Maritime Mission

In the summer of Konoha Year 51, the scorching sun beat down relentlessly, and the sweltering heat was unbearable; even hiding in the shade offered little relief from the heat.

Inoue Danza arrived at Konoha covered in sweat and went straight to the mission posting area, clearly having an urgent matter to entrust to a ninja.

"Uncle Danza, it's been a long time! How have you been?"

A somewhat familiar voice interrupted his hurried steps. Following the sound, Danza revealed a delighted smile, "So it's Shuichi-kun. It's been a while, and you've grown taller than me. Tsk tsk... If you went to the capital now with your looks, you'd probably charm all the noble ladies."

"Haha, you flatter me!" Shuichi had to admit that the Land of Fire's business manager was indeed impressive; with just a few words, he had won people over with his praise, even though what he said was true...

"Oh, excuse me, I need to go and post a request with the Lord Hokage. I'll be going now."

Having said that, Inoue Danza quickened his pace, indicating that he was indeed in a hurry.

Shuichi, however, didn't let him off the hook, catching up in a few steps to walk alongside him. "Excuse me, may I hear what kind of request it is? If it's possible, I'd be happy to help you."

"It's an old friend who asked me to hire a reliable ninja." Danza blushed slightly as he mentioned the man, perhaps due to the heat. "The reward for this mission isn't high, and it'll take quite a while. I'm having a bit of a headache..."

Shuichi listened patiently. It was a mission to escort a caravan, but it would require a long time at sea. The ships would sail directly from the Land of Fire to a port in the eastern part of the Land of Water.

The goods were of considerable value, and considering the amount of the reward, the cost-effectiveness was quite low. Many Konoha Ninja were not adapted to the sea environment, so it would be difficult to hire a strong squad.

"Honestly, we're such good friends, you could have sent me a letter about something this small a long time ago." Shuichi patted his chest and said, "I'll take this task, you don't need to waste time waiting for others."

"This... this is really too much trouble for you." Inoue Danza was naturally more than happy to oblige, but then he added with concern, "You are now one of the village's top fighters, I'm afraid the Lord Hokage won't agree so easily, will he?"

"It's alright, I'll tell him myself that the village has been peaceful for the past few months, and the state of emergency can be lifted."

This situation was all caused by Obito and White Zetsu, who used Space-Time Ninjutsu to release the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha, which was detected directly by Shuichi.

After the Barrier was improved, he even tried to sneak in several times, which made the Third Hokage never let Shuichi go far away. After all, after the Fourth Hokage died, he was the only one in the village who was proficient in Space-Time Ninjutsu.

The two went to the Hokage's Office together. After explaining the situation to Danza, Shuichi volunteered to accept the request, which put the Third Hokage in a difficult position.

"You can go, but you must bring one more person along besides Anko."

Sarutobi Hiruzen understood that it was impossible to keep Shuichi in the village forever on guard against that Masked Man.

However, given his bad record of sneaking out to play during missions, someone must be found to "monitor" him.

Two hours later, Shuichi and Anko quietly watched a green figure rush over. The distinctive bodysuit and thick eyebrows belonged to the Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf Might Guy.

"Another day brimming with youthful energy! I heard it's another sea mission, Konoha's Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf will transform into a Deep Blue Water Beast!"

As soon as Might Guy arrived, he shouted excitedly. This was his first time carrying out a sea mission, and the thought of the boundless, towering waves filled him with energy.

While Anko was somewhat speechless, Shuichi suddenly smiled cruelly, "Might Guy, the Lord Hokage's idea is good, but... this journey will be a terrifying hellish experience for you."

"What do you mean?" Might Guy asked in astonishment, but the three people in front of him turned and left, leaving him to follow behind with some trepidation.

Shuichi guessed the Third Hokage's thoughts. Might Guy was straightforward and wouldn't lie. With Guy by his side, the possibility of him wandering around for half a year before returning to the village was gone.

Ke Shuichi had already begun to mourn for him in her heart. This time, he would be adrift at sea for at least a month without any place to stop and rest. She believed that this would be a great opportunity to temper his will.

The four rode at full speed towards a port on the East coast of the Land of Fire. Along the way, Danza began to introduce the client's details, "You can call my friend Lady Kyoka. She's about my age, and her family has been engaged in maritime trade for many years. This time, the goods are very valuable, so she specifically sought me out..."

"Lady Kyoka?" Shuichi thought to himself. He had a lot of Kyoka- sensei's hard drive resources before he transmigrated. He wondered if this Kyoka was the same type.

Several days later, upon arriving at his destination, he finally met Lady Kyoka Danza had mentioned.

Beneath her captivating eyes was a slightly plump figure. Coupled with the heat and her light clothing, the long sea voyage had left her skin slightly flushed, giving her a mature and alluring air.

"She's really powerful. Her fighting strength is probably equivalent to three Kyoka, and she's definitely having an affair with Uncle Danza." Shuichi silently assessed.

Lady Kyoka was quite pleased to see that Inoue Danza had found a suitable ninja so quickly, and patted him on the shoulder in a very tomboyish manner.

But when she looked behind him, her face immediately darkened. There was a little girl, a thick-browed young man in a green leather bodysuit, and a guy in casual clothes wearing sunglasses—they all looked extremely unreliable. She immediately shouted fiercely, "You bastard, Danza, are you trying to kill me? What kind of trash have you brought?!"

Inoue Danza was speechless after being rebuked. Shuichi suggested hiding their identities to give their companions some experience, while he had to awkwardly explain to Kyoka, "A ninja's fighting ability can't be judged by appearances alone. They are all elites of Konoha, and they can definitely complete the mission 100%..."

If even the Purple Aurora can't withstand it, then there's probably no one else in the Shinobi World who can do it.

"Hey, what gives you the right to belittle us like that?" Anko retorted angrily upon hearing this, "I heard you came here because you couldn't find suitable ninjas in the Land of Water, but Kirigakure is a defeated foe of Konoha. Please recognize the reality."

This was indeed an undeniable fact. Lady Kyoka's tone softened slightly. "Since it's Danza's guarantee, then I'll give it a try. Although your Konoha Ninja defeated Kirigakure, it seems you have absolutely no experience in escorting ships at sea, do you?"

"Please rest assured about that." Shuichi, the team leader, walked over casually. "I'm Kenshin, the leader of this squad. I've been friends with Uncle Danza for many years, and I can absolutely guarantee the safety of your caravan."

"Furthermore, to show my trust, I'll allow you to pay me only after the task is completed. Surely that's more than enough of a show of sincerity?"