The sun climbed higher, and noon drew near.
Konoha, nestled in the forest, had little industrial pollution. The river ran clear and bright beneath the sun, flowing gently. Sunlight danced across its rippling surface, as if it were mischievously winking and mocking the two little would-be fishermen on the bank.
There were fish in the river, some even swimming into the shallows near the bank to feed. But perhaps they'd been caught by Ninja too often; they just wouldn't bite, darting back into deeper water at the slightest disturbance.
"Is there something wrong with your bait, Hayate?"
"I don't think so. My father bought it a long time ago, but it's been sitting unopened at home."
"What?" Higashino Makoto immediately grabbed the package beside him, took a look, then sniffed it. "Damn, this smells off. It's long past its expiration date."
Gekko Hayate didn't quite understand. "Uh... no way. Bait can expire? What do we do, then? Makoto, maybe we should dig up some earthworms."
"I'm done fishing."
Before I crossed over, I couldn't catch a fish. Now I'd crossed over, trained in Chakra, and become a Ninja—and I still couldn't catch a fish? What would've been the point of crossing over, then? I couldn't let this stand. I'd do something about it.
Higashino Makoto tossed aside his fishing rod, rummaged in his backpack, and pulled out several large fishhooks. He tied them to a line, then leaped straight onto the river's surface, landing steadily on top of it.
He spread out his Perception and quietly observed what was happening beneath the water.
His Perception Ability came with absorbing White Natural Energy. Unlike a Ninja's Chakra sensing or the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, it was more precise and harder to fool with other methods. His battles with Higashino Jiro had proved as much.
Before long, he sensed a school of fish swimming close by.
Higashino Makoto moved as fast as lightning. He tried once, calculated the angle of refraction in his head, then used the same technique as throwing a Shuriken to cast the hooks underwater, catching several large fish right in the mouth.
With a gentle tug, he hauled up enough fish to make lunch.
Fish: "???"
Gekko Hayate looked enviously at Higashino Makoto's feet standing on the water. He really wanted to do the same, but he hadn't learned how yet.
Uzuki Yugao didn't give it much thought. Holding a bunch of wildflowers she'd arranged herself and carrying a cloth bag, she ran to the riverbank and cheered. At last, they had lunch covered.
Once ashore, Higashino Makoto gave his instructions. "I'll prepare the ingredients. Hayate, go gather some dry firewood and start a fire. Yugao, wash the pot. We'll make some fish soup to soothe our throats."
"Hey, Makoto, can we put mushrooms in the soup? It should make it really tasty." Uzuki Yugao opened the cloth bag in her hands. Inside were the fruits of her labor, a colorful collection of pretty mushrooms.
Higashino Makoto looked at the mushrooms, then at her. "Where did you pick these?"
"In the woods behind us. There were loads of them."
Gekko Hayate's eyes twitched uncontrollably. "Hey, hey, aren't these obviously poisonous?"
"Not all of them." Higashino Makoto sorted through the mushrooms, tossed all the poisonous ones into the river to feed the fish, then reminded Uzuki Yugao, "When we get back today, you're going to read The Ninja's Field Guide to Edible Plants for Emergencies several times. For now, go wash the ones we're keeping."
The little girl stuck out her tongue. "I know."
Fish in the river: "???"
With the three of them working together, they soon had a fire going. A pot sat over it, and five sticks were planted in the ground around the fire, each skewered with a large fish marinated in seasoning.
Higashino Makoto planned to give one fish to the little girl and two each to himself and Gekko Hayate. If Hayate couldn't finish his, Makoto could help him out. After all, he had a big appetite.
As they waited for the food, Higashino Makoto asked curiously, "Have you two been training at home this past month or so? What kind of training have you been doing?"
Gekko Hayate replied, "More or less the same as you, I guess. Studying the basics, working out, refining Chakra, practicing swordsmanship, that sort of thing. We can already refine Chakra whenever we want during a match."
"Do you train with Yugao?"
"Yeah. Our families have similar fighting styles, and they've been close for generations, so it's more convenient for the younger ones around our age to train together."
