Impending Battle

Gekko Hoshino didn't notice his son's dejection. He went into the kitchen, washed his hands, and got busy. The clatter of pots and pans rang out from inside, and ten minutes later, Gekko Hoshino emerged carrying a basin of rice balls!

"Hanfu, it's time to eat." Gekko Hoshino set the basin on the dining table with a satisfied smile and called his son over for lunch.

Hanfu walked over somewhat dejectedly, but the moment he saw the basin of rice balls, his whole world fell apart.

"Dad, what... is this?"

"Rice balls!"

Gekko Hoshino beamed. "They may not look like much, but they should taste pretty good."

Should?

Hanfu looked at the misshapen rice balls, which didn't even have sesame seeds on them. He forced back the urge to complain, then gently suggested, "Dad, actually, I'd really like to try a Military Ration Pill."

"Hanfu, it's not every day your dad cooks. You can't let all my hard work go to waste!" Gekko Hoshino solemnly placed a rice ball, lopsided and uneven, in Hanfu's hand. "Don't let their ugly looks fool you. They're super tasty, I promise!"

...So you do know they're ugly.

Hanfu grimaced and cautiously took a bite. A wave of saltiness immediately filled his mouth.

I can't believe I trusted you!

Just how much salt did you put in these things?

The salt was so overpowering that Hanfu's throat felt uncomfortable. He hurried off to get some water.

Gekko Hoshino watched Hanfu run off with a fond, reluctant look in his eyes.

After a thoroughly miserable lunch, Hanfu yawned nonstop and went straight to take a nap.

Gekko Hoshino sighed. Over the past year, he'd trained Hanfu and helped him develop the habit of training hard every day. He hadn't expected Hanfu to fall so far after just a few days, but...

Maybe this would turn out to be a good path in life, too.

At least he'd stay far away from the war!

Hanfu lay on the Tatami, staring at the ceiling. He was a little sleepy, but still didn't want to go to bed.

If his earlier guess was right, Dad would be heading to the battlefield in the next few days.

A ninja battlefield wasn't like those turn-based fights in games, where one person hit, then the other hit back. It was a huge crowd surging forward all at once, with all kinds of ninjutsu raining down on the enemy like scattered flowers.

If he was unlucky enough to get hit by a jutsu from a Jonin, he might die without even knowing what killed him.

And the enemy were Sunagakure Ninja, with all their Puppets, poisons, and assassinations. There was no way to guard against everything. Just thinking about it was despairing.

But he was far too weak right now. Even if he didn't want to accept it, he couldn't change anything.

"No! I have to get stronger—strong enough to change everything!"

Hanfu fired himself up and tried to spring to his feet from the Tatami like a carp leaping over a dragon's gate... but didn't make it.

Forget it. What was the point of all those fancy moves?

Hanfu pushed himself up with both hands, then sat cross-legged and began refining Chakra!

Because of his poor aptitude, Hanfu refined Chakra just a tiny bit slower than other people—so tiny that it was barely worth mentioning. Before long, he stopped with a look of distaste.

If cultivation was meant to last, why rush to make progress in a single day?

Besides, building up a huge amount of Chakra wasn't something he could do overnight. Why waste his nap time on it?

And it went against the principles of Stealthy Development!

"Forget it. I'll take a nap. I'm still a kid. If I don't nap, I won't grow taller."

Hanfu yawned, flopped onto the Tatami, and quickly fell fast asleep.

Outside the sliding door, Gekko Hoshino listened as the sounds inside gradually died away. He shook his head in disappointment, then left.

That evening, Keiko came home from the hospital looking very grave.

Hanfu had a strong will to survive. He tried hard to act cute and make a mess, turning himself into the perfect child, but he still couldn't make Keiko smile.

After dinner, Gekko Hoshino and Keiko left Hanfu behind and went out for a walk.

"When are you leaving tomorrow?" Keiko asked, walking with her head lowered along the street. Dim streetlights lined the road as passersby hurried past.

"We're gathering at five."

Gekko Hoshino looked up at the night sky and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll come back alive. Don't forget, I'm a Jonin!"

"Even a Jonin can't make much of a difference on the battlefield, can they?" Keiko looked at Gekko Hoshino with worry. "And the Sunagakure Ninja's Puppet Corps and poisons are incredibly dangerous. You have to be careful."

Gekko Hoshino was a Konoha-Style Kenjutsu ninja, a close-combat fighter. Whether he wanted to or not, he would have to fight the Sunagakure Ninja's Puppets at close range. If a Puppet cut his skin, he was bound to be poisoned!

As a medic at Konoha Hospital, Keiko had treated plenty of poisoned ninjas. If they were lucky and had the right antidote, they'd be up and about half a minute after the injection. If they weren't lucky and there was no antidote, all they could do was wait for death in agony!

"Relax. Lady Tsunade has already developed antidotes to most of the Sunagakure Ninja's poisons. And a lot of Medical Ninja are going with us this time. You should know that better than I do."

Gekko Hoshino smiled. "Besides, I won't be fighting alone! My clan, our comrades in the village—we'll all fight side by side! We'll bring victory back to the village!"

At home, Hanfu lay on the grass in the backyard, hands tucked behind his head and legs crossed comfortably. His toes bobbed toward the moon, and he was thoroughly at ease.

No one had come over today, so he hadn't used the Collection Technique even once. He felt guilty, as if he'd fallen another day behind in getting stronger.

The guilt felt even worse with Dad about to go to the battlefield.

No!

Hanfu sprang up from the grass.

He had to find someone to use the Collection Technique on. Even if it was a waste, he had to use all three chances!

Hanfu's eyes darted around. He immediately ran to the wall and started climbing over it.

At that moment, Gekko Hayate and his father were sitting in the backyard, admiring the moon and enjoying the breeze. The night wind gently ruffled their hair, making for a beautiful scene—but the noise Hanfu made climbing over the wall ruined it.

"Brother! It's Brother, Dad!"

Gekko Hayate happily jumped out of Gekko Sekiseki's arms and ran over to the wall on his little legs to help Hanfu down.

"Hey, little buddy! Good evening!"

Hanfu clambered over the wall from his own yard like a dog, straightened his rumpled clothes, and grinned. "Let's practice our swordsmanship together!"

"Okay!"

Gekko Hayate's eyes lit up, and he immediately ran inside to get his wooden sword.

"Hanfu, you've had dinner, right?" Gekko Sekiseki smiled as he got to his feet.

"Uncle Hoshiseki."

Hanfu felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't seen him when he first jumped down. "Um, did I interrupt you?"

"Of course not. Hayate has always loved practicing swordsmanship with you," Gekko Sekiseki said with a smile. "And tomorrow I'll be going on a mission with your dad. I'll have to ask you to look after Hayate, his big brother."

Tomorrow?

Hanfu's heart skipped a beat. He nodded. "I understand!"