Splitting Up

It rained heavily.

The winds raged and the waves surged. The extremely harsh weather transformed the storm-prone areas at sea into a deadly predicament for humankind. Even on Earth in its previous existence, where humanity had tamed the power of steel and fire, building massive steel ships and airplanes, it still considered this a perilous journey!

Despite the treacherous environment, three people walked on the sea, ignoring the raging winds and towering waves around them, and resolutely moved forward.

Suddenly, a gigantic wave surged up, a wave tens of meters high, several times taller than the tallest buildings in Konoha and Kirigakure, making the figures appear as tiny as ants. Yet, in the storm, it was commonplace, easily seen everywhere. The terrifying wave, carrying thousands of tons of seawater, rose up like a wall of water, obscuring the ground, and pressed down on the three tiny figures with overwhelming force!

Whoa--!

A giant wave crashed down, splashing water everywhere, before disappearing into the undulating sea.

Three figures Earth Flow calmly from the waves, their breathing perfectly steady, as if no matter how large the waves, they could not stop their progress.

The young woman at the front had a calm and indifferent expression. She walked through the area, her body surprisingly dry, her steps still elegant and free. The giant wave had just crashed down on her face, yet not a single drop of water could be seen on her face or head. Clearly, she had used some extremely profound technique to protect her entire body; however, to be able to do this, her Chakra manipulation ability was truly unprecedented.

Although the two boys following behind her couldn't achieve such miraculous Chakra protection that kept them completely dry, they each had their own methods to protect themselves from being drenched by the waves and ending up in a disheveled state.

They were already soaked to the bone, their clothes clinging to their bodies, revealing the lean and muscular physiques of the young men. Yet their energy and spirit showed no signs of waning, and their steps remained steady and powerful, without the slightest hesitation.

It was after bidding farewell to Chōjūrō and his companion that the Konoha group disappeared into the stormy sea.

After walking a few steps, the orange-haired boy suddenly stopped, wrinkling his nose and face as he asked, "Sakura, we've been walking for so long, why haven't we seen any of Akatsuki's enemies yet?"

The girl stopped and turned around, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

They were different from the Mist Ninja Team that had searched this area before.

Knowing they were no match for Akatsuki, the latter proceeded cautiously, taking two steps at a time, fearing an encounter with Akatsuki, and thus their pace was slow. However, despite their careful actions, they had not searched far before unfortunately encountering the enemy, and only managed to escape thanks to Chojuro's sacrifice.

On the other hand, Sakura Haruno and her two companions, confident that Team 7's strength was sufficient to handle any Akatsuki duo, not only did not bother to conceal their movements but also swaggered forward as if searching for enemies. As a result, they walked for a full day without encountering any enemies, and the boys' fighting spirit and faint expectations were completely extinguished by the cold rain.

In the dim light, wading through the raging winds, torrential rain, and towering waves, one not only expends physical strength but also patience.

As someone who's been through it all... Sakura Haruno understands their thoughts very well.

She was also a little helpless.

No matter how strong Sakura Haruno's abilities are, she's not strong enough to control this entire sea area and find enemies at will.

In calm waters, Sakura could monitor an area of several kilometers by channeling her Chakra into the rain using a wide-range reconnaissance Ninjutsu similar to the Rain Tiger at Will Technique. However, the weather here is harsh, with strong winds, towering waves, torrential rain, and lightning. Any reconnaissance Ninjutsu would be greatly diminished, and even her most frequently used Chakra perception would be severely interfered with.

Therefore, although the Team 7 deployed in a reconnaissance formation, they could only sense the movements within a radius of about a thousand meters, which was nothing in the vast sea.

Finding the enemy relies heavily on luck.

The girl looked up and pursed her lips.

The dark clouds hung low, seemingly pressing down on our heads, their oppressive darkness causing a sense of unease and unease. Every now and then, a flash of lightning would burst forth, like a dragon traversing the horizon, illuminating the dim light and highlighting the girl's delicate features and long neck in stark contrast.

Rumble!

After a long while, the belated thunderclap finally exploded across the sea.

Sakura Haruno lowered her head and sighed. She hadn't expected that the biggest difficulty of this mission wouldn't be how to fight the enemy, but how to find them. The storm at sea was truly raging and annoying; compared to it, even the heaviest summer rain in the Land of Fire seemed much gentler.

She turned around, about to say a few words of advice, but Sasuke spoke first, "Bear with it, Naruto! There's nothing you can do about this kind of anger."

He casually wiped the water off his face, walked over, patted Naruto on the shoulder, and calmed the somewhat impatient fox down.

Sakura Haruno was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly.

"Naruto, you've traveled the continent these past two years and suffered a lot, but this must be the first time you've experienced a downpour like this, right?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah," Naruto said helplessly, tugging at his overly tight collar after being soaked. "Ugh... my clothes are completely soaked. I hate rain!"

Sasuke shook his head and said calmly, "Compared to that, I hate the feeling of blindly searching without finding the enemy! So far, the closest we've come to being an enemy are those sharks up ahead."

He pointed to the enormous creature that was faintly visible swimming on the horizon, his expression dismissive.

Sakura Haruno looked in the direction he pointed and saw several large, streamlined fish with their tall, black dorsal fins standing upright on the turbulent ocean surface not far away, swimming gracefully against the waves.

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Sasuke, that's not a shark... that's an orca."

"Orca?" Sasuke blushed slightly, a little embarrassed, and asked hesitantly.

It's not surprising that he made the mistake. People living inland only know that sharks are huge, fierce, and bloodthirsty, with triangular tails standing upright on the water when they swim, but few have heard of killer whales. So it's not surprising that from a distance, people mistake killer whales, which are also huge and have their dorsal fins sticking out of the water when they swim, for sharks.

