Ninja needed not only to be good at fighting, but also to be good at thinking and analyzing.
Gekko Hayate took a map from his Ninja Tool Bag and studied the Southern Sea Area of the Land of Fire. A long, narrow, curved peninsula stretched out from the southeastern corner, reaching south into the sea.
Apart from a portion of the northern territory belonging to the Land of Fire, the south was divided between the Land of Tea and the Land of Commerce. Farther west, across the sea, lay the territory of the Land of Wind.
The sea wedged between the two countries was called Chayu Bay. Aside from an island nation called the Land of Islands, the bay was dotted with scattered, fragmented islands of all sizes.
Gekko Hayate tried to put himself in the enemy's shoes. "The battles between Sunagakure and Kirigakure are taking place in the south right now, so the sea isn't safe.
"To the west is the Land of Wind, and to the north is the Land of Fire. To the east? They'd have to cross the Land of Tea to reach the Rainbow Sea, which is within the Land of Water's sphere of influence."
The Sea Shark Clan had committed crimes repeatedly in recent days and must have raked in a lot of money. At a time like this, the most important thing was to stay alive long enough to spend it. They'd want to lie low or escape the area."
A lightbulb seemed to go on above Uzuki Yugao's head. "So those bastards are either hiding on some island in Chayu Bay or have crossed the Land of Tea and made it to the Rainbow Sea?"
Higashino Makoto added, "The circular stretch of the Rainbow Sea is completely bare, as if some massive explosion had scoured it. There aren't any islands there at all.
"So I think they're still somewhere in Chayu Bay, at most hiding in some part of the Land of Tea. The Sea Shark Clan is made up mostly of ordinary people. They couldn't have gotten very far in just a few days."
Yugao Gekko smiled. "Good analysis. So what are you waiting for? Go find a way to track down the mission target."
"Yes!" x3
With a target in mind, the three of them headed east along the coastline, asking around in the fishing villages.
By noon, they had finally gotten a useful lead in one of the villages.
In the sea between here and the Land of Tea lay an area called the Dog Teeth Archipelago. Its islands jutted out of the water like stone pillars, scattered and broken up, which was how the archipelago got its name.
The waters nearby were also full of reefs, making them impassable to ships. Only pirates knew the navigable channels. In fact, the area had once been a gathering place for pirates.
Ordinary people could do nothing about those hiding there, so they put up missions for Ninja to deal with them. But the Ninja who took on C-rank Missions were generally not very strong, and the Dog Teeth Archipelago's terrain was complicated. The pirates were never completely wiped out, and within six months to a year, they'd be back in force.
Over the past few days, villagers fishing out at sea had seen a large ship enter the archipelago.
It seemed the Sea Shark Clan was hiding there.
Ninja could walk on water, but they still took boats when traveling out to sea.
A person's Chakra was limited. If they ran out while out on the ocean and drowned, wouldn't that be ridiculous?
As the sun began to set, the four members of the team saw the Dog Teeth Archipelago in the distance, guided by an old fisherman.
As they approached, the old fisherman carefully shut off the boat's motor and began rowing by hand, to avoid attracting danger with the noise.
Higashino Makoto looked at the engine on the fishing boat, feeling a little conflicted. Yes, the Shinobi World had this kind of thing, but it simply hadn't been adapted for land vehicles. Perhaps it would be someday.
"How amazing!" Uzuki Yugao exclaimed instinctively as the strange islands slowly grew larger before her eyes.
They really were amazing. Islands of all sizes jutted up from the seabed like irregular stone pillars. Some of the wider pillars even had small forests on top, where flocks of seabirds periodically took off and landed.
The name Dog Teeth Archipelago suited the place. The islands bit into the surface of the water like fangs, and the scenery looked nothing like a natural formation.
It was more like a piece of land smashed apart by a god.
The fishing boat threaded through them like a river running through a rift valley, with sheer cliffs lining almost both sides.
Without waiting for Yugao Gekko to tell him to, Higashino Makoto activated his Perception Ability at maximum Perception Range before they entered the archipelago, so they wouldn't stumble into an enemy trap.
