Gato and His Little Lackeys

"Your Miso Chashu Ramen, sir. The daifuku and Tempura are complimentary! Please enjoy!" The young waiter respectfully held the tray with both hands and set the steaming food on the table one item at a time.

"Mm." Menma withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at the food on the table, somewhat surprised.

The young man's smiling service did warm the heart.

He had even included two extra snacks to thank Menma for the tip.

"Oh, sir, if you want to take a Gato Company merchant ship to the Land of Lightning, there's a ticket office for cargo ships on the next street over," the young waiter added.

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Besides transporting cargo, these merchant ships also sold passenger tickets, taking on travelers to earn extra income.

"Thanks." Menma answered briefly, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating.

The young waiter was not surprised by the guest's indifference and sensibly withdrew.

Perhaps because this was not a proper ramen shop, the ramen was rather mediocre. However, the complimentary Tempura was crispy outside and tender within, while the daifuku was sweet and delicious, leaving him quite satisfied.

After eating his fill and restoring his strength, Menma left the small restaurant and headed for the docks in search of his target.

From afar, he spotted a merchant ship flying the Gato Company flag preparing to depart. Crewmen on deck shouted through megaphones, while passengers crowded along the rail, scrambling to board.

Menma made a light leap and instantly appeared aboard the ship.

"Hm?" A wandering samurai patrolling the deck felt someone pat his shoulder and turned his head slightly.

The instant the White Three-Eyed Fox Mask entered his sight, the wandering samurai fell under a genjutsu, his eyes turning vacant.

"Where is Gato?" Menma asked quietly.

"Lord Gato will board later." The wandering samurai answered dully, his eyes unfocused.

"Take me to his room." Menma ordered.

At the same time, he formed hand seals with both hands and instantly transformed into a sword-bearing samurai.

"Yes, sir." The wandering samurai led the way.

The two passed through the cabins one before the other as naturally as if on a routine patrol, and no one grew suspicious.

"This is Lord Gato's room." The wandering samurai stopped before a carved wooden door.

"Stand guard here. Let Gato in when he arrives." Menma pushed open the door and entered.

"Yes." The wandering samurai stood at the doorway like a statue.

After entering, Menma found no gold, silver, or jewels inside, but there were all sorts of genuine leather decorations, expensive wines, and several collections he could not identify.

He sat behind the desk, opened a drawer, took out several ledgers, and began flipping through them.

In a certain year and month, the fleet carried a certain amount of supplies from a Land of Fire port to the Land of Water.

In a certain year and month, the fleet carried a certain amount of supplies back from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire.

They were all recent accounts. Even during the Third Shinobi World War, Gato's fleet had traveled between the ports of various countries. Though they occasionally encountered shinobi or pirates and lost some cargo, the fleet's profits overall were exorbitant.

When war broke out in the Shinobi World, it was the perfect time for merchants like Gato to reap huge profits.

Menma was no professional accountant, but he could still see from the books that there had been substantial expenditures, and much of the fleet's profits had vanished. It seemed they had been offered up to the nobles and even daimyō of the great nations.

Only then could Gato Company's ships travel freely through every country.

At present, Gato Company was merely of moderate size. It had yet to attain the kind of wealth that would make Gato one of the world's foremost tycoons nine years later.

"Seems that in those fanfics I used to read, robbing Gato had become an important source of funding." Menma leaned back in the leather chair, propped his cheek on one hand, and idly flipped through the accounts.

At that moment, the ship shook, signaling the beginning of its voyage.

Not long after, a commotion rose outside.

Bang!

The door was violently kicked open.

A short man in a suit and round sunglasses stormed in menacingly.

Several fierce-looking wandering samurai and rogue shinobi followed behind him.

The wandering samurai Menma had controlled with genjutsu had already been subdued by them.

"I'd like to see which blind fool dared to do this!" The short Gato bared his teeth as he entered the room.

When he saw someone sitting in the genuine leather chair he had bought from the Land of Bears at great expense, his face instantly turned livid. The corner of his mouth twitched as he said, "Looks like this journey will be quite entertaining."

With a sinister grin, he ordered his men, "Teach this ignorant brat a good lesson! Remember, don't damage my collectibles! Afterward, you can play with him however you want on the ship."

After Gato spoke, the wandering samurai and rogue shinobi behind him entered with savage sneers.

As if the brat before them were already their plaything.

"Not even one decent shinobi?" Menma sensed the chakra within them and found that only two were at Genin level. He could not help shaking his head.

He had no interest in even standing up to fight. He merely sat in the chair and formed hand seals with one hand.

"Nine Mask Svāhā: Jade!"

In an instant, space rippled beside Menma, and a formation bearing the character "Jade" and glowing dark red appeared at his side.

The Nine Masked Beasts' Celestial Maiden of Jade burst from the summoning formation and floated in midair.

"What is that?" Before the warriors could react, the Celestial Maiden drifting from the formation had already swung her ribbons.

Two ribbons pierced the several wandering samurai charging at the front like sharp swords.

Blood sprayed everywhere. The pungent stench of blood sobered the wandering samurai and rogue shinobi somewhat, and they all halted, frozen in place with terror.

The Celestial Maiden continued to wave the ribbons in her hands. The two ribbons stretched out, knocking down every wandering samurai and rogue shinobi blocking their path.

Screams rose and fell in succession. Severed limbs flew everywhere, and the cabin was thrown into complete chaos.

Seeing this, Gato turned and fled for the door without looking back.

But the moment he reached the cabin corridor, the two ribbons caught up and bound him.

"Ahhh!" Gato screamed as he was dragged back into the room.

Only this time, the wandering samurai and rogue shinobi inside were already corpses strewn everywhere.

"M-M-M-Milord... p-please... p-please don't kill me..." Gato, who had been arrogant moments ago, trembled so badly that he could barely speak without stammering.

His small round sunglasses had slipped halfway down his face, exposing terrified eyes as he stared at the mysterious figure before him.

Menma rose from the chair and floated over to Gato, looking down at the bedraggled merchant from above.

He knew that slaughter alone would not make Gato submit to him wholeheartedly.

Therefore, Menma formed hand seals with one hand and said coldly:

"Hell Viewing Technique!"