The Serpent Calamity!

It was a huge ship. Its hull was made of wood, yet the ship rumbled with machinery, and a steady stream of steam poured from a tall tower overhead.

No wonder it was so fast. It seemed to be a steamship.

Only a nation with a seafaring tradition could build a ship of this quality.

The weather was still gloomy. I could smell the heavy scent of rain in the air. Out on the endless sea, it pressed down on me until I could hardly breathe.

I didn't know how long I'd been asleep. There wasn't a soul on deck, and even the guards had vanished. I walked along the side of the ship and gradually spotted a figure where the sea met the sky.

He sat slanted at the stern, gazing into the distance. His black hair was tousled by the wind, and his black robe billowed silently in the gale. He was as dark as a night crow, almost blending in with the shadowy hull.

It was Senior Hyuga Makoto!

My eyes lit up, and I hurried toward him. Suddenly, the ship lurched, and a few drops of seawater whipped aboard, splashing across half the deck.

I got splashed too, and the cold made me sneeze twice. The ship was rocking, so I quickly grabbed the railing. When I wiped the seawater from my face and looked up, the figure at the stern was still motionless. It was as if he couldn't feel the cold water, like a statue gazing into the distance.

"Senior!"

I ran over, only to find that the wind at the stern was so strong I could barely keep my eyes open or stay on my feet. I called out several times, but he didn't turn around. It was as if he hadn't heard me at all. He didn't respond.

"Captain!"

I inched closer to him, afraid he'd snap at me, and quickly explained, "We saw that you hadn't come back for a long time, and we didn't know what time it was, so we took a chance and came looking for you."

As I spoke, I took the food the guard had given us from inside my robe and held it out to him.

"Captain, we haven't eaten anything this whole way, and you must be hungry too. This is what the guard uncle gave us. We tried it, and it's safe to eat."

Only then did Hyuga Makoto look at me. But he didn't take the food. He merely said coolly, "Go back and tell Kusama Shigeo we'll land tonight."

"..."

Hearing that, I felt a frustration unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I had no idea what to do.

How could this man be so impossible to persuade?

I dug in my heels, plopped down beside him, and refused to leave.

Hmph. This time, I'm not going back!

I'd thought he would scold me, but Hyuga Makoto only glanced at me. A hint of confusion seemed to flicker in his eyes, but he said nothing and turned his gaze back to the distance.

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little calmer. As I nibbled on the dry rations, I followed his gaze, but all I could see was pitch-black sky.

Wasn't that the direction of Konoha?

How strange. What was there to look at in a sky like this?

"Senior, what are you looking at?"

He ignored me.

"Senior, are you hungry? Thirsty?"

No answer.

"Senior, why is there no one on deck? Did everyone go to rest?"

He still didn't say a word.

With no other ideas, I studied Hyuga Makoto's profile again. Noticing his black mask, I suddenly remembered something. "Senior, I have a friend who always wears a mask too. His name is Hatake Kakashi. Do you know him?" (Sorry, Kakashi. I don't know if you consider me a friend, but I'll borrow you for this!)

"..."

Apart from the wind and the crashing waves, there was no response.

I sighed inwardly, unsure what I was even doing.

Maybe I wanted to repay him somehow.

Kusama Shigeo had said that people from Military Headquarters were killers trained by the higher-ups, obedient tools, and utterly heartless.

And this man had also been ordered to protect us.

I leaned carefully against the railing and sneaked a glance at the wound carved across Hyuga Makoto's face. I couldn't help feeling a little sad.

But even people from Military Headquarters felt pain when they were hurt.

The ship continued steadily across the dark sea beneath the black sky. I quietly stuck my legs out through the railing, dangling them over the water as I breathed in the damp sea breeze. It felt thrilling and relaxing!

Sure enough, whether the sun was shining or the sky was heavy with clouds, everything looked better without Kusama Shigeo around!

"Senior, did you know I have a little brother?"

I giggled and held out my hand, imagining what Itachi looked like as I measured his height with my fingers. "He's probably about this tall now. Maybe by the time I get back to Konoha, he'll call me big brother!"

I didn't notice the rare change in Hyuga Makoto's eyes as I excitedly talked about little Itachi.

"Is that so?"

