

Could this kid really be the reincarnation of some Cooking Sage?

How else could I explain that golden light and these astonishing ideas?

Even served at the Daimyo's Palace, right in front of the Daimyo, this would be a masterpiece that stunned everyone.

The Daimyo might even be so pleased to show off in front of the nobles that he'd hand out a fortune in gold and silver.

At first, she had only thought he had awakened a special bloodline ability and wanted to keep him close so she could look after him. She hadn't given it much thought.

But is he actually good at everything?

Honestly, if not for the age gap, she would have made a move herself.

Who wouldn't want to eat food like this every day? Not bad, Kushina. I thought you picked Eiji just because he was handsome, but maybe you've got a sharper eye than I gave you credit for.

Give this kid a few more years, and who knows which of them will be marrying up!

At that thought, she envied Kushina. She's got it too good!

The best-looking man in all of Konoha and the best cook in the entire Shinobi World—where did this superhuman suddenly come from?

Thinking of her own prospects left Tsunade speechless. Kushina had a quality man at her side. What did she have?

Jiraiya? A lecherous pervert. Not worth considering.

Orochimaru? That's a whole other level. Absolutely not.

As for the others, they either coveted her status and had ulterior motives, or they were simply lustful. She could tell at a glance they weren't serious.

She glanced at Eiji, who was wiping the corner of Kushina's mouth with a napkin.

If only I were ten years younger. Sigh.

The more Mito Uzumaki watched Eiji, the more she liked him. Back in the day, Hashirama Senju had been hailed as the God of Shinobi, and she and Hashirama had married for political reasons.

Of course, they had grown deeply in love, and she had often cooked for Hashirama herself.

But now that she thought about it, Hashirama had never once cooked for her. That was a little regrettable. Kushina would surely be happy with Eiji in the future.

"Hey, Nawaki! Save some for me!"

"Mmph! It's so good I could cry!"

Tsunade watched Nawaki wolf down the food, a vein bulging on her forehead. She had barely had a few bites!

After the meal, Eiji saw how content everyone looked and decided the time was right to tell Tsunade about his plans.

"Tsunade, I heard the Ninja Academy dropped the Three-Body Technique from this year's graduation exam and replaced it with a ranked tournament between Ninja. Konoha must be preparing for something big."

"That's right. You're clever enough that you may have noticed things have been unsettled in the Shinobi World lately. That old man in Amegakure they call the Demigod wants to establish a nation on equal footing with the Five Great Nations. The major powers plan to use that as a pretext to go to war in Amegakure."

Since Eiji had asked, Tsunade had no intention of hiding it. The news would be made public soon enough anyway.

The Konoha High Command had argued themselves hoarse over the war. It all came down to which clans would be sent to fight and how many people each would contribute—matters of self-interest.

Tsunade couldn't be bothered with that mess. All she cared about was the safety of those close to her.

Now that Ryuuzaki Eiji had come into his own, her last remaining worry had vanished. She could take part in the Shinobi World War without fear.

It was just as well to tell the kid plainly. Eiji was sharp, not an ordinary child.

"I'd like to sign up. I want to test my strength."

Seeing how serious he was, Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Are you serious, kid? The Daimyo of the Land of Fire is coming to watch this exam. They're holding it specifically to reassure him. Why do you want to get involved?"

"Why not? I'm confident I can win."

"That's not the point. Why do you suddenly want to do this?"

Since when does this kid care about standing out? He's never seemed like the type.

Tsunade was puzzled. Eiji seemed to be in a hurry. What is he trying to do?

"Well, I'm still a bit rough with my new Ninjutsu. I want to hone it in the tournament. My ranking doesn't matter; I mainly want to gain experience."

Of course Eiji wanted to fight. Satoru Gojo's Fusion Rate had barely budged lately. At this rate, when would he ever master Reverse Cursed Technique?

Without Reverse Cursed Technique, many possibilities would remain nothing more than theories: Eight Gates with Infinite Duration, Sage Mode with Infinite Duration—none of it could become reality.

Unlike Satoru Gojo, Eiji didn't have that freewheeling personality. He couldn't easily raise his Fusion Rate by matching it. That left only one answer: fight to earn Experience Points and complete the fusion.

"Eiji, you're entering the tournament? Then I'm entering too!"

Kushina couldn't let her partner leave her behind. She thrust her hand into the air, eager to join in.

"Not yet, Kushina. You haven't learned the Rasengan. Once you have, you'll be able to protect yourself."

Eiji raised a hand to stop her. He didn't want Kushina getting hurt because of this.