The cold coin kept flipping over and over in Hyuga Kiyonari's palm. In the end, he could only spread his hand helplessly and let out a long sigh.
Right now, his wallet was cleaner than his face—and he had that barbecue feast from two days ago to thank for it.
He had to admit it: the Akimichi clan's mastery of "eating" really was something else. Once they got into it, the two of them kept adding orders. Especially that girl Hinata—her cheeks puffed out like a hamster stockpiling food for winter.
And the result was: she didn't bring enough money, and he ended up covering about twenty percent of the bill. Even that "twenty percent" cost more than what they'd spent at Ichiraku ramen that night. If you really wanted to count it, he was still the one who "profited" overall.
The clan's living allowance wouldn't be paid out for a few more days. What he had left was enough to keep himself fed, sure—but if he wanted meat every meal, that was going to be tough.
"Looks like I can only make a trip to that place."
By "that place," Kiyonari meant the dreaded Forest of Death outside Konoha.
Even as a "reserve" ninja, he couldn't just leave the village whenever he wanted. But the Forest of Death was still classified as part of "Konoha."
Besides, with spring coming and the snow melting, animals would be out and moving again—prime hunting season.
And it wasn't his first time doing this. He dragged a wooden box out from under the bed, full of tools: a shortbow made from exceptionally tough wood, a quiver holding twenty neatly fletched arrows, a skinning knife sharpened to a shine, and a bag for carrying game.
He checked each item to make sure everything was in order. Then he slung the bow over his back, hung the quiver and bag at his waist, buckled the knife on his other side, and headed for the Forest of Death.
At the forest's edge…
With the snowmelt, the ground had turned soft and muddy—perfect conditions for tracking.
Kiyonari slowed his pace as he moved through the trees, carefully scanning the ground. Soon, he spotted a line of fresh footprints. Judging by the shape, they belonged to a rabbit.
He followed the trail cautiously, sometimes bending down to push aside ferns blocking his way, sometimes slipping sideways between two trees growing close together—never making a single unnecessary sound. After about another hundred meters, he found a few rabbit droppings under a low shrub.
It had to be nearby.
He slowed his breathing and searched carefully. Finally, at the base of a slightly open dirt slope, he saw several gray wild rabbits nibbling tender grass roots near their burrow. After a couple bites, they would stand up and scan the surroundings, then lower their heads again once they were sure it was safe.
Kiyonari didn't draw his bow right away. Killing just one would be a waste—he wanted the whole nest.
He made a wide circle and slowly approached from the other side. When he was close enough, he waited for the moment the rabbits were fully focused on eating—then lunged.
With one big grab, he pinned two plump rabbits under his hands.
The rest scattered in panic. Kiyonari reacted instantly, caught another, and stuffed it into the bag. But one rabbit slipped through a gap he hadn't noticed and darted like lightning into the dense woods.
"Trying to run?"
Kiyonari snorted. With his right hand he pulled the drawstring tight to seal the bag; with his left he yanked the shortbow off his back and nocked an arrow. The whole sequence flowed without a trace of hesitation.
Whoosh—
The arrow left the string with a sharp hiss, perfectly predicting the rabbit's escape line. It pierced cleanly through the back of its neck and pinned it to the ground.
Kiyonari jogged over and pulled the arrow back out of the mud. With that kind of power, it was hard to believe it had come from a three-year-old—he couldn't help but complain.
"Chakra really is convenient."
He weighed the bag in his hand. This would last him for days. Then he headed toward a small river nearby, where he could hear running water.
Kiyonari squatted by the riverbank and used the sharp knife to open the rabbit's belly and remove the organs… and just as he finished cleaning the second one, a sudden rustling came from the bushes behind him.
"Shh-shh-shh… crack!"
Something was pushing through the brush—something heavy snapping dead branches.
Kiyonari tensed immediately. His right hand clenched the knife as he turned to look.
"Grrr—!"
A low roar sounded, and then a gigantic wild boar—about the size of a small truck—burst out of the trees!
Its body was covered in coarse black-brown bristles. Two long, curved, bone-white tusks gleamed with a cold shine in the sunlight. Its bloodshot eyes locked onto Kiyonari and the rabbit carcasses at his feet.
Clearly, the boar had been starving through the snow and was drawn here by the thick scent of blood.
"Damn it!"
Kiyonari's heart sank. The weapons he had were basically toothpicks against something like this. If he messed up, he might become its meal too.
The boar huffed heavily, hot white breath blasting from its nostrils. Its rear hooves pawed at the mud—an unmistakable signal that it was about to charge.
"Run!"
Kiyonari threw the rabbit in his hand toward it, pumped chakra into his legs, and leapt across to the other side of the river.
Rumble—!
The boar didn't even glance at the tossed rabbit. Its massive body plowed straight over the river like a speeding monster truck, crashing into the forest and destroying everything in its path.
"Help! Someone! Help me!"
Kiyonari shouted as he bounded between tree branches, sprinting toward Konoha.
At that moment, two figures appeared on a treetop ahead.
One was taller, wearing a black top. In his crimson eyes were two slowly rotating black tomoe. The other was shorter, about Kiyonari's age, his face tight with a mix of nerves and excitement.
Them?!
Uchiha Itachi glanced over, his gaze immediately locking onto the rampaging boar. He said something quietly to his younger brother, Sasuke.
"Sasuke. Aim for the eyes."
"Yes, Nii-san!"
As the words left his mouth, Itachi leapt, flicking three kunai—each with an explosive tag—into the space between Kiyonari and the boar.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sudden explosions made the boar stagger mid-charge. Feeling threatened, it stopped and unleashed furious roars.
Kiyonari seized the opening, fully breaking away from danger. He landed on a branch near Sasuke, drew his bow, and aimed at the boar's eye.
Whoosh— whoosh—
Two arrows flew one after the other—but only one hit the boar's eye.
"Squeeeeal!"
The boar let out a shrill, agonized scream and began thrashing wildly, slamming into trees on both sides.
In the same instant, Itachi's figure appeared above the boar as if he'd teleported. A ninja blade was in his hand. From above, he drove it down without mercy into the boar's other eye socket, plunging deep into its brain.
With a wet thunk, the boar's enormous body convulsed violently a few times—then finally went still.
The fight was over.
Kiyonari jumped down from the tree and sat hard on the ground. Looking at the Uchiha brothers, he thanked them sincerely. "Haa… thank you for saving me."
Itachi pulled his blade free and wiped the blood on the boar's hide. "This should be the boar mentioned in the mission."
"Mission?"
"A D-rank mission. This boar has been destroying nearby crops. Our job was to drive it away."
Sasuke hopped down too, staring at the huge boar with excitement. "Nii-san, we did it! This thing is huge!"
But right after shouting, he realized someone else was here. He quickly coughed twice, then put on a cool, aloof expression.
Itachi nodded, then looked at Kiyonari. "The mission only required us to drive it away. That means we can split this boar. Do you… want me to help you carry it back?"
Kiyonari blinked, then smiled. "Thanks—then I'll take you up on it. My name is Hyuga Kiyonari. And you two are…?"
"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi answered blandly.
"Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke copied his brother, giving only his name.