Flickering Candlelight

There were many people boarding the ship. I was jostled back and forth amidst a chaotic, damp sea of clothing. Every time I felt myself losing my footing, a new surge of strength would come from my right hand, until I finally stepped onto the swaying planks and successfully reached the spacious deck.

Once up there, the fresh sea breeze hit me, and I grew instantly excited. I squeezed forward through the crowd until I managed to push my way to the ship's railing.

Before me lay the boundless, endless ocean!

The sea breeze was so strong it was hard to stand, and the gilded morning glow reflected off the water's surface. The world was too vast for even the eyes to fully contain; just one look made my chest feel warm, and my eyes even began to mist over.

The sun rising over the sea—there is no sight more beautiful than this!

"Hey, there's no one here to watch the view with you now." Kusama Shigeo suddenly squeezed in beside me, locking his arm around my neck and dragging me backward. "There's as much of this scenery on the sea as you could ever want. You'll get sick of it eventually, you know?"

His grip was brutal. I struggled against him in silence until the guard who had led us aboard found us.

"There are no extra cabins left, so you'll have to come with me to the storage room below."

"Understood."

As Hyuga Makoto replied, Kusama Shigeo and I finally separated.

The guard led us away from the crowd, down a narrow staircase, and through a dim corridor, finally arriving at a cramped cabin.

He opened the door to reveal a room filled with dust, a few pieces of furniture, and some haphazardly stacked cargo. It was clear no one had lived here for a long time.

"My name is Kina, and I am from the Land of Waves. If you need anything, come find me on the deck." The man named Kina looked around the room, his gaze finally settling on me. A gentle expression flowed through his eyes as he suddenly sighed, "If my daughter were still alive, she would be just as cute as you."

We were all stunned by his words.

"Your... daughter?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. My daughter, Xiaonai, passed away from an illness when she was very young." Kina pointed to the necklace around his neck, showing us the trinkets he wore.

"She loved these little things, so I've kept them with me ever since."

"We are truly sorry for bringing up such painful memories," Hyuga Makoto said.

"It's alright. I believe my daughter would want me to pull myself together and help you lovely children instead." Kina looked at us kindly, like a benevolent elder.

"Besides, I believe she is always by my side, watching over me, never truly gone. Perhaps one day... I might even see her again."

The grieving living, perhaps, all harbor such illusions.

Seeing us stand there in silence, Kina noticed our awkwardness and smiled apologetically. "I'll go find you something to eat. You should rest for a while. If there is anything I can do to help, you must tell me—I still have some connections here."

"Thank you for your care, but you have already troubled yourself enough. We will handle the rest ourselves." Hyuga Makoto bowed his head slightly, and I followed suit to offer my thanks.

Kina smiled, nodded, and left.

The moment we entered the cabin and closed the door, Kusama Shigeo could no longer contain his laughter! He laughed until he was doubled over, nearly tearing the roof off the place.

"Hahahaha, 'my daughter is as cute as you'—ah, hahahaha—" He wiped the tears from his eyes, laughing so hard he nearly choked.

"Truly... this trip was worth it..."

I stared at him coldly, my fists clenched tight. Just as my rage was about to boil over, the entire ship lurched violently and began to vibrate continuously!

Accompanied by a long blast of the horn and the churning of the tide, the ship had set sail!

I shoved Kusama Shigeo aside and scrambled to the only small window to look out. I saw the seawater spreading out in waves, the speed increasing rapidly. Within a few breaths, the damp, salty sea breeze poured into the room! The coastline vanished in an instant!

Such speed! At this rate, we might even arrive in the Land of Water ahead of schedule!

The joy instantly washed away my irritation, so much so that I didn't even react when something was handed to me.

"This is... my hair tie?" I looked at the star pattern on it and recognized it as my Kuixing brand!

I reached out to take it, looked at Hyuga Makoto, and couldn't help but ask.

"Senior, why did you need me to play the part of a girl?"

Even if I was a woman in my past life, this life is this life. If I am to be a man, I should be one with dignity!

Hyuga Makoto didn't answer, but Kusama Shigeo cut in.

"Didn't you see? That man Kina was just talking to a five or six-year-old girl. They prioritize taking in the elderly and children," he sneered. "And you saw it too, didn't you? The messy shell ornaments hanging around his neck, the little flower on his straw hat—who else could have put them there but his late daughter? Naturally, you were made to dress as a cute girl—to—win—his—sympathy!"

Hearing this, I didn't feel angry; instead, my rage inexplicably vanished.

So... so that was it?

I hadn't even realized...

"Hmph, besides the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, the observational skills of our Kusama Clan are also quite formidable. Beyond chakra sensing, there are all sorts of ways to gather information!" Kusama Shigeo held his nose high, gesturing toward Hyuga Makoto as a show of force, though his words were aimed at me: "Learn from this, you Uchiha brat!"

"Hmph, a medical ninja comparing sensing abilities with me? Why don't you take a scalpel to the battlefield instead?" He was right, but I was still stubborn and ready to fight him to the end.

"You—!"

Seeing that we were about to argue again, Hyuga Makoto bypassed us and walked straight toward the door. I quickly followed. "Senior, where are you going?"

