047-Tracking the Cruel Sea Shark Clan

The Shinobi World was a twisted place. Higashino Makoto had felt this truth deeply ever since he was reborn into it and became a part of it.

Standing on a high vantage point outside Hemo City and looking down at the city, you could feel a strong sense of temporal and spatial dislocation.

Inside the city stood many tall buildings, the streets were crowded with pedestrians, and dense power lines connected every corner like a spider web. In some shadowy areas, lights had already begun to glow.

From this perspective, it already bore the rough shape of a modern city.

But there were no modern vehicles on the roads. People still used cattle- and horse-drawn carts, as if they were in an ancient society, forming an extreme contrast with the high-rises and neon lights.

The Shinobi World's technological development was severely lopsided. Various electrical appliances had already spread even to commoner households, and biomedical technology was commendable, but transportation infrastructure and tools lagged far behind.

Higashino Makoto hadn't looked into this deeply, but he guessed it might be related to the scarcity of oil resources in the Shinobi World.

The traditional fossil fuels that supported modern industry in his previous life weren't abundant in this world. Perhaps that was the difference between this world's Earth and his previous one.

After all, even the moon here wasn't natural—it was a private garden built by two brothers for their mother. Truly commendable filial piety.

Unlike Higashino Makoto, who often found things strange, Hayate Gekko's Trio, as native residents of the Shinobi World, didn't think anything was wrong with it.

When they looked at Hemo City, they only compared it to Konoha in their minds. Their final conclusion was that it had the characteristics of a port city, but Konoha was still better. And that was that.

However, the four of them weren't headed for Hemo City this time. Their mission destination was Donghe Town, dozens of miles away.

By the time they arrived at the town, it was already late. Yugao Gekko led the team into an inn.

While enjoying the complimentary Seafood Feast in their room, Yugao Gekko said, "Now I'll explain the detailed intel on this mission.

Recently, a group of bandits calling themselves the Sea Shark Clan has appeared around Hemo City. No one knows where they came from. All we know is that they showed up two months ago and have committed several major crimes in a short time.

They've raided nearby villages, kidnapped young women, abducted local rich merchants' families for ransom, and so on. Their last crime was right here in Donghe Town, after which they vanished. The local Public Order forces couldn't find any leads, so they sent the request to us in Konoha."

Hayate Gekko asked, "Teacher, can we confirm if there are any ninja among them?"

"Can't confirm, so the mission's minimum rank is C-rank, but it could easily rise to B-rank or higher at any time."

Higashino Makoto didn't care, but Uzuki Yugao was full of enthusiasm: "Great, then let's find those Bastards and beat them all down. Let them know what happens when they cause trouble in the Land of Fire."

"Good, that's the spirit!" Yugao Gekko praised his Female Disciple at the right moment, then instructed, "After dinner, split up and gather some intel. The academy should have taught you how to do this."

"Yes, Teacher!" x3

After dinner, Higashino Makoto's group of three used the Transformation Jutsu to change their appearances, hiding their Konoha Ninja traits, and slipped out through the window.

The town's nightlife wasn't lively. Just after nightfall, the streets were already desolate. Few shops had their lights on, and most Pedestrians hurried along as if afraid of something.

Higashino Makoto's current appearance was an adult. He found a small Izakaya, went in, ordered a few snacks and some sake, and sat at the long counter in front of the kitchen, listening to the head chef chat with a half-drunk customer.

After a while, he joined in, while his ears absorbed the complaints of other customers in the Izakaya, picking out useful information.

The sake looked like he was drinking it, but he was actually pouring it into the Storage Bag on his person.

If Yugao Gekko caught him drinking, he'd definitely tattle to Higashino Megumi when they got back.

Yeah, this world was really bizarre. He'd already graduated and was legally allowed to go out and kill people, but he couldn't drink alcohol. Fortunately, he hadn't been much of a drinker in his previous life either, so he had no addiction.

The Izakaya remained noisy. No one noticed a 9-year-old Kid had infiltrated them. For a ninja to deal with Commoners was far too easy. They had no chance to resist and wouldn't even know who struck them down until they died.