"Yes, orcas... also called killer whales, are a type of whale that are several times larger than sharks, and much more ferocious and powerful. They are the most powerful predators of the sea," the girl laughed. "In fact, sharks are one of their main prey."

Sasuke and Naruto were startled and immediately became vigilant.

For ninjas, sharks, being such powerful animals, are a threat. A significant portion of Kisame's Water Release Ninjutsu involves transforming into a shark to attack enemies. Orcas, capable of hunting sharks, are obviously even more formidable.

"I'll go clean them up so they won't get in the way," the black-haired boy said calmly, frowning slightly.

Although with Sasuke's current strength, not to mention a few sharks or killer whales, even tens of thousands of them attacking at once wouldn't be able to harm a single hair on his head, a threat is still a threat.

What if we encounter them after we've fought until we're exhausted and run out of Chakra?

"I'll do it," Naruto said, cracking his knuckles eagerly.

"Alright, you two, stop looking for trouble." Sakura Haruno glared at them, stopping the two who were itching to cause trouble. "Orcas don't attack humans, they pose no threat to us."

Orcas view humans... perhaps a bit like humans view cats.

It's amazing how these large marine mammals seem to have a special affinity for humans. At least in my previous life on Earth, there were zero instances of orcas attacking humans in the wild—not a single one. Aside from humans, these creatures are among the most intelligent animals on Earth, possessing their own language and culture, and living in groups. If they didn't lack hands and live in the sea, they might even have evolved into civilized beings like humans.

Sakura Haruno has a strong liking for these creatures with their distinct black and white colors.

Especially now that her strength has grown to its current level, the orca no longer poses any threat to her, and Sakura finds the orca even more adorable.

In the Land of Water, some people have used killer whales as summoning beasts. These creatures are not only extremely powerful in combat, but also highly intelligent. They are also social animals with excellent obedience, making them far superior to sharks, which are bloodthirsty and indiscriminate in killing, even capable of cannibalism or devouring their masters. They are also a top choice for summoning beasts.

"Oh, I see." Naruto rubbed his nose, feigning sudden realization—pretending he understood everything Sakura said. "So if Kisame is a vicious shark, then Sakura is a killer whale that hunts sharks, right?"

This analogy... Sakura Haruno's lips twitched, and she silently rolled her eyes while staring into the air. [Note]

"If we could register these sea creatures as summoning beasts," Sasuke thought of another problem, "The search wouldn't be so troublesome, right?"

Sakura Haruno shook her head.

"That's true. However, the Orca Summoning Contract Scroll of the Land of Water has long been lost, and the families that used Orcas as their summoning beasts were all wiped out during the Bloody Mist Village period." She said coldly, "Other reliable large marine summoning beasts were also wiped out and slaughtered during those dark ten years."

Considering the current situation, it's likely that the destruction of those families was deliberately orchestrated by some mysterious figure.

It seems the mastermind behind this started planning more than a decade ago?

After a pause, the girl continued, "The only one who escaped was Kisame Hoshigaki, who defected... Unfortunately, he was also killed a few months ago."

Sasuke and Naruto: "..."

They should be thankful that Sasori of the Red Sand, who stole Kisame's remains, was born in the Land of Wind and was not very knowledgeable about Water Release and the ocean. He didn't know that such a technique existed, otherwise this sea area would be full of sharks that served as Kisame and ears.

After a moment of silence, Sasuke finally asked, "If this method doesn't work either, then what should we do? Although we can hold out, it would be best to find the enemy as soon as possible, right? If we drag this out any longer, the Three-Tails might take shape!"

It's even possible that the Three-Tails has already taken shape and the Akatsuki are dealing with it... After all, nobody knows what exactly happened in the storm!

They must speed things up.

For the time being, Sakura Haruno couldn't come up with any brilliant ideas and could only remain silent.

"How about we split up?" Naruto suddenly suggested, his face grim.

Sakura Haruno and Sasuke were startled and turned to look. Naruto's expression was serious, and he wasn't joking. He decisively and calmly said, "Let's split into three directions to search; that will triple our efficiency!"

"But then the danger would be ten times, a hundred times!" Sasuke rejected Naruto's suggestion without hesitation. "That's too risky, I disagree!"

Aside from Sakura being able to fight two opponents at once, both Sasuke and Naruto would be in extreme danger if they faced the Akatsuki duo alone, and might even fall before reinforcements arrived!

Naruto, in particular, has the most limited methods and is therefore the most worrying.

"Sakura, you're the captain, what do you think?" Naruto knew his own shortcomings and didn't argue with Sasuke. He turned to look at the girl beside him with her brows furrowed.

The two waited in silence for Sakura Haruno's answer; as their voices subsided, the sounds of wind, rain, waves, and thunder filled their ears once more.

I also object.

The girl said coldly.

Sasuke's expression relaxed, but Naruto's brows furrowed even more.

"Sakura...!" the orange-haired boy called out anxiously.

"Listen to me, Naruto, and Sasuke," Sakura Haruno said calmly, "I object to splitting into three groups, but I don't object to dividing the forces."

The two boys were taken aback.

"That is...?"

"We'll split into two groups: you two in one group, and I'll go to the other group."

The girl said calmly.

Sakura Haruno's suggestion was ultimately accepted by Sasuke and Naruto —after all, they couldn't find a better solution.

After being divided into two groups, each group will be able to put up a fight against Akatsuki's duo, at least enough to hold out until the other group arrives to provide support, greatly reducing the level of danger.

After making their plans and taking a short rest to replenish their food, they split up and went their separate ways, one on the left and one on the right.

Perhaps because splitting up greatly increased their efficiency, Sakura Haruno encountered the enemy after only a short distance.

Orcas are fascinating creatures, intelligent and powerful, but this metaphor... is more suitable for describing boys, hehehe.