Three straight days of special training had taken their toll on the forests of the Land of Waves.
Naruto and Sasuke, on the other hand, had made rapid progress and could already climb up and down those battered trees.
Naruto in particular, determined not to embarrass himself in front of Sakura, pondered chakra control even in his sleep.
As for Son Goten...
After shattering his twentieth tree underfoot, he had decisively given up.
He could fly anyway. Learning to climb trees was as pointless for him as learning to push a bicycle when he already knew how to ride one.
Early morning.
Thin mist drifted through the forest, and the air was fresh and damp.
With a small bamboo basket on his back, Son Goten swaggered down a forest path, humming an unfamiliar tune.
"Picking herbs, picking herbs..."
He muttered to himself, but his eyes darted slyly in every direction.
He had said he was going out to gather medicinal herbs for Tazuna's family, but in reality, he was craving meat.
Tazuna's family was so poor that every meal consisted of pickled vegetables and brown rice. For a Saiyan, that was pure torture.
"Not even a single pheasant in this lousy place."
Son Goten kicked a stone by his foot, and his stomach growled on cue.
Just as he was about to change direction and head to the shore to catch some fish, his nose suddenly twitched.
That familiar scent.
Cool and delicately fragrant, like a lotus blooming on a snowy mountain.
Son Goten stopped dead, his eyes going perfectly round.
Morning mist curled over a clearing a short distance ahead.
A figure in a pink kimono crouched among the grass, seemingly gathering dew and medicinal herbs.
Long hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall. His slender, graceful silhouette carried an indescribable gentleness.
Son Goten stared, transfixed.
Was this the masked person from that night?
The clothes were different, but there was no mistaking that exquisite fragrance.
"Slurp."
Unable to help himself, he sucked in the drool at the corner of his mouth, then hurriedly wiped it away with his sleeve.
Was his hair still neat?
Were his clothes presentable enough?
Son Goten puffed out his chest, straightened his collar, and put on his trademark harmless smile.
He lightened his steps and approached in what he considered his most handsome pose.
"Um..."
Son Goten cleared his throat, his voice excessively sweet.
"Pretty lady, it's dangerous to be alone in the forest this early, you know."
The figure in pink paused slightly, then slowly stood and turned around.
At that moment, Son Goten felt as though all the mist around him had cleared.
An exquisitely beautiful face, skin so fair it was almost translucent, and eyes clear as water, carrying a natural purity.
Although a faint Adam's apple on his neck was mostly hidden by his collar, in Son Goten's eyes, this was a peerless beauty.
And this was the complete version, without a mask!
Haku looked at the little boy before him, only about ten years old, and surprise flickered in his eyes.
Wasn't this the Konoha brat who had nearly lifted his mask that night?
"It's you?"
Haku's voice was soft, with a distinctive, gentle resonance.
Son Goten clutched his chest, feeling as though his heartbeat was about to go off the charts.
Even his voice was so lovely!
This had to be the woman heaven had destined for him!
"You remember me, pretty lady?"
Son Goten immediately seized the opening, darting up to Haku in two steps and looking up with an infatuated expression.
"It was too dark that night to see clearly, but now that I can see you, you're practically a goddess descended from heaven."
Haku froze for a moment.
As Zabuza's tool, he was accustomed to cold blood and slaughter, and to being feared.
This was the first time someone had looked at him with such open, ardent eyes, and even called him... a pretty lady?
Haku remembered his current outfit. He had only worn these casual clothes to move around easily without attracting attention, but he had not expected to be mistaken for a woman.
He was just about to explain.
Son Goten had already sidled right up to him as though they were old friends, his nose starting to twitch shamelessly again.
"You smell so good."
Son Goten closed his eyes in bliss.
"Are you gathering herbs, pretty lady? How could anyone let a beauty do such rough work?"
"If those lovely hands got hurt, my heart would break."
Haku did not know whether to laugh or cry.
This child looked so young. How was his mouth already full of sweet talk?
"I'm just finding some medicinal herbs for a friend."
Haku smiled gently, showing no hostility simply because the other boy was a Konoha ninja.
In his eyes, as long as the boy posed no threat to Lord Zabuza, he was merely an amusing child.
That smile was like a caress from a spring breeze.
Son Goten felt his very soul float away.
He was done for. Completely smitten.
Sakura was cute, but this pretty lady was gentleness itself!
"A friend? You mean that injured bandage weirdo?"
Son Goten curled his lip, looking thoroughly disdainful.
"What's worth looking after about a scary old guy like that? You should come with me instead, pretty lady."
"I'm really strong."
To prove himself, Son Goten deliberately flexed his arm, showing off his barely visible biceps.
"Don't let my size fool you. I can kill a huge tiger with one punch."
"I'll protect you from now on. I won't let anyone bully you."
As Haku watched the little brat trying so hard to act like a man, the amusement in his eyes deepened.
"What's your name?"
"Son Goten!"
Son Goten slapped his chest and answered loudly.
"Remember that name. I'm the man who's going to marry-cough, cough-become the strongest ninja someday."
He had nearly blurted out what he was really thinking.
Good thing he had stopped himself in time.
But that did not stop him from pressing his offensive.
Son Goten looked around and furrowed his brow, pretending to be solemn.
"There's a lot of dew in this forest, and the ground's slippery. What if you fall, pretty lady?"
"And I hear there are wild boars around here. They're vicious."
Haku blinked.
Wild boars?
Hadn't this child scared away even every rabbit nearby?
From a distance earlier, he had seen the boy kick through a sapling as thick as the mouth of a bowl, simply because it had been blocking his way.
"So?"
Haku played along, his tone carrying a hint of teasing a child.
"So..."
Son Goten chuckled and rubbed his palm against his clothes to wipe away the sweat.
Then, with perfect nonchalance, he held out that wicked little hand.
"For safety's sake, we should hold hands while we walk."
"I'm a boy. I have plenty of yang energy to ward off evil."
Haku looked at the hand held out before him and paused slightly.
This child really was...
Still, being treated like an ordinary person did not feel bad.
On this morning free of slaughter, Haku let his guard down for once.
Perhaps it was because the child's gaze was so clear. Though it held a little lust, there was no malice at all.
"All right."
Haku nodded lightly and did not refuse.
Son Goten was ecstatic, nearly unable to resist doing a somersault on the spot.
They were holding hands!
Round that up, and they were practically married!
He grabbed Haku's hand.
The fingers were long and slender, with well-defined joints. Although the hand was a little cool, it felt wonderful.
"Your hand is so big, pretty lady."
Son Goten gave it a couple of squeezes. The hand felt much stronger than Sakura's, and even had thin calluses left by years of gripping weapons.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that this was his pretty lady's hand!
"Come on, come on! I know a place over there with loads of medicinal herbs."
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