Grilled Fish!

The tranquil night slipped away rapidly.

As the sky just began to brighten the next day, the tall, thick gates of Konoha opened with a creaking sound.

Immediately following, the figures of Kakashi, Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Sasuke, and Uncle Qianwei appeared at the entrance.

"Alright, let's head out!"

The moment he stepped out of the village gates, Naruto shouted in excitement.

"What are you so worked up about!"

Haruno Sakura, standing beside him, said speechlessly regarding Naruto's excitement.

Naruto looked around, exclaiming, "Because I've never left the village since I was little!"

"It will take a day's journey just to reach the national border, so let's pick up the pace."

Ignoring Naruto's excitement, Kakashi said indifferently before walking forward.

Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uncle Qianwei quickly followed.

"Hey, wait for me!"

The careless Naruto hadn't heard Kakashi's words; by the time the others had walked far ahead, he realized he had been left behind while looking around, so he let out a shout and hurried to catch up.

"Uncle Qianwei, as a master of grilled fish, the fish you grill must be delicious, right!"

Walking along the road, Haruno Sakura felt bored, so she asked softly.

"Regardless of how it tastes, it's for others to judge; one's own opinion is meaningless."

Uncle Qianwei smiled kindly at Haruno Sakura.

Finding that Qianwei's words made sense, Sasuke joined the conversation and asked lightly, "It is said that the Land of Waterfalls is made up of many waterfalls. Do you live inside a waterfall, Uncle Qianwei?"

"Yes, the waterfall is just a barrier. Once you pass through it, you reach our village."

Nodding, Qianwei smiled.

"Wow, there's such a magical place? When we get to the Land of Waterfalls, you have to take us to see it, Uncle!"

Haruno Sakura, listening in, said with great anticipation.

"No problem. As long as you have the time, you can stay at my place for a few days. I can take you sightseeing, and there will be plenty of delicious food for you to taste."

Qianwei was a very warm person, so he replied.

"There's delicious food? That's awesome! If only we could reach Uncle Qianwei's home sooner..."

Hearing about the food, a flicker of excitement couldn't help but dance deep within Naruto's eyes.

"Naruto, you're such a glutton!"

Haruno Sakura said with some disdain.

However, the other personality in Haruno Sakura's mind was laughing excitedly just like Naruto, looking forward to eating the delicious food as soon as possible.

"Haha, no need to rush, there will definitely be plenty of food."

Staring at the impatient Naruto, Uncle Qianwei chuckled.

Pleasant conversation can make strangers feel closer; after some chatting, Naruto and the others learned quite a bit about Uncle Qianwei, and the laughter on the road grew more frequent.

Kakashi and the others walked along the road for the whole morning; everything was quite peaceful, and no accidents occurred.

Seeing that it was time for lunch, Kakashi chose a spot to stop.

"Everyone can eat the food you've prepared. We'll continue on our way once you're finished."

Glancing at Sasuke and the others behind him, Kakashi said softly.

Their forward pace paused slightly, and Sasuke and the others stopped in unison.

Sitting down on the ground, Sasuke let out a slow breath. Just as he was about to take out his bento to enjoy it, he heard Naruto's complaints.

"It's all cold, it doesn't taste good at all!"

Naruto's bento was a packed serving of Ichiraku Ramen, but after several hours, even the best noodles would lose their quality.

"Naruto, you're such a pain!"

Haruno Sakura immediately flared up at Naruto. She had been barely able to stomach her own bento, but after hearing Naruto say that, she lost her appetite too.

"If you want to become an excellent ninja, you must overcome all problems while on a mission. It's already quite good that you can carry a bento now. Back during the world war, I lived on military rations for weeks."

Looking at the sulking Naruto, Kakashi advised.

"Hmph!"

Unable to take in Kakashi's words, Naruto turned his head and snorted coldly.

"Naruto!"

Seeing Naruto acting so unreasonably, Haruno Sakura shouted, immediately wanting to give him a good beating.

"Naruto, eat something first. We'll see if we can find a river as we continue on; when we do, we'll catch some fish, and I'll grill them for you tonight."

At this moment, Uncle Qianwei smiled at Naruto.

"Really?"

Thinking about having grilled fish for dinner, Naruto nearly drooled.

"Of course it's real. Look at these seasonings on my shoulder; as long as we can catch a few live fish, I can get started immediately."

Qianwei smiled and confirmed.

"That's great!"

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly urged, "Kakashi-sensei, let's go as soon as we finish eating!"

In order to eat delicious grilled fish sooner, Naruto stopped caring whether the ramen was good or not and began to wolf it down.

"There's really no helping him!"

Hearing this, Kakashi shook his head helplessly.

It had to be said that the luck of Kakashi and his group was very good; after finishing lunch and walking for several hours, they actually discovered a river that was neither too big nor too small.

Perhaps because there were no villagers nearby, there were plenty of fish in the river. With the help of Qianwei and Sasuke, the excited Naruto caught over a dozen large fish in no time.

After catching the fish, at Naruto's strong insistence, Kakashi had no choice but to find a suitable spot to set up camp and prepare for an overnight stay.

Night finally arrived quietly. Under the cover of darkness, visibility in the camp became very low; even with the firelight, it was still limited to a certain range.

In the camp, there was the crackling sound of sparks sputtering from the fire rack, along with the mouth-watering aroma of grilled fish.

"Uncle Qianwei, is the fish ready yet?"

Staring at the fish on the rack, Naruto, who was circling the fire, had eyes glowing with greed.

"Don't rush, it's just one last step away!"

Uncle Qianwei was truly a master of grilling fish. In pursuit of the best flavor, he ignored the heat of the flames and carefully applied the seasonings.

"It's ready to eat!"

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Uncle Qianwei took out three grilled fish, placed them into the hands of Kakashi and the others one by one, and then chuckled.

Tearing off a piece of fish, Sasuke chewed slowly, savoring the taste of the grilled fish.

"Wow, it's so delicious!"

Compared to the others, Naruto ate very quickly. Tearing off the last piece of fish, he shouted with immense excitement.

"Uncle Qianwei, you're amazing! This grilled fish is so good!"

Haruno Sakura, who had only taken a few bites, also immediately praised it.

"It really is excellent!"

Giving Qianwei a thumbs up, Kakashi expressed his great satisfaction with the taste of the fish.

In truth, Kakashi had grilled fish himself while out on missions before, but the taste was far inferior to this.

"It seems we're in for a treat on this journey."

Sasuke also enjoyed the taste of the grilled fish and smiled slightly.

"Haha, if you like it, then eat more."

Seeing Kakashi and the others eating so happily, Qianwei laughed in response. However, amidst his laughter, a trace of imperceptible malice flashed across the corner of his eyes.

Perhaps because they were busy eating the grilled fish, Kakashi, Sasuke, and the others failed to notice it.