Graduation Season

What was the Land of Fire known for? Probably its lush forests, mild weather, and comfortable natural environment. It was precisely because the Land of Fire had such favorable conditions that its neighbors coveted it.

The Land of Wind was dry and plagued by sandstorms, the Land of Earth was barren, the Land of Lightning was mountainous, and the Land of Water was isolated overseas. Only the Land of Fire had the makings of a great nation.

Kaede raced through the trees toward Konoha.

After receiving Orochimaru's secret message, he needed to return to Konoha as quickly as possible and deliver it to the Third Hokage. But the Flying Thunder God had its limits. He had already teleported from the camp to another location, then again to somewhere nearby. That was several long-distance jumps in a row.

He needed to recover his strength and ease the discomfort from the long-range teleportation before he could make another jump. That was why he was making his way through the forest: to get his tingling body moving again and, while he was at it, look for something to eat.

His eyes swept rapidly through the forest, searching for something to fill his stomach. No one was keeping an eye on him now, and he was deep in the Land of Fire, where there was no danger. Naturally, filling his stomach came first. Why make things hard on himself?

He had Soldier Pills, the ninja rations issued by the village. They could replenish Chakra and fill his stomach, but who would choose to eat them when they didn't have to?

They were dry, with a bitter taste from the medicinal herbs. They became a little sweet after chewing, but eating them was like chewing sawdust, and they scratched his throat.

Kaede seized his chance. As he leaped, lightning flickered between his fingers, and a thin bolt shot toward a distant patch of grass. A flash of blood appeared among the blades.

He pushed aside the grass. A plump white rabbit was kicking its legs, blood spilling from its mouth. It was clearly on its last breath. Thunder Flash had pierced its head; it was as good as dead.

"Haha, a cute little rabbit tastes best once you've skinned it and roasted the meat!" Grabbing it by its long ears, he lifted the rabbit and slit open its chest with a sharp Kunai.

He pulled the hind legs through the opening, then tugged until the entire pelt slid down to its neck. With practiced hands, Kaede cleaned the rabbit and removed its innards. He rubbed his hands together, sparked electricity to light the firewood, and started roasting it.

Then he took some seasoning from his seal scroll and sprinkled it over the meat. The golden-brown rabbit filled the forest with its enticing aroma.

"Today is a good day..." Kaede hummed happily as he turned the rabbit over the fire. Hunger and the savory smell stirred his appetite, making his mouth water as he swallowed again and again.

"Smells amazing! Soldier Pills can't compare to roast rabbit." The rabbit looked about ready, so Kaede twisted off a hind leg to see how it tasted.

His ears twitched. He heard something moving through the forest. In an instant, he set the leg down and leaped into the canopy, hiding himself among the dense leaves and suppressing his presence.

The footsteps didn't sound like an animal moving on four legs. They sounded like a person walking on two feet. It was either a monkey or a human. If it was a person, he needed to be extra cautious while carrying out a secret mission and avoid contact if possible.

"Lin, hurry up! The smell's getting stronger." A boy's voice sounded impatient and excited as he vigorously pushed through the thick grass, feeling his way toward the source of the aroma.

Then a clear female voice rang out. "Obito, slow down. We should be careful in a place like this, right, Kakashi?"

"Mm." Wearing a mask and looking bored, he walked forward with a vacant gaze.

Lin looked worried. She stopped and watched Kakashi walking ahead on his own, her hands clasped in front of her chest as if she were hesitating over something.

"Whoa, roast meat! Lin, Kakashi, come look! I found some!" Obito called out to them, holding a rabbit leg. Lin and Kakashi had just emerged from the grass.

He ran over and eagerly offered the rabbit leg to the girl. Lin instinctively reached out to take it, intending to let Kakashi try it first.

"Don't eat it." Kakashi assumed a fighting stance. In a place this remote, the meat had clearly just been roasted, yet there was no one around. That meant whoever had made it was hiding.

But he couldn't sense any sign of anyone nearby. The other person must be a skilled ninja, so he had to stay alert. The situation was tense, and anyone showing up in a place like this wasn't necessarily a Konoha ninja.

"I poisoned the roast, Obito. Are you sure you want to eat it?" Kaede's eerie voice came from the canopy. He stared down resentfully at Obito, who was already eating the rabbit's front leg.

He'd eat food from a stranger without hesitation? The kid really was an idiot at this age.

Kaede turned to Minato, who had appeared behind him with a Kunai close to his neck. "Long time no see, Minato."

As expected of the fastest man in the Shinobi World. Kaede had only just recovered from his confusion at seeing Kakashi and the others here when he sensed something behind him.

Minato had appeared behind him without a sound. The Kunai had given him goosebumps.

Minato put away his Kunai and leaped down from the canopy alongside Kaede. "Kaede, shouldn't you be with Jiraiya-sensei?"

"I'm heading back to the village to deliver a message. I just happened to stop here and rest."

"Kaede!" Lin greeted him shyly.

"It's you! You startled me." When Obito heard that the meat was poisoned, he'd frozen in place and was about to make himself throw up. Now that he saw it was someone he knew, he went back to eating as if nothing had happened. He looked ravenous.

"Kakashi, long time no see," Kaede said, greeting him first.

Kakashi was practically lifeless at the moment. He wouldn't go out of his way to talk to anyone.

"Mm," Kakashi replied.

Kaede grinned. "Minato, shouldn't you be on the front line in the Land of Lightning? Why are you here with these three?"

"The Cloud Shinobi are fighting the Iwa Shinobi over in the Land of Lightning, but there's nothing serious going on. The students at the Ninja Academy graduated this year, so the Third Hokage assigned me as their Jonin Instructor.

"These three are my subordinates," Minato said with a cheerful smile.

Jonin Instructor? Graduated?

"Weren't they supposed to graduate in June? Isn't it still too early?" Graduation from the Ninja Academy happened at a set time, and he remembered that it wasn't supposed to be happening yet.

Lin quietly explained, "Because the war in the Shinobi World broke out, the graduation exams were moved up this year. We actually graduated quite a while ago. We've been doing simple missions in the village until now. This is our first mission outside the village."

"Hmph, I, the great Obito Uchiha, will definitely surpass you two! I'm going to become Hokage, so don't think you're anything special just because you graduated early." Having finished the front leg, Obito had regained his strength and could speak without panting.

Kaede divided up the rabbit and gave Obito its head. He took some ground salt from his pocket and sprinkled it over the meat. "There. Eat up!"

"What's this?" Obito asked curiously.

"The antidote, of course. I told you I'd poisoned the meat. Didn't you hear me?"

Obito's hand froze in midair as he held the rabbit's head. He slowly turned to ask, "You... you weren't just trying to scare us?"

Kaede smiled like a sly old wolf. "Obito, I didn't know who was coming, so I had to take precautions to make sure my hard work didn't go to waste. Poison was the cheapest way. From now on, don't eat food if you don't know where it came from, got it?"

"B-but I already ate some..." Obito pulled a face and gripped Kaede's hand tightly, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Quick, give me the antidote! I haven't become Hokage yet. I can't die!"

Obito's eyes brimmed with tears, as if he'd burst into sobs if Kaede didn't help him.

Kakashi, sitting beside him, gave him a dead-eyed glare and slowly said, "Idiot. That's salt. There wasn't any poison."