First Meeting

Today was the day the Third Hokage set out to meet the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire, so many ninja clans had gathered early at the Konoha Gate to see Hiruzen Sarutobi off.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he gave instructions to Orochimaru and the two advisors—Danzo was the exception. Then he set off for the capital of the Land of Fire with his personal guard.

News of Hiruzen Sarutobi's departure quickly spread underground as well. A squad of assassins that had been standing by set out at once to carry out Danzo's orders.

The power struggles among Konoha's leaders had nothing to do with Senba and the others, who had already left. At that moment, they were sprinting at full speed to meet their client.

After traveling for most of the day, the four finally spotted the client's caravan on a vast plain in the Land of Fire.

"Teacher, did the village get tricked? A caravan this size would have to be an A-rank mission at minimum—and one that needed several teams working together, wouldn't it?"

Uchiha Yue looked at the enormous caravan before them and asked doubtfully. The line of wagons stretched so far she couldn't see the end.

"That's not it, Yue. This is a major caravan hub in the southern part of the Land of Fire, mainly used as a temporary stopover for caravans from the Land of Water, the Land of Waves, and other countries."

Senba landed on the plain with Iruka and Uchiha Yue, then followed Teacher Genma toward the caravan. "Some of these groups are headed to the Land of Wind, while others are going to different countries."

As he spoke, Senba nodded toward the front. Banners belonging to various trading companies fluttered there, their colorful flags waving in the cold wind.

Uchiha Yue nodded, seeming to understand. A look of admiration for Senba flashed in her eyes. He knew so much.

The next moment, a handbook was placed in her hands. Senba looked at her with a faintly amused smile. "This has all the details about the mission. You were busy playing with your weapons back then, so you didn't read any of it."

Hearing the teasing in Senba's voice, Yue turned to Iruka in disbelief. He stopped writing and gave her a sheepish smile.

When she realized she was the only underachiever on the team, Uchiha Yue immediately shut down and quietly moved to the back.

Knowing it was only a temporary mood, Senba instead grew curious about the notes in Iruka's hands. They recorded everything he had seen and heard.

"Iruka, I guarantee you'll be the best teacher at the Ninja Academy someday. You might even teach the next Sage of Six Paths."

Senba draped an arm over Iruka's shoulder as he reassured him. Iruka felt a warm sense of validation, but he was still a little embarrassed.

Did Senba always go this far when reassuring people? The Sage of Six Paths? What kind of person was he? Iruka would be lucky if any of his students became jōnin.

While the three of them chatted about the caravan before them, Genma Shiranui had already finished speaking with its leader. He called the three over.

"We'll have lunch at the camp, then head to the Land of Rivers this afternoon. This is the caravan leader, Mr. Yamakawa."

As Genma spoke, he gestured to the middle-aged man beside him, who wore a traditional topknot. That was their introduction to each other.

For ease of management, all meals at the camp were prepared communally. With so many people to feed, no one should expect anything fancy. The priority was getting the food out quickly.

Since it was winter, the caravan from the Land of Water had brought sardines and mackerel, frozen stiff. They used them to make a pot of richly fragrant miso soup.

Senba headed to the dining hall with Iruka and Uchiha Yue. The meals were covered by fees paid by the various trading companies, so there was plenty to go around.

After checking the Yamakawa Trading Company's credentials, Senba picked up two ceramic bowls, each larger than an adult's head. He filled one to the brim with rice, then carefully ladled out a bowl of fish soup. Tender pieces of fish floated in the creamy-white broth.

Since they didn't have a tent of their own, Senba stayed in the dining hall to enjoy his meal. Uchiha Yue sat beside him, eating slowly from a bowl a size smaller than his. Across from them, Iruka looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Iruka heard the people around him whispering. Thin-skinned as he was, he lowered his head in embarrassment. The two big eaters, Senba and Yue, drew a little too much attention.

Senba paid it no mind. He savored the distinctive freshness of the fish soup from the Land of Water. The tender fish slid down his throat with the broth, warm and soothing.

A few minutes later, the dining hall attendant glanced at Senba's empty bowl, the corner of his mouth twitching. He stood and walked over.

"Hey, kid. Are you full?"

Senba was debating whether to have some more. Asked directly, he honestly shook his head to show he still had room.

"Then another serving? Will that be enough?"

He shook his head.

"Three servings?"

He shook his head again.

The attendant seemed to get the message and headed back to the kitchen.

Half an hour later, when a delicate figure walked in from outside, he saw a huge dining table covered with more than a dozen servings of fish soup and white rice.

A figure dressed in white was hunched over, eating heartily, while everyone around him watched in astonishment.

"Big sister said that symbol means he's a Konoha Ninja?" Haku wondered as he watched Senba eat with gusto.

While Haku was still puzzled, the dining hall attendant spotted him too. "Haku, are you here to pick up Miss Mei's lunchbox? Here it is."

As he spoke, he handed Haku an elegant lunchbox. Haku thanked him softly and took it in both hands. The tiny figure held the oversized lunchbox with ease, creating a striking contrast.

Perhaps he really was an oddity. Before leaving, Haku couldn't help glancing again at the white-haired boy, whose appetite was just as unusual. But then he noticed the boy looking up at him.

Senba's puzzled expression was nothing new to Haku. His appearance, clothes, and gentle voice were bound to invite misunderstandings.

Senba gave Haku a gentle smile and watched him walk away, then went back to eating. Behind the bowl blocking his eyes, a thoughtful glint flashed in his gaze.

Haku? Was he the Haku Senba had in mind? No, that didn't make sense. Zabuza should have been with him, and this wasn't the sort of place where Zabuza would show up.

At that thought, Senba glanced at Uchiha Yue and Iruka. His lips moved, and he quickly conveyed his idea to them through lip-reading.

Watching the two leave, he turned his attention back to the food in front of him. How could he get distracted while eating? Unacceptable. Simply unacceptable.

Another half hour later, Senba left the dining hall with his belly sticking out, watched with admiration by the attendant. Behind him, the cook in charge of steaming the rice collapsed into a chair, utterly exhausted.

It was the first time in his life he'd been so worn out from steaming rice. But seeing the satisfied customer leave filled him with a strange sense of fulfillment.

"Big sister, I saw a Konoha Ninja just now."

Haku took the side dishes out of the lunchbox one by one as he told Mei Terumi what he had seen.

"Oh? Then he must be a Konoha Ninja protecting the caravan. What do you think, Haku? Did you notice anything?"

"Um... he eats a lot."

Mei Terumi stared at her newly adopted little brother, utterly baffled. His answers always caught her by surprise.