Cruise Ship Story * Family Dispute

At first, Enma was a little confused.

He stood surrounded by merchants, listening to the clamor of bidding, his mind buzzing, and he subconsciously took a half step back.

But he was, after all, born into the Uzumaki Clan, and had received a formal aristocratic education from a young age, and had also been exposed to the ways of business by his elders in the clan.

In the Haruto blocked the first wave of attacks for him, he took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself down.

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the merchants, and said in a slightly louder voice, "Gentlemen, Sealing Jutsu aren't like cabbages at a street stall; they're not something anyone can just grab. If you want me to help, you have to follow my rules."

He turned to Haruto, nodded slightly in greeting, and then faced the merchants who had gathered around him, clearly stating his terms.

What type of seal does each person need? The price of warehouse seals and individual seals is different. The cost of combining Barrier Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu is calculated separately. A 30% deposit is required upfront, and the balance is settled after the sealing array is inspected and accepted.

His choice of words was not exactly tactful, and even somewhat awkward, but every sentence he uttered was clear and unambiguous.

The merchants were taken aback for a moment, then they all took out their calling cards and Banknotes and rushed to stuff them into his hands.

Enma calmly accepted each name card, glancing down at the names and addresses on them to accurately match the requests the other party had just made.

He casually tucked the Banknotes into his sleeve, then borrowed paper and pen from Haruto's table, and quickly wrote down everyone's needs and agreed prices.

Some people tried to take advantage of the situation by giving false names, but he exposed them without batting an eye; others tried to lower the price, but he shut them down with a few words.

This seemingly taciturn young man surprisingly displayed a degree of experience at the negotiating table.

Haruto, watching from the side, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He had been following behind Izuna quietly, almost invisible. Haruto had assumed the boy was just Izuna's follower. If it weren't for his red hair, Haruto probably wouldn't have even given him a second glance.

In retrospect, he is clearly a rough diamond, and given time, he may very well become a prominent figure.

The trading frenzy only gradually subsided after the two men had dealt with it for a considerable period.

The two men breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered to look for the person who had thrown them into the Rice Barrel.

When Haruto and Enma found Izuna in the corridor after passing through the banquet hall, they discovered that he was sitting opposite the Chamber of Commerce President, holding a glass of wine and telling a story with great enthusiasm.

Then, on a moonless night, that supposedly unsinkable ship crashed straight into an iceberg.

"The ship broke in two, and more than two thousand people were adrift in the icy sea. In the end, less than half survived. There was a noble lady who could have taken a lifeboat, but she jumped back from the ship, insisting on living and dying with a poor boy she had only known for three days."

"In the end, the poor boy gave her the only piece of floating board and froze to death in the icy sea. Before he sank, he held her hand and said, 'You must live on, have a lot of children, and then die peacefully in a warm bed.'"

The Chamber of Commerce President's mouth gaped slightly, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

He had been in the business world for decades and had seen his fair share of strange and unusual things, but he had never even heard Izuna tell a story before.

"Izumi- Izuna," the guild master swallowed hard, "That ship... is it from the Land of Fire?"

"No, it's from the Westerners' side."

"Westerners? You mean those overseas merchants?" The chairman's curiosity had completely overshadowed his earlier tension, and he leaned forward slightly. "They can actually build such huge ships? Two thousand people! How big must that be! And that noble lady, what happened to her afterwards? Her family must have cursed her to death!"

Just as Izuna was about to continue, he caught a glimpse of Haruto and Enma walking towards them.

Haruto wore a relaxed smile, the kind that comes after closing a big deal Enma followed behind him, still looking somewhat dazed, clearly not yet fully processing the experience of being surrounded by a group of merchants bidding against each other.

The two sat down on either side of Izuna.

"Oh, you managed to get away with it?" the chairman asked him.

Haruto sighed, "I guess so," he said, looking at Izuna, "You're quite the troublemaker."

Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Did I start anything? No, I just praised Enma a few times, didn't I?"

