Phantom by the Lake

The silver moon, like white jade in the sky, illuminated the heavens. Once the clouds veiling it drifted away, the moonlight grew unusually bright. Its silvery glow reflected off the lake, making the surrounding trees clearly visible.

This was no good time to sneak into the camp. It was far too bright. Kaede lay hidden at the lake's outlet, where lush trees shielded him from view. The swift current would also quickly wash away his scent, making it harder for the ninja beasts to detect him.

With his entire body submerged at the outlet, Kaede could only wait for the right moment: the hour just before dawn, when people were at their sleepiest and the sentries' vigilance had waned. By then, the moonlight would have faded, but the sun would not yet have risen. It was the darkest part of the night, perfect for slipping into the camp.

Fortunately, it was still midsummer. Even fully submerged, he wouldn't feel cold. In winter, lying in the water for several hours would probably freeze him to death. Even ninjas got cold...

That was why ninjas couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. To complete their missions, they often did things that were downright unfathomable.

As he idly let his mind wander while waiting for his chance to infiltrate the camp, a shadow approached, moving with barely a sound.

"Someone's coming. This place isn't far from the camp, but it isn't close, either. Why would anyone come here?" Kaede wondered.

From the sound of the footsteps, whoever it was had to be a formidable opponent.

The Sand Shinobi camp was at the other end of the lake, by the inlet. They had set it upstream to prevent anyone from poisoning their water supply.

This spot was downstream, so the Sand Shinobi shouldn't have paid much attention to it. There was no reason for someone to come inspect the place just after he'd hidden here, was there?

Had he been discovered?

Kaede stilled his whole body, reducing his presence to a minimum and blending into nature. At the same time, he focused intently. If he really had been found, he'd open his eyes and use Genjutsu to control the intruder. That would still give him a chance to try and breach the camp to look for information.

Because the lake's surface reflected the moonlight and the outlet was fairly deep, anyone looking down from the shore couldn't see Kaede tucked inside. The newcomer didn't seem to be a scout, either; she made no attempt to look underwater.

Holding his breath beneath the surface, Kaede saw the figure above him distorted by the water's refraction. He could only make out that the newcomer was a kunoichi.

"The Land of Wind doesn't have beautiful lakes like this. What a shame. I can only enjoy this cool water when I get a chance like this, so I'd better cherish it. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we won this war? Then the Sand Shinobi would have even more fertile land." She took off her shoes, murmuring to herself as she dipped her feet into the cool water and gave a soft, delighted giggle.

At this time of year, she could soak in a cool lake. Born in a dry country like the Land of Wind, she'd never imagined she'd get to experience this, even with her strength.

She didn't want her fellow village ninja to notice she was here. If they found her, she wouldn't be able to enjoy herself anymore. She could only laugh quietly. She didn't want anyone else to know what she was like right now.

Kaede could only pray that this kunoichi would hurry up, finish washing her feet, and leave. Lord Kaede didn't mind her smelly feet contaminating his lake, but could she please get going? Holding his breath was hard.

Two fair feet traced circles in the water, sending ripples outward. From below, Kaede could only see a section of slender calf; above that was a distorted, thick expanse of white.

"Hmm, she looks like a beauty, too. Why not show me your whole legs? Lord Kaede absolutely won't peep." I'm watching in the open, after all.

Did she know who his teacher was? Jiraiya?

Kaede silently shifted the blame for his lecherous thoughts onto Jiraiya.

"It's so late. No one should come here, right? Should I...?" She seemed eager to try something. After carefully checking her surroundings, she pulled a scroll from behind her.

"Poof." When the white smoke cleared, a large character meaning "barrier" appeared in the center of the scroll, marking it as a Barrier Scroll. Anyone carrying something this expensive was certainly no ordinary person.

"Hehe, good thing I brought this." She'd clearly been planning this for a while.

"Barrier: Mirage Technique. Now no one can see me, right?" She smiled at her handiwork, clapped her hands, and placed her belongings on the shore.

A mist like water vapor rose from the Barrier Scroll and veiled the part of the lake where she was. To anyone outside, it looked like an ordinary stretch of water. Unless they paid close attention, they wouldn't notice anything unusual.

"A Barrier Ninjutsu developed from the desert mirage phenomenon. It's so convenient. I really am a genius beauty. Now no one will find me, right?" She even took a moment to praise herself.

Summer clothes were already light, and she'd been looking forward to this for ages. Unable to hold back any longer, she quickly undressed, folded her clothes neatly, and took a towel from a sealing scroll, placing it nearby for when she finished bathing.

"To be completely submerged in cool lake water again... I finally get to feel this. It's so wonderful~" She waded around in the lake, enjoying herself.

And what was Kaede doing? Nothing at all. He didn't dare do anything. He felt blood rushing to his head, his eyes bulging, his mind consumed by the kunoichi swimming above him.

Just as he'd guessed, she was exceptionally beautiful, both in figure and face. Especially those two long, slender, fair legs. Her swimming form was pretty awkward, but she still looked good!

He'd been holding perfectly still, but now his blood was surging and his heart began to pound. His mind could no longer suppress his body's instincts.

In both his lifetimes, he'd only ever seen one naked woman in person—and this was her. How could he not be excited?

No, if this keeps up, she'll discover me. Even the dumbest kunoichi would notice if his heart started beating too loudly.

What's the big deal? I've seen countless videos. I've seen it all. This level of temptation won't distract me! He kept feeding himself one empty pep talk after another, but they seemed to work less and less.

Lady, please spare me. I'm still a kid. Kaede felt like crying. In any other situation, he thought he might have been unable to resist and might have gone for it.

But he was on a mission! If he got caught watching a beauty bathe and failed the mission, how would he explain it when he got back? I was watching a beauty bathe, got discovered, and ran back. Let me explain! I didn't mean to. She insisted on bathing right in front of me, so I watched...

Teacher Jiraiya would surely be proud.

People in the ninja world matured early, both physically and mentally. Most were precocious: they entered the Ninja Academy at six and graduated at twelve. Many might have already made their first kill by then.

And then there were prodigies like Kakashi, who graduated early. By the time his peers graduated, he was already famous in Konoha.

Ninjas matured early, both mentally and physically. Hadn't six-year-old kids already been asking for dates? So Kaede was having a hard time holding himself back. He was a hot-blooded young man—he'd never seen a scene like this before.

A trickle of bright red blood emerged from Kaede's nostril and drifted away.

After holding his breath underwater for so long and enduring such a tantalizing sight, the clash of ice and fire finally overwhelmed him.