A Formidable Rival?

Though she knew little about his character, his appearance and the few words they had exchanged were enough for Imagawa Sayuri to sense that he was a decent person.

The Fire Daimyo saw the look on his daughter's face, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He was hardly a heartless man.

There had been nothing he could do about his eldest daughter. The other party had specifically demanded a marriage alliance with her. But his second daughter, Sayuri, was different. He was determined to find her a suitable match.

"Ryuuzaki Eiji. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She really has a lovely personality. She seemed like a Yamato Nadeshiko: born into a distinguished family, yet still so gracious. Back in my old world, people would've fought over her.

Kushina looked at Sayuri, then at Eiji. Alarm bells rang in her head.

The girl named Sayuri had said nothing, but Kushina's intuition told her there was trouble.

Oh, I see! She wants to steal my best friend!

What is it with all these girls making eyes at Eiji? Am I invisible?

"Come on, Eiji. It's time for our daily training. Don't forget Minato's waiting for us in the forest!"

With that, Kushina tucked Eiji's arm against her chest and gave Sayuri a look reserved for an enemy.

Sayuri met Kushina's hostile gaze without anger or hurt. She merely narrowed her eyes and smiled back.

This girl is a formidable rival!

Alarm bells blaring in her head, Kushina tugged Eiji toward the main gate.

"Hurry up, or that sissy's going to start complaining again!"

Eiji didn't resist. He let Kushina drag him out of the Senju Clan Compound.

Sayuri kept her eyes narrowed and her smile in place, giving nothing away.

How nice. I hope I can be friends with them.

By dinnertime, Eiji and Kushina had returned to the Senju Clan Compound.

Kushina's bad mood had hampered her training that day. She had burst the water balloon again and again while practicing the Rasengan, leaving her hair a mess.

Exhausted in body and mind, Kushina held Eiji's arm as she pushed open the residence gate. Sayuri stood inside, smiling at them both.

"You two must be tired. I've heated some water for you."

The competition proper was still a week away, so the Daimyo and his party had to stay in Konoha for the time being. He thought it would do his daughter good to spend time with people her own age, so he had asked Mito Uzumaki to let Sayuri stay at the Senju Ancestral Home for the week.

Staying there meant she had no servants with her. Wanting to befriend Eiji and Kushina, Sayuri had heated the water for them herself.

The sight filled Nawaki with envy. Why did Eiji have all the luck?

Tsunade's mouth twitched. Getting the Daimyo's daughter to heat bathwater on the day they met—Eiji had some nerve.

Whoa, so that's her plan?

Kushina saw straight through Sayuri's little scheme. She had read enough romance stories to know Sayuri meant to make herself a familiar part of Eiji's life, little by little.

"Give it up! Eiji's already mine! I'm not handing him over to you!"

Kushina wrapped her arms tightly around Eiji's upper body, like a lioness warning other beasts away from her prey.

Eiji barely reacted. He could already imagine Kushina hissing at him if he tried to pull free.

"Miss Kushina, I think you've misunderstood. I truly envy the bond you two share, and I have no intention of coming between you," Sayuri said gently. "It's just that I rarely meet anyone my own age at the Daimyo's Palace. I'd like to be friends with you both."

"Friends?" Kushina's eyes shifted. "Just friends?"

"Yes. I mean it."

Kushina studied Sayuri's smiling face but could find no hint of a lie. Only then did she gradually lower her guard.

"Well, if you put it that way, Eiji and I can be your friends."

Kushina let go of Eiji and shook Sayuri's hand. Eiji pulled a bag of candy from his pocket and offered it to her.

"I made these sweets myself. Consider them a gift to mark our new friendship."

Sayuri accepted the candy with both hands and dipped her head in thanks.

It looked as though Kushina had made her second friend. No, Minato was her second... wasn't he?

Then again, those perpetually smiling, narrow-eyed types are always monsters. Eiji thought better of saying it aloud.

After all, he sensed no ill will from Sayuri. Perhaps she really had grown stifled in a place as rule-bound as the Daimyo's Palace.

"Eiji and I are going to wash up. Just wait until dinner—his cooking will blow you away!"

Sayuri watched Kushina lead Eiji briskly into the Ancestral Home. Her lips curved slightly, but a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes.

She truly envied them. If she could, she would have been an ordinary girl and spent her life with the man she loved. But she had enjoyed the luxuries of nobility; she could not be so willful.

Kushina washed first, then Eiji. Nothing particularly exciting happened. When they emerged from the back courtyard, they found the Daimyo and a large group of people gathered in the front courtyard.

The Daimyo said he had brought plenty of fresh ingredients and talented chefs, and hoped to share dinner with Mito Uzumaki and Princess Tsunade.

At that, Tsunade's lips curved upward. She turned and spotted Eiji coming into the courtyard to see what was going on.

She strode over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him before the Daimyo.

"Tell your chefs to save their strength. The real chef is right here!"

The Daimyo stared in surprise. Sayuri tilted her head and looked at Eiji too.

The chefs were even less pleased. How could a child who wasn't yet ten be called a great chef?

"Big Sis Tsunade, I'm a shinobi, not a chef."

Eiji sighed. He had only just finished washing up, and now he was expected to cook for this whole crowd? At this rate, he might as well change careers and go head-to-head with Teuchi.

"Enough complaining. Put all these chefs together and they still can't match you. I don't want to eat anyone else's cooking!"

Eiji had no choice. He had brought this on himself by spoiling Tsunade's palate.

"Little Tsunade, are you sure this young man can match the chefs I brought? I recruited them from all over the country. They're the finest cooks around."

The Daimyo gave Tsunade a searching look, but she waved a dismissive hand.

"Oh, please. I've been to the Daimyo's Palace. Their cooking is good, sure, but it doesn't come close to his. Have you ever seen a dish that glows?"

"Oh?"

Imagawa Yoshiteru's interest was piqued. He looked to Mito Uzumaki, and when she nodded in agreement, his excitement grew.

An unexpected treat?

He had thought this trip to watch the Konoha Shinobi Graduation Exam would merely help pass the time. Now it seemed that seeing the boy cook would make the whole visit worthwhile. How fascinating!

The Shinobi World was short on entertainment. Even a Daimyo could find life dull. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt that one of the wondrous tales from his storybooks was about to unfold before his eyes. How could he not be excited?