Chapter 14: The Wedding
In the blink of an eye, the day of Senju Ryota's wedding arrived.
Yamamoto Ryusei brought Komiya Yuki and Yamashita So to the Senju clan's compound. As soon as they entered, they saw Mito Uzumaki directing the Senju clan members with lightning-fast efficiency.
"Quickly, Team One, lay out the carpets! Team Two, go and set up the venue! Team Three, go and find out where the wedding procession is! Ryusei, why did you only just arrive?" Mito asked angrily, looking at the leisurely strolling Ryusei.
Ryusei looked puzzled. "Didn't I already send Liu Maoxing over? Why would I need to come so early? Besides, my hand still hasn't healed. It would be useless for me to go."
Liu Maoxing had been at the Senju compound since last night, processing ingredients with the Senju ladies.
Mito grabbed Ryusei's ear and snapped, "You can make more shadow clones! Didn't you say last time that one person wasn't enough? How is one clone suddenly enough now?"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Ryusei broke free from Mito's iron grip and rubbed his ear. "One person isn't enough to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, but one person is enough to make Cabbage in Boiled Water."
Mito's face darkened. Annoyed and embarrassed, she grabbed his ear again. "I don't care! You get to the kitchen right now! If the banquet starts and your dishes aren't ready, you'll be in for it!"
Ryusei took Komiya Yuki and Yamashita So to the kitchen.
So said, his heart still pounding with fear, "Wow, that woman is terrifying. When she got angry just now, it looked like her hair was about to catch fire."
Yuki agreed. "Yeah! Ryusei-nii, who is that woman?"
Ryusei was still rubbing his ear. "That's the Hokage-sama's wife, Lady Mito Uzumaki. She's a princess of the Uzumaki clan and probably the strongest kunoichi in the ninja world right now. So her temper is a little short." The one on the moon didn't count as a ninja.
Yuki's eyes shone with admiration. "So amazing! I've decided, I'm going to become as strong as Lady Mito!"
So asked doubtfully, "Didn't you want to be a medical-nin?"
Yuki rolled her eyes at him. "Being a medical-nin and becoming as strong as Lady Mito aren't mutually exclusive."
When they arrived at the kitchen, Liu Maoxing was directing the Senju ladies in processing the ingredients. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Ryusei. "If you had been any later, I might have dispelled myself to come and find you."
Yuki looked at Liu Maoxing with sparkling eyes. "Hello, Big Brother. My name is Komiya Yuki, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, her voice impossibly gentle.
Ryusei looked at Yuki, who had completely turned into a fangirl, and said tiredly, "That's my shadow clone, Yuki."
Yuki was first surprised, then confused. "Ah... why is Ryusei-nii's shadow clone so handsome? Are you not satisfied with your own face?"
Ryusei opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. He turned to Liu Maoxing instead. "What did you need to tell me? It looks like you have things under control here."
"I need you to make a few more shadow clones to supervise their cooking," Liu Maoxing said, pointing at the busy Senju ladies. "They don't need to be big. Just thumb-sized is fine, enough to last for two hours. Hmm... one for every five people."
There were thirty-six dishes in total. Excluding the Cabbage in Boiled Water, that left thirty-five. One clone for every five people meant seven clones.
Poof... Ryusei created seven thumb-sized versions of himself. Liu Maoxing said to the Senju women, "Come and get your teachers."
"Wait," one of the clones interrupted. "Let us transform first."
In a puff of smoke, the seven thumb-sized Ryuseis turned into seven thumb-sized Liu Maoxings.
Ryusei's face turned black. 'They really do hate my face. The big one could at least use the excuse that he needed a certain height to cook, but a tiny clone that just needs to talk also has to turn into Liu Maoxing...'
"So cute!" The Senju women excitedly came over, scooped up the thumb-sized Liu Maoxings, and went on their way.
Ryusei suddenly felt someone tugging on his clothes. He turned to see it was Yuki and So.
Yuki's face was beet red as she said coyly, "Ryusei-nii, can you make a little Liu Maoxing for me too? He's so cute, I really want one."
Ryusei's face went completely black. She's treating me like a pet-making factory... He immediately and sternly refused.
