The Journey Home · Reunion

The journey home took half as long as the trip there.

Every evening, Tsunade stopped to give Kitahara Kaede a round of acupuncture. The meridians in his right arm gradually healed beneath her hands.

On the third day, Kitahara Kaede clenched and unclenched his fist. His strength had returned to ninety percent.

"Almost there." Tsunade withdrew the silver needles. "Let the rest heal on its own. Don't push yourself again."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade shot him a glare and stuffed the needle case back into her medical kit, looking annoyed.

On the evening of the fourth day, the outline of Konoha's walls appeared on the horizon.

The two of them headed straight for the Hokage Tower.

At the end of the third-floor corridor, the conference room door stood ajar.

Kitahara Kaede heard the voice first.

"Sensei—I'm telling you, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku has a whole set of fist techniques—"

That voice was even rougher than it had been two months ago, and booming enough to shake the roof.

Tsunade came to a halt.

"How did that guy get back before us?"

She pushed the door open.

Jiraiya was standing in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, gesticulating wildly as he talked. His hair had grown longer since they set out, and his shinobi clothes were flecked with mud. He looked like he'd only just arrived, too.

At the sound of the door, Jiraiya turned around.

First he saw Kitahara Kaede, then Tsunade.

He froze for a second.

"Well, well."

He grinned and spread his arms, striking a pose as if to give them a warm hug.

Tsunade walked around him and took a seat.

Jiraiya's arms remained frozen in midair.

"...All right, then."

He lowered his arms and winked at Kitahara Kaede.

"How did things go on the Western Front?"

"We won."

"Obviously. With Tsunade there, how could you lose?" Jiraiya chuckled. "I wasn't idle on the Northern Front, either. Took out an entire company—"

"Sit down."

Hiruzen's voice wasn't loud, but the conference room fell silent at once.

The three of them took their seats.

Hiruzen stood in front of the map, his pipe resting on the table.

Kitahara Kaede had seen this before.

When his teacher wasn't smoking, it meant something weighed on him more heavily than his craving for tobacco.

"The Eastern Front fell completely three days ago."

Hiruzen pointed to the red line marking the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

Black arrows had already pierced the line.

"The leader of Amegakure, Hanzo the Salamander, entered the battle himself. He broke through the defenses of two of our companies single-handedly."

Jiraiya's smile disappeared.

"Hanzo's Poison Style covers too wide an area. The shinobi on the front lines can't get close to him at all. His Taijutsu and Kusarigama Technique are also at Kage Level. He has no openings at either close or long range."

Hiruzen paused.

"The Eastern Front commander's exact words were: 'That man isn't human.'"

Tsunade frowned.

"Hanzo's poison is different from Chiyo's. Chiyo uses contact poison coated on her weapons. Hanzo releases inhaled poison directly from a venom sac inside his body."

She looked at Hiruzen.

"I want the medical records of the poisoned casualties on the front line."

"They're already being prepared." Hiruzen nodded, then looked at the three of them. "The three of you leave for the Land of Rain tomorrow."

His gaze lingered on each of them in turn.

"Things there are far more complicated than on the Western Front. It rains all year in the Land of Rain, and the terrain is against us. Hanzo has fought on that land his entire life. He knows every river and every inch of terrain like the back of his hand. On top of that, his Poison Style is twice as powerful in the rain."

Jiraiya leaned back in his chair and whistled.

"So we're going to our deaths?"

"So we're going to win." Hiruzen stared at him.

Kitahara Kaede said nothing.

Hanzo.

The man known as the "Demi-God," standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World.

It was also this man who would grant Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru the title of Sannin on this battlefield.

"Gather at the south gate at dawn tomorrow," Hiruzen announced.

The meeting was over.

The three of them left the Hokage Tower. It was already dark.

There weren't many people on the street, and a few barks drifted over from the distance.

Jiraiya stretched, his bones cracking.

"I'm exhausted. I haven't even had a hot meal since I got back."

He glanced hopefully at the two beside him.

Tsunade picked up the cue. "I'll cook. Come and eat."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "At your place?"

"At Kaede's."

Tsunade blurted it out, then headed straight for Kitahara Kaede's home.

The air fell silent for a second.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade's retreating figure, then at Kitahara Kaede.

The corners of his mouth, which had just lifted, drooped again.

