The Shinobi World was a malformed place. Ever since Higashino Makoto had been reborn into it and become one of its members, he had felt this truth keenly.
Standing on high ground outside Hemo City and looking down at it, you could feel a powerful sense of dislocation, as if time and space had been thrown out of joint.
The city was dotted with many high-rises, and the streets teemed with pedestrians. Dense power lines crisscrossed every corner like a spiderweb, and lights had already come on in some of the darker places.
In that respect, the city already had the beginnings of a modern appearance.
But there were no modern forms of transportation on the streets. People still used all kinds of ox- and horse-drawn carts, as if they were living in an ancient society. The contrast with the high-rises and neon lights was extreme.
Technology in the Shinobi World had developed in a severely lopsided way. Electrical appliances had even become common in civilian homes, and medical technology was quite impressive, but transportation infrastructure and vehicles had fallen far behind.
Higashino Makoto hadn't looked into the matter deeply. He had only guessed that it might have something to do with the scarcity of oil in the Shinobi World.
Some of the traditional fossil fuels that supported modern industry and were commonplace in his previous life were scarce in this world. Perhaps that was one of the differences between the Earth of the Shinobi World and the Earth of his previous life.
After all, even this world's moon wasn't natural. It was a private garden built for their mother by two brothers. What filial devotion!
Unlike Higashino Makoto, who often felt that something was off, Hayate Gekko's Trio had been born and raised in the Shinobi World and saw nothing strange about it.
When they looked at Hemo City, they only compared it with Konoha in their minds. In the end, they decided that it had the distinctive character of a port city, but Konoha was still better. And that was that.
However, the destination of their mission wasn't inside Hemo City, but in Donghe Town, dozens of miles away.
By the time they reached town, it was already dark. Yugao Gekko led the team to stay at an inn.
As they enjoyed the seafood dinner that came with their rooms, Yugao Gekko said, "Now, let me brief you on the details of this mission.
"Recently, a band of bandits calling themselves the Sea Shark Clan appeared around Hemo City. No one knows where they came from. All anyone knows is that since showing up two months ago, they've committed several major crimes in a short time.
"They've robbed nearby villages, abducted young women, and kidnapped local merchants' family members to extort money. Their most recent crime took place right here in Donghe Town, after which they disappeared. The local authorities couldn't find any leads, so they sent the request to Konoha."
Gekko Hayate asked, "Sensei, can you tell whether any of them are Ninja?"
"No. That's why the mission is rated C-Rank at minimum, but it could rise to B-Rank or higher at any time."
Higashino Makoto didn't seem concerned, but Uzuki Yugao was full of fighting spirit. "Good. Let's find those bastards and beat them all into the ground. Then they'll learn what happens when they cause trouble in the Land of Fire."
"Excellent! That's the spirit!" Yugao Gekko praised his female student at just the right moment, then gave them another instruction. "After dinner, split up and go gather information. The academy should have taught you how."
"Understood, sensei!" x3
After dinner, Higashino Makoto's group of three used Transformation Jutsu to change their appearances and hide the features that identified them as Konoha Ninja, then slipped out through the window.
The town was quiet at night. It had only just gotten dark, but the streets were already desolate. Few shops were open, and most of the people hurrying along the roads seemed afraid of something.
Higashino Makoto had taken on the appearance of an adult. He found a small izakaya, ordered a few snacks and some sake, and sat at the long counter in front of the kitchen, listening to the cook chat with a half-drunk customer.
A little later, he joined in, while also keeping his ears open for complaints from the other customers and sorting out any useful information.
It looked as though he was drinking the sake, but he was actually pouring it into the Storage Bag on his person.
If Yugao Gekko found out he'd been drinking, she'd definitely report him to Higashino Megumi when they got back.
Well, this world was bizarre. He was old enough to have graduated and legally go out and kill people, but he still wasn't allowed to drink. Luckily, he hadn't been much of a drinker in his previous life, so he didn't have a drinking habit.
The izakaya remained noisy, and no one noticed that a nine-year-old kid had slipped inside. It was far too easy for Ninja to deal with ordinary people. They had no chance to fight back and would never even know who had killed them.
