Going All In on Ryuzaki Eiji!

Sayuri still wore that gentle expression, though it seemed softer than before. She had even started addressing him with an honorific.

"Ah, thank you."

"To witness cooking this magnificent... It could go down in a storybook as the stuff of legend."

"Wait! The moment I stop watching you, you run off to find Eiji! I knew I couldn't trust you!"

Kushina suddenly barged between them and glared at Sayuri. Then she handed her a plate piled with sliced Beef.

"Here, this is your share!"

Sayuri looked surprised by the Beef, then smiled even more brightly.

"Thank you for thinking of me, Miss Kushina."

"No problem! Eiji, I've got our portions already. Let's go eat in the kitchen!"

With that, Kushina pulled Eiji toward the house.

Watching the two of them leave, Sayuri had a bold thought.

If she couldn't compete with Kushina, could she settle for becoming Lord Eiji's Concubine?

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Imagawa Sayuri was a girl who got along remarkably well with others. By knowing when to yield and treating people gently, she had won Kushina's approval and could now join the two of them in their games.

Kushina held a black Go Stone and stared nervously at the crowded Go Board before placing it with great care.

Watching from the side, Eiji's eye twitched.

Across from her, Sayuri held a white Go Stone and placed it on the Go Board almost without thinking.

"Ah..."

Kushina went pale. Seeing that her position on the Go Board was lost, she slumped in defeat.

"It seems I've won, Miss Kushina."

"Waaah, I lost again! Eiji...!"

Kushina threw herself into Eiji's arms, clinging to him and shaking him.

Eiji rubbed her head helplessly. Lately, he seemed to be coming into close contact with Kushina more often. In fact, he suspected she kept finding excuses that made it look perfectly natural.

Her body was soft, and Eiji wasn't complaining.

Ever since Sayuri had moved into the Ancestral Home, Kushina had grown bolder. She felt threatened by Sayuri, but taking the opportunity to get closer to Eiji and win him over didn't seem like a bad idea.

No one can beat me, Kushina! So what if you're smarter than me? Eiji will still be mine in the end!

The thought of someone as wonderful as Eiji becoming her companion in the Future made Kushina as happy as if she'd eaten the sweetest candy in the world.

Kushina basked in his touch, smiling blissfully.

I like Eiji more than anyone!

After that, Eiji had no choice but to step in for the defeated Kushina and face Sayuri.

She was sharp-minded. Eiji couldn't beat her easily even while using his Six Eyes!

The Six Eyes gave him inhuman information-processing speed. In an instant, he could calculate dozens of possible moves, variations stretching tens of turns ahead, and every attack, trap, and counterplay.

It was as though Eiji had switched on AlphaGo during the match. Yet Sayuri blocked his attacks again and again. It was absurd.

Had spending so long in the Daimyo's Palace, with no playmates her own age, left her with nothing to do but play Go?

She might be a princess, but entertainment was scarce in the Shinobi World, especially for women.

Eiji felt as though he were facing Ke Jie. In the end, though, she couldn't beat Hextech, and Sayuri lost.

"I concede. You are a great Go player."

Sayuri lowered her head. A flash of frustration crossed her eyes, but it soon gave way to her usual gentle smile.

"You're the strong one. If I hadn't used my eyes' power, I might have lost."

Eiji admitted his cheating without hesitation. Sayuri looked at his eyes in surprise, then smiled again.

"You're very modest. A power you were born with is part of your talent. How could that be cheating?"

Eiji shrugged without comment.

All he knew was that if he were transported into the world of Go Boy, those eyes would make him the Great Ming Go Saint. He'd thrash Jiang Liuer, flatten Heimu, and knock down the Chess Ghost King with one palm.

The Ninja Academy Graduation Exam arrived.

Konoha was buzzing with talk. Only two hours remained before the exam, and a long line had already formed outside the Arena.

The Arena was large enough to seat all of Konoha, but with an audience this big, how could they not charge an Admission Ticket? At Utatane Koharu's suggestion, tickets were priced at one thousand ryō per person.

The villagers had to grit their teeth and pay if they wanted to watch the matches.

"Come take a look! Tournament favorites Uchiha Yo and Hyuga Yamashiro!"

"Put all ten thousand ryō on Uchiha Yo!"

"Five thousand ryō on Hyuga Yamashiro!"

Villagers crowded around the betting stand, pulling out their money to wager on the favorites.

Uchiha Fugaku watched them with a frown, then shook his head helplessly.

He pulled out a thick stack of banknotes and slapped it down on the counter.

"Put it all on Ryuuzaki Eiji."

What a joke. Why wouldn't he bet on a sure way to make a fortune?

The Uchiha weren't short on money, but who ever complained about having more?

As for the geniuses who hadn't bet on Ryuuzaki Eiji, he wished them luck!

The Bookmaker stared at the stack of bills, then at Uchiha Fugaku's stern face.

He swallowed hard. Why did he suddenly feel as though he might lose everything?

That sense of dread only grew when the young heirs of the Ino-Shika-Cho Families arrived and pulled out hefty stacks of banknotes to bet on Ryuuzaki Eiji.

"Shikaku, are we really doing this?"

Akimiichi Chōza scratched his head and eyed Eiji's name on the board. The odds were terrible. Eiji was a strong fighter, but Chōza wasn't sure he could take first place.

"Trust me. Bet on Eiji."

Shikaku remained calm as he slapped several hundred-thousand-ryō notes onto the counter.

"All right, if you say so."

"I'll put five hundred thousand ryō on Eiji to win too."

Inoichi Yamanaka nodded and pulled out his savings. If their strategist said to bet on Eiji, what was there to hesitate over? He would follow his lead.

As Eiji's Prize Pool kept growing, cold sweat beaded on the Bookmaker's forehead. Was he about to lose badly?

Was this kid no one talked about some kind of secret weapon?

But when he glanced at the bets on Uchiha Yo and Hyuga Yamashiro, he finally relaxed. Even if Ryuuzaki Eiji won, he would still turn a profit. The villagers had plenty of faith in those two prominent clans.