After the old fisherman rowed the boat this way and that for a while, he stopped in a narrow channel and said with some reluctance, "Ninja-sama, this is as far as the route I know goes. I don't know what it's like inside."
"Thank you very much for your help. This is more than enough. You can head back now, sir. We'll take it from here."
After Yugao Gekko thanked the old fisherman, he jumped out of the boat. Higashino Makoto took the lead, using his Perception Ability to scout the way. Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao followed in the middle, and the four advanced deeper into the archipelago, Water Walking in a line like a sea serpent.
Ninja weren't mysterious in this world. The old fisherman had seen their abilities before and wasn't surprised by the way they stood on the water.
He only hoped the Ninja-sama would kill every last one of the damn bastards inside and give the people who made their living on these waters some peace.
The pirates of Chayu Bay mainly preyed on merchant ships, but sometimes they attacked fishing boats, too, and occasionally looted one or two unlucky fishing villages.
You couldn't expect people like that to have any decency. The old fisherman had once had four sons, two of whom had died at the hands of pirates. That was why he was willing to risk guiding them.
The four of them ran across the water beside the cliffs. A moment later, Higashino Makoto suddenly stopped, and the three behind him halted almost at the same time.
Higashino Makoto pointed to a spot on the cliff ahead. There was a Cave Entrance up there, very well hidden. It was obviously a pirate lookout post.
Gekko Hayate asked softly, "Is someone inside? How many? Ordinary people or Ninja?"
"Two people!"
"I'll take care of them!"
Hayate accelerated to full speed and raced toward the foot of the cliff from its blind spot like a gust of wind. Then he stepped onto the sheer rock face and charged up to the cave as if he were walking on level ground.
Ordinary people had no way to guard against a Ninja's surprise attack and assassination.
Before long, Gekko Hayate reappeared and beckoned to them from above the water.
When the other three climbed up, they saw that the cliff cave was small and man-made. Aside from some Freshwater and food, all it contained was a coil of rope.
Two slovenly, bearded, burly men lay inside, their faces greasy and dirty. One was already dead, stabbed through the heart. Blood had soaked his clothes, but hadn't sprayed everywhere.
Hayate had good technique.
The other man lay on the ground, his hands and feet bound, the dead man's shoe stuffed in his mouth. He stared at the four of them in terror.
Tears streamed down the man's face. It was hard to tell whether he was scared or overwhelmed by the stench of the shoe.
"I left one alive. We can question him and find out where the Sea Shark Clan's hideout is."
Higashino Makoto shook his head. "No need. I've already sensed everyone in the area. Not one of them will get away."
Gekko Hayate said nothing. He pointed at the prisoner, making his meaning clear: which of them would do it?
He'd graduated a year earlier, after all, and had already experienced killing. But his two teammates had never drawn blood.
Being a Ninja meant killing. They had to learn how to kill and get used to it—but they also had to respect life and never become addicted to slaughter.
Uzuki Yugao was psyching herself up. It was her first time killing someone, and she still hesitated. Several ways to do it ran through her mind, but she couldn't decide which one to use.
Hesitation was normal. Anyone who killed often knew the first time was bound to be clumsy, but once you got used to it, you stopped hesitating.
Higashino Makoto crouched in front of the prisoner and asked, "Are you with the Sea Shark Clan? Were you behind the crimes near Hemo Port?"
The poor pirate was scared stiff. He only nodded numbly.
Higashino Makoto took a deep breath, drew his sword, and slashed. In an instant, he cut the man's throat.
As blood spurted out, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
So this is what killing feels like? It doesn't seem any different from killing an animal. People are animals, after all. Thinking of it that way, I suddenly feel even less.
So that's all there is to it.
It was hard to imagine that in his previous life, he'd never even killed a chicken. Now he'd killed a living person with his own hands. The Shinobi World really was a great place to toughen someone up. It was every bit as effective as a sudden enlightenment at Longchang.
Gekko Hayate studied Higashino Makoto's expression. When he saw that it hadn't changed, he stopped worrying about his friend.
Strange, wasn't it? If Higashino Makoto had seen a friend kill someone without batting an eye in his previous life, he would have found him terrifying—probably a psychopath.
But in the Shinobi World, it was a sign of maturity.
Before you continue