Journey to the Land of Water

Journey to the Land of Water

"The Land of Water is an island nation with a culture all its own.

Located deep within the mountains, its territory is often blanketed in dense mist. Its land consists of several islands large and small, and the islands surrounding the main island each have their own customs. Quite a few islanders live according to those customs."

After reading that far, the Orange Cat stuck out its tongue and licked its nose. Then, after rubbing its paw against Uchiha Asuka's hair twice, it said somewhat disgruntledly,

"I suspect you put me on your head to block the scorching sun."

"Rubbish!"

Uchiha Asuka rolled his eyes at it and said firmly,

"It'd be too hot to stuff you in my chest, and too tiring to have you run alongside me. After thinking it over, putting you on my head was the only option.

That way, you won't get tired, I won't get hot, and we both benefit."

"That's true!"

It nodded, then continued flipping through the Water Country Travel Survival Guide in its paws, reading in a soft voice,

"Taboos of the Land of Water.

Do not enter Kirigakure. The last tourist who entered Kirigakure merely looked at someone out of curiosity, only to be dragged into the thick mist and never emerge again.

Do not lose control of yourself just because someone from the Land of Water throws themselves into your arms. Someone once spent several nights of passion with a citizen of the Land of Water, only to later cast aside the woman who begged him not to leave.

It is said that he, too, was eventually dragged into the thick mist and never came out again."

After reading that entry, the Orange Cat paused. It lowered its head to look at Uchiha Asuka, who was hurrying along, and asked in confusion,

"The book you got isn't fake, is it?

Why are women from the Land of Water off-limits?"

"It's not that women from the Land of Water are off-limits."

After stepping on the scorpion lying in ambush in the sandpit and crushing it into a scorpion pancake, Uchiha Asuka took out his canteen. As he drank, he said,

"Kirigakure has its own local circumstances.

You know how those people in Kirigakure often persecute Kekkei Genkai ninja. That's made the citizens of the Land of Water dislike Kekkei Genkai ninja as well.

The numbers in Kekkei Genkai clans mean they can't keep marrying within their own clans.

Marrying ordinary citizens makes it easy to get reported.

So some of them set their sights on foreign tourists."

"Oh~" The Orange Cat nodded as though it understood.

In the entire ninja world, Kirigakure was probably the only oddball village capable of persecuting Kekkei Genkai ninja.

"Hey! Hey!"

When it saw Uchiha Asuka putting away his canteen and preparing to head right, it hurriedly tugged at his hair and pointed left.

"Pakura's scent is over there. You're going the wrong way."

Uchiha Asuka gave it a suspicious look and raised a brow.

"Really?"

The Orange Cat placed the book beneath its butt, folded its front paws across its chest, and said proudly,

"A cat's sense of smell is more sensitive than a dog's, and we have twenty million more olfactory cells than dogs.

Don't question my judgment."

The moment it finished speaking, a powerful force shoved it against his back. Startled, it hurriedly dug its claws into his hair. Its whole body fluttered in the wind like a flag.

"Hey, what about the Third Hokage's son?"

"Don't worry. The money's ready. Once the old Third Hokage's family holds the funeral feast, I'll take you there to eat."

"Why does it sound like you're looking forward to him dying?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

As the man and cat disappeared from the area, the desert returned to tranquility.

The footprints in the sand were gradually covered as the wind blew the sand about.

The Land of Water.

Setting aside certain eerie and sinister places, the scenery here could be called a paradise.

Towering peaks that reached the clouds, dense mist that never dispersed year-round, air carrying a faint salty tang—the entire island was shaped like a mushroom cap, high in the middle and low around the edges.

The capital of the Land of Water was built against the mountain, rising layer upon layer. The farther one went toward the inner city, the higher the terrain became.

Layer upon layer of fortresses and stone gates had been built along the road leading to the inner city. To travel from outside the city to the Daimyo's residence atop the mountain, one had to pass through nearly a hundred stone gates.

Thus, this place was also known as the Mountain City.

After entering the city, Uchiha Asuka ran into a group of commoners from the Land of Water.

In truth, commoners everywhere in the ninja world were much the same.

They were sallow and emaciated, with unfocused eyes and an air of numbness around them.

As for those commoners whose eyes gleamed as they darted around everywhere, they were most likely thieves.

