The large ship, loaded with empty crates, sailed toward the Land of Waves...
As dawn broke, the ship, having traveled through the night, arrived safely at the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was a country shrouded in a faint mist.
Above the horizon, the sun rose and faintly pierced the mist, bathing the ship in an orange glow.
Ino Yamanaka was currently sitting in the cabin.
Ruri Hyuga stood guard at her side.
Having once again used the Mind Transfer Jutsu to control the female shinobi's body, Ino Yamanaka slowly opened her eyes.
When she stepped out of the cabin,
the coastline of the Land of Waves was already clearly visible before her.
Akira Sarutobi, meanwhile, had put on a slight disguise, adding a fake beard, hair, and other props.
He looked like a rough, burly gangster.
Akira Sarutobi: "That is... the Land of Waves."
The Land of Waves was the site of a famous event in the original story. Kakashi, Zabuza, and Team 7 had fought fiercely here.
In this era, Gato had yet to occupy the place, so the Land of Waves was not as impoverished as it had been in the original story.
Its people lived and worked in peace, keeping to themselves as they led prosperous lives.
One of the goals Akira Sarutobi had given Crimson Lotus was to have her unify the Land of Waves' shipping industry in the future.
After the Land of Whirlpools fell,
the Land of Waves became an important port transit hub.
Many ships passed through here each day, transporting goods.
Thus... this was a country with immense profits to be made.
As long as they negotiated properly with the daimyo of the Land of Waves using large sums of money and profit-sharing, they could do whatever they pleased here.
Of course, Akira Sarutobi's goal was to make money and improve local development, not to throw his weight around.
That was different from Gato and the Twelve Female Shinobi.
"We've arrived."
As the ship docked,
a gangplank was laid across to the coastal pier.
Not long afterward, another vessel pulled alongside.
The person standing at its bow was none other than Ringo Ameyuri of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
Ringo Ameyuri: Critical Condition!
"Hehe..."
Ringo Ameyuri gripped the rope beside the mast with one hand, looking full of spirit.
Her shark-like teeth displayed the distinctive traits of a Kirigakure shinobi.
Her rabbit-ear hairstyle pointing toward the sky and her short stature gave her a highly distinctive appearance.
From the moment she appeared, Akira Sarutobi had focused his attention and continuously scanned the scene with his eyes.
Several thermal outlines appeared in the vision of his right eye.
As footsteps sounded, Kirigakure shinobi began gathering at the bow, coming to stand behind Ringo Ameyuri.
The Land of Waves was a neutral country.
Therefore, no one would say anything about Kirigakure shinobi appearing here.
Furthermore, because it was early morning and there was no one around, the faint mist made this a quiet, suitable place for a transaction.
"Hm?"
This seemingly ordinary scene put Akira Sarutobi on guard.
Because...
"She... has grown weaker?"
Within his right eye's field of vision, Ringo Ameyuri no longer radiated endless light and heat as she had during their first meeting.
Her Chakra radiation had weakened, like a sun on the verge of being extinguished.
"Not only that..."
Ino Yamanaka had also noticed the changes in Ringo Ameyuri.
"Where are the twin blades she had on her back?"
The Thunder Sword Fang... one of Kirigakure's seven swords. For the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the wielder lived and died with their blade.
Yet Ringo Ameyuri had lost her sword. Why?
"Hehehe... we meet again..."
A string of silvery laughter rang out as Ino Yamanaka, imitating the original owner's mannerisms, walked over.
Every movement was exactly the same as that of the body's original owner.
This fully demonstrated Ino Yamanaka's talent. She was always enthusiastic about things that leaned toward mischief or negativity.
"Yo."
Ringo Ameyuri also began walking, stepping off the ship and onto the wooden dock.
The planks beneath her feet clattered, while the faint sound of waves lapping against the shore could be heard clearly.
Unlike Ino Yamanaka, who did not know the plot,
Akira Sarutobi immediately guessed what had happened to Ringo Ameyuri.
"That guy..."
