"Starting today, we have one more person in our family, and we also have a Mistress. From now on, you two need to listen carefully to Naori!"
Minato immediately stood ramrod straight. "Yes, Big Brother!"
Amado imitated Minato, standing equally straight, which looked utterly comical.
However, this was precisely the source of happiness in their home. If everyone lived life with a tense face and a formal demeanor, they would surely exhaust themselves.
"Let's cook dinner here at home tonight. After all, it's our first meal after getting married."
Torifu agreed without issue and then instructed Amado and Minato to go out and buy groceries.
Before long, Yahiko and Konan also returned. As soon as they entered the yard and saw Naori, they immediately called out "Mistress."
This delighted Naori.
"You two have such sweet mouths! I wonder who you learned it from. You weren't this talkative when you first arrived in Konoha, were you?" Naori said, occasionally glancing at Torifu.
"Why are you looking at me? I certainly didn't teach them those sweet words; they're just naturally gifted."
Naori smiled. "In that case, let's just call Yahiko and Konan geniuses. Speaking of which, you two should be going back to school tomorrow, right?"
Yahiko confirmed it. "Yes, Mistress. We've been on vacation for a while. Although it was fun, we still want to get back to studying properly."
Torifu felt a surge of gratification upon hearing that. It seemed Yahiko was still ambitious. Torifu didn't demand they achieve great things; they just needed to be stronger than him in the future, right? That wasn't too much to ask, was it? The old saying goes that the student surpasses the master, so surely the disciples Torifu taught should be even more formidable than he was.
However, Torifu kept these thoughts to himself, afraid of putting too much pressure on Yahiko. After all, he was only a six-year-old child who had only recently begun learning ninjutsu. Currently, he could only manage a few basic, even low-grade, techniques.
Naori rubbed Yahiko and Konan's heads. "You must study well at school and interact more with your friends. Once you become ninjas, you'll have far fewer opportunities to make friends."
"Your time at the Ninja Academy will be your most carefree period. It's best to find one or two true, close friends during this stage."
The two children listened earnestly to their Mistress's instructions and took them to heart.
There were quite a few children who played with them at school. However, most of them intentionally approached them only because Yahiko and Konan's Master was the Hokage. How could children so small have such motives? It was simply what their parents told them to do. Friends like that couldn't be called true friends, or even friends at all.
"Okay, Mistress, we understand! Master has never taught us these things before!"
Clearly, Yahiko and Konan found Naori's recent advice quite novel. They couldn't fully grasp the deeper meaning yet, but it would definitely have an impact on them.
The four of them sat in the yard chatting for about an hour.
Minato and Amado returned from the market, carrying large bags of groceries back to the house. The sheer amount gave Torifu a start.
"Good heavens! Did you two go restocking a store? Why did you buy so many groceries?"
Minato scratched his head. "I didn't want to, Big Brother, but Second Brother said we needed to make several dishes tonight to celebrate, especially since he didn't even eat enough lunch."
Torifu looked at Amado, who nodded in affirmation.
In that case, there was no helping it. The ingredients were already bought, so they had to be cooked.
"How about this: we each take responsibility for a few dishes. When they're all finished, we'll put them together. This will both save a lot of time and let us eat what we each feel like having."
Torifu's suggestion was a good one. The Kumotsuru Clan's compound had many kitchens; nearly every room had a convenient small kitchen, large enough for one person to cook. Torifu's old room also had a normal-sized kitchen. They could all be used.
"Sounds great! Let's do it that way!"
Minato immediately raised his hands in agreement before Amado could even comment.
"Actually, I was planning on doing all the cooking myself, but since Big Brother suggested it, we can divide the work."
Torifu waved his hand. "If you tried to cook all this food by yourself, you'd probably break your back. Let's do as I said and share the load. It'll be a chance to taste everyone's cooking."
Naori was eager to show off her culinary skills. She hadn't had a chance to display her cooking before, because whenever it was time to eat, Torifu always took her out to a restaurant. Naori had never properly cooked a full meal for Torifu. Today was the perfect chance to fulfill that wish.
The sky gradually darkened. Torifu looked toward the Cloud Palace and saw that there were still people who hadn't come down yet. He wondered if they planned to spend the night up there. It wouldn't be a problem; he could just chase them down tomorrow morning.
It was now five in the evening, and Torifu and the others had started getting busy. Yahiko and Konan were too short to reach the stove even if they stood on stools, and they didn't know how to cook anyway, so they could only watch from the side. They constantly moved between the different kitchens, cheering everyone on and lending moral support.
It was exactly like a Chef King competition, with the two children acting like judges who kept distracting the contestants.
But their interruptions clearly had no effect. Everyone, including Minato, was extremely focused. For the first meal after the arrival of their new family member, everyone wanted to show off their skills. So, they all brought out their most prized signature dishes.
A sizzling sound came from Torifu's kitchen, and a rich, vinegary aroma drifted throughout the compound.
"Wow, that's strong! What is Master making?"
Torifu smiled. "Sweet and sour pork. It's a dish Master loves to eat."
"Sweet and sour pork? That sounds delicious!"
Children naturally loved those sweet and sour flavors, so the two little gluttons clustered around Torifu.
When the dish was finished, Torifu gave each of them a piece. This was perhaps the benefit of being a judge.
Torifu then quickly stir-fried a vegetable dish and carried both plates to the table. Naori and Amado were also finished. One had made sushi, and the other had made braised fish. It was obvious that the sushi was Naori's contribution.
In addition, Naori had made a sukiyaki hotpot.
These two simple dishes were classic gourmet offerings in the ninja world and could be found in nearly any village. They were deeply loved by many people.
Before long, Minato arrived as well, carrying a large basin of bright red food to the pavilion. The moment he set the dish on the table, a spicy aroma instantly filled the entire pavilion.