At the appointed time, all three returned to the inn.
"So, how did it go? Did you find anything?"
Uzuki Yugao said indignantly, "Those bastards are inhuman. They've got the whole town on edge. I heard from people that several remote villages outside town were completely looted, and quite a few people died. One village didn't have a single survivor. It's unforgivable."
The young girl had a strong sense of justice and couldn't understand how anyone could do such a thing. But Yugao Gekko didn't explain. This was the Shinobi World. You got used to it after seeing enough.
Gekko Hayate said, "I managed to get into the home of a wealthy merchant in town. He was indeed extorted. The person they kidnapped was his daughter. She's back now, but she's a little mentally unstable. Maybe..."
He didn't say what might have happened, but everyone understood. Even Uzuki Yugao knew, despite being only nine. She had received a proper Ninja education, after all, and children in the Shinobi World matured early. They understood matters between men and women.
That only made her angrier. She wanted to kill those bastards at once. She'd only heard about things like this before, but now one had happened right before her eyes. It was simply unforgivable.
Yugao Gekko nodded and looked at his last student. "Did you drink?"
Higashino Makoto immediately shook his head. "I didn't. No way. Don't make things up, sensei. The smell just got on me at the izakaya."
"Good. Otherwise, Megumi would beat you to death. So, what did you find out?"
"We don't know exactly how many people are in this group calling themselves the Sea Shark Clan. They didn't appear out of nowhere, either. They might be pirates from the sea. Someone who used to transport goods by ship was robbed by them and recognized some of the gang members.
"My guess is that the war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure in the south temporarily left them with nowhere to survive, so they came ashore."
"Mm, good. That's quite possible. If so, they might include Rogue Ninja or rogue shinobi. Can we confirm that?"
"No. No one's seen them use ninjutsu."
"You've all done well. Get some rest for now. We'll start investigating first thing tomorrow morning."
The next day, Higashino Makoto's group arrived at a remote village.
It had already been abandoned. The whole village had been burned to ruins, and local authorities had strung up a cordon outside. Chalk marks on the ground showed where the bodies had been found.
Quite a few days had passed, though, and the bodies had long since been taken away. The rain had washed the chalk off, leaving only faint, scattered white marks.
The four of them carefully searched the village for possible traces, but found nothing.
Yugao Gekko asked, "Can you tell whether any ninjutsu was used?"
"No!"
"The marks left behind were all from ordinary weapons."
"The fire broke out in several places. It was just ordinary arson, not Fire Release."
"Good," Yugao Gekko said. "You've inspected the place carefully. Let's go to the next location."
The four of them were naturally much faster than ordinary local authorities. They soon reached an abandoned shrine not far from the sea.
It had once been a place to worship the Sea God, but it had been abandoned for many years. They had come here because, when the wealthy merchant tried to rescue his daughter, he had sent people to meet the kidnappers here and make the exchange.
It had happened only a few days ago, so plenty of clues remained. Someone had deliberately tried to cover them up, but how could they escape the eyes of Ninja?
While teaching his students tracking techniques, Yugao Gekko led them to a cliff by the sea.
The terrain there was steep and rugged, with a massive drop. Even a Ninja could be in grave danger if they fell, and the place was completely unsuitable as a port for boats.
Once they arrived, he left the question to his students.
Soon, after searching the area, the three of them found an underground passage concealed beneath a patch of grass.
Uzuki Yugao looked at Higashino Makoto. "Brother Makoto, was this made with Earth Release?"
Higashino Makoto was the only one there who could use Earth Release. He looked at the steps leading underground. "You're right."
Gekko Hayate said, "Looks like those bastards escaped by boat."
Yugao Gekko smiled as he posed a challenge. "So, there are two problems. First, the Sea Shark Clan includes Ninja, but we don't know how strong they are.
"Second, they disappeared into the sea by boat. Chayu Bay isn't a large sea area, but it's full of islands. It's up to you to figure out how to track down our targets."
Before you continue