The chairman laughed heartily. Haruto shook his head and turned to look at Enma, "I Enma didn't expect you to be able to handle all those people. You remember every single family's surname perfectly, and you remember their prices clearly too."

He looked at Enma approvingly, "Your photographic memory and business acumen far surpass mine back then."

Enma lowered his head, his ear tips slightly red, and muttered, "It's just a habit I developed from memorizing Sealing Jutsu since I was little."

"And then what?" The guild leader, still engrossed in the story's ending, was in no way diminished by Haruto and Enma's arrival. He urged, "What about Mother? Where did she go?"

"She died. She could have gotten on a lifeboat, but she felt she had lived long enough and gave her place to a younger person. She and her husband lay in bed, water seeping in through the crack in the door, and she held her husband's hand as they waited together."

The president fell silent.

The effects of the alcohol seemed to have mostly dissipated at that moment. He looked down at the slightly swirling liquid in his glass, lost in thought.

After a moment, he asked, "Izuna, do you have to give this old man a bad ending and make him sad?"

"Well... that's not my story after all."

Izuna said slowly, "Besides, a bad ending makes us appreciate the happiness of living in such peaceful times even more."

After listening, the chairman remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "Izuna, the story you told is indeed heartbreaking. But do you know that the scenes you described—those days when people could go out drinking in the middle of the night, women could marry freely, and merchants could hoard goods without worry—could never have happened on this land."

"What kind of massive ships could be built to carry two thousand people, where noble ladies dared to jump into the sea for poor boys, and where elderly couples could peacefully die in their beds? These things sound fantastical, but upon reflection, that was true peace and prosperity. It's just that the stories ended badly."

Izuna tilted his head. "Really? I don't really understand these things, but I still feel sorry for this bad ending."

"No need to apologize." The chairman waved his hand, his eyes narrowing into slits. "The fact that I, an old man, can sit here today and listen to your story is already a blessing in disguise."

Haruto suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"I was still arguing with my mother about a Birthday Banquet today, feeling that she was interfering too much and pushing too hard, which was simply unbearable. But compared to the stories that Izuna told, compared to those who are truly struggling between life and death, my little troubles are like children playing house."

"No, no, no," Izuna seemed quite puzzled. "Why are you suddenly reflecting on things? It's normal that your mother is controlling and doesn't want to go back. Don't project a grand narrative onto personal matters."

Haruto paused slightly, "Is that so?"

"Yes, peace is one thing, Family Disputes are another." Izuna nodded matter-of-factly. "Don't go back to being a victim just because of something I said, okay? Otherwise, I won't be able to eat or sleep properly."

Haruto had lost count of how many times Izuna had made him laugh, and he felt like he was acting like a lunatic today, but he couldn't help it.

Enma, who had been pondering Izuna's intentions, seemed to grasp something upon hearing these words. He asked, "So you want peace, and that's why you're helping me, helping the Land of Whirlpools?"

"Yes, what else could it be?"

"But what does that have to do with you? You're not from the Land of Whirlpools."

Enma truly couldn't understand Izuna's thoughts.

His upbringing taught him that everyone has their own stance, every family has its own interests, and every country is looking out for itself.

Reaching out to help others is the most foolish thing to do. Once someone has lost their value, they should be discarded. You may feel compassion out of kindness, but never put that compassion into action.

Only by living for oneself and acting for one's family can one survive in the long run; this is the way to live.

So, Izuna wasn't from the Land of Whirlpools, and this matter clearly didn't benefit him at all, so why did he do it?

But Izuna spoke up as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I just really like peace, is that wrong?"

Enma was taken aback.

"Peace is so wonderful. What's the point of fighting and killing? Throwing banquets, making friends, soaking in Hot Springs, listening to music, enjoying the warm sunshine, and then going back to work when the holiday is over. If you're tired, you can rest your head on your desk. If you're bored, you can bicker with your colleagues, mess things up, and then start over. That's life."

Seeing the stunned expressions on the three people's faces, Izuna couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Isn't that right? There can't really be anyone in this world who likes fighting and killing, can there? Wouldn't that be pure perversion?"

