Early morning, Konoha training grounds.
Kitahara Kaede was running.
His breathing was steady and his stride firm, looking no different than usual. But internally, he knew sothing was wrong.
When he had lain down to sleep last night, he thought a good night's rest would fix it. Yet, the mont he opened his eyes this morning, that stifling sense of restlessness was still there.
He accelerated, hoping to grind that feeling away through sheer physical exertion. It didn't work. The faster he ran, the less his mind obeyed him.
Terumi i's face drifted into his thoughts. He rembered the first ti she smiled at him under that crooked tree by the river—her eyes curving, the corners of her mouth lifted high, a smile completely devoid of defenses.
Kaede grit his teeth and pushed his pace another gear higher.
Then, Pakura appeared.
The northern fishing port, before dawn. She had been sitting alone on the pier, her luggage by her side and a small dog curled at her feet. As the wind swept in from the sea, she had simply stared down that empty road.
As he ran, Kaede squeezed two words through his teeth.
"Damn it."
He was cursing himself.
"Kaede!"
Soone was calling from behind, but he didn't hear them. His mind was still stuck on that pier.
"Kaede! Good morning!"
Still nothing.
"Kaede!!!"
The third shout finally pierced through, and Kaede's stride faltered as the images were forcibly torn away. He turned his head.
A green blur had already caught up to his side. Might Guy had his thick eyebrows furrowed, his face wearing the aggrieved look of soone who had been ignored three tis.
"I called you three tis!"
"...Guy," Kaede replied a beat late. "Sorry, I was thinking about sothing."
"What could possibly be so engrossing?"
"The logic for a new jutsu."
"A new jutsu!" Guy's eyes lit up. He imdiately whipped out a small notebook he kept close to his person and flipped it open. "What kind of jutsu? Can you tell about it?"
Kaede didn't answer and resud his pace. Guy wasn't offended; he tucked the notebook away and kept up, the two of them running side by side.
After half an hour, Guy suddenly looked over, his tone unusually serious.
"Kaede, you're fast today."
"Am I?"
"Don't 'am I' ." Guy stared at his footfalls. "Your speed is at least forty percent faster than last ti, yet your landings are even lighter."
Only then did Kaede realize it. He hadn't fully regained control over the surge in physical attributes he'd experienced after the simulation ended. He deliberately throttled his speed back a fraction.
"I rested well yesterday."
Guy didn't press further, but he looked down and scribbled sothing quickly in his notebook. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaede saw the words:
'Even in a distracted state, Kaede is a lifelong rival I must surpass!!!'
Three exclamation points.
Kaede shifted his gaze and remained silent.
When the two thousand laps were finished, Guy sat on the ground gasping for air. Kaede stood beside him, his breathing only slightly faster than normal.
As they walked back toward the village, a familiar figure approached from ahead. Short blonde hair, a green vest, and a smile that looked as though it had been kissed by the sun.
Minato Namikaze.
Kaede gave a slight nod. "Lord Minato."
"Yo." Minato raised a hand with a smile. His gaze lingered on Kaede for a mont before shifting to Guy.
Guy instinctively snapped to attention.
"This is Might Guy," Kaede introduced briefly. "My sparring partner."
"Hello," Minato nodded to Guy.
Guy wasn't entirely sure how to address him, but seeing that Kaede used "Lord Minato" and noting the Jonin vest Minato wore, he imdiately bowed deeply.
"Greetings Lord Minato!"
Minato smiled, but he didn't linger on pleasantries. Guy could tell the two had things to discuss and gave a generous thumbs-up.
"Kaede, I'm heading out! Let know in advance the next ti we spar!"
With that, he turned and ran off, his speed impressive.
Minato watched the green figure vanish around the street corner before turning back.
"Kushina asked to give you a ssage."
Kaede looked at him.
"She says you must co over for dinner this weekend."
Kaede smiled. "Alright, I'll definitely be there."
Minato chatted for a few more minutes about so recent amusing events, patted him on the shoulder, and departed.
Kaede stood still, watching Minato's back disappear around the corner. Suddenly, a mory flashed through his mind.
The last ti after a group gathering, while he was walking Tsunade ho, she had stopped at her door and looked back at him.
'Next ti you co, rember to bring seasonings. I'll do the cooking.'
Seasonings.
He made a ntal note of it. Then, his thoughts slid uncontrollably in another direction.
Mount Kikyo.
Calculating based on the current tiline, it was coming soon.
That battle had nearly reached the gates of Konoha, and the village's combat strength had been depleted by more than half. If he rembered correctly, the reason they suffered so much in the original story was due to delayed intelligence.
By the ti Sunagakure's vanguard reached Mount Kikyo, Konoha's defenses hadn't had ti to adjust.
He had to find a way to pass the information up the chain before then. Not too early—too early and they would question his source. Not too late—too late and it would be pointless.
The best way would be... as a Chunin, "accidentally" discovering unusual movents during a mission and reporting them to Minato.
Reasonable, natural, and leaving no evidence behind.
As he thought, his steps led him into a quiet alley. At the end of the alley was an inconspicuous spice shop, its door half-open, letting out a blend of aromatic scents.
He pushed the door open.
"What do you need?" the shopkeeper asked without looking up from the counter.
Kaede's mind was still occupied with how to arrange the Mount Kikyo situation flawlessly.
"Seven-flavor chili powder, yuzu kosho, and wasabi—one of each. And a bottle of soy sauce."
After paying, he took the bag and stepped out of the shop. He looked down at the seasonings in his hand. He didn't know what dish Tsunade planned to make, but these should cover the bases.
He stood there for two seconds, then began walking toward his apartnt.
***
At the sa ti, in Sunagakure.
The doors to the Kazekage building's conference room swung open, and several Jonin filed out. Pakura was the last to leave, her expression unreadable.
During the eting, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had personally deployed the surprise attack plan against Konoha.
The target: Mount Kikyo.
Because of her imnse strength, she had been assigned to the primary assault force.
As she walked along the arid streets, fine sand whipped against her cheeks, stinging slightly. Pakura didn't mind. She was thinking about the dream she'd had last night.
The dream had been long and chaotic. There was a small village by the sea where she raised a puppy. There was a pier where she sat, her luggage beside her and the dog curled at her feet.
She had been waiting for soone.
That person had promised to arrive before dawn. She rembered telling him, 'Don't lie to .'
And so, she waited.
She waited from the darkness of pre-dawn until the sun rose. From the sunrise until noon.
No one ever walked down that road.
Later, soone seed to tell her that the person had died.
The dream ended there. She had woken up feeling suffocated. When she opened her eyes, a patch of her pillow was wet.
Pakura had sat on her bed in a daze for a long ti. She didn't understand why she had cried over a dream. She couldn't clearly see the face of the person in the dream; she only rembered a na.
But that oppressive feeling in her chest remained, blocking her breath even now. It felt as if she had lost sothing, though she couldn't put into words what it was.
Pakura raised a hand to press against her chest and frowned.
The wind grew stronger. She pulled her collar tight and continued walking forward.
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