The Land of Artisans mainly relies on supplying weapons to various ninja villages and then purchasing food, cloth, and other necessities.
With a thriving maritime trade, ships came and went at the docks, and people of all races and clothing could be seen, so the people of this country were quite well-traveled and knowledgeable.
At a restaurant, Aoki Tsuki and Konan chose a window seat.
"Distinguished guests, is this your first time visiting the Land of Artisans? What would you like to eat?"
The small restaurant has a unique interior layout, and the tables and chairs are spotless.
The owner was a man in his fifties, dressed in a white chef's uniform. He greeted customers very warmly as they entered the shop.
"Haha... we're here as tourists. What local delicacies do you have? Tell us about them..."
"Our specialty is sashimi. We also offer grilled saury, shrimp tempura, and crab salad. For main courses, we have miso Udon and salted fish fried rice. We also provide complimentary clear soup."
"Oh? I love salted fish the most. Give me two servings of salted fish fried rice, one serving of squid sashimi, and one serving of grilled saury."
Aoki Tsuki quickly told her what she wanted to eat, then turned to look at Konan.
"Crab salad, miso Udon noodles," Konan said.
The shop owner nodded. "Please wait a moment, I'll make it for you right away."
Aoki Tsuki sighed, "How envious! If only our Land of Rain were on this island, far from war, we could catch fish and shrimp when we're hungry, and run a small business to entertain tourists if we wanted to get rich. It would be so wonderful!"
Konan gave Aoki Tsuki a cold glance and said, "You're dreaming. According to intelligence, the Land of Artisans is one of the important weapon production centers in the ninja world."
Whenever war breaks out, the Five Great Shinobi Villages are the first to target them, in order to prevent their opponents from acquiring weapons from here.
"Um... isn't this a bit too unethical?"
"The ninja world has always been like this: for the sake of their own interests, they wantonly trample on the lives of people from other countries, which is why a new order is needed."
As a messenger of God, he is indeed a staunch defender of order.
"So what are we doing here... crafting ninja tools, preparing for the establishment of a new order?"
"Hmm." Konan was clearly unwilling to say more.
"Tch! I thought it was some big mission, all this secrecy. Just send anyone, right? A man like me is for big things."
"Are you talking about going to that kind of place to do great things...?"
I knew this wouldn't be so easily forgotten.
As someone who is loyal to love and friendship, I will also use the same standards to judge others around me.
In Konan's eyes, no one who goes to entertainment venues is a good person; they are filthy, disgusting, and repulsive.
A man should be as upright as Yahiko.
Aoki Tsuki explained helplessly, "Do you think I wanted to go? I had to go for work. Let's put this behind us and move on. As my superior, you need to be magnanimous."
It's normal for subordinates to make mistakes occasionally. You can just give them a pointer and help me correct my course, right?
Konan turned her head to look out the window, not wanting to say anything.
If she hadn't repeatedly seen a man sneaking off to a bubble room at night to spend the night, she would have actually believed this nonsense.
After a while, the restaurant owner brought over the prepared food, and Aoki Tsuki began to eat with gusto.
He drifted at sea for over ten days, eating only rations Tenten, which nearly killed him.
"Hey? Why aren't you eating...? To be honest, it tastes pretty good."
"Eat first if you're hungry."
Konan wouldn't easily eat unfamiliar food; she would wait until Aoki Tsuki ate it first to make sure she wouldn't get poisoned before she would feel at ease eating it herself.
Just as she told Nagato, Aoki Tsuki is quite useful in crucial moments.
For example, right now, I'm helping her test for poison.
Logically speaking, someone from Amegakure, skilled in assassination and Hanzō's bodyguard, should be instinctively wary of poison, but in reality, he doesn't seem worried at all.
Even the Preta Path couldn't eat as much as him; he devoured the food in no time, like a whirlwind.
Glug... Glug...
He downed the free clear soup the owner gave him in a few gulps, then said, "Boss, your clear soup is so delicious, give me another bowl!"
"Thank you so much for your compliment. Here's another bowl for you."
The boss is used to customers who like to take advantage of others; he's so handsome, what a waste.
After Aoki Tsuki finished his second bowl of clear soup and showed no particular reaction, Konan picked up her chopsticks and began to eat slowly and deliberately.
It looks like we won't be able to finish it anytime soon.
Aoki Tsuki simply lay down on the chair, rubbed her stomach, and took a nap.
Suddenly, a familiar Chakra surged into his senses. "This feeling... is it Shisui Uchiha?"
Aoki Tsuki slowly opened her eyes, got up, walked to the counter, took out her money, and placed it on the counter to pay.