At the agreed time, the three returned to the inn simultaneously.

"How did it go? Any findings?"

Uzuki Yugao said indignantly, "Those Bastards are inhuman. They've thrown this whole town into panic. I heard from others that several remote villages were completely looted, and a lot of people died. One village didn't even leave a single Survivor. It's outrageous."

The Little Girl had a strong sense of justice and couldn't understand such things, but Yugao Gekko didn't explain. This was the Shinobi World. See it enough, and you'd get used to it.

Hayate Gekko said, "I managed to infiltrate the Rich Merchant's house in town. He was indeed extorted. His daughter was the one kidnapped. She's back now, but her mind is a bit disturbed. She might..."

He didn't finish what she might have gone through, but everyone understood. Even Uzuki Yugao knew, though she was only nine. She'd received a proper ninja education, and children in the Shinobi World matured early. Matters between Men and Women were something she understood.

So she was even angrier, wishing she could kill those Bastards right away. She'd only heard about such things before, but now it was happening right before her eyes. It was absolutely unforgivable.

Yugao Gekko nodded and looked at his last disciple. "Did you drink?"

Higashino Makoto immediately shook his head in denial. "No, impossible. Teacher, don't accuse me. The smell just rubbed off from the Izakaya."

"Good, because if you did, Megumi would beat you to death. So, what did you find out?"

"This group calling themselves the Sea Shark Clan—their exact numbers are unknown. They didn't just appear out of nowhere. They're likely Pirates from the sea. Someone who used to work on cargo ships and was robbed by them recognized some of the faces.

My guess is that the war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure in the south squeezed them out of their territory, so they came ashore."

"Hmm, good point. If that's the case, there might be rogue or Rogue Ninja among them. Can you confirm that?"

"No. No one has seen any of them use ninjutsu."

"You all did well. Very good. Get some rest now. We'll start the investigation tomorrow morning."

The next day, Higashino Makoto's group arrived at a remote village.

It was already abandoned. The entire village had been burned to ruins. Local Public Order personnel had set up barrier ropes around the perimeter, and there were lime marks on the ground indicating where bodies had lain.

But several days had passed. The bodies had long been taken away for disposal. The lime, washed by rain, left only faint, scattered white traces.

The group carefully inspected the village for any possible traces, but found nothing.

Yugao Gekko asked, "Can you tell if any ninjutsu was used?"

"No."

"The remaining traces were all left by ordinary weapons."

"The fire erupted from multiple points—just ordinary arson, not a Fire Release."

Yugao Gekko said, "Good, you've been thorough. Let's move on to the next location."

The four of them moved at a speed far beyond ordinary Public Order officers, and soon arrived at an abandoned shrine not far from the sea.

This place had once been a site for worshipping the Sea God, but it had been abandoned for many years. They came here because the Rich Merchant had sent people to negotiate with the Kidnappers here to save his daughter.

This had happened a few days ago, so plenty of clues remained. Though someone had tried to cover them up, how could they escape a Ninja's eyes?

While teaching his Disciples tracking experience, Yugao Gekko led them to a cliff by the seaside.

The terrain was steep and treacherous, with a massive drop. Even a Ninja who fell carelessly would be in extreme danger, and it was utterly unsuitable as a port for Ships.

Once there, he tossed the problem to his students.

Soon, after searching the area, the three of them found an Underground Passage hidden beneath a layer of turf.

Uzuki Yugao looked at Higashino Makoto and asked, "Makoto, was this made with Earth Release?"

Only Higashino Makoto here knew Earth Release. He examined the stairs leading underground and said, "You're right."

Hayate Gekko said, "Looks like those Bastards escaped by boat."

Yugao Gekko smiled and posed a challenge: "So, now there are two problems. First, the Sea Shark Clan has a Ninja among them, but we don't know their strength.

Second, they vanished out to sea on a boat. Though Chayu Bay's waters aren't vast, there are many islands. How you flush out the target is up to you."