"You two stay here."

Hyuga Makoto reached for the door, but I grabbed the hem of his robe.

"Senior, I'm coming with you!" I shot a fierce glare at Kusama Shigeo. "I refuse to stay here with him!"

"Tch, as if I wanted to be with you!" Kusama Shigeo claimed the only table for himself. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, you two!"

"Senior, let's go." I moved closer to Hyuga Makoto, only to feel the surroundings turn deathly quiet.

I looked up and felt the chill descend once more.

The youth stared at me, his eyes flickering beneath the brim of his conical hat. Seawater dripped steadily from his body, and a single glance was enough to make my heart crawl with dread; he was as cold as ever.

Without him needing to speak, I took a step back, fearfully loosening my grip.

"I'm sorry, Captain..."

I watched him straighten his clothes, turn around, and walk out the door. As the door slammed shut with a heavy thud, I felt an overwhelming sense of oppression in my heart.

The bond I thought we had formed as companions felt infinitely stretched and distant in that moment.

The instant Hyuga Makoto left, I exchanged a look with Kusama Shigeo, and we each claimed a corner of the room.

I huddled tightly against a torn flour sack on the south side, while he leaned against the table by the wall. Neither of our expressions were pleasant, but neither of us broke the silent equilibrium; we both held our breath, falling into a brief, tense truce.

Hmph, I should be grateful he isn't causing trouble.

Finally finding a moment to rest, I took off my sodden cloak, sat amidst the flour sacks, and pulled a blank scroll from my robes to begin writing.

I need to properly organize everything I've learned recently!

Relying on my memory, I first wrote down the hand seal sequence for the Lightning Style Nintaijutsu. It was a full dozen seals—long, tedious, and complex.

If only I could shorten it.

I closed my eyes and recalled the human anatomy charts I'd seen from my teacher, meticulously replicating the meridians, chakra flow, and the effects of the four stages of Nintaijutsu. The more I looked at it, the more miraculous it seemed.

This technique contained both shape transformation and nature transformation of chakra. To master it, one must possess incredibly precise chakra control.

Therefore, the person who created this technique was undoubtedly a genius who had pushed Lightning Style to its absolute limit!

More than a genius—a freak of nature, a prodigy.

One could even say that if one mastered the fourth stage of this technique, they could essentially use any Lightning Style ninjutsu... it was truly incredible!

"Teacher said I used Lightning Style through Murasame," I muttered to myself.

"Could it be... that Murasame is a lightning-attribute blade?"

I drew Murasame and examined the blade closely. The more I looked, the more likely it seemed!

No wonder I couldn't use it before; it turns out it requires lightning-attribute chakra to activate!

Does this... have something to do with the "Falling Thunder" that Cat Granny mentioned?

Lost in thought, time slipped away. Before I knew it, the scroll was full. I looked over the long treatise on Nintaijutsu and suddenly realized that this technique didn't seem to have a name!

"Teacher only called it Lightning Style Nintaijutsu, but he never told me its actual name..."

How about... I give it a name myself!

What should I call it?

Since I have to shout out ninjutsu names anyway, I sat cross-legged and thought seriously about the name for my move.

After a long while, I slapped my thigh and jumped up—

"I've got it! It shall be called: The Desperate Rain in the Village, The Summoning of the Moon's Guardian, The Astonished Face of the Enemy, It Ends in an Instant, Absolutely Painless—Lightning! Demon! Nintaijutsu!"

Thud. A kunai pinned itself into the flour sack beside my ear, kicking up a cloud of white dust.

"What kind of madness are you spouting? Keep your voice down and don't disturb my rest!"

I ignored Kusama Shigeo and instead pumped my fist in excitement!

Because this name was just too damn cool!

"It's just a little long," I flicked the blade of Murasame, feeling that I might not be able to finish reciting the whole string in the middle of a battle.

Maybe I should think of something shorter.

I carefully recalled the sensation of the Nintaijutsu, and a flash of inspiration hit me—a word popped into my head.

"Piercing Body!"

Using lightning-attribute chakra to pierce through the body—it fits perfectly!

Then let's call it "Lightning Style: Body Piercing"!

Doesn't that sound incredibly cool when you say it out loud?

Solemnly, stroke by stroke, I wrote the name of the Nintaijutsu on the scroll. I read it over and over again, feeling satisfied, before carefully folding the scroll and tucking it into my robes.

With that finished, I finally let out a sigh of relief and lay back against the flour sacks. Just as I was about to get some real rest, an annoying voice suddenly pierced the air.

"Hey, do you really trust that guy?"

I didn't want to deal with Kusama Shigeo, so I simply closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. But as I heard the rustling sound beside me, I opened my eyes to find him persistently leaning in, squeezing up next to me with a devious look on his face.

"Hey, how about we make up for now and stand united against the outsider?"

"Which outsider?" I frowned. I hated how close he was, but I was already pressed against the wall and couldn't move.

"The one and only Hyuga Makoto, our so-called tem-po-ra-ry cap-tain, of course."

At this critical juncture, why are you still trying to sow discord?