To my surprise, I heard him reply!

I froze for a moment, then hurriedly answered, "Y-yes! He's not even a year old yet, but he's unbelievably cute! He clings to me and wants me to hold him. He puts the food he likes into my bowl. His only flaw is that he's too clingy—if he can't see anyone, he wails! Though, that doesn't really count as a flaw!"

I babbled on with a silly grin, then suddenly realized something.

"Senior, do you have a sibling too?"

As soon as I said it, I felt those pale eyes flick over me, so quickly it was like a knife scraping across me. He seemed to be scrutinizing something, making my blood run cold.

Had I... guessed right?

My face paled, but I was secretly pleased!

Not only was he from the Hyuga Clan—he had a sibling too?

Judging by the way he acted, I wondered whether he had an older brother or a younger one.

I wanted to find out more, but Hyuga Makoto clearly wouldn't reveal anything. So I could only keep talking about little Itachi. Sure enough, his manner softened noticeably again.

So he did have a younger brother!

I grinned, feeling like I'd found a kindred spirit.

After all, having a little brother was truly wonderful!

"Senior, listen. Once, little Itachi insisted on eating my glutinous rice. He still can't eat that kind of food, but he cried when I wouldn't give him any. I had no choice, so I put a whole bunch of onions in it. I never expected him to cry his way through the whole thing! Hahahaha, you should've seen me and Mother back then—"

I was listing one embarrassing story after another about Uchiha Itachi when, the next moment, the entire ship suddenly shook violently!

The jolt was so powerful that it felt as if the ship had struck an enormous mountain beneath the water! I instantly lost my balance and nearly toppled over the railing into the sea! Luckily, Hyuga Makoto grabbed me just in time, saving me from disaster!

"What happened?"

The ship kept rocking. I used chakra just to stay on my feet and clung to the railing, a sense of dread rising inside me.

Sure enough, just after I spoke, the ship shook violently again! The great vessel slowed to a halt and even began to tilt! I could already hear a commotion inside the ship, along with people screaming in terror!

Then one horrifying thing followed another. A thunderous crash came from below, as if something indescribable had barreled through the ship's interior! Desperate screams rang out with it!

But the screams lasted only a moment before they stopped. All that remained was a deathly silence and the ceaseless crashing of the waves.

What had happened?

At that moment, Hyuga Makoto seemed to sense something. He stood up and activated his Byakugan to look below. His expression changed at once!

"Senior, what's going on below? Did we hit something?" I asked quickly.

"There's something under the ship."

Hyuga Makoto leaned forward, the veins around his eyes bulging. His next words shocked me.

"This ship is going to sink."

"What? What did you say? The ship's going to sink?"

How could a perfectly good merchant ship, this huge and carrying so many people, just sink?

I couldn't believe it. But at that moment, the ship began to shudder violently, tilt, and sink!

I clearly heard wood tearing apart, accompanied by a constant stream of screams from the cabins below!

"There's a chakra presence underwater."

Hyuga Makoto stared at the pitch-black water and frowned. "Stay here. I'm going to find Kusama Shigeo."

Before I could reply, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

I stood alone, bewildered, on the vast deck. I had just grabbed the railing when another crash boomed from beneath the ship! Then I heard seawater rushing into the hull. Out here in the endless ocean, the sound made my scalp tingle!

"If... if the ship sinks out here, what do we do?"

Ninja could use chakra to stay on the water's surface, but this was the open sea. How long could our meager chakra possibly last?

I clung to the railing and looked down. Through the churning waves, I saw people continuously falling into the water. Before they could even scream, they vanished into the black, ink-like sea!

"Damn!"

At that very moment, a streak of white flashed across the sky. It was lightning and rain, held back for far too long!

The wind and waves began to grow stronger!

"No, they aren't ninja. They'll die if they fall in!"

I grabbed the railing and remembered Hyuga Makoto's warning. I hesitated, but in the end, I steeled myself and jumped down, using chakra on the soles of my feet to barely keep my balance!

Only when you were actually out at sea did you realize how enormous the waves were!

I stood on the surface, rising and falling with the water. I felt like a leaf that could be swallowed by the surging waves at any moment!

"Help—!!!"

