Orochimaru's Northern Base

Shizuki had been running back and forth for over half a month. At first, he had successfully purchased three merchant ships from the Land of Iron, vessels sturdy enough to withstand the ocean waves. Unfortunately, an accident had occurred when no one expected it.

"At the time, we docked the ships by a small island. Unexpectedly, huge waves suddenly rose up and pushed the ships off course. They accidentally struck the reef and sank!"

Watching Houka's expression grow darker and darker, Shizuki hurriedly promised in all seriousness, "Lord Houka, those three merchant ships were brand-new. They were expensive, but we inspected them several times when we took delivery. There were absolutely no flaws. We didn't embezzle your money."

"Hehe, why would you think that? I'm not the suspicious type!" Houka declared righteously. The next moment, however, his face turned bitter. "But isn't this too much of a coincidence?"

"We found it suspicious as well, so we dove into the sea and went ashore on that island. To our surprise, we found traces of human activity!" Shizuki said.

Houka's eyes lit up. "Could the grounding have been deliberate?"

No matter who had done it, they were paying damages!

Houka roared inwardly.

"We still can't be certain. Although there were traces of human activity on that island, we searched the entire place and didn't find a single person," Shizuki said.

"They must have hidden themselves!" Houka said with certainty, before a thought struck him.

Someone capable of creating waves powerful enough to push three merchant ships off course and make them run aground was obviously a ninja!

A ninja?

An island?

Could his luck really be this good?

Houka's eyes gradually began to shine.

If his guess was right this time, that island was very likely Orochimaru's northern secret base!

"Quick, take