I sneered, expressing my extreme dissatisfaction: "Do you think that without him, we could have made it this far and successfully boarded this ship?"

Kusama Shigeo felt indignant upon hearing this.

"Isn't it just the Byakugan's scouting and detection abilities? Hmph, anyone could do that with a flick of a finger, yet he's hogging all the spotlight..." Kusama Shigeo muttered, lowering his voice: "Don't you think it's suspicious? That guy surnamed Hyuga is clearly from a major clan, yet he refuses to even show his face, acting all mysterious. He doesn't look like a good person at all, does he?"

Seeing my nonchalance, he gave me a paranoid warning: "Hey, let me tell you, my sister told me that the Military Headquarters has certain death squads—tools raised by the higher-ups who kill without blinking. I heard they'll sacrifice their own companions for a mission; they're absolutely unscrupulous! Just think, if we were really in danger, do you honestly expect him to protect us?"

Hearing this, I found it absurdly ridiculous, and even felt a surge of anger.

"He saved your life, have you forgotten?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, Kusama Shigeo's expression shifted instantly.

"You call that saving my life? That was an insult to me! I'm telling you, of course I remember! You don't need to worry about it!" He stood up and looked at me coldly.

"Every favor and every grudge that has ever happened to me or my family, I remember clearly. I will repay them all in the future; I won't owe anyone, and I won't let anyone off the hook!"

Hearing this, I felt completely baffled.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you threatening me?"

I stared back at him coldly, and the atmosphere in the room grew oppressive again, as if two dark clouds were hovering above our heads, thunder rumbling, with a rainstorm about to break.

In fact, thunder actually began to rumble!

We both turned to look at the small window, only to see that the sky, which had been sunny just moments ago, was now covered in thick, pitch-black clouds! A heavy fog permeated the air, and a howling wind surged into the room, instantly scattering the tense atmosphere.

The weather at sea changes so quickly!

I calmed down, ignored him, wrapped myself in my clothes, curled up inside a flour sack, and rested.

Kusama Shigeo also fell silent and returned to his own corner.

The wind and waves had temporarily subsided.

Not long after, the room grew completely dark. Perhaps because I hadn't rested for a day and a night, I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

In my dream, I seemed to see Itachi's little face, smiling happily at me, grabbing my hair just like before, babbling nonsense baby talk, anxiously trying to say his first word.

Sigh, I've taught him for so long, and he can't even call me "brother." So much for the genius Itachi; why is he so adorably stupid the moment he's in my hands? He really is like a foolish little brother...

Could it be that because I stole his position as the eldest son, he really regressed to the intelligence level of the Second Pillar? Don't do this to me! QAQ!!

I frowned in my sleep, sighing helplessly, when I suddenly felt a prickling itch on my face. I reached out to scratch it, turned over, and continued to sleep.

But after a while, the itch returned, this time moving to my ear, accompanied by a cool breeze blowing past.

What the hell is this!

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, I finally opened my sleepy eyes to see a faint candlelight flickering before me, along with a wretched face pressed extremely close to mine. Brown pupils stared at me unblinkingly, and a chilly breath was practically exhaling onto my face—

Seeing that I was awake, a flash of panic seemed to cross his eyes.

"Yo, you... you're awake."

"..."

My brain was still processing, but my right hand had already swung out uncontrollably, mercilessly, using nearly all my strength!

After a crisp "slap," the sound that followed was Kusama Shigeo's pig-like shriek.

He cursed every profanity he could think of. Only then did I belatedly react; I rubbed my throbbing temple and whispered, "Serves you right!"

I didn't know how long I had slept. The sky outside the small window remained gloomy, with clouds seemingly brewing another storm. Looking down, the seawater was so black it felt bottomless. I picked up the candle that had fallen to the floor to illuminate the room, and finding that Hyuga Makoto had not yet returned, I asked, "Where is the captain?"

"Why should I tell you?"

I frowned, held the candle up to his face, and leaned in close, the firelight reflecting off us.

"Has he not come back yet?"

"You care that much about that temporary captain?" A large red mark from my slap covered Kusama Shigeo's face, and under the candlelight, it looked exceptionally comical. "Just because he saved you?"

Hearing this, I turned to look at him without any hesitation: "Yes, because the captain saved me, I have already accepted him—accepted him as my captain and as my partner."

I'm not as heartless as you.

Kusama Shigeo sneered when he heard me say this, staring at me like I was an idiot: "Becoming your partner must be really simple."

I didn't want to argue with him. My gaze shifted, and I suddenly noticed fresh food on the table, though every piece of dry ration had a tooth mark on it. I asked curiously, "Where did this come from?"

"The guard who brought us in sent it, said it was specifically for you." Kusama Shigeo chuckled, "I tested it for you; it's not poisoned."

I had no words for Kusama Shigeo's childishness. I reached out, took an apple that was still in decent shape, and asked one last time: "Has Hyuga Makoto really not returned?"

"If you want to see him that badly, go find him yourself."

I stopped trying to converse with Kusama Shigeo, put on my cloak, and without a moment's hesitation, pushed the door open and walked out.