Ise Town Docks
Early the next morning, Lord Chino had arranged a ship bound for Red Shoal Island.
"We're entrusting everything to you. The prosperity, even the survival, of Ise Town rests in your hands," Lord Chino said sincerely to Sakura's