The next morning, Shimoku set out with several team members.
Shimoku, Terumi Uchiha, Yueji Uchiha, Uchiha Gin, and Master Long—five in total.
Among them, Riyō, Yueji, and Gin were all members of Shimoku's Personal Guards.
Yueji was Terumi's older sister, eighteen years old this year. She was tall and well-built—her long legs nearly reached Shimoku's shoulders.
Ahem...
Of course, it wasn't just her looks that got her into Shimoku's personal guard.
More importantly, her strength was quite impressive.
At only eighteen, she already possessed the solid power of a Jonin (elite ninja).
She was arguably the youngest and one of the most outstanding kunoichi within the Uchiha Clan.
Though not on the same level as prodigies like Kakashi or Itachi, she still had great potential.
After all, even across all of Konoha,
Including dozens of major and minor families, hidden and unregistered ones alike,
The total number of Jonin would certainly not exceed three hundred.
And among the Uchiha members he had brought out,
Those who reached Jonin level numbered fewer than ten!
Among them were also several elderly clan elders whose physical condition was no longer at its peak.
Therefore, every young Jonin was extremely precious!
...
Master Long, age thirty-seven, was a Chunin.
His combat abilities weren't particularly remarkable. However, he had previously handled trade exchanges between the Uchiha District and other clans in Konoha.
He had extensive experience in commerce.
The reason for bringing along Master Long was precisely to make use of this specialty,
To facilitate the swift takeover and integration of Gato's "Shipping Company" after eliminating him and his gang.
As for bringing Riyō and Gin along,
It was simply to give these two more opportunities for training.
After all, when the village gradually grew stronger in the future,
There was no way everything would always rely solely on himself working day and night to manage it all, right?
He needed to train more trustworthy and capable subordinates!
Besides,
This time heading out, Shimoku felt much calmer than last time.
He had already placed many [Flying Thunder God Marks] in hidden spots throughout the village. Coupled with his abundant chakra reserves—'72 cards' worth—he could teleport back anytime.
Moreover, even if something did happen on Konoha's side,
It would be difficult for them to evade Otogakure's Intelligence Network and the Uchiha spies he'd left behind.
Thus, for now, concerns about the village's safety could be set aside.
What mattered most at present was still to earn money quickly!
...
Waves Country lay on a small island completely surrounded by sea.
Generally speaking, entering required arriving by boat.
As for the future-famous [Naruto Bridge], construction hadn't even begun yet.
Soon enough, they spent a little cash.
Shimoku and the others boarded a small fishing boat heading toward the Waves Country.
The boat was being rowed by a middle-aged man who wasn't particularly muscular.
Based on the thick calluses on both his hands, along with his strong fishy odor,
It could be determined that he was an old fisherman who'd made his living catching fish and rowing boats for many years—definitely not some evil villain.
"Junior Clan... Master, the fog here is so heavy! It's almost impossible to see far ahead..."
Uchiha Gin, age sixteen, leaned against the side of the ship, curiously peering out.
"That's normal. Maritime countries, including the Land of Water, are often covered in thick fog."
Riyō replied calmly from the side.
Compared to Gin, who disliked studying, Riyō clearly had more knowledge to draw upon.
"I see! But what I want to know is, why does fog form? Where exactly does all this fog come from?"
"Riyō-ge, do you know?"
"Hmm..."
Riyō was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain it.
Just then,
Shimoku, sitting at the stern of the boat, began explaining:
"The sea is moist, and under sunlight, it easily evaporates. Once vaporized, water particles float into the air, increasing humidity until the air becomes saturated. Then the water vapor condenses, forming fog..."
Riyō: ???
Gin: ???
Yueji: ???
Master Long: ???
The rest of them stared at Shimoku with wide eyes.
They felt like they understood everything… and yet absolutely nothing.
Shimoku shot them a glare, muttering under his breath like he was preaching to deaf ears.
Although he hadn't been a top scholar back in his previous life, he did understand basic principles.
Unfortunately, no matter how clearly he explained, these guys just couldn't grasp it.
"Hahahaha! You really are one smart kid!"
"Gin, from now on stop thinking only about playtime. Learn something useful for once!"
Uchiha Long chuckled softly beside them, helping to ease the awkwardness.
...
The boat continued forward.
A short while later, Shimoku himself spoke up:
"Uncle boatman, how much longer?"
Wiping away light sweat, the middle-aged boatman cheerfully responded.
"Not long now! Just a few more minutes!"
"Judging by your appearances, you must be noble children from great nations?"
"No no no—we're ninjas!"
"Haha! Come off it! There's no way someone as young as yourself can be a ninja! Don't tease me now."
"We really are ninjas!"
Shimoku defended.
Yet the rowing boatman still refused to believe him.
After all, none of Shimoku's group were wearing the commonly seen Forehead Protectors.
Usually even the smallest hidden village's ninja would wear their own Forehead Protector.
But this wasn't surprising.
Their Homura Hidden Village had only just been established and hadn't managed to produce its own Forehead Protectors yet.
"Uncle, we really are ninjas—and quite powerful ones at that!"
