Chapter 13: The Uchiha Brothers
Cold coins clinked repeatedly in his palm. Hyuga Kiyonari could only sigh helplessly as he opened his hand.
Right now, his wallet was cleaner than his face—all thanks to that barbecue meal two days ago.
He had to admit, the Akimichi clan's expertise in matters of eating was truly unparalleled. Once the two of them got going, they kept ordering more. Especially that Hinata girl—her cheeks stuffed so full she looked like a hamster hoarding food for winter.
The result? She hadn't brought enough money, and he'd ended up covering twenty percent of the bill. Even that twenty percent cost more than the night at Ichiraku Ramen. Technically, he'd still come out ahead if he really wanted to calculate it.
The clan's monthly living stipend wouldn't come for a while yet. His remaining funds could maintain basic sustenance, but having meat with every meal would be difficult.
"Looks like I'll have to make a trip to that place."
The "place" Kiyonari referred to was the infamous Forest of Death outside Konoha Village.
As village shinobi—even "reserves"—they couldn't freely leave the village. But the Forest of Death fell within "Konoha Village" boundaries.
Besides, now that spring had arrived and the ice and snow had melted, the forest animals were all active again. Perfect hunting season.
This wasn't his first time doing this. He skillfully dragged a wooden box from under his bed containing the necessary tools: a short bow made of extremely resilient material, a quiver holding twenty arrows with neatly aligned tail feathers, a skinning knife sharpened to a gleaming edge, and a bag for carrying game.
After checking all his equipment, he slung the bow across his back, hung the quiver and bag at his waist, secured the knife on his other side, and headed toward the Forest of Death.
The forest's outer edge.
The melted snow had left the ground soft and muddy—ideal conditions for tracking prey.
Hyuga Kiyonari slowed his pace as he moved through the trees, carefully scanning the ground. Soon, he discovered a set of fresh tracks that, judging by their shape, belonged to a rabbit.
He followed the trail cautiously, sometimes bending to push aside obstructing ferns, sometimes squeezing sideways between closely spaced trees, making no unnecessary sound throughout. About a hundred meters ahead, beneath a cluster of low shrubs, he found several rabbit droppings.
Should be nearby.
He slowed his breathing and searched the area carefully. Finally, on a slightly open slope, he spotted several gray wild rabbits gnawing on tender grass roots near a burrow entrance. They'd take a couple bites, then stand upright to survey their surroundings before confirming safety and returning to feed.
Kiyonari didn't rush to draw his bow. Killing just one would be wasteful—his target was the entire nest.
He circled wide around and approached from the other side. Once close enough, he waited until the rabbits were focused on feeding, then suddenly lunged forward. His large hand swept down, pinning two plump rabbits beneath it.
The startled rabbits scattered in all directions. Kiyonari's eyes and hands were quick—he caught another one and stuffed it in his bag. But one rabbit slipped through a gap he hadn't noticed, bolting like lightning toward the deep forest.
"Think you're escaping?"
Kiyonari snorted coldly. His right hand pulled the drawstring to seal the bag while his left hand drew the short bow from his back and nocked an arrow. The entire motion flowed seamlessly without hesitation.
Whoosh—
The arrow left the string with a piercing whistle, precisely predicting the rabbit's escape route and passing through its neck from behind, pinning it to the ground.
He jogged over and pulled the arrow from the dirt. Such power was hard to imagine coming from a three-year-old child's hand, making him unable to resist complaining.
"Chakra really is convenient."
He hefted the bag to gauge its weight. This would be enough to eat for several days. Then he walked toward the nearby stream where water sounds echoed.
Kiyonari squatted by the riverbank, using his sharp knife to slice open the rabbits' bellies, processing the innards... Just as he finished the second rabbit, rustling sounds suddenly emerged from the bushes behind him.
Rustle rustle... crack!
The sound of bushes being pushed aside, and something heavy snapping dead branches.
Kiyonari immediately became alert, his right hand gripping the skinning knife tightly as he turned around.
"ROAR!"
A deep bellow rang out, followed by an enormous wild boar the size of a small truck charging out from the forest!
Its entire body was covered in coarse, stiff black-brown bristles. Two long, curved pale white tusks gleamed coldly in the sunlight. A pair of bloodshot eyes fixed on Kiyonari and the rabbit corpses at his feet.
Clearly, this boar that had gone hungry through the snowy season had been drawn by the heavy scent of blood.
"Damn it!"
Kiyonari's heart instantly sank. Against a beast this size, his weapons were no different from toothpicks. If things went badly, he might become its food too.
The boar breathed heavily, white steam puffing from its nostrils. Its hind hooves scraped repeatedly at the muddy ground—the signal before a charge.
"Run!"
Kiyonari threw the rabbit in his hand toward it and channeled chakra into his legs, leaping to the other side of the river.
BOOM!
The wild boar wasn't distracted by the thrown rabbit. Its massive body crashed through the stream like a hundred-ton truck, charging into the forest and destroying everything in its path.
"Is anyone there?! Help me!"
Kiyonari leaped between tree branches toward Konoha Village, shouting for help.
Just then, two figures suddenly appeared on nearby treetops ahead.
One figure was slightly taller, wearing a black shirt, a pair of crimson eyes embedded with two slowly rotating black tomoe. The other figure was shorter, appearing about Kiyonari's age, face showing traces of nervousness and excitement.
It's them?!
Uchiha Itachi glanced this way, his gaze locking onto the rampaging wild boar before speaking quietly to his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sasuke, aim for the eyes."
"Yes, brother!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Uchiha Itachi leaped up and flung three kunai tagged with explosive notes between Kiyonari and the boar.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sudden explosions made the charging boar stumble. Sensing the threat, it stopped in place, releasing furious roars.
Kiyonari seized this opportunity to completely escape danger, landing on a tree branch adjacent to Uchiha Sasuke while simultaneously drawing his bow and aiming an arrow at the boar's eye.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Two arrows shot out one after another, but only one struck the boar's eye.
SQUEAL!
The boar released a shrill scream and began jumping wildly, crashing into the large trees on either side.
Just then, Uchiha Itachi's figure appeared atop the boar's head as if teleporting. Gripping a shinobi blade, he thrust downward without mercy, driving it into the boar's other eye socket and deep into its brain.
With a wet sound, the boar's massive body convulsed violently several times before finally going silent.
The battle was over.
Kiyonari jumped down from the tree and sat heavily on the ground. Looking at the Uchiha brothers before him, he expressed his sincere gratitude. "Whew—thank you for saving me."
Uchiha Itachi pulled out his shinobi blade and wiped the blood on the boar's body. "This wild boar should be the one mentioned in the mission."
"Mission?"
"A D-rank mission. This boar's been destroying nearby crops. Our task was to drive it away."
Just then, Sasuke jumped down from the tree. Seeing the enormous wild boar, he couldn't help shouting excitedly, "Brother, we did it! This thing is huge!"
But immediately after shouting, he suddenly realized someone else was present. He quickly coughed twice and put on an aloof expression.
Itachi nodded, looking at Kiyonari. "The mission only required driving it away, which means we can split this boar. Do you... need help carrying it back?"
Kiyonari paused, then answered with a smile. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I'm Hyuga Kiyonari. And you?"
"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi answered flatly.
"Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke imitated his brother's manner, stating only his name.