The quiet night passed quickly.
When dawn had just begun to break the next day, the tall, sturdy gates of Konoha swung open with a creak.
Moments later, Kakashi, Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Sasuke, and Uncle Qianwei appeared at the entrance.
"All right, let's go!"
The moment he stepped out of the village gates, Naruto shouted excitedly.
"What are you so excited about?"
Haruno Sakura said, exasperated by Naruto's enthusiasm.
Naruto looked around excitedly. "I've never left the village before!"
"It'll take us a day to reach the border. Let's hurry."
Ignoring Naruto's excitement, Kakashi said calmly, then headed off.
Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uncle Qianwei quickly followed.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Naruto hadn't heard Kakashi's words. By the time everyone else had gone on ahead, he finally noticed that he'd been left behind, and shouted as he hurried after them.
"Uncle Qianwei, as a master of grilled fish, your cooking must be delicious!"
As they walked, Haruno Sakura grew bored and asked softly.
"Whether it tastes good is for other people to judge. My own opinion doesn't count."
Uncle Qianwei smiled kindly at Haruno Sakura.
Thinking Qianwei had a point, Sasuke joined the conversation and asked, "I heard the Land of Waterfalls is made up of many waterfalls. Do you live inside one, Uncle Qianwei?"
"Yes. The waterfall is just a barrier. Once you pass through it, you'll find our village."
Qianwei nodded and smiled.
"Wow, a place that amazing really exists? When we reach the Land of Waterfalls, you have to take us there, Uncle!"
Haruno Sakura, who had been listening, said eagerly.
"Of course. If you have the time, you can stay at my house for a few days. I'll show you around, and there'll be plenty of delicious food for you to try."
Qianwei was a very warmhearted man, and readily agreed.
"There's delicious food? That's great! I wish we could get to Uncle Qianwei's house sooner..."
At the mention of food, a spark of excitement danced in Naruto's eyes.
"Naruto, you're such a glutton!"
Haruno Sakura said disdainfully.
But another personality inside Haruno Sakura was just as excited as Naruto, laughing eagerly at the thought of getting to try all that delicious food.
"Haha, don't rush. There'll be plenty of good food."
Watching Naruto's impatience, Uncle Qianwei chuckled.
Pleasant conversation could bring strangers closer. After chatting for a while, Naruto and the others had learned a lot about Uncle Qianwei, and the laughter along the way grew more frequent.
Kakashi and the others walked through the morning without incident. Everything had been peaceful.
When it was nearly time for lunch, Kakashi chose a spot to stop.
"Everyone, eat some of the food you brought. We'll get back on the road afterward."
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke and the others behind him and spoke softly.
Sasuke and the others slowed to a stop in unison.
Sitting down heavily, Sasuke let out a breath. Just as he was about to take out his lunch, he heard Naruto complain.
"It's cold. It doesn't taste good at all!"
Naruto's lunch was Ichiraku Ramen packed to go, but after a few hours, even the most delicious noodles lost their flavor.
"Naruto, you're such a pain!"
Haruno Sakura immediately snapped at him. She'd barely been able to bring herself to eat her own lunch, but after hearing Naruto complain, she lost her appetite too.
"If you want to become a good ninja, you have to overcome all sorts of problems while on a mission. You're lucky to have packed lunches at all. During the World War, I ate Military Ration Pills for several weeks."
Kakashi tried to console the sulking Naruto.
"Hmph!"
Unwilling to listen to Kakashi, Naruto turned away with a snort.
"Naruto!"
Seeing him act so unreasonably, Haruno Sakura yelled, ready to beat him up.
"Naruto, eat something for now. When we set off again, we'll see if we can find a river. If we do, we'll catch some fish, and I'll make you grilled fish for dinner."
Just then, Uncle Qianwei smiled at Naruto.
"Really?"
At the thought of grilled fish for dinner, Naruto nearly drooled.
"Of course. Look at all these seasonings on my shoulder. As long as we catch a few live fish, I can get started right away."
Qianwei smiled and assured him.
"That's great!"
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Kakashi-sensei, let's get going as soon as we're done eating!"
Eager to taste that delicious grilled fish, Naruto wolfed down his ramen without another thought about whether it tasted good.
"There's no getting through to him!"
Kakashi shook his head helplessly.
They had to admit that Kakashi and the others were lucky. A few hours after lunch, they really did find a river.
There were no villagers nearby, so the river was teeming with fish. With Qianwei and Sasuke's help, the excited Naruto caught more than a dozen big ones in no time.
After they caught the fish, Naruto insisted so strongly that Kakashi had no choice but to find a suitable spot to make camp for the night.
Night finally fell. Darkness made the camp hard to see, and even the firelight only illuminated a limited area.
The camp was filled with the crackle of flames leaping from the fire and the mouthwatering aroma of grilled fish.
"Uncle Qianwei, are the fish ready?"
Naruto, standing beside the fire, stared at the fish on the grill with gleaming eyes.
"Be patient. Just one last step!"
Uncle Qianwei was truly a master of grilled fish. Determined to bring out the best flavor, he carefully added the seasonings, heedless of the heat.
"They're ready!"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Uncle Qianwei took three grilled fish from the fire and handed them to Kakashi and the others before finally saying with a smile.
Sasuke tore off a piece of fish and savored it slowly.
"Wow, this is delicious!"
Naruto ate much faster than everyone else. After tearing off the last piece of fish, he cried out excitedly.
"Uncle Qianwei, you're amazing! The grilled fish is so good!"
Haruno Sakura had only eaten a few bites, but she immediately praised it too.
"It's really good!"
Kakashi gave Qianwei a thumbs-up, thoroughly pleased with the taste.
Kakashi had grilled fish himself while out on missions before, but it hadn't come close to this.
"Looks like we're in for a treat on this trip."
Sasuke liked the grilled fish too, and smiled.
"Haha, if you like it, eat as much as you want."
Seeing how much Kakashi and the others enjoyed the meal, Qianwei laughed. But as he laughed, a barely perceptible trace of malice flickered in his eyes.
Perhaps because they were busy eating, Kakashi, Sasuke, and the others failed to notice.