Nonō's worries proved unnecessary. Terai created several Shadow Clones and steered the sturdy black wooden ship through the wind and waves.
Terai had also encountered Mist Ninja he could not avoid, but he had underestimated the Daimyō of the Land of Water's standing among them.
When the Mist Ninja patrolling the outer waters saw the Daimyō's ship, they did not even perform a routine inspection. They simply ignored it!
The ship's cabin had seals placed on it to block sensory detection. In the Land of Fire, even the seals in the Daimyo's Mansion would have to be thoroughly investigated on Lord Danzo's orders-covertly, of course...
Wait!
A possibility suddenly occurred to Terai. He released the wheel and created another Shadow Clone to take over.
His real body left the Control Room at the stern and approached the central cabin. He pushed open the door, endured the assault of Takahashi Yū and his companions' snoring, and lifted a corner.
He gently channeled chakra into it, and the barrier immediately gave off a faint glow.
The corners of Terai's mouth twitched uncontrollably. As someone proficient in seals, he naturally recognized that this was not Konoha's-or rather, the Uzumaki's-Sealing Jutsu.
Was the Water Daimyō generous with payment? Just how wild did he get in his everyday amusements?
This Sealing Barrier had actually been set up by Kirigakure. Terai had assumed all along that Lord Danzo had arranged it, leaving him on edge for the entire journey.
By this point in the voyage, he no longer had the energy to complain. Seeing him enter the cabin, Nonō walked over.
"Sir, did something happen?"
"No, everything's going smoothly. We'll soon leave the Western Four Islands and approach the southern part of the Land of Water's Main Island."
Terai shook his head without sharing that meaningless