Chapter 2

In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight passed through the glass window and shone on Leo's face, he slowly opened his eyes.

Turning his head to look beside him, Wanda was no longer there.

Putting on his pajamas, he left the bedroom and walked down the spiraling golden European-style staircase to the first floor. Soon, he heard the clattering sounds coming from the kitchen.

"Dear, you're awake. I'm making crispy potato pancakes for you, just wait a moment!"

Wanda, holding a frying pan in one hand and a knife in the other, peeked out from the kitchen.

"Thanks, but I remember you said before that you couldn't cook and that your brother always cooked at home?"

Leo keenly noticed that there seemed to be some broken dishes in the kitchen trash can.

Sensing Leo's gaze, Wanda's fingers moved slightly, and the broken pieces of dishes quickly hid behind the trash can as if they had grown legs.

"I asked my brother for some tips a few days ago and feel like I've got the hang of it."

Wanda slightly raised her chin, showing a confident look.

Leo was outstanding, handsome, kind, gentle, and wealthy, while she was just an orphan working at a convenience store, her heart filled with hatred.

She didn't know why Leo would fancy her and persistently pursue her for three years, making her feel true love again.

But she knew that her current happiness was a gift from God, and she had to cherish it and fulfill her role as a wife.

So, although she had never cooked before, she had been asking her brother for cooking tips recently. Despite some small accidents, she was confident this time would be a success.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Leo smiled, gave Wanda an encouraging hug, and then went to wash up.

Ten minutes later, Leo picked up a piece of crispy potato pancake with chopsticks and chewed it slowly. A strange expression appeared on his face.

"Dear, how is it?"

Wanda sat beside Leo, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"It's good, tastes nice!"

Leo looked at Wanda, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Really!"

Wanda's face lit up with joy, and she picked up a piece with a fork to taste.

"I'll try it too."

Seeing this, Leo quickly poured a cup of water from the teapot on the table.

"It's so… so salty!"

Wanda chewed twice, her eyes widening, then she gulped down the water Leo handed her.

"Chuan, I'm really not a good wife!"

A guilty expression appeared on Wanda's face. She was sure the piece she had tasted earlier wasn't this salty, so why was this one different?

Leo smiled and patted her head.

"Nobody is perfect at the beginning. The fact that you got up early to cook for me already makes me very happy."

For a beginner learning to cook, the hardest part was getting the seasoning right. It would get better with practice. In life, it's the thought that counts, and her intention already surpassed most people.

"Dear, you're always so kind. I'll throw it away and make a new one!"

Moved by Leo's comfort, Wanda gave him a quick peck on the lips and reached for the plate of salty pancakes.

"No need to throw it away. It's fine if it's a bit salty."

Leo stopped Wanda.

He disliked wasting food, especially since this was the first meal Wanda had cooked for him after their marriage.

Wanda was even more touched. She thought that if only the pancakes weren't so salty, it would be perfect.

"Huh!"

When Leo picked up another piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, his expression turned strange again.

This time, it wasn't salty at all and tasted delicious.

He quickly realized it was due to Wanda's abilities and felt at ease.

After breakfast, Wanda, with a determined look, assured Leo:

"Dear, come home early tonight. I'll make Asturian stew for you. I guarantee it will be perfect this time!"

"Okay, good luck!"

Leo kissed Wanda on the forehead, gave her an encouraging gesture, and then left with his briefcase.

In the villa's yard, an elderly man in his fifties opened the car door for him.

"Good morning, young master!"

"Good morning, Uncle Li!"

Leo nodded and got into the car.

"Any news lately?"

"Young master, we've identified the mastermind behind the recent attacks on our group. It's Pavi from Raymon Pharmaceuticals. How should we handle it?"

As Uncle Li drove the car slowly out of the villa, he reported to Leo.

Leo's expression turned cold.

"Tell Xiao Wu that he can go fishing again."

In three years, the Li family's business had risen from a third-rate company to a top-tier one, not because Leo had extraordinary business talent. As a former underground fighter, he knew nothing about running a business.

There were two main reasons for their success.

First, Leo provided some of the strengthening ointments and pills from his side quest rewards to the company's scientists for research, resulting in many bestselling new products.

Second, he was ruthless. He never showed mercy to those who tried to sabotage or compete maliciously.

Aside from spending a lot of money hiring assassins on the dark web, he sometimes dealt with them personally and even trained a team of subordinates to handle such matters.

In the past three years, most of those who opposed him ended up being fed to the fish.

On the surface, however, he was the youngest genius entrepreneur in Sokovia and a recognized philanthropist, whose foundation had helped many war-torn families, earning him the love of the local people.

After handling all the affairs at the company, Leo took a deep breath in his office and opened the virtual panel.

"It's time to enter the small world."

...

"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's time for lunch."

In a daze, Leo was awakened by a voice, and a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind.

"Kina, I understand."

Yuan Chuan, twenty years old, was the son of the deceased brother of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, a prince with a noble status and a wealthy background, but no real power.

This was the identity arranged for Leo after entering the Naruto world.

The woman named Kina in front of him was the housekeeper of the prince's residence, responsible for Leo's daily needs and managing the entire residence.

He had just been sunbathing in the yard of the prince's residence and had fallen asleep because it was so comfortable.

After getting up and having an extravagant lunch with Kina and the other servants' help, Leo instructed her:

"Prepare the horses. I'm going to the Fire Temple this afternoon."

Leo hadn't come to the Naruto world to enjoy himself. As a modern-world tycoon, there was no need to come to this backward world for comfort.

His purpose in the Naruto world was singular: to learn ninjutsu and become stronger.

Of course, if he could acquire some special technologies from this world to help his group expand upon returning, that would be great too.

There were two places in the Land of Fire where one could systematically learn ninjutsu: the strongest ninja village, Konoha, and the Fire Temple.

Other wandering ninjas and ninjas hired by nobles generally lacked real skills and weren't worth considering.

The Fire Temple's heritage was certainly far inferior to Konoha's, with its current strongest member being only at the elite jonin level.

But it was safe. It didn't have the messy, dirty politics of Konoha, no Danzo and Third Hokage scheming, no clan infighting. Plus, his status as a prince of the Land of Fire made it the ideal place to start learning ninjutsu.

Most importantly, even if he risked going to Konoha, they wouldn't truly teach him any powerful ninjutsu, only giving him the bare minimum out of obligation.

The relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire wasn't as harmonious as one might think.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Though Kina was a bit surprised by Leo's order, she still nodded respectfully.

The prince was a reserved person who disliked socializing and rarely attended noble events. His sudden desire to visit the Fire Temple outside the city was unexpected.

But as a noble prince, he could go wherever he pleased, and she, as a servant, only needed to follow orders.

The prince's residence had dedicated carriages and drivers, so soon, with Kina's assistance, Leo was seated in a luxurious carriage, accompanied by a group of servants and warrior guards, heading towards the Fire Temple.