Underwater

The crew on the ship have gone mad. They thought it was just a business trip, but now it looks like they're about to have a funeral.

Naruto kicked open the door and drew the Kusanagi Sword.

Looking at the frenzied crowd in the corridor, screaming and bumping around like headless flies, some staggering and falling. Others couldn't accept reality, sitting on the floor, staring blankly and muttering to themselves.

Angry roars erupted, and some people began to lose their temper. Screams, screams, and howls filled the air. Naruto ignored them completely, merely glancing at the scene before quickly averting his gaze.

He ran diagonally across the cabin, stepping directly on the walls, his hand tightly gripping the legendary Kusanagi Sword, which could cut through iron like mud, his eyes fierce.

The storm had not yet arrived, but the raging waves were already crashing against the ship's hull.

"A ninja? He's a ninja! Hurry up and think of something!" Someone spotted Naruto running quickly along the wall in the corridor and shouted.

"Stop that brat! He's a ninja, he'll definitely have a way!"

Please don't abandon us!

"I can pay, I have money!"

The people in the corridor reached out to Naruto as if he were a lifeline. But he ignored them, not even turning around. He was a ninja, no doubt, but not some savior.

Who can be the savior before those towering waves that stretch to the sky?

He doesn't care about anyone else's life or death right now; he just wants to find Anko and Sakura so the three of them can be together, and ideally, he'd also bring along their protected target Kazahana Koyuki. Under these circumstances, going out would mean certain death.

They should hide and try to survive the giant wave without being swept away.

Naruto quickly located the three girls; Anko and Sakura were leading a panicked Kazahana Koyuki towards the bottom of the cabin. Ahead lay a dense crowd, and time was running out.

Naruto sheathed his sword, landed directly on the wall next to the three of them, kicked open a door, and spoke to Anko and Sakura.

"Quick! A giant wave is coming soon, it's too late to get to the bottom of the hold! Come inside and hide!"

Anko was stunned for a moment, and by the time she reacted, Sakura had already pulled her inside. Kazahana Koyuki was also forcibly pulled into the room, and the four of them in one room suddenly seemed a bit crowded, but fortunately there were straps securing their bodies around the room.

During the past two weeks at sea, Naruto has explored all the functions of the various rooms on the ship.

This is... well, room 404 was discovered by chance during a routine inspection.

But at this moment, the straps nailed to the wall proved very useful, providing something to hold onto and stabilize the ship as it was about to be hit.

"Just hold on tight, don't tie your body up, you'll get strangled," Naruto warned. "If the boat gets swept underwater and you can't untie the straps, you'll definitely die!"

Sakura didn't recognize the flamboyant ribbons, but Anko and Kazahana Koyuki belatedly realized it. Fortunately, they were now in a life-or-death situation, and all worldly concerns were meaningless.

Survival is the most important thing.

Naruto, his face pressed against the porthole, continued muttering to himself. Then he stood beside Sakura and grabbed the straps on the surrounding walls. The three of them formed a triangle, tightly surrounding their target Kazahana Koyuki.

The so-called clinging tightly to the restraints is nothing more than a gentle reminder to the Kazahana Koyuki.

Naruto, Sakura, Anko are all ninjas; their feet alone, gripped by Chakra, are firmly planted on the ground. Unless directly struck by a massive wave, the person most likely to be worried while hiding here is Kazahana Koyuki, an ordinary person.

The sound of the approaching giant wave was deafening, and the entire ship was shaking violently, creating a tense atmosphere in the cabin.

"It's coming!" Anko whispered. "The wave's coming! Hold on tight!"

The ship's hull was smashed open with a deafening crash, the sound like thunder ringing in your ears. It was like a car traveling at 180 miles per hour slamming into a hard concrete slab, crumbling like putty.

Human strength and Ninjutsu seem powerless and insignificant in the face of the roaring deep sea, so all hope is placed on the large ship.

The immense impact shattered the small room, and the porthole, under tremendous pressure, was launched out like a cannonball. Naruto managed to tilt his head and dodge the attack from the porthole.

Seawater rushed in the instant the porthole shattered, and Anko grabbed Kazahana Koyuki. Naruto and Sakura also rushed forward instantly, protecting their target with all their might.

It's not that they're fearless; it's just that ninjas are meant to do this kind of work.

No matter what happens, as long as the mission continues and the Jonin has not issued an order to terminate the mission, the life of the target is the top priority.

Sakura stood protectively in front of her target, trying to grab onto a strap on the wall, but was violently knocked away by a stream of water. She felt as if she'd been struck by a hammer, and her arm instantly became unable to lift.

Then half of his body became unresponsive, and his consciousness slowly faded away.

Before she closed her eyes for the last time, she felt herself being pulled back. She vaguely saw a pair of eyes, deep and dark blue.

Even more terrifying things happened: the entire ship was swept to the bottom of the sea. The cabin was filled with seawater, and the air was becoming increasingly scarce. Only Anko and Naruto remained conscious.

Sakura had already been knocked unconscious, and there was no time to check for any injuries; they could only drag her out first. The ceiling of the small room was only two centimeters high, so Naruto and Anko floated up and took a deep breath.

They exchanged a glance, then instinctively grabbed one person and descended. Leaving the room, they quickly arrived at a water-filled corridor, where some small spaces still held a sliver of air.

In a triangular space extending upwards, Anko and Naruto resurfaced, dragging the unconscious Sakura and Kazahana Koyuki out of the water as well.

"Is that person still alive?" Naruto checked Sakura's breathing and felt Sakura heartbeat before asking Anko.

"Living," Anko answered crisply.

"Ten seconds of rest, don't die! You can do whatever you want outside!" Anko shouted. "From the deck, follow me!"

These words sounded like a farewell speech, Naruto didn't know what to say. Ten seconds passed slowly, and with each heartbeat, Naruto and Anko locked eyes.

This has nothing to do with deep affection. If someone were to accidentally send something, everyone would hope that what they see before they die is someone alive. Ideally, it would be someone of the opposite sex, a beautiful person of the opposite sex, so that even if they accidentally die, they could at least find some solace.

In the last second of his descent, Naruto's pupils dilated slightly.

Naruto and Anko dived down together, the Nine-Tails' chakra slowly flowing through their bodies. Anko kicked open the hatch that Naruto couldn't open underwater.

The bottom of the water was littered with various corpses and photographic equipment. Almost everyone was dead, smashed to pieces by the towering waves.

Naruto and Anko struggled in the murky underwater currents, each dragging a burden.

The storm at sea was raging, severely impacting waters up to ten meters deep. Feeling the pressure in his lungs, Naruto knew the depth was definitely more than ten meters.

Having finally escaped the sunken ship, they found themselves surrounded by pitch-black water. Seeing Anko struggling, Naruto gritted his teeth.

He suddenly swooped down, grabbing the unconscious Sakura with one hand and Kazahana Koyuki with the other. Anko was slightly taken aback, but the burden on her hands disappeared, and she could easily keep up with Naruto.

At this moment, carrying two people was truly exhausting. Naruto felt his body had almost instantly reached its limit. His chest felt like it was on fire, both painful and burning.

But it's better to have one person supporting two than one supporting three. If the Anko doesn't work, then that's when things will really get difficult.

However, if it really comes to that, he'll probably just drag Anko and Sakura out of the water. Both personally and professionally, saving Anko will be a higher priority than saving Kazahana Koyuki.

Anko swam at high speed, her agile figure like a beautiful snake, and quickly arrived at Naruto's side.

Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, Anko grabbed Kazahana Koyuki's other wrist, relieving some of the pressure on Naruto in a relay-like manner.

Besides