"Good. I'm looking forward to seeing you both grow."
Uzuki Yugao puffed out her cheeks. "Makoto, you sound just like my dad. Don't underestimate me. Mom says I'm a genius too."
"Mm-hm, you're a genius!" Higashino Makoto said with a grin, ruffling the little girl's hair. She glared at him and slapped his hand away.
Gekko Hayate looked at Higashino Makoto, seeming a little embarrassed, but finally spoke up. "Um, Makoto, could you teach us the trick to Chakra Control?"
At that, Uzuki Yugao lifted Higashino Makoto's hand and placed it back on her head, gazing up at him with watery eyes.
She didn't understand much about Chakra Control yet, but standing on the water sounded like fun.
Higashino Makoto naturally didn't mind teaching them. "Sure. I'll show you after we eat."
The fish soup bubbled in the pot. The grilled fish gradually changed color in the heat of the flames as Higashino Makoto turned them from time to time. Their rich aroma drifted through the air, tempting the hunger in all three of them—and attracting some unwelcome visitors.
"Smells great! See? I told you coming to play by the river was a good idea. We were hungry, and now there's food."
"Rock Sting's right."
Amid their loud chatter, four figures walked out of the forest and appeared in front of Higashino Makoto and the others.
They were all children, three boys and one girl, around seven or eight years old. Higashino Makoto sensed Chakra Signatures from all of them, so they were probably students at the Ninja Academy.
The Konoha Ninja Academy's school system was much like Honko's had been in his previous life, with three terms a year. The new school year began on April 1, which meant classes had already started a few days ago.
This was the edge of the village, far from the school. Even if they were out for their lunch break, there was no way they could have made it all the way to the river.
Clearly, the unruly brats had skipped class.
The stocky, dark-skinned boy at the front planted his hands on his hips and shouted, "Hey, you three brats! Hand over the food as a show of respect to your seniors!"
Uzuki Yugao puffed up her little cheeks in anger. Gekko Hayate looked at the four of them with hostility too. They were all very young, but neither of them was afraid.
Higashino Makoto was surprised. Had he... run into a bunch of bullies?
From watching anime in his previous life, he'd gotten the impression that Konoha had plenty of unruly brats, willing to bully anyone. They'd even pick fights with the Uchiha Patriarch's eldest son and the Hyuga Clan's young lady.
He rarely went out, and hadn't expected to run into them the one time he'd come out to play. Curious, he asked, "Why should we?"
The stocky boy glared at Higashino Makoto. "Oh, you've got an attitude, brat. You're the one I've picked! Let's play a Ninja game.
"I'm the Hokage of Konoha, and you're Ninja from an enemy country. Surrender, you invaders! I'll defeat you in the name of Konoha!"
He finished by charging at Higashino Makoto with his fist raised. Since demanding food hadn't worked, he'd decided to take it by force.
Unfortunately, his every move was full of openings in Higashino Makoto's eyes, and he was terribly slow.
Higashino Makoto moved faster than him, appeared right in front of him, ducked under his attack, and punched him in the stomach.
The stocky boy clutched his stomach and collapsed, groaning in pain. He couldn't get back up.
"Big Brother Iwashizhe!" the other two boys yelled. But Higashino Makoto was so fast that before they could rush over to help, they suffered the same fate as their leader. They fell to the ground, curled up like cooked shrimp, and kept muttering, "Monster! There's a monster!"
The remaining girl saw Higashino Makoto standing in front of her, much shorter than she was. She immediately crouched down with her hands over her head and screamed, "Ah! Don't hit me! I surrender!"
Higashino Makoto thought about it, then gave her a punch on the head too. Equality meant treating boys and girls the same.
The stocky boy named Iwashizhe endured the terrible pain and stood up. His body shook like a motor, but he still forced himself to talk tough. "Damn it! I never thought the enemy would be this strong. I'm the mighty Hokage, after all!"
Higashino Makoto was moved by his dedication. "You're really getting into character, huh? But if the Hokage were as weak as you, Konoha would really be doomed."
"Don't you dare look down on my dream, you bastard! I'm going to become the Hokage!"
Before you continue