When Akira Sarutobi saw the dark green-haired, thick-lipped man closely following behind Ringo Ameyuri, he understood everything.
"Raiga Kurosuki..."
This Kirigakure Jonin, whose body below the neck was wrapped in bandages, was named Raiga Kurosuki.
In the original story, Raiga Kurosuki became the next wielder of the Thunder Sword Fang.
"In other words, Ringo Ameyuri is already critically ill..."
Though she had concealed it, Akira Sarutobi could still see her somewhat pale complexion after zooming in with his right eye.
His right eye, which could function as both a telescope and magnifying glass, was exceptionally useful for analyzing such situations.
Ringo Ameyuri was a genius girl who fell seriously ill in the original story.
And Kirigakure shinobi did not meet good ends.
When they grew weak, others would follow the scent of blood, swarming in like bloodthirsty sharks and tearing apart their flesh.
Ringo Ameyuri was sick.
So someone intended to take her life while she was ill.
The girl renowned as a genius, who had rendered countless meritorious services to Kirigakure throughout her life, would ultimately be betrayed... and then killed.
That was how Kirigakure shinobi survived.
Perhaps they considered it normal, since everyone had grown up that way.
But to Akira Sarutobi, it was typical social Darwinism, devoid of even the most basic humanity.
Besides...
Ringo Ameyuri, a decorated hero of Kirigakure, would ultimately be murdered by her own people. How similar that was to Hatake Sakumo!
Malice was something that could not be concealed.
Akira Sarutobi was all too familiar with the predatory looks in the eyes of Raiga Kurosuki and the others.
Because he had seen that kind of look far too many times.
"In other words... Raiga Kurosuki, perhaps even this entire group of Kirigakure shinobi, plans to kill Ringo Ameyuri during this transaction..."
In Akira Sarutobi's right eye, Ringo Ameyuri's thermal image continued to dim little by little.
"Young Master Ryo..."
Nonō was also among the crowd.
She stood behind Akira Sarutobi at that moment.
As a highly skilled Medical Ninja, Nonō could judge a person's health from their complexion.
She wanted to tell Akira Sarutobi about Ringo Ameyuri's abnormal condition, yet did not know how to begin.
On the one hand, the other side was watching them like tigers watching prey. Every Kirigakure shinobi had their eyes on this side. At the slightest unusual movement, they would likely attack.
On the other hand...
Nonō hesitated inwardly.
Over the past week, she had witnessed Akira Sarutobi's decisive methods.
The gang had been reorganized into a legitimate shipping company, while those with notorious records had been killed.
The foul atmosphere hanging over the entire port town had been completely swept away in just seven days.
More jobs had appeared as a result, and the people were moving toward a better future.
Unlike the traditional Second Generation Hokage she had imagined, or even the previous generation,
this young master of noble birth seemed... very different.
He could empathize with those at the bottom. That was something other people in power did not possess.
Over the past few days, her opinion of Young Master Ryo had changed greatly.
Therefore, she began to follow his lead in missions and every other arrangement.
Then, Nonō noticed the change in Akira Sarutobi's gaze. "Young Master Ryo... seems to have already made a plan?"
Just as Nonō thought that Akira Sarutobi would choose to ambush Ringo Ameyuri and capture the leader first...
Akira Sarutobi's order to Ino Yamanaka left everyone astonished.
"Save her."
"???"
Her mind was confused, but her body had already moved first.
The tacit understanding they had built from childhood allowed Akira Sarutobi and Ino Yamanaka to trust one another completely.
Therefore... faced with Akira Sarutobi's instruction, Ino Yamanaka did not hesitate for even a second. She drew her katana and charged straight at Ringo Ameyuri.
"Huh?"
Raiga Kurosuki, standing behind Ringo Ameyuri, was initially puzzled.
Then his face broke into a delighted smile.
If he could use someone else's hand to get rid of Ringo Ameyuri, that would be perfect.
He would not have to dirty his own hands...
Just as he thought the katana would pierce through Ringo Ameyuri's chest,
Whoosh!
The katana abruptly changed direction and slashed fiercely toward him.
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