I heard countless cries for help on the other side of the waves and rushed over. Sure enough, I saw a mass of people who had fallen into the water, bobbing up and down!

"Help me! Save me!"

Bodies floated at my feet. I reached out to grab the nearest person, not noticing the thing stirring beneath the water as it came at me!

The next moment, something dragged me violently down into the freezing sea!

My vision filled with pale bubbles. The air in my lungs gushed out as I sank, and cold water flooded into my nose!

I struggled to look down and saw something wrapped around my right foot. Looking closely, I saw them writhing and swimming. They looked like—

Snakes!

A huge swarm of sea snakes! My pupils contracted!

Hundreds, thousands of densely packed snakes swam in the depths of the seabed, too numerous to make out clearly. They coiled around my ankles and slithered up my legs!

Why... why were there so many snakes here? It was as if we'd stirred up a whole nest!

I focused on them. The snakes came surging out of the dark seabed in clumps; some darted straight under the ship, while countless others coiled around its hull!

My heart jumped. I suddenly realized: could these things be what had sunk the ship?

There was no time to think. The tiny snakes crawled up my leg like a mass of tentacles, biting my ankles again and again as they relentlessly dragged me down!

Damn it, it hurt... I couldn't break free!

I held my breath and recalled the technique I'd just worked out. My hands formed Hand Seals without stopping, and chakra suddenly gathered around my body—

Lightning Style: Body Piercing!

In an instant, blue light burst from beneath the sea. Murasame cut through the water, and blood spread everywhere!

Before I could even feel happy, more snakes wrapped around me. As if they'd been roused by the smell of blood, there were even more than before, and they dragged me down toward the seabed in a frenzy!

"Ugh..." The light dimmed. I'd already swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater, and the lack of air made me dizzy. The sea snakes had reached my chest. Everywhere I looked, there was no water, only writhing scales—

Damn it! You beasts!

I struggled like a madman when a hand suddenly broke through the swarm of snakes, grabbed my arm, and yanked me out of the water!

I spat out a mouthful of seawater. My vision gradually cleared, and I slowly made out Hyuga Makoto's face, as well as Kusama Shigeo slung over his shoulder... unconscious.

"What happened to him?"

"He's injured." Hyuga Makoto carried Kusama Shigeo with one arm and helped me up with the other.

"The storm's here. We need to get out of here."

"W-wait, Senior!" I stumbled to the ground and suddenly realized I couldn't feel my right foot! I looked down. My ankle had turned purple and blue, covered in bite marks!

"You've been poisoned..." Hyuga Makoto noticed immediately and frowned. "Hold on to me."

"Wait... wait, Senior..." I struggled to my feet with his arm for support, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the capsized ship.

"Those people... what about those people?"

"We... we came here on their ship... What about the guard uncle?"

Before Hyuga Makoto could reply, the water beneath us suddenly stirred. A deep, rumbling sound rose from below, and a huge shadow swept past beneath us, as if something unfathomable were moving along the seabed!

"What was that?"

It was the first time I'd seen such a gigantic creature. I stood frozen as its enormous shadow shot through the water like an arrow loosed from a bow and slammed into the merchant ship. With a thunderous crash, the already precarious hull took another blow and began sinking faster!

Screams, cries of agony, and the stench of blood spread all at once. I could hear the sound of flesh being ripped apart and teeth gnashing, rising from beneath the water!

I shuddered, opened my mouth, and found I could barely speak!

What... what was that thing?

And within just a few breaths, the last human voice disappeared too. Dark red blood spread across the surface, while beneath the waves lay an abyss of blood. Something felt wrong. It was too quiet around us, as if something were watching us from the darkness—

I had only just gripped Murasame when I felt a tremor beneath my feet. The head of a snake, as thick as a dozen people, burst out of the water and lunged at me with its jaws wide open!

A m-monster!

I froze in place, unable to move, but someone wrapped an arm around my waist! A tremendous force carried me backward, and I narrowly escaped the giant snake's attack!

A towering splash erupted where we'd just been standing!

I looked up. Hyuga Makoto had lifted me with one arm, Kusama Shigeo slung over his shoulder. The moment his pale eyes saw the giant serpent, he fled without hesitation!

"Senior... What, what exactly is that thing?"

