Three days later.
The appointment came through.
Guy was in his tent, chewing on some dry rations, when Ebisu pushed aside the flap and hurried in, holding up an envelope.
"Guy! This came from Konoha!"
Guy took it and tore it open.
Inside was an official document, stamped with the Hokage's office seal.
[Effective immediately, Might Guy is promoted to Chunin.]
The Third Hokage's signature was underneath.
Ebisu leaned over to take a look, his expression complicated.
"You really got promoted."
Guy folded the document and tucked it under his pillow. He didn't look particularly surprised, but the corners of his mouth still lifted.
The Chunin who had delivered the document was still standing outside the tent.
"Might Guy, you've got a letter too."
Guy blinked.
"Me?"
"Four of them. Funny coincidence—they're all for you."
The man pulled four letters from his vest and handed them over, then turned and left.
Guy carried the four letters back to his bed and sat down.
Ebisu leaned over to take a look, but Guy shoved him away with one hand.
"What are you looking at?"
"Cheapskate."
Ebisu pouted but left anyway.
Guy was alone in the tent.
He laid the four letters on the bed and looked at the names of the senders.
The first was from Might Duy.
Guy froze when he saw the name.
It had been more than three months.
A whole three months since he'd seen his old man.
After the war began, even Duy, the Eternal Genin, had been sent on missions.
With his location constantly changing, Guy had no idea what missions he was on or where he'd gone.
He only knew that he was still alive.
Guy tore open the envelope and pulled out the thin sheet of paper inside.
[Guy:
Dad's doing fine, so don't worry.
I sent you some money—one hundred thousand ryo. I've been saving it up, so make sure you eat something good.
I know how much you eat. The rations the army gives you aren't enough.
It's getting cold, so buy yourself some new clothes. Don't be afraid to spend money.
I might not make it back for your birthday. When the war is over, Dad will make it up to you.
Youth means having a full stomach and warm clothes!
Dad]
A money order for one hundred thousand ryo was tucked beneath the letter.
Guy stared at the crooked handwriting for a long time.
He'd been saving it up.
How much could an Eternal Genin make in a month?
Who knew how long it had taken him to save up this hundred thousand ryo?
"My birthday, huh..."
His birthday was January first.
By his calculations, it really was only a few days away.
Guy folded the letter and placed it under his pillow beside his appointment document.
The sender of the second letter was listed as Hatake Kakashi, but there were three different kinds of handwriting.
Guy opened it.
The first section was neatly written in Kakashi's handwriting.
[Guy:
Things are going well here in the Land of Grass. We've kept the Iwagakure forces beyond the border, so they can't attack us for now.
Our captain is strong. His name is Minato Namikaze—you've probably heard of him. He's at least ten times faster than the rest of us.
Obito insisted on adding something himself. It's on the back.
Also, stay alive.
Kakashi]
Guy turned the letter over.
The handwriting on the back was crooked and oversized, taking up the entire sheet.
[GUY!!! IT'S OBITO!!! I'M REALLY STRONG NOW!!
LAST MONTH I KILLED TWO IWAGAKURE GENIN ALL BY MYSELF!! THAT JERK KAKASHI ONLY KILLED THREE!!
I'M CATCHING UP TO HIM!! THE CAPTAIN SAYS I'M IMPROVING REALLY FAST!!
ONE DAY I'LL SURPASS KAKASHI AND BECOME HOKAGE!! HOW ARE THINGS THERE!! DO YOU MISS ME!!
RIN TOLD ME TO SAY HI!!]
Guy smiled.
He turned the letter back over. There was a small section at the bottom in neat handwriting, written by Rin.
[Guy, take care of yourself, and don't overdo it. Obito says not to worry—he'll definitely become Hokage.]
Guy put the letter away.
"Those guys are still the same as ever."
The sender of the third letter was Kurenai Yuhi.
Guy slowed down a little as he picked it up.
He tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.
The paper had been folded neatly into a small square.
When he unfolded it, he saw that the writing was small and careful, every stroke penned with earnest attention.