The chairman burst into laughter first. "Haha! That's right! What strategies, what schemes, what exchanges of interests, in the end, nothing beats a simple 'love of peace'! Izuna, I'll toast you!"

"Cheers!"

"Ise Haruto!"

The mistress appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall with a group of servants, looking as if she were about to confiscate the property.

She spotted Haruto at a glance, strode through the banquet hall, and the people around her were forced to make way for her by her imposing presence.

She stopped in front of her son and snapped, "Haruto! Why aren't you home?! Today is your birthday banquet, do you know that because of your absence, the Ise Family has lost face in front of our guests!"

Haruto put down his wine glass and stood up.

He was a full head taller than his mother, but at this moment, his eyes held no resistance, only weariness. "I hate that place. If you want me to go back, Mother, you'll have to relinquish your power and stop arranging blind dates for me everywhere."

"You're already eighteen! Long past the age for marriage! The Ise Family cannot be without a successor—"

"Eighteen?!" Izuna's voice broke in from the side, filled with utter shock.

He turned his head and examined Haruto from top to bottom again.

This guy has broad shoulders that could carry two sacks of rice, a sharp jawline like a seasoned veteran, and he always talks like he's been doing business for years. But he's only eighteen?

Enma's expression was equally shocked; he had originally thought he was dealing with a mature businessman who was at least twenty-five years old.

Haruto noticed their gazes and sighed helplessly, "Do I really look that old?"

"Yes." Izuna without hesitation.

You really have a sharp tongue.

"Are you even listening to me?!" The mistress's voice rose eight octaves, so angry she nearly snapped her fan in her hand. She had been standing in front of this unfilial son for so long, and he still had the nerve to discuss with his friends whether he looked old or not!

"Mother! Please wait a moment!" Izuna stood up.

The mistress turned to him, her gaze sharp. "And who are you?"

"I am Uchiha Izuna, from the Konoha Special Administrative Region of the Land of Fire." Izuna bowed slightly to her, his tone polite but his attitude firm.

A chorus of gasps and hushed exclamations immediately erupted in the banquet hall.

Uchiha Izuna? That Uchiha Izuna? What's he doing here!

The mistress's expression changed several times.

She could yell at her son, she could give a cold shoulder to a room full of businessmen, but she couldn't be rude to Konoha's Diplomats.

So she forcibly suppressed her anger and softened her voice. "Lord Izuna, this is a matter of my Ise Family, no need for you to concern yourself with it."

"But my friend Haruto doesn't want to go back." Izuna looked directly into her eyes. "As his friend, I have to consider his feelings. You know, today is his birthday, not someone else's."

The mistress gripped her fan tightly. "I am his mother, I will not harm him."

"I don't want to be used as a pawn by my mother!" Haruto Dou shouted.

The mistress's expression finally changed; she looked at Haruto in disbelief. "When did I ever use you as a pawn!"

Just then, a crisp "smack!" interrupted their argument.

Izuna clasped his hands together, his expression serious. "Alright! That's enough!"

He looked at the two of them. "I don't know what kind of conflict you two have, but isn't it a bit inappropriate to argue at someone else's celebration party?"

Madam Ise smiled and said, "Of course, Lord Izuna, we'll leave now."

Haruto remained unmoved. "I will not leave you, Mother!"

Izuna weakly chimed in, "I wasn't asking you to leave, I meant..."

You have to come with me today!

"Don't want!"

The mistress's expression darkened. "Seize him!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't do it!" Izuna stopped the servants and guards who were about to rush forward, and the scene became very chaotic.

Haruto stood tall amidst the chaos, his back straight. "If you insist on taking me away, then I have no choice but to keep my promise and leave this place by boat!"

As he spoke, he immediately ran towards the courtyard, and then...

Using his Ninja Footwork, he jumped out of the backyard.

All the guests were stunned, including Izuna and Haruto's mother.

"How can he jump as high as Ninja?!"

"Ninja Footwork?! How could he know this?!"

Enma shouted, "Stop reminiscing, let's go!"