Uchiha Gin blurted out loudly.
"I don't believe it! Unless you perform some [Ninjutsu] in front of me! Real ninja techniques are amazing, after all!"
"Well…[Ninjutsu] isn't meant for show. I..."
Gin hesitated for a moment, mumbling while turning to look at Shimoku.
After all, randomly using [Ninjutsu] to attract attention was strictly forbidden—
a common rule among ninja.
Okay, none of them had expected this.
At this moment, Shimoku, sitting at the stern of the boat,
Suddenly opened his right palm and began gathering a large amount of chakra.
Within moments,
A small but extremely powerful chakra sphere appeared in Shimoku's hand.
It contained chakra equivalent to at least two Cards!
The immense energy stirred the surrounding mist, rapidly forming a massive spiraling vortex—quite a spectacle.
The burly boatman at the bow nearly dropped to his knees in awe.
"Young Master, what exactly are you doing?!"
Master Long cried out, clearly nervous.
After all, in his perception, the chakra in this one sphere alone was several times more than his total chakra reserves.
If this were to explode, nobody on this ship would survive!
Likewise, everyone else was visibly tense as well.
Even Yueji Uchiha, who had remained silent throughout with her icy demeanor, showed signs of shock.
They couldn't make sense of their Young Master's actions at all.
The next moment,
Without offering any explanation, Shimoku flicked his right hand forward, instantly launching the fist-sized chakra sphere.
It shot toward the left side of the small boat and quickly vanished into the mist.
Several seconds later,
[BOOM!]
A tremendous explosion rang out.
A massive column of water erupted skyward, then shattered into countless droplets that rained down...
The sheer power of just one strike left the others speechless with astonishment and inwardly alarmed.
Meanwhile, further away,
Alongside the explosion came cries of pain and pleas for help.
"What was that?!!!"
"They must be a group of sea pirates who live off robbery," Shimoku replied calmly.
"Young Master, so what you just did was...?"
"Their ship has already been destroyed, although there should still be many survivors."
"These sea bandits do nothing but kill and loot without mercy. Their deaths wouldn't be undeserved."
"Riyō, go deal with the remaining scoundrels!"
"At once!"
Riyō acknowledged swiftly before leaping into action.
He dashed across the water's surface toward the left side, disappearing into the mist, beginning his swift elimination of the surviving pirates.
...
Soon afterward, another series of screams echoed.
Unfortunately, within no more than thirty seconds,
the screams gradually faded.
At the same time, Riyō returned to the boat quickly, carrying two bloodstained kunai.
"Reporting back to you, Young Master. It truly was a gang of pirates—approximately twenty people. All survivors have been eliminated!"
"Excellent. Sit down."
Riyō put away the kunai, glanced sideways at his elder sister Yueji Uchiha sitting on the left, and said nothing further.
However, Uchiha Gin became excited again.
"Incredible! So they really were pirates?"
"Young Master, how did you detect them?"
"And by the way, what jutsu was that move you just used? You didn't even make any hand seals!"
Shimoku smiled slightly.
"It's merely a crude way of chakra use—an underpowered variant of the Tailed Beast Ball. As long as one has sufficient chakra and control, anyone can master it."
"Can I learn it too?"
"Yes."
"You'll need about five to six times more chakra than you currently have just to start using it at all..."
Shimoku's reply felt like a bucket of cold water dumped on Gin's burning enthusiasm.
Five to six times more chakra? When would he ever accumulate that much?!
No wonder Young Master is such a freak!
He just tosses out powerful techniques like they're nothing.
...
As for how Shimoku managed to detect those pirates in advance?
That was even simpler.
With his S-rank [Spirit Transformation Technique], he could effortlessly detect any soul-bearing beings approaching him from the surroundings.
He could also determine whether they carried malice or murderous intent.
Therefore, he had detected them quite early.
A group of hostile pirates hiding far off to the left had been stealthily trailing their boat.
He was simply waiting for the right moment to act.
It also gave him a perfect chance to test the power of his Chakra Sphere.
Rest assured, it wasn't just to show off or anything!
...
Meanwhile,
The massive explosion, the instant destruction of the pirates, and the several unfathomably powerful ninjas standing before him...
All of this completely terrified the poor boatman at the bow, leaving him paralyzed with fear.
What the hell! So there really *were* a bunch of ninjas onboard this whole time!
And that young boy, what kind of monster was he exactly?
He'd never seen such terrifying ninjas in all his life!
"Haha, old man boatman, now do you believe we're really ninjas?" Uchiha Gin teased with a grin.
"I do! I do!"
"Please spare my life, honorable ninjas!"
The boatman frantically kowtowed and begged for mercy, clearly terrified.
"Gin! Don't go around scaring people!" Shimoku cut in gently.
Uchiha Gin: Σ(☉_⊙)???
But he was only talking!
Besides, no matter how scary he appeared,
It couldn't possibly match the sheer intimidation of Young Master's earlier display!
"Alright, calm down. We won't harm you,"
Shimoku reassured with a gentle smile, helping the trembling boatman to his feet. "Not today anyway."
"Actually, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>