"Hmph..." Still not giving up, Yuki ran into the kitchen to "help" the Senju ladies.
So stared at a thumb-sized Liu Maoxing sitting on the shoulder of a well-endowed Senju lady and said with envy, "That's a great spot... Big Brother, can you turn me into that too?"
Ryusei rolled his eyes at him. "No."
"Hmph..." So turned his head away. "Fine, don't help me. I'll learn ninjutsu and do it myself in the future. But a good kid like me should also help the older sisters."
With a lecherous grin, So went into the kitchen to "help."
Ryusei returned to the main hall and saw only Mito directing things with her hands on her hips. "Lady Mito, is Lord Hashirama not here?"
"He went to welcome the Daimyo. The Daimyo will be here in two hours." Mito looked at Ryusei, who had run back again. "Are your dishes all sorted out?"
Ryusei patted his chest. "No problem. Not only did I make a few more clones (the miniature version), but I also sent two capable assistants (the two flirts) to help. We'll definitely have all the dishes ready before the wedding begins."
Mito nodded with satisfaction. "Good. You can go and rest then."
Ryusei went directly to the Senju clan's training grounds to practice Tekkai.
Tekkai was a technique that used blood flow and muscle control to give the body the defensive power of an iron block. Ryusei could now basically control all the muscles in his body. He just needed to control his muscles and increase their density at the moment of impact to form Tekkai, but the timing had to be perfect. Too early, and it would be a waste of energy; too late, and he would get hit.
Ryusea created two clones and had them attack him in turns with wooden sticks. This would train his body's reactions, allowing him to activate Tekkai at will.
A few hours later, Ryusei finished his training. He went home and then accompanied his parents to the Senju compound to attend Ryota's wedding.
The Senju household was now bustling with extraordinary excitement. Coming and going were the heads of all of Konoha's ninja clans.
Yamamoto Shuichi and Nami first went to present their wedding gift money. Ryusei went straight to the kitchen to find So and Yuki.
When he got there, he saw that all the dishes were ready. The Senju ladies were all gathered around Liu Maoxing, watching him make the Cabbage in Boiled Water.
"It's amazing! The soup becomes clear just by pouring in the minced chicken breast!"
"Yeah! And you can't see any impurities or oil in the soup. It looks exactly like boiled water. It truly deserves the name 'Cabbage in Boiled Water'."
"And the aroma is so fragrant and the flavor is so rich! It's not inferior to Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at all."
Liu Maoxing poured the soup into bowls containing blanched cabbage hearts, covered the bowls with lids, and placed them in a steamer. "Alright, let's steam this for another five minutes. The wedding is about to start. Let's go out and watch."
Liu Maoxing led the young women out. Ryusei also took So and Yuki back to the wedding venue and found his parents.
At that moment, Tobirama approached Yamamoto Shuichi. "Shuichi, bring Nami to the Hokage's office tomorrow morning. The various clan heads will be there, and we will discuss the matter of the restaurant partnership with them."
Shuichi said respectfully, "Yes, Lord Tobirama."
Before long, the wedding began. Senju Ryota and a beautiful young girl walked in. The girl was wearing a white, traditional shiromuku, her hair styled high. Judging by her face, she looked to be only twelve years old, and her figure was still as flat as a board.
"This princess is too young," Ryusei remarked.
"She's not that young. She's already fifteen, a year older than the groom," Yuki retorted.
"Huh?" Ryusei looked at the groom, who was a full head taller than the bride. He couldn't see how the groom could possibly be younger. The Daimyo had probably lied about her age for the political marriage with the Senju clan.
Ryusei leaned closer to Yuki's ear. "But how do you know that, Yuki?"
The warm air from his breath tickled Yuki's ear, and her face instantly flushed red, but she didn't pull away. "I heard it from the Senju sisters. They told me a lot of other things, too. They even let Teacher Liu Maoxing sit on my shoulder and direct me while I was cooking."
The corner of Ryusea's mouth twitched uncontrollably. I, Yamamoto Ryusei, would rather starve to death, die outside, or jump off a cliff than ever make a thumb-sized shadow clone again!