"Cough... cough..."

Hearing violent coughing erupt from the crowd every so often, Uchiha Asuka glanced sideways at the Orange Cat wearing a mask and teased,

"You're a cat, and a Ninja Cat at that. Why are you so timid?"

"The mist here is poisonous.

Breathing in so much mist every day, people in the Land of Water have much shorter lifespans than people elsewhere."

As it spoke, it decisively pulled out another section of mask and waved it before Uchiha Asuka's eyes.

"I'm not wearing it!"

Seeing him refuse, it swept its gaze over the commoners in the city, then looked into the distance and twitched a whisker.

"My nose is full of the stink of urine and the Land of Water's distinctive mist.

Stay here for half a day and let me get used to it.

I can feel it. We're about to catch up to her."

"Fine!"

Uchiha Asuka nodded.

Pakura had really run fast. Other than the Chakra he had kept in reserve for battle, he had used all his remaining Chakra to travel, yet he had chased her all the way to the Land of Water without even catching sight of her.

That day, he checked into an inn.

"This climate is really perfect for selling Luosifen!"

After eating a bowl of Luosifen to ward off the dampness, Uchiha Asuka lay on the bed and slowly closed his eyes as he stared at the ceiling overhead.

Before he could fall deeply asleep, he heard violent coughing from the room next door, while upstairs, a group of men and women indulged in the pleasures of life.

In this oppressive Land of Water, did they have nothing else to do at night besides make babies? Irritated, Uchiha Asuka sat up from the bed and opened the window beside him. A thick plume of white smoke immediately poured in through it.

Looking at the room, which had turned into a paradise, Uchiha Asuka stuck his head out the window and saw a group of people on the ground below burning all kinds of food while muttering prayers to Lord Jashin.

Jashin? Uchiha Asuka sucked in a breath and quickly shut the window. Lying back on the bed, he muttered to himself,

"Is that the Jashin from Akatsuki? Why does the Land of Water have a base too? This damn place really isn't fit for people. Once Fei Fei's nose recovers, we're leaving tomorrow."

The moment he finished speaking, Uchiha Asuka heard the door suddenly open from outside. Then a chill touched his throat.

His gaze shifted slightly downward. Looking at the kunai pressed against his throat, he said speechlessly,

"Lord Ninja, you could hear what I was saying through the door?"

"Shut up!"

After giving a low shout, the person looked at Uchiha Asuka's calm eyes and pressed the kunai deeper into his skin, threatening,

"Who are you? What's this about Jashin?"

"Jashin is a cult. Some people in the Hidden Hot Springs Village in the Land of Rivers believe in that twisted stuff."

"Oh~"

The person nodded thoughtfully. Then, as if recalling something, she pressed the kunai against Uchiha Asuka's neck again and asked quietly,

"Why do you know so much? Who exactly are you?"

"Me?"

Seeing the other party staring at him warily, Uchiha Asuka blinked his large eyes and said innocently,

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

Genjutsu: Sharingan! The moment he finished speaking, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan began spinning in his eye sockets. The instant the ninja saw his Sharingan, her heart trembled. Before she could do anything, she lost control of her body, and the kunai in her hand slid from Uchiha Asuka's neck onto the bed.

"Ah!"

Looking at the ninja whose eyes had turned vacant, Uchiha Asuka sighed. Then he shook awake the still-sleeping Ninja Cat and yawned.

"Fei Fei, it's time for your favorite interrogation segment."

Following Uchiha Asuka's finger, it looked at the Kirigakure ninja standing blankly beside the bed. Its groggy mind instantly cleared.

"Isn't Uchiha Sasuke Uchiha Mikoto's unborn son? What, are you lacking motherly love?

And what information do you want?"

Uchiha Asuka's mouth twitched. After getting dressed, he rose from the bed and looked at the sharp-tongued cat with a dark expression.

"If you can't talk properly, keep your mouth shut.

I'll leave the information on the negotiations between Kirigakure and Sunagakure, as well as Jashin, to you."

"Mm!"

The Orange Cat nodded heavily. It glanced at the flat-chested ninja, and a humanlike solemn expression appeared on its face.

It understood what Uchiha Asuka meant. Other than body measurements, he wanted every last piece of information.

Today's interrogation would be a real test of this cat's skills.