He had me tucked under his arm. My voice shook, and I couldn't stop my body from trembling.

With a body that huge, it couldn't be an ordinary sea snake!

"Senior, it's coming after us!"

I spotted a wave of darkness churning beneath the sea, spreading toward us at terrifying speed!

Hyuga Makoto didn't reply. He leaped and dodged repeatedly as wave after wave crashed down over us, each one as huge as a mountain, as if it could capsize us at any moment. I was cold and soaked through, with water in my mouth and ears. One moment I was above the water, the next beneath it. The shadow behind us was like a ghost, drawing near and then disappearing, never letting up!

Damn it, why wouldn't it stop chasing us?

"Senior, it's going to catch us!"

I'd barely gotten the words out before seawater poured into my mouth. The salt stung my eyes painfully. Everything around us was pitch-black; I could hardly tell the sea from the sky!

"We're almost there. Hold on."

Almost where?

Amid the gale and torrential rain, my ankle hurt more and more, and my vision was already starting to blur. Then I suddenly sensed danger.

I struggled to open my eyes as a huge wave crashed toward us. The whole world rumbled with the sound of water. I thought I saw the shadow of a snake swimming beside me, as if fear itself were clinging to me!

But then a figure stepped between me and the monster. The water around me seemed to be controlled by some force, sweeping me away in its grasp. In an instant, I was pulled clear of the sea!

The next moment, I slammed hard onto the damp, soft sand. I rolled several times, then crawled toward shore with all my strength, coughing up seawater. Finally, I lay on my back on the beach like a stranded fish, my chest heaving as I celebrated my narrow escape.

I didn't know how much time had passed. By the time I finally found a little strength, I managed to struggle to my feet and look toward the shore. Suddenly, I spotted someone floating ahead!

I hurried over and took a closer look. It was Kusama Shigeo, unconscious!

"Hey! Wake up!"

I grabbed him by the collar, doing my best to keep his head out of the water. The sea came up to my waist, and I struggled to drag him ashore. Only after I'd gotten him onto land did I carefully lean over him and feel for his breath.

"He's breathing. He's still alive!"

I was just starting to feel relieved when the water behind me suddenly rose. A chill ran down my back. When I looked, I saw that what had washed ashore this time was a mass of writhing black snakes!

I panicked and hauled Kusama Shigeo farther up the shore, but the unease in my heart only grew—

Because... because Senior Hyuga Makoto still hadn't come back!

"Senior!"

I struggled toward the sea, but the snakes at my feet immediately began writhing and wrapping around my ankles and calves, making it impossible to move.

"Senior Hyuga Makoto!"

I screamed at the roaring sea. The water was already up to my waist, and I could hardly take another step. As far as I could see, black snakes writhed in tangled masses!

I kept tearing through the black water with my hands. Just as the snakes were about to engulf my upper body, a gigantic wave slammed me back onto shore. My body had gone numb, and I couldn't stand.

"..."

With great effort, I turned my head and fixed my gaze on Kusama Shigeo's unconscious form. A sharp pain twisted through my heart. I struggled to my feet again and stubbornly edged toward the water. Black snakes covered the ground, coiling around my wrists and crawling up my arms, but I no longer had the strength to shake them off—

"He should be here... He should be..."

My vision grew blurrier and blurrier. My arms gave way, and I pitched headfirst into the sea, completely still.

The rainstorm raged without pause.

Before me, the black ocean still roared. Not a trace of any other color marred its surface; only the abyss-black water rose and fell without end, slowly and furiously surging up to the crest before crashing down. It washed over the child on the beach, inch by inch dragging him farther out, relentlessly devouring his body.

Then a pair of hands reached out, plunging into the writhing mass of black snakes and lifting the child with ease.

On the cliff amid the howling wind and torrential rain, he hoisted the unconscious child over his shoulder, then picked up the boy beside him and walked step by step toward the forest.

But just as he took his first step, a deep growl suddenly rose from beneath the sea behind him. It was as if something were calling from the lightless depths of the ocean, a sound that made the hair on the back of one's neck stand on end.

Hyuga Makoto's expression didn't change. He simply turned and bowed his head slightly toward the sea. Then, in a flash, he vanished with the two of them.