The First Mission

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, though his tone made it clear he already knew the answer.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

This was the first time Karot and Hiruzen Sarutobi had met face-to-face. Hiruzen had seen Karot when he was born, after all—he'd had a tail and looked like a monkey. But Hiruzen had paid more attention to Kakashi, who had been famous as a genius since childhood. Karot, meanwhile, had been practically invisible. He couldn't even gather Chakra, so eventually Hiruzen had stopped paying attention to him altogether. He hadn't expected this invisible child to give him such a pleasant surprise. Now he was paying much closer attention to Karot, which was why they were meeting today.

"Like father, like son."

The Third Hokage praised him warmly.

"I hope you'll grow into a ninja like your father and protect Konoha."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I won't let you down."

"Good. Since this is Karot's first mission, let's give him something simple—a C-rank mission to clear out some bandits."

It had to be said: in times of war, even simple missions involved killing people. Nothing like Naruto's era, when they cleaned sewers and chased cats. Karot felt nothing in particular. Perhaps he'd grown used to the way of life in this world.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. We'll complete the mission."

After Matsushita gave his assurance, he took the mission details. An unidentified group of bandits had appeared outside Konoha, robbing and killing merchant caravans and destroying small villages. They were hurting Konoha's income, so they needed to be dealt with.

In wartime, ordinary people were displaced and left without a source of income. Some banded together and turned to crime.

"Everyone, go home and pack. We'll meet at the village entrance at two this afternoon."

"Yes, Teacher Matsushita."

"Especially you, Karot. Don't be late again."

"Don't worry, Teacher Matsushita. That was an exception. I'm usually reliable."

"I hope so."

Karot knew how to tell what was important and what could wait.

With that, everyone went home to pack their things.

"Miwako, wait a moment."

Hearing Karot call her, Miwako stopped and asked,

"Is something wrong, Karot?"

There's something I'd like your help with.

"Oh?"

Miwako watched Karot looking a little awkward. She wanted to laugh, but held it in. Was this really the same Karot who would argue even when he was in the wrong?

Karot felt a little embarrassed, too. They'd only just met, and already he was asking her for a favor.

"I've got a few space-time scrolls here. Could you help me seal some things inside them?"

Miwako had thought it would be something serious. This was no trouble at all, so she readily agreed.

A little while later, Miwako and Karot were sweeping through the food street, leaving her utterly incredulous. Food disappeared into the scrolls as quickly as water flowing downstream. The shopkeepers all saw them off enthusiastically, and Miwako couldn't even remember how she'd left. She felt as if her entire worldview had been reshaped.

"Did you pick up your mission?"

When Karot got home, he found Hatake Sakumo waiting for him in the living room.

"Yes, Father. It's a C-rank mission. We're clearing out bandits."

"Bandits? That should be easy enough for you. It'll also give you a taste of how cruel the ninja world can be."

"After you eat, pack your things and set out. I'll be here waiting for you to come back."

After a simple meal, Karot set off.

Hatake Sakumo watched his eldest son leave, his heart heavy.

He was still so young, yet he already had to face life and death. There was nothing Sakumo could do to stop it. If Karot wanted to become strong, this was an essential part of his training.

"Father, are you worried about Big Brother?"

Kakashi came over and asked.

"Don't worry. Big Brother can handle it with his strength."

"Mm. I hope so."

Until Karot returned, Sakumo couldn't help worrying. After all, even a C-rank mission could turn into an A- or S-rank one. There was no telling what might happen.

At two in the afternoon, Karot arrived at the meeting place right on time. He wasn't late, which came as a relief to Matsushita.

"Let's go."

At Matsushita's order, the three members of the team left the village gate and charged into the forest.

As they traveled, Karot watched the others' method of running with great interest. They leaned forward with their hands stretched back, and somehow managed to maintain that speed. Where was Newton when you needed him?

The other three were also watching Karot. His outfit was different—for example, he'd changed the color of his martial arts uniform to green. Until he was invincible, he knew it was best to keep his head down when needed. Karot was a cautious person.

His method of running especially drew their attention. He was running just like people did in the ordinary world, yet he could still keep up with the group.

As they traveled, Matsushita kept an eye on Karot. He saw that Karot could keep up with his pace, even though Matsushita was steadily speeding up.

"As expected of Teacher Hatake's son!"

Matsushita thought to himself.

Matsushita had been away on a mission during Karot's graduation exam, so he hadn't witnessed it firsthand. He'd only heard about Karot's strength from others and from Hatake Sakumo. That was why he'd put Karot to this test. Karot hadn't disappointed him.

Without stopping to rest, they traveled for half a day before finally reaching the bandits' hideout.

"Rest here and eat something to get your strength back. We'll move tonight,"

Matsushita ordered.

Everyone rested where they were. Karot went over to Miwako and handed her the scroll.

"Sorry for the trouble, Miwako."

Miwako opened the scroll, formed hand seals, pressed her hands against it, and called out,

"Release!"

"Poof!"

A pile of food appeared out of thin air on the scroll. Yes, you read that right: a pile of food enough for fifty people.

The sight shocked Matsushita and Sanada. Seeing their expressions, Miwako felt pleased. They looked just like she had the first time.

"Karot, Karot, what is all this?"

"Oh, this is my dinner, Teacher Matsushita."

"All of it?"

"Isn't that only natural?"

Looking at Karot's lavish spread of meat and fish, then down at the military ration pills in his own hand, Matsushita suddenly found them much less appetizing. There was no pain without comparison.

Karot picked up a portion and gave it to Miwako, then another to Matsushita. He got up again, took one more, and walked over to Hyuga to offer it to him.

Hyuga hadn't expected Karot to give him any, especially since he'd criticized Karot when he first joined the team.

Hyuga took it and said,

"Thanks."

After all, no one could resist good food. And if someone could, it meant they hadn't been hungry yet.

Then they witnessed Karot's eating performance.

One plate after another went into Karot's stomach, but his belly didn't change at all. His chopsticks darted around his bowl, carrying food to his mouth in one smooth motion. The thing Karot liked most about coming to this world was having these space-time scrolls. Anything you put inside could be taken back out exactly as it was. It was simply amazing.

It was the first time Matsushita, Hyuga, and Miwako had seen anyone eat so much. Before long, Karot had polished off all the food on the ground. He rubbed his stomach and said,

"I'm seventy percent full. That'll do for now. I can have a midnight snack later."

Hearing this, all three teammates thought of the same word.

"Glutton."