Before he could say anything, she was already far away.

At home, Tsunade deftly found an apron, tied it on, washed the vegetables, and started cooking.

Kitahara Kaede stood beside her, chopping vegetables and handing over ingredients.

They crossed paths, switched places, and passed dishes back and forth.

Not a word was wasted. They didn't even need to exchange glances.

Jiraiya leaned against the kitchen doorframe and watched. His mouth tasted even more bitter.

He sighed, turned, and plopped down in the living room.

Click.

Nawaki's bedroom door opened.

"Master!"

Nawaki bolted out and nearly slipped in the hallway, even kicking off one of his shoes.

"You're back!"

He rushed into the living room and looked around.

"Where's my sister?"

"In the kitchen."

Nawaki peeked into the kitchen and saw Tsunade and Kitahara Kaede standing side by side at the stove. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Right. Guess I'm not needed."

He obediently returned and sat across from Jiraiya, looking him up and down.

"Uncle Jiraiya, got any stories from your travels?"

"Stories?" Jiraiya perked up. "I've got plenty. Your uncle took out an enemy company's stronghold all by himself on the Northern Front. There were more than thirty of them, and I—"

"Not that kind." Nawaki waved a hand. "I mean, did you meet any pretty girls while you were away?"

Jiraiya paused.

His expression turned rather suggestive.

His eyes darted around twice before he sneakily pulled a crumpled little book from inside his clothes.

The cover featured a rather revealing silhouette.

"You've got good taste, kid." Jiraiya lowered his voice. "I wrote this on the march on the Northern Front. It's based on real events—"

Nawaki's eyes lit up.

He reached out.

A hand came down from above, smacking both their heads at once.

Thump, thump.

Perfectly in sync.

Nawaki crouched down, clutching his head.

Jiraiya toppled sideways onto the floor, clutching his head.

Tsunade stood behind them, still wearing her apron. Her expression was downright terrifying.

"One of you teaches, the other learns. Have you two lost your minds?"

Jiraiya clutched the back of his head and howled. "Tsunade, you're hitting harder and harder! You're going to knock me stupid!"

"You were never smart to begin with."

While Tsunade was busy retorting to Jiraiya, Nawaki quietly hooked the little book on the floor with his foot. With the back of his hand, he tucked it into his waistband.

His movements were as smooth as flowing water.

Kitahara Kaede came out of the kitchen carrying a dish and happened to see it.

Nawaki gave him a shushing gesture.

Kitahara Kaede set the dish down without changing expression.

The four of them sat around the table.

There was grilled saury, miso soup, grilled rice balls, and a plate of cucumber salad with vinegar, one of Tsunade's specialties.

Nothing fancy, but Nawaki ate with relish, and Jiraiya fought so fiercely for the food that Tsunade nearly jabbed the back of his hand with her chopsticks.

"Master."

Nawaki was chewing a rice ball when he suddenly looked up.

"Are you going off to fight again?"

Kitahara Kaede picked up a piece of saury.

"Yeah."

"To the Land of Rain?"

"You've got good sources."

Nawaki put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth carelessly with his sleeve.

He stopped fighting over food and stared intently at Kitahara Kaede, then glanced at Tsunade, who was pouring tea.

"Master, make sure you protect my sister this time, too."

Thump.

Tsunade set the teapot down on the table, splashing out a few drops of tea.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She glared at him. "You think your sister can't take care of herself?"

Nawaki shrank back, his voice immediately growing quieter. "That's not it... It's just that with you by my sister's side, I feel better..."

Tsunade opened her mouth, but for once, she couldn't think of anything to say back.

Kitahara Kaede set down his bowl and looked Nawaki straight in the eye.

"I'll bring her back with me. Neither of us will be left behind."

Nawaki stared at him for two seconds.

Then he grinned.

"Then I'll wait for you both to come back and eat saury."

Late that night, Jiraiya left with a satisfied burp.

Tsunade untied her apron and hung it on the iron hook behind the door.

She glanced at Kitahara Kaede.

"Get some sleep."

The door closed, and Tsunade left with Nawaki.

Kitahara Kaede cleared away the dishes and sat at the table.

He casually felt around in the innermost pocket of his ninja tool pouch.

The blue omamori, sewn with crooked stitches, lay quietly inside.

He glanced at it, then tucked it away.

He turned off the light.