Hearing the middle-aged Merchant Ninja's question, Bando hurriedly stretched out his arms to shield the two barrels of [Universal Mud] behind him and firmly refused:
"No, I'm taking them back for everyone to see!"
"Oh, what a pity. I hope you'll change your mind. After all, the route back to Red Province Island isn't exactly safe!"
The middle-aged Merchant Ninja did not press the matter further. After leaving behind that meaningful remark, he departed with his subordinates.
However, the two merchant group members behind Bando were frightened into trembling. They even dropped to their knees before Kisame and the others.
"Please, sirs, escort us back to Red Province Island!"
"Hey, what's wrong with you two?"
Bando was still confused.
"Hmph, brat, that man was threatening you. Couldn't you tell?" Zabuza sneered.
"Was he?"
Bando truly had not caught on. "Wasn't he reminding us to be careful about the safety of the sea route?"
"Heh, what a naive kid!"
Araki shook his head. "Forget it. Since this is our first C-rank mission, we should carry it out perfectly. What do you think, Captain Kisame?"
Kisame Hoshigaki naturally had no objections. The threat of a mere Merchant Ninja was not worth his notice.
"Boss, what do we do? That's two whole barrels of [Universal Mud]! If we can snatch them, it might even be enough for you to advance to jonin!"
Oboro Suikatarou was unwilling to let it go as well.
"But those Mist Village ninja seem to have boarded the ship with them. We..."
On the other side, the genin Yuta hesitated. The name Bloody Mist was still highly intimidating on the open sea.
But enormous profits could always drive people mad. After pondering for a long while, the middle-aged Merchant Ninja Kenjiro clapped his hands together, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.
"Do it! Yuta, contact the Red Beard Pirates immediately and leak the information about Kamizumi Bando and the others. I refuse to believe they won't be tempted by [Universal Mud]!"
"B-but, Boss, even Red Beard wouldn't dare rob ninja from Mist Village!"
Yuta was full of question marks, feeling that his boss was treating those pirates like fools.
"Idiot!"
Kenjiro slapped Yuta across the forehead. "Who told you to tell them there are Mist Village ninja aboard that ship?"
"Oh, right!"
Yuta covered his forehead and ran off to find someone.
Kenjiro waved to Oboro as well.
"Let's go. Follow Kamizumi Bando's ship from far behind. When those three Mist Village ninja fight Red Beard, board their ship and steal the [Universal Mud]!"
"Boss, you're brilliant!"
The voyage from Seven Grass Island to Red Province Island would take roughly two or three days. With nothing else to do, Araki naturally went looking for Yasuo for another duel.
After the Hoho training at [Hell Valley], Araki felt that if he only had to dodge and maneuver, he could keep Yasuo occupied until the end of time—or until his chakra ran dry.
However, reality proved that this was merely an illusion.
Yasuo's Wind-Slaying Sword Technique did not consist only of skills such as [Steel Tempest], [Sweeping Blade], [Wind Wall], and [Last Breath]. It was an entire system of training meant to comprehend and command the wind.
When it came to controlling the wind, Yasuo was dozens of times better than Araki!
Thus, Araki, who had been showing off his control of the wind, was once again defeated amid a loud shout of "So rei ye gai dong!"
Boom!
The moment Araki opened his eyes, he heard an earthshaking bang. The entire cabin then began to shake violently.
"What happened?"
He snatched up the longsword beside him and was about to head out and ask when Zabuza shoved open the door and shouted at him.
"We've run into pirates! Get up to the deck!"
"Pirates?"
Araki's expression turned somewhat strange. After all, encountering pirates in the world of Hokage... emm, it really gave him a wonderfully disorienting feeling.
He rushed up to the deck in a few strides and came to Kisame Hoshigaki's side. Looking in the direction of his gaze, he saw a ship emerging and disappearing through the thin mist ahead as it approached.
"So that's a pirate ship? But what was that explosion just now?"
Araki was puzzled.
It seemed normal enough to use cannonballs in naval combat, but this was the world of Hokage. Under the rules of the Shinobi World, aside from Explosive Tags, were there really any other gunpowder products capable of exploding?
Could the other side be a band of rogue ninja pirates?
"They're Explosive Tag shells!"
As Kisame explained, he formed hand seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Splash!
A wall of water roughly ten meters wide and dozens of meters tall surged out of the sea before their ship, accurately intercepting several incoming shells covered in Explosive Tags and sparkling with embers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Who knew how many Explosive Tags had been pasted onto those head-sized shells? Five or six shells exploded at once and actually tore through Kisame's water wall, sending torrential rain cascading down over Araki and the others.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
With a sharp clap, Araki pressed his palms together. A fierce gale howled forth, scattering the airborne droplets and saving them from becoming drenched rats.
"Captain, defending like this doesn't seem like a solution! Those shells are far too powerful!"
Having successfully resolved the crisis once, Araki turned to Kisame.
"You're right. I'll stay aboard and continue defending. You and Zabuza take the initiative and kill all those pirates!"
Kisame readily accepted the suggestion and immediately gave the order.
"Yes!"
Zabuza instantly grew excited. Of the three present, he alone had not mastered any direct offensive or defensive ninjutsu. He had been idle aboard the ship, and now that he could take up his blade and cut people down, nothing could have been better.
The two drew their swords and leaped straight off the merchant ship. Skimming across the sea's surface, they charged toward the pirate vessel.
At that moment, on the pirate ship flying a skull flag, a man stood at the bow. He wore a broad dark-red tricorne hat, his two thin crimson mustaches curling slightly upward, and a reddish-brown double-breasted coat. Holding a spyglass, he observed the scene.
"Captain, there seem to be ninja aboard that ship!"
A rather ragged sailor holding a curved saber shouted from below.
"Ninja? So what? Under my cannon fire, even ninja cannot escape death!"
The captain drew the rapier at his waist and pointed it forward. "Keep firing!"
Amid rumbling booms, another four or five solid shells covered in Explosive Tags soared into the air and flew toward the merchant ship.
But Kisame had learned his lesson this time. Rather than using Water Formation Wall to block them, he formed the hand seals for [Water Release: Great Bullet Technique] and fired five Water Cannons from his mouth in rapid succession, accurately shooting down the incoming Explosive Tag shells one by one.
"Captain, it looks like someone is charging over from the sea!"
At that moment, the pirates also spotted Araki and Zabuza, who had launched their surprise attack.
"Hm?"
The captain was startled. He glanced down, then laughed. "They're just two brats. First mate, bring up my Explosive Tag cannon and blast them to pieces!"
Before you continue