"Wow, the changes are amazing..."
Sitting at the bow of the boat, looking at the endless expanse of water before him, Qi muttered to himself.
This is the second time he's taken this route. When Land of Water before, Konoha took a different route. The reason he's taking this route again is because it's the fastest way to get to the Land of Waves.
The last time he traveled this route was almost two years ago, the same route, the same scenery, only the people and the boat were different.
The ship that could only hold a dozen or twenty people has now been replaced by a fleet of large warships that can hold hundreds of people. Two years ago, he was only Genin he is a member of the Konoha Jonin.
This change is truly extraordinary...
"What are you looking at?"
Kakashi appeared behind him.
"We finally managed to bring our people back, shouldn't we spend more time with them?"
"No need. With Master and Yuki Chiyo here, that's enough. Besides, what they need right now is to adjust their mood, not to waste time talking nonsense."
Qi did not turn around.
Compared to the remnants of the Yuki clan, the younger members of the Kaguya Clan were undoubtedly much more depressed, after all, Kaguya had not perished and her main body still existed.
Although neither the Kaguya Clan nor he and Ogata knew this from these young Kaguya, they also knew that after leaving this time, they would never return to the Land of Water, and their clansmen who remained in the Land of Water would soon be Kirigakure. Unlike Yuki, their elders who remained in the Land of Water would be completely wiped out.
In truth, being downcast was an understatement. Their eyes were now filled with hatred for the Feudal Lord of Water and Kirigakure. Although they remained silent, even Kakashi could sense the deep resentment in their hearts.
Let alone the Mist Ninja and the Feudal Lord of Water, even Kakashi could feel their rejection of him. The only people they wouldn't reject were probably Ki, Ogata, Yuki Chiyo, and the remnants of the Yuki clan, since they were in the same boat.
They even accepted Ogata and Yuki Chiyo's concept of the " Huiyue Clan " almost without resistance. Now, they all call Qi the clan leader. After all, Qi is not only the only legitimate " Huiyue " but also their savior and future leader in Konoha. If he doesn't become the clan leader, who else can?
"Upon reaching the Land of Waves, shall we stop? I am not entirely clear about the contents of your agreement."
Gently stroking the hilt of the sword on his back, Kakashi let the sea breeze make his already messy hair even more disheveled as he asked.
"No need to stop, we'll head straight to the Land of Fire. The Land of Waves is none of our business."
"Oh..."
Kakashi seemed somewhat disappointed, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Along the way, it seems no one has caused us any trouble. I originally thought that with so many people with us, something was bound to happen."
With over ten warships from the Land of Water escorting us, if anyone dares to cause trouble, then the Land of Water is doomed.
Qi rolled his eyes; his desire to experience a certain mood had been ruined, and he turned away helplessly.
"Who doesn't know that the Land of Water is the best in naval warfare? Those ships aren't just filled with Mist Ninja."
He scoffed at Kakashi's wish. Did he really think the Land of Water was a lawless zone? Maybe it was during the civil war, but since the position of Feudal Lord of Water was established, after several years of reorganization, the Land of Water, although still ranked last among the Five Great Nations, has gradually recovered its former glory.
In this ninja era, due to the high mobility of the ninja profession, ninja nations have considerable control over their spheres of influence. Of course, if you are a top-tier master who enjoys causing destruction, then that's a different story.
Like Qi and his group, escorted by more than ten warships along the way, carrying several thousand people including Mist Ninja and Prefecture Army —super-violent elements on a publicly funded vacation. Such a group could easily wage a local war; ordinary people wouldn't dare approach them...
Qi had already silently mourned for the daimyo of the Land of Waves. That daimyo was nothing more than a nobleman in name only. The Land of Waves had always been poor, and the Land of Fire's demands on it had been so low that it was just enough to remain independent. As for the Land of Water's genuine national-level army, even if they just sent a hundred or so ninjas there, the Land of Waves would be finished.
In the original work, the fact that this country was controlled by a merchant named Gato is clear evidence of this. If the Land of Fire hadn't basically abandoned the Land of Waves, and if the Land of Fire hadn't been so weak that it was simply absurd, it would have been a pipe dream for a mere merchant to want to control a country.
In the following days, Qi, just like before, gradually grew tired of the unchanging, vast sea around him. He stopped running out to enjoy the wind every now and then and spent most of his time in the cabin, continuing what he had started preparing in Konoha —developing a Ninjutsu that would allow alien energy to be converted without going through his own body.
In the past, he would never have been able to do it, but now, with the Flying Thunder God passed down from the fourth generation, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
During this time, if anyone entered Qi's room, they would see a shocking scene. Apart from a bed, all the furniture in the room had been removed, and the empty space was filled with large, floating rhomboid ice crystals. On each ice crystal, some kind of rune could be seen engraved inside. Every now and then, these runes could be seen flashing with subtle light one after another at a fixed frequency and order.
And whenever the transmission of light is interrupted, these ice crystals will begin to move again, forming a new sequence...
In these days, time flew by without Qi realizing it, so much so that after yet another failed experiment, someone knocked on the door.
"What's up?"
With a wave of his hand, all the ice crystals in the room immediately collapsed, turning into wisps of mist and dissipating.
"Lord Qi, we can see the Land of Waves now."
"Immediately notify everyone. I require everyone to be in top form and responsible for their assigned positions as quickly as possible!"
Qi jumped off the bed and began checking his equipment.
"I'll be up right away, wait for me up there."
"Yes."
The subordinate who knocked on the door quickly fell silent, presumably having gone up to the deck.
After silently checking and confirming that he hadn't missed anything, Qi pushed open the door and left the room.
Inside the cabin, following his order, everyone was quickly preparing their belongings and rushing to their posts.
The only difference is probably with Yuki and Huiyue's group; they genuinely don't know what they're supposed to do.
However, Qi's appearance caught their attention.
They may not be good at other things, but they are good at fighting!
Even if they don't fight, having them do things like night shift work is fine; it's more fulfilling than just eating for free.
Therefore, just as Qi Gang was about to go up the stairs, he heard a shout coming from behind him...
"Chieftain!"
"?"
He turned his head with a question mark in his eyes.
"Chieftain, what can we do?"
A boy not much taller than him looked at him hopefully.
Incidentally, there was a large group of people behind this child, all looking at him with the same gaze, their meaning clear without a word...
"Forehead..."
Qi was immediately stumped. He had originally intended to say, "Go to sleep..."