The Land of Whirlpools

Wuming rested her head against Qiancao behind her. Lately, she had grown increasingly fond of being close to him. Only when she felt his body heat could she find a little peace of mind.

Seeing that she wasn't saying anything, Qiancao simply held her in silence.

Ever since she had left the Uchiha Clan's dungeon, Wuming's hygiene had improved tremendously. Her once-messy long hair had gradually grown smooth and soft, and it felt especially comfortable in his arms.

After a long silence, Wuming finally murmured, "I don't know why, but even though I really like the life I have now, I miss that dark little cell even more."

"Those days when it was just the two of us."

Qiancao thought that, as expected of an Uchiha girl, she did seem to have a masochistic streak. Her kind of love made him feel a little happy, yet somehow weighed heavily on him too.

Wuming didn't give Qiancao a chance to speak. She continued, "Sometimes, I still think about how cruelly the adults in my clan treated me a few years ago."

"I should still be full of hatred, like before, wanting to destroy this world."

"But your face always appears in my mind at the crucial moment, and suddenly I can't bring myself to hate anyone..."

Wuming's voice grew softer and softer. After a long while, she turned to look directly at Qiancao, tears in her eyes. "Without you, I don't know what I'd do anymore..."

"Promise me you'll never abandon me, okay?"

Qiancao gently wiped away her tears, then smiled and promised her again, "I'll be with you forever. I swore it on my Sharingan, after all."

The two held each other beneath the dark night sky, gazing at the scattered stars as they entered the next stage of their lives together.

Early the next morning, Ayako woke up with a hangover.

She hadn't left the island in the Land of Whirlpools for half a year, let alone had a drink with friends. She had gotten a little carried away and drunk too much.

But when Ayako woke up that morning, she didn't feel unwell at all. She didn't have the headache or dizziness she'd experienced in the past.

It turned out that after Ayako had passed out under the table the previous day, someone had found a pillow and a blanket for her. She hadn't been left to sleep right on the deck as before.

She straightened the dress that had become wrinkled while she slept. Senju Arashi was still fast asleep beside her, snoring away.

A set of unfamiliar footsteps sounded outside the door. Ayako quickly composed herself and resumed her usual dignified bearing.

Qiancao entered with a basin of hot water and a towel. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw his teacher Ayako sitting upright in her seat.

If the bed behind her hadn't still been unmade, Qiancao might have thought that the person who had looked like a drunkard the night before wasn't his teacher.

"You're awake, Master!" Qiancao greeted her with a smile. "Why don't you wash your face with some hot water?"

He set the basin down in front of Ayako. She tested the temperature. It was pleasantly hot, just the way she liked it.

After washing her face, Qiancao prepared to take the water outside and pour it away.

As he was about to leave, Ayako couldn't help asking, "Did you put the blanket over me?"

Qiancao smiled and nodded. Then he lowered his voice and said, "You'd already gone to bed quite late last night, Master. I didn't want to disturb you and Miss Arashi, so I brought blankets for you both."

Ayako felt pleased to be looked after by her student for the first time. Seeing that his teacher had no further instructions, Qiancao headed outside.

Though Ayako was in high spirits, she was also a little troubled. She hadn't even taught her student any ninjutsu yet, and she'd already shown him how unreliable she could be. She wondered if it had affected his opinion of her.

Just then, Senju Arashi spoke from beside her. "Good morning! What do you think of the student I found for you? It's not bad having someone wait on you, is it?"

Ayako jumped in surprise. "When did you wake up?"

Senju Arashi yawned beneath the covers and said lazily, "I got up while you were washing your face. It was hilarious watching you put on that act."

Hearing this left Ayako feeling a little troubled. She wanted to treat her student as casually as she did when she was alone with Arashi, but since this was her first time taking on a student, she didn't know whether she should be stricter with him.

As if she knew what was troubling her, Senju Arashi offered her some advice. "Just treat Qiancao the way you normally treat me."

"Don't let his youth fool you. He's quite mature and knows what he should and shouldn't do. You don't need to be especially strict with him."

Ayako nodded doubtfully. Just then, Qiancao returned, with his little girlfriend Wuming following behind him.

Qiancao was carrying a tray with two small dishes and rice porridge on it. Wuming carried a washbasin and towel, which she set down in front of Senju Arashi.

Qiancao placed portions of the dishes and porridge on the table in front of Ayako and Senju Arashi, then said to them,

"The kitchen prepared breakfast. Please have something to eat!"

Ayako looked down at the food in front of her. It was all to her taste. She didn't know whether the kitchen or her student had prepared it, but it was certainly thoughtful.

After washing her face with what Wuming had brought, Senju Arashi thanked her, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and wolfed down her food.

After breakfast, everyone went to the bow of the ship. They could just make out land in the distance. Seiichiro stood at the bow, gazing out at the horizon. When he saw them approaching, he gave them a hearty smile and asked,

"How was everyone's drinking last night?"

Senju Arashi put on a regretful expression. "Ah, what a shame someone was such a lightweight. Otherwise, I could've had a couple more drinks."

Seiichiro didn't get angry at her teasing. Drinking had always interfered with his training, so he avoided it whenever he could.

Pointing toward the land in the distance, he turned to Qiancao and said, "Come take a look, young friend. That over there is the legendary Land of Whirlpools."

Qiancao gazed into the distance. The Land of Whirlpools lay on an enormous island.

Seiichiro continued his introduction:

"The founder of the Land of Whirlpools was a young shinobi named Uzumaki Ashina. He was Aunt Ayako's cousin."

"He perfected the various Sealing Jutsu passed down through the Uzumaki Clan and developed many large-scale Sealing Jutsu. He was the shinobi most skilled in Sealing Jutsu in the world."

"Uzumaki Ashina grew tired of the conflicts on the mainland. Five years ago, he led his clan out to sea and founded the Land of Whirlpools."

"Because the Land of Whirlpools is far from the mainland, it has never been caught up in war. Many people who were sick of fighting left their homelands and came here to escape."

Then Seiichiro leaned toward Qiancao with a mysterious air and whispered, "I hear a powerful monster is sealed in the Land of Whirlpools! No one dares to mess with the country because of that monster."

"The Uzumaki Clan studied sealing techniques to suppress the monster in the Land of Whirlpools."

At that point, Uzumaki Ayako spoke up. "If we could choose, our clan would rather call it the guardian deity of the Land of Whirlpools than a monster."