Flaming June.
The waves, accompanied by the sea breeze, brought the salty scent of seawater and the refreshing aroma of coconuts. Fish leaped out of the water, drawing arcs in the air. Their silvery scales reflected the sun’s rays, making them dazzlingly bright.
The fish would leap and then submerge again, repeating the cycle like a circus hidden beneath the sea, with dedicated acrobats tirelessly performing their tricks for an underwater audience.
Seagulls let out long cries. A girl stood on the beach, holding her shoes, her face full of wonder as she watched the waves wash over her feet.
Just as she had never seen the sea before, the surrounding people had never seen a human with such mysterious white eyes.
“To the Land of Waves,” a voice pulled the old boatman’s gaze away from the girl. He looked at the boy who had appeared before him, his eyes wrapped in several layers of black cloth.
“Is he blind?” The old boatman was curious but held back his question when he saw the long sword on the boy’s back. Instead, he said, “30 ryo per person.”
Half the price of a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen.
The boy nodded and handed the old boatman, 60 ryo.
“We’ll set sail in ten minutes,” the old boatman said leisurely, pocketing the money with his straw hat.
The journey from the border of the Land of Fire to the Land of Waves was not short. The old boatman needed to wait until the scheduled departure time or until the boat was full to maximize his business for each trip.
However, the boy seemed hurried and said, “Let’s set sail now. I can pay extra.”
“Is he a young master from a wealthy family?” The old boatman had never met someone who couldn’t wait ten minutes. He scratched his head but said, “No, it’s not about the money…”
It wasn’t that the old boatman didn’t want to make more money, but he couldn’t think only of himself.
Shipping was the only link between the Land of Waves and the outside world. There were only a few ferries each day, scheduled and on time. Although there weren’t many passengers, they were all locals. If he skipped one trip today, someone might miss the next boat and travel farther at a higher cost.
The boy nodded and didn’t insist, which earned him a bit of goodwill from the old boatman.
Ten minutes passed quickly. Several sun-tanned villagers gradually arrived at the dock with jars and containers.
“Hey, Keisa, good business today? You sold out your fish early!”
“Haha, there weren’t many fish today, so of course, I sold out quickly.”
“Keisa, why did you buy a plush toy?”
“It’s a gift for my son, Inari. It’s his birthday today.”
“That’s great. So you’re going home early for his birthday celebration.”
As the villagers boarded the boat, they chatted about their day’s harvest. Soon, the cargo hold was filled with fishy-smelling supplies like rice, oil, and salt.
The girl and the boy boarded the boat amidst the villagers’ lowered voices. They silently rearranged their goods to make room for the two, using subtle glances to convey their curiosity and friendliness.
The well-dressed pair seemed out of place among the villagers.
Although the Land of Waves had wealthy people, the rich would have boats rather than squeezing in with ordinary folk.
Eventually, the boat was full, and the old boatman smiled as he pushed the boat away from the dock. However, they hadn’t sailed far when a large ship blocked their way.
The ship, much sturdier, bumped the old boatman’s boat, nearly capsizing it.
“Turn back!” came a cold order from the large ship.
Reluctantly, the old boatman steered back to the dock.
The villagers cursed angrily, their goods almost destroyed. Keisa even had to jump into the water to retrieve his son’s plush toy.
When the boat finally docked, the villagers, led by Keisa, were ready to demand an explanation.
“What do you think you’re doing? This could have killed someone!” Keisa shouted furiously.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” sneered a muscle-bound man who led a group of ruffians off the large ship. He shoved a metal bat in Keisa’s face. “This is Kado Company’s exclusive shipping area. Who gave you permission to run this illegal boat?”
He turned to the old boatman, “Old man, our boss told you a long time ago to stop this illegal business. This is the third time. Don’t blame me!”
“Guys, smash it!”
Seeing they were outnumbered, Keisa and the old boatman raised their fish spears to protect the boat, shouting, “You bandits! Thieves! Who dares!”
Bang!
Keisa felt a powerful force hit his chest, sending him flying.
Outnumbered, the old boatman could only watch as the ruffians destroyed his beloved boat, kneeling in tears.
The other villagers stood by in fear. Keisa might not have noticed, but they saw that the punch came from a ninja with a missing-nin headband hidden among the ruffians.
One punch was all it took to hinder the strong Keisa. That was the difference between ninjas and ordinary people. They stood no chance.
“See? This is what happens when you run illegal boats!” the muscle-bound man laughed, then turned to the villagers, “It’s not that we don’t want you to travel, but you should use Kado Company’s boats!”
“We have exclusive shipping authorization from the Land of Waves’ Daimyo. Does this old man have that? No! And these small boats fall apart in the wind. What if someone dies?”
His words were shameless, but the villagers, knowing Kado’s plans to monopolize the Land of Waves’ transport routes, were both fearful and furious. They had never expected such violent tactics.
“Let’s go, boys.” The muscle-bound man was about to leave when a voice called out.
“Hey.”
“Hm?” He turned, raising an eyebrow at the boy who had stepped forward from the villagers.
The boy, with his eyes covered by a black cloth, was a ninja. His presence had made the muscle-bound man wait to act. Was he now going to stand up for the villagers?
Keisa, supported by the villagers, looked worried. Now was not the time to act tough…
“What do you want?” The muscle-bound man softened his tone, not wanting to provoke the boy.
“I need to go to the Land of Waves,” the boy said.
The muscle-bound man laughed, “300 ryo per person, but for you, it’s free!”
The boy nodded lightly and, to the villagers’ dismay, boarded the ship with the ruffians.
As the ship left, the villagers were left behind.
The larger ship was spacious but couldn’t hide the malicious and curious stares.
A youth from Kirigakure with a missing-nin headband approached the boy and sat beside him.
“My name is Yoshino Ito. You two are from Konoha, right?”
The boy ignored him.
Yoshino, the one who had punched Keisa, tried not to stare at the girl.
“Are you here on a mission?”
Kirigakure missing-nin had no conflicts with other villages unless their missions clashed.
“No,” the girl replied, enjoying the sea breeze and turning to smile at him.
Her pale eyes held a chilling power, making Yoshino’s breath catch.
“I see. Then we can coexist peacefully.”
He didn’t care why they were here. What mattered was the girl’s forehead lacked the rumored curse mark of the Hyuga clan.
She was truly a Hyuga!
And so young!
Did they dare to let such a young Hyuga out?
As a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, Yoshino knew how strictly the Hyuga clan controlled their kekkei genkai. The only Byakugan outside Konoha belonged to Ao, a Kirigakure jonin, making him highly wanted by Konoha.
Despite this, every Kirigakure ninja coveted the Byakugan. They knew its power well, as it rendered their Hidden Mist Jutsu useless.
Ao’s Byakugan was instrumental in securing his position in Kirigakure.
Yoshino’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t know what had happened in Konoha for the Hyuga to let a clan member out, but he couldn’t miss this chance.
“This might be my only opportunity,” he thought.
“Yes, we can coexist peacefully,” the girl said sweetly.
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