Turning to Konan, he said, "You eat slowly first, I'm going out to digest."
Without waiting for Konan's reply, he left the small restaurant and chased after the direction where the Chakra had disappeared.
At this moment, several large ships were loading cargo onto the dock, and dockworkers were constantly loading boxes of goods onto the ships.
Shisui Uchiha hid in a secluded corner and, by comparing the waterline of the ship, quickly locked onto his target.
"The weapons and supplies destined for Kirigakure should be on those two ships."
The general staff's instructions were to intercept the shipment of supplies and sink it, but that would mean the people on board would also die.
Shisui planned to take action near the dock, hoping that the crew members would at least survive.
After a while, a horn sounded, and the two ships slowly sailed out of the harbor and headed towards the open sea, having traveled less than a few hundred meters.
Boom boom boom...
A violent explosion occurred on the side of the ship, close to the water's surface.
Seawater rushed into the cabin through the rupture, and the ship began to tilt, about to capsize. The crew ran and shouted, jumping into the sea and swimming toward the dock.
After sinking one ship with Explosive Tag, Shisui landed on the water and ran towards another ship, intending to sink it in the same way.
Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique
Suddenly, a thick white fog rose from the sea and enveloped the ship.
Seeing Shisui quickly stopped, thinking to himself, " Kirigakure really did send people to meet us?"
Just then, a fierce whistling sound rang in my ears, its power astonishing.
Swish...
Shisui's body suddenly disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was not far behind the attacker, his hands Hand Seals and his mouth spewing out fierce flames.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Thud...
A blade the size of a door cleaved the fireball in two, the resulting gale tearing the flames apart, while the person wielding the blade remained unharmed.
" The Kubikiribōchō? One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
Looking at the uniquely shaped greatsword before him, Shisui was startled, not expecting that Kirigakure would send such a powerful person.
" That Uchiha brat dared to sabotage our supplies, he's got some nerve..."
Juzo Biwa raised his hand and hoisted the large sword onto his shoulder, secretly sizing up his opponent, not underestimating him just because he was a child.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist once suffered a great loss because their opponent looked like an ordinary passerby, and only three of them survived.
Shisui conjured several Shuriken simultaneously and hurled them at Juzo Biwa. Without even checking the outcome, he began running in circles around the latter, rapidly Hand Seals in the process.
" Body Flicker Technique "
Juzo Biwa used the broad blade of his Kubikiribōchō to block the Shuriken attack, only to find that the enemy had multiplied into more than a dozen charging at him.
"Is this Konoha's Shadow Clone Technique?"
The Kirigakure Ninja and the Konoha Ninja have fought countless times and are very familiar with each other, naturally summarizing their own experiences and insights.
Using the Hidden Mist Technique to deal with the Uchiha can disrupt their vision; as long as they can't see themselves, they won't fall for the Genjutsu.
boom...
Using the weight and large surface area of his greatsword, Juzo Biwa slammed it onto the sea surface, sending sprays of water flying in all directions in an attempt to block Shisui's multiple attacks.
However, the water spray passed right through the other person's body.
"It's not Shadow Clone, it's an illusion..."
Ding ding ding...
Reality, however, once again overturned his understanding; every enemy attack turned out to be a real, hard attack.
"What on earth is going on? Is it another freak...?"
Juzo Biwa found himself in a situation where he was ganged up on and was kicked over and fell into the sea in the blink of an eye. As Kirigakure Ninja, he was naturally not going to drown and instead gained a chance to catch his breath.
Through the clear seawater, one could see the other person standing on the water, moving with the waves; the enemy was clearly a cautious fellow as well.
Juzo Biwa quietly approached, his Chakra surging from his hand and condensing the surrounding seawater into a bubble.
" Water Release Water Prison Technique "
Just as he was about to throw a water bubble at the enemy who was right in front of him, the other person suddenly looked down, and a pair of blood-red pupils pierced through the seawater and struck the depths of his heart.
" Hell Viewing Technique "
"Ah...!"
Juzo Biwa cried out in surprise, his eyes bulging and bloodshot.
He found himself back in that day, the scene of being crushed by that green figure. That fear was deeply ingrained in his heart, and he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
Glug... Glug...
Unconsciously, seawater kept pouring into his mouth, his body grew heavier and heavier, and he slowly sank into the depths of the sea.
I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly a bright light appeared in the darkness, and I felt someone kick me hard in the stomach.
"Ugh... cough cough... cough..."
Juzo Biwa suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of seawater, then coughed violently.
After a moment, he recovered and found a blue-haired youth standing next to him, his Kubikiribōchō stuck in the ground beside him.
"Did you save me? Who are you...?"