Red Shoal Island
After finishing her meal, Sakura returned to the ship to rest. Having pulled an all-nighter followed by a long day of investigation and stress, she was physically and mentally exhausted. Whatever secrets this island held, they could wait until she'd recovered her strength.
She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly. When she opened them again, the sky was filled with countless stars.
Stretching languidly, Sakura emerged from her cabin on deck, only to find someone standing right outside her door.
It was Tatsuo.
"I swear, your subordinates seem more competent than you are. Are you really a ninja?" Tatsuo practically spat the words, glaring at the still-rubbing-her-eyes Sakura, teeth clenched.
Sakura merely glanced at him, offered no response, and walked past him towards the gangway leading off the ship.
"Konoha ninja have a decent reputation across the lands! That's the only reason I recommended the Lord hire your village!" Tatsuo continued bitterly, though he made no move to stop her. "Now it seems my suggestion was a grave mistake."
"Think whatever you want. Just stay out of my way," Sakura retorted without looking back, already heading straight for the pasture.
She arrived to find Ryuichi diligently standing guard, just as he had been the previous night.
"Ryuichi-san, you really don't need to be out here all night. We can handle it," Sakura said, feeling a pang of guilt at his unwavering dedication.
Based on what she'd gathered over the past couple of days, the monsters might pose a threat to samurai, but they were hardly a danger to her. Still, with the creatures stubbornly staying hidden, there wasn't much Sakura could do, which made her feel like she was slacking off.
"It's no trouble. This affects us all; it's only right that we contribute," Ryuichi replied conscientiously.
Is that his way of saying he thinks I'm not pulling my weight? Sakura grumbled internally.
"Ryuichi-san," she began, deciding to address it directly – she actually quite liked the straightforward samurai. "Do you feel like I've been neglecting the mission?"
Ryuichi chuckled warmly. "Not at all," he reassured her. "While I don't know much about ninja, I understand you operate differently from samurai. You each have specialized ninjutsu, unlike us with our swordsmanship. Since the monster hasn't appeared, perhaps your particular skills simply haven't been called for yet."
"I'm glad you understand," Sakura said, relieved that his words seemed genuine. "But someone else doesn't see it that way. He seems convinced I'm deliberately slacking off."
"You mean young Tatsuo, don't you?" Ryuichi asked knowingly.
"Yeah."
"Well, Tatsuo is actually the son of the Lord of Chino Castle. His full name is Chino Tatsuo," Ryuichi explained quietly.
Hmph. Figures. Sakura's expression didn't change much at the revelation. Even if he were a daimyo's son, titles meant little to her. She wasn't native to this world; in places with higher levels of power, strength was the only thing that truly mattered. It's strange, though, how people in this world often look down on ninja, even when ninja are infinitely stronger than them.
"As the Lord's heir, he carries immense pressure," Ryuichi continued. "He knows he will inherit leadership of Ise Town one day, so he constantly pushes himself to meet impossibly high standards, and expects the same from everyone around him. That's why he comes across so harshly. He's still young, though, and lacks flexibility. He ends up offending people without meaning to. He doesn't have ill intentions; he's just desperately trying to become the kind of leader he believes he needs to be."
"Heh. The Lord of Chino had children pretty late in life, didn't he?" Sakura remarked dryly.
Ryuichi blinked, momentarily thrown by her unexpected observation. "Ah... well... The Lord and his wife did have children earlier, but sadly, they all passed away in infancy. It was only after Lady Chino came here, to Red Shoal Island, to carry the pregnancy to term in a healthier environment that Tatsuo was born successfully. He was actually born right here on this island."
"Right. I was just making an observation," Sakura said quickly, slightly surprised by Ryuichi's willingness to share such personal details. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover.
"My hope is that you won't hold Tatsuo's behavior against him," Ryuichi concluded sincerely. "I truly believe he will grow into a fine lord one day."
"Haha, don't worry. I'm not about to get into a feud with a kid," Sakura laughed lightly, tapping her forehead protector. "Besides, I'm a Chunin of Konoha."
