Kakashi Hatake

Boom!

The Grizzly Bear's massive body hit the ground, securing Kazan and Hakimi their dinner.

"My fighting strength has to be at least Chunin level by now, right?"

Kazan dropped from the air. The moment he landed, he even made that distinctive clack sound from the world of Pirate King.

The Forest of Death was one of the stages of Konoha's Chunin Ninja Exams in the original story.

Examinees had to cross the Forest of Death and collect items from other examinees to pass.

That meant...

In those Chunin Ninja Exams, the dangers examinees faced in the Forest of Death were its ferocious beasts and one another.

If Kazan could treat the Forest of Death as his hunting ground, he definitely had Chunin-level fighting strength.

"Stop drooling. Help me drag this thing to the outskirts."

Kazan rubbed Hakimi's head, and the boy and the tiger headed back to the outskirts of the Forest of Death.

He didn't want other beasts attacking him while he ate.

The Forest of Death was dangerous, but its outer reaches held creatures no different from ordinary wildlife.

The rulers of the forest all lived deep inside it.

On the outskirts, all Hakimi had to do was lie down, and nothing dared come near.

Kazan gathered firewood, prepared the bear meat, then practiced his punches while it roasted.

The Forest of Death had everything going for it.

There was food, dry firewood, and water. Even the scenery was nice: a lush sea of green, just like the top of Baoqiang's head.

The only problem was how long it took to cook the meat.

Meanwhile, Hakimi kept bringing more firewood. Sometimes he even returned with wild fruit and mushrooms for Kazan to make soup.

"This stuff looks poisonous, doesn't it? Last time I ate it, I ended up taking a nap."

"But it's pretty tasty!"

Kazan looked at the purple mushrooms Hakimi had brought back, washed a handful, and tossed them into the pot.

He didn't know whether people from the world of Pirate King were simply that tough or Garp himself was unusually gifted.

Kazan was immune to most poisonous foods.

Once, he took one of those purple mushrooms home and fed it to the puppy the family next door kept.

After one bite, the puppy began convulsing on the ground as if it were having a seizure, foam spilling from its mouth.

Kazan panicked. He threw away the mushroom in his hand, ran next door, and thoughtfully informed the family that their dog had eaten something bad and dropped dead.

He still remembered how hard their six-year-old daughter had cried that night.

By the time Kazan had worn himself out practicing punches, the mouthwatering smell of meat finally reached his nose.

"Finally. I'm starving."

Kazan pulled out his knife, sliced off a cooked portion, and sprinkled it with cumin and other seasonings. Just as he opened his mouth to take a bite, Hakimi poked him with a paw.

"What?"

"Awooo~"

Hakimi howled, then pointed at the meat in front of him.

"It's cooked. You can eat it."

"Awooo~"

He howled again, his tiger eyes fixed on the cumin powder.

Fine. He wanted some too.

"Of all the tigers in the world, you're the one living the good life. You even want cumin on your roast meat."

Kazan rolled his eyes and sprinkled some on Hakimi's portion.

Only then did the boy and the tiger dig in.

Before long...

They had demolished the entire bear. Kazan flopped down to sleep, his belly round as a ball and a satisfied smile on his face.

Hakimi was full too. He pressed his furry body against Kazan to make him more comfortable as he slept, ready to open his eyes and scan their surroundings at the slightest rustle.

"I knew those damn mushrooms were poisonous. I'm sleepy again."

By the time he finished speaking, a bubble was already swelling from his nose, and he fell fast asleep.

Night fell.

Moonlight filtered into the Forest of Death. With a pop, the bubble from Kazan's nose burst. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and stretched with a groan.

That feels good, baby!

He looked up. The moon hung amid the stars, giving off a cold, faint glow.

"It's gotten pretty late. I'm heading back."

"Awoo~"

Hakimi stood up too and rubbed his head against Kazan.

"Come on, don't act like a pet cat. I'll come back after school tomorrow."

"Awoo~"

Only then did Hakimi turn and walk into the Forest of Death.

Kazan left as well, leaping up and over the Forest of Death's fence from a tree, a bearskin in his hand.

"It's a little late. I'll sell this tomorrow."

Kazan had no parents in this world. The couple had died in battle not long after he was born.

Konoha gave him a little money each month to support him until adulthood. It showed the village's other Ninja that even if they were unfortunate enough to die, the village would look after their children.

But that paltry sum wasn't enough to feed Kazan.

As his body developed, he would surely start training with weights and keep pushing his limits to unlock his potential. That gear wasn't cheap.

So Kazan often took bearskins and other things from his hunts to sell.

There was plenty of demand for them. If the journey weren't so far, he would go to the Land of Fire himself and sell them to the rich.

For now?

He had to let Konoha's merchants take their cut, which meant he got a lower price.

On his way back, plenty of people greeted Kazan.

Everyone was fond of the spirited little rascal.

"Well, look who's back. That's quite a bearskin you've got today, Kazan."

"The Ninja Academy really is something. They even teach you how to hunt."

A middle-aged man sat outside his house with his legs crossed, basking in the moonlight. When he spotted Kazan, he couldn't resist teasing him.

Everyone who lived here knew that instead of learning Ninjutsu at the Ninja Academy, Kazan spent his time throwing punches.

Kazan stopped, turned, and shouted in the man's direction, "Xianglin Sao! I saw your husband touch Black Widow's hand while he was selling fish this morning, and he didn't even charge her!"

"What?!"

A startled cry came from the house. A woman rushed out, brandishing a knife.

The man who had just teased Kazan immediately bolted. "I didn't! Don't listen to that little bastard Kazan! I charged her!"

"Did you hear that, Xianglin Sao? He didn't deny touching her hand!"

"Ah, damn it! Kazan, you little brat, just you wait..."

The street filled with laughter as everyone watched Kazan's mischief.

"Hmph. Loser. That'll teach you to laugh at me."

Kazan walked on with a disdainful look. He hadn't gone far when he saw a white-haired figure in a mask approaching from the other end of the street.

"Kakashi?"

Perfect timing. I wanted to see how hard my fists are now.