[Guy:
It's very cold here in the Land of Rice Fields. The Intelligence Division has been busy, and we have to go out on reconnaissance every day. The captain says we're doing a good job.
I've learned two new genjutsu. When we meet again, I'd like to try them out on you. Would that be all right?
I also heard that you were injured.
The news from Kikyo Mountain said you fought in the rain for a long time and broke your leg.
Did you push yourself too hard again?
Make sure you eat properly. Take good care of your injury. Don't spend all your time thinking about training.
When you're better, I'll treat you to a meal.
Most of all, make absolutely sure that you stay alive.
Oh, and happy early birthday.
Kurenai]
Guy read the letter twice.
"Make sure you eat properly" and "birthday"—just like what his old man had said.
He folded the letter and tucked it away at the very back under his pillow.
The sender of the fourth letter was Aburame Shibi.
Guy froze.
Shibi?
He tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Then his bushy brows shot up.
The two sheets of paper were covered in tiny writing on both sides.
The words were crammed together, as if the writer was afraid of wasting even the smallest bit of space.
[Brother:
You asked me to keep an eye on Asuma. I did.
Here are my notes.
October 3: Asuma invited Kurenai to dinner. I went too. We had ramen. Asuma paid. Kurenai ordered miso chashu, Asuma ordered soy sauce, and I ordered salt. Asuma wanted to sit across from Kurenai, but she told him, "You sit over there," and had him sit beside her. Asuma sat down.
October 7: During training, Asuma told Kurenai he would teach her Wind Release. She said no, she was practicing genjutsu. Asuma said Wind Release worked well with genjutsu. Kurenai said she could practice on her own. Asuma left.
October 11: It was raining. Asuma waited for Kurenai at the entrance to the base and said he'd brought her an umbrella. She said she had one of her own. Asuma said hers was too small. She said it was big enough. Asuma stood there for a while, then left.
October 15: Asuma asked Kurenai what kind of food she liked...
October 20: Asuma invited Kurenai to dinner again. I went again...
October 25: Asuma asked Kurenai what her favorite color was. She said green...
November 2: Asuma asked Kurenai when her birthday was...
December 21: Kurenai was upset. I know why—it must be because she heard that you were injured, brother. Asuma's got no sense. He kept asking her this and that.
Brother, Asuma isn't being honest. He must know Kurenai likes green because of you.
I'll keep watching him.
Good brother, take care of yourself. I heard you were injured too, so don't you dare die! I've got Kurenai covered, so you can rest easy!
Aburame Shibi]
After reading the letter, Guy grimaced.
That brother of his sure was thorough.
He put the letter away under his pillow.
Then he took out some paper and a pen and started writing replies.
The first was for Duy.
[Dad:
I got the money. I'll buy some clothes and make sure I eat properly. You be careful too. It's okay if you miss my birthday. We'll celebrate together when the war is over.
By the way, I got promoted to Chunin.
Guy]
The second was for Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
[Kakashi, Obito, Rin:
Things are going well here. My leg will be fine after a few days of rest.
Tell Obito that I'm a Chunin now too. He should stop bragging and focus on his training.
Guy]
After writing that, Guy thought for a moment, then added a line underneath.
[Obito will definitely be stomping his feet in anger when he sees this.]
The third was for Kurenai.
Guy held the pen and thought for a long time.
In the end, he wrote three lines.
[I got your letter. My leg's fine now, so don't worry.
Make sure you eat properly too. Don't spend all your time on reconnaissance.
When I'm better, I'll treat you to a meal. Just the two of us.]
The fourth was for Shibi.
The shortest one.
[Good brother, keep up the good work. I'll treat you to ramen when I get back.]
Guy folded the four letters, walked out of the tent, found the Chunin who had delivered the mail, and handed them over.
"That many?" The Chunin blinked.
"Yep."
"Sure."
The man tucked the letters into his bag and left.
Guy stood outside the tent, looking toward distant Kikyo Mountain.
The sun was nearly setting, and the ridge had been scorched red along its edge.
All of Kikyo Mountain looked peaceful.
But Guy knew that peace wouldn't last much longer.
Less than three months.
The Great Battle of Kikyo Mountain would erupt in full!