"And that is precisely why I respect you," Ryuichi said earnestly. "From what I understand, achieving the rank of Chunin at your age marks you as one of the elite among ninja."
"Heh heh," Sakura chuckled awkwardly, unused to such direct praise. "Right, well, I should probably go check on my team."
She dashed off before Ryuichi could say more.
She headed towards the beach where they had been stationed the previous night, seeking out Shino first. His kikaichū insects seemed particularly effective on this strange island.
"Shino, anything new? Any discoveries?" Sakura asked, not expecting much.
To her surprise, Shino did have something significant to report.
"There is one discovery. I am currently in the process of confirming it," Shino stated calmly. "The 'vacuum zones' we identified last night... have disappeared."
"What?! Gone?" Sakura exclaimed, shocked.
"Correct," Shino confirmed. "My kikaichū are now exhibiting an agitated state within the boundaries of yesterday's vacuum areas. Therefore..." He trailed off, the implication clear. The energy drain was no longer happening.
"Does that apply to all the areas we marked?" Sakura asked urgently.
"I have yet to confirm the status of the other locations, but it is definitively the case here," Shino replied.
"How is that possible?" Sakura muttered, perplexed. "Let's check the other spots right now. Come on!"
She led Shino back through the areas they had marked with stones the night before, including the one inside the pasture grounds. Every single vacuum zone was gone. The energy anomaly had vanished completely.
"What's wrong?" Ryuichi asked, noticing Sakura's hurried return and the deep frown creasing her brow as she slumped onto the grass after checking the pasture circle.
"We might have a lead," Sakura said grimly. "Those monsters... they were probably right here last night. Inside those circles we marked."
"Are you sure? But we dug down yesterday and found nothing," Ryuichi pointed out, confused.
"Let me think," Sakura murmured, closing her eyes. Okay, based on today's findings... the vacuum zones were created because the monsters were absorbing the island's energy. Their ultimate goal is likely the torii gate itself. The zones disappearing today proves the monsters aren't in those spots now. So why didn't we find them yesterday? Even when we dug... unless... we didn't dig deep enough?
As Sakura pondered, a figure came running frantically into the pasture. It was Tatsuo.
He skidded to a halt, bending over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. "Quick... huff... hurry..."
"Easy now, son. Take a breath. What happened?" Ryuichi asked calmly.
"Quickly... go... go to the docks! There's... a merchant ship... trying to leave!" Tatsuo managed between ragged breaths.
Hearing this, Sakura immediately signaled to Shino, and the two took off towards the harbor at top speed.
"Shouldn't we alert Kiba and Hinata?" Shino asked, keeping pace behind her.
"No, let them maintain their positions," Sakura replied quickly. "Right now, on this island, your insects are more valuable than their specific skills for this situation."
When they reached the Red Shoal docks, the area was ablaze with light and teeming with agitated people.
"Why won't you let us leave?! The monster hasn't shown up in two days!"
"Is this how you treat us?! I'll report your conduct to the Lord himself when I get back to Ise Town!"
"That other ship already sailed! Why can't we go?! The monster is obviously gone!"
"Do you have any idea how much money we're losing every day we're stuck here?! You couldn't afford to repay us even if you worked as a guard your entire life!"
"..."
"..."
Sakura pushed her way through the chaotic throng of shouting merchants, heading towards the guarded pier entrance.
"Hey, why can they go in?"
"Oi, kid! Who do you think you are?"
"..."
"..."
Seeing Sakura and Shino pass the guards, the merchants immediately redirected their furious shouting towards the two ninja.
Sakura glared back at the unruly crowd, thoroughly annoyed. Bunch of idiots, valuing money over their own lives. Not wanting to waste breath arguing, she flashed through hand seals and slammed her palm onto the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Instantly, solid walls of earth erupted from the ground, forming a circular enclosure that trapped the noisy merchants inside. The cacophony abruptly ceased.
