Land of Fire, Kyoto, the Daimyo's Mansion.
The afternoon sun was warm, and by the side of an exquisite garden pond, fish leisurely flicked their tails in the water. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was leisurely fishing.
An elderly man dressed in formal attire, looking like a butler, stepped forward quietly. He stopped a few paces away and bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness, the preparations for this year's Taketori Festival are basically complete. Registration for the Culinary Competition has also closed. Famous chefs and descendants of culinary families from all over have gathered; it promises to be a grand event."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the float on the water's surface.
The old man paused briefly, his voice dropping slightly with a hint of something different in his tone: "Additionally, there is one more matter that I believe Your Highness might find interesting..."
"Oh?"
The Daimyo responded casually, his gaze remaining on the float.
"Among the applicants for this competition, there is a Ninja from Konohagakure."
"A Ninja from Konoha?" Hearing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's fishing rod stalled slightly. He finally turned his head, a look of genuine interest appearing on his Face.
He raised his hand and, with a "shua" sound, unfurled an exquisite cypress fan, half-covering his lips. His eyes narrowed slightly behind the fan's ribs: "I recall that the current Konoha no longer has a division for Culinary Ninja, do they?"
As the ruler of a nation, he naturally knew of the obscure and nearly extinct ancient profession of "Culinary Ninja."
But he knew even better that the mere participation of a Konoha Ninja was not enough for the old butler to make a special report.
He signaled the other to continue with his eyes.
The butler bowed slightly and continued respectfully: "The person accompanying this Ninja contestant to Kyoto... is Princess Tsunade."
"Tsunade?"
The cypress fan in the Daimyo's hand stopped.
Tsunade was called "Princess Tsunade" not just because she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage and Second Hokage, and the princess of Konohagakure.
She was also an officially titled princess of the Land of Fire, in her own right.
Years ago, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, entered into a covenant with the Land of Fire to establish the system of 'one country, one village'.
A few years after Konohagakure was founded, Tsunade was born. To demonstrate the unbreakable bond between the two and the importance placed on Konoha, the previous Daimyo of the Land of Fire specifically bestowed a grace, officially titling the infant Tsunade as a Princess of the Land of Fire and granting her the title of 'Hime'.
Although Tsunade herself didn't seem to care much for the title and spent her years active as a Ninja, this status had always existed within the official records of the Land of Fire.
Now, this princess—who had never made a public appearance in Kyoto and was even rumored to have been despondent after the Second War—had actually come to Kyoto in person with a competing Ninja chef?
The Daimyo slowly folded his cypress fan and tapped it twice against his palm, the interest in his eyes deepening.
"This Ninja..." He mused for a moment before saying, "Tell me in detail what you know about this person."
"Yes, Your Highness." The butler bowed slightly and began to state the facts clearly: "This Ninja from Konoha is named Higashino Shinichi, currently aged..."
Higashino Shinichi?
Hearing the name, a flash of realization crossed the Daimyo's eyes.
He had an impression of this name; it seemed to be connected to that trouble involving a cult and missing children that occurred in the border town of Narumi Castle. The report at the time had vaguely mentioned an outstanding young Konoha Ninja.
However, he hadn't paid much attention to such trivial matters back then.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire did not interrupt the butler's report, merely listening quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knee.
As the butler's plain narration continued, pieces of information were linked together: independently developing an A-rank Seal-less Ninjutsu at the age of nine, shocking Konoha; sweeping the competition to win the championship in the Chunin Exams held in Sunagakure of the Land of Wind last year; and now even having the Disciple of the Third Hokage—Princess Tsunade—personally serving as his Jōnin Instructor... The more he heard, the more playful the light in the Daimyo's eyes became.
With his experience and politician's intuition, he immediately sensed a different meaning behind it all.
This wasn't just a simple Genius Ninja. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't just value this little fellow in an ordinary way; this was almost a public declaration through action that this boy was one of the key candidates being groomed for Konoha's future core—perhaps even for the position of Hokage.
As long as he didn't die young, given time, even if he didn't become Hokage, he would surely be a pivotal member of Konoha's future power structure.
"Interesting, truly interesting," the Daimyo whispered to himself, a curve hooking the corner of his mouth. "A young Genius upon whom the Third Hokage has placed such high hopes doesn't think about perfecting his Ninja Way or accumulating merits, but instead has the leisure to come and participate in my Culinary Competition..."
"It seems this year's Taketori Festival will be more worth watching than previous years." The Daimyo of the Land of Fire chuckled softly, then said to the butler: "Remember, when the competition officially begins, give me a reminder. I want to go and see for myself what kind of tricks our Konoha Genius Ninja can serve up."
"Yes, Your Highness, your old servant has noted it down."
"Also." The Daimyo thought for a moment and snapped his cypress fan completely shut: "Mune-masa, you handle it. As long as the things our Konoha Genius makes aren't so bad they're hair-raising, or he doesn't set the stove on fire on the spot, for the sake of the Third Hokage and Konoha's Face, give him a decent ranking when appropriate. He's a young man; having a special hobby is harmless, and it might even become a charming story."
He spoke these words lightly, as if he were merely giving a bit more water to a particularly unique flower in his garden.
"As you command, Your Highness. This old servant understands how to handle it." The butler understood perfectly, bowed deeply again, and then retreated soundlessly, leaving the quiet leisure of the courtyard once more to the pensive Daimyo.
Just then, a cool breeze swept through the corridor and brushed across the courtyard. The calm surface of the water was ruffled, spreading layers of fine ripples. The reflections of the exquisite pavilions and the clear sky swayed and shattered, the light and shadows becoming chaotic.
The Daimyo quietly watched the pool of autumn water disturbed by the wind, his gaze distant, as if seeing a broader, more restless picture through the surface.
"A storm is coming," he whispered to himself. "This pond that is the Ninja World is about to be stirred into a muddy mess again."
"Who will be the first this time? Sunagakure? Iwagakure? Kumogakure? Hidden Mist? Or some restless, ambitious schemer?"
After a moment of silence, he suddenly let out a very soft sneer.
"Stir it up, stir it up, stir to your heart's content! Stir the world until the winds surge and clouds rise, and blood flows like a river... in the end, the ones who have to clean up the mess and soothe the people's hearts are still us."
After a moment of sentiment, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire shook his head, tossing away those chaotic thoughts and irritations.
Leaning back against the chair again, his Face regained that habitual, inscrutable calm and leisure.
It was as if that moment of insight and sentiment was merely a ripple on the water's surface after a breeze, one that would soon settle.