"Sakura," Shino remarked, looking slightly aghast at her impulsive action, "Employing such a jutsu might result in official complaints."
"Let them complain! Whoever wants to complain can go right ahead! Tch!" Sakura scoffed dismissively.
Shino was momentarily speechless at her imposing, almost badass attitude.
"Thank you so much," one of the guards said gratefully to Sakura.
"Don't mention it. Now, tell me what happened," Sakura commanded.
"It's terrible, Ninja-sama!" the guard exclaimed frantically. "A merchant ship managed to slip away while we were distracted! Lord Chino specifically ordered us to prevent any of the stranded merchants from leaving port recklessly!"
"Which direction did they go?" Sakura asked sharply.
"That way!" The guard pointed out towards the dark expanse of the sea.
"Alright, understood. You keep watch here, don't let anyone else through," Sakura instructed. She turned to Shino. "Let's go. Maybe we'll finally run into our monster out there."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three perfect copies of Sakura flickered into existence beside her, and then all four Sakuras dashed out across the surface of the water. Shino followed close behind.
Meanwhile, somewhere out on the open sea, a luxurious merchant vessel sailed along, its decks brightly illuminated against the night.
Inside a lavish dining cabin, a group of richly attired individuals feasted and conversed loudly. A particularly obese man laughed heartily.
"Haha! See? I told you it was nothing! That monster hasn't been seen for two whole days! It must have moved on!"
"Exactly!" chimed in another portly man, distinguished by a samurai topknot. "I bet Ise Town made the whole thing up just to drive up their prices!"
"We only came for a few days' visit, and ended up trapped here," the first man grumbled, though he added, "Still, the beef here, straight from the source, is even tastier than in Ise Town."
"Ise Town just wants to monopolize the beef trade, that's my guess. That's why they fabricated this whole story," the samurai-topknot merchant declared. "Why don't we partner directly with Red Shoal Island? We could crush Ise Town's business! Teach them a lesson for stranding us here for so long!"
"Hmm~ An excellent idea! What do the rest of you think?" the first man asked the table.
"No objections here!"
"Ise Town has gotten too arrogant! They deserve to be taken down a peg!"
"Agreed!"
"..."
"..."
The group continued their boisterous plotting aboard the opulent ship, utterly oblivious to the fact that uninvited guests had already come aboard...
Sakura and her clones searched the designated patch of ocean until the dead of night bled into the first hints of dawn. Yet, there was absolutely no trace of the merchant ship.
"This doesn't make sense," Sakura muttered, frowning at the eerily calm sea surface. "Based on the time, they shouldn't have gotten this far. How can there be no sign at all?"
"Sakura, I found something," Shino reported, approaching swiftly across the water.
"You found it? Where is it?" Sakura asked eagerly.
"Only this," Shino replied, holding up a ragged piece of fabric – a flag, torn and marked with distinct bite patterns.
"This is...?"
"It likely belonged to the merchant ship," Shino confirmed gravely. "These bite marks are quite fresh."
"Where's the ship itself?" Sakura demanded, needing more than just a tattered flag.
"I believe..." Shino paused, his voice low. "...it has likely already sunk. There was nothing else in the vicinity where I discovered the flag."
"Urk..." Sakura felt the words die in her throat. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach.
This might be the first mission where she truly felt... defeated. Not by overwhelming enemy strength, but by sheer elusiveness. It was a frustrating kind of setback she'd never experienced before. Having all this power, yet being unable to land a single blow on an enemy that refused direct confrontation, slippery as an eel... it left her with a profound sense of failure.
The eastern horizon began to glow faintly. Another night had passed.
"Let's head back," Sakura said, her voice leaden, her body aching with exhaustion. "Give this flag to the guards at the docks. Tell them to hang it where everyone can see it. I imagine the remaining merchants will be much more compliant after this."
As they turned back towards Red Shoal Town, a cold resolve hardened within Sakura.
That's it. This time, I don't care if I have to steal it, bribe someone, or knock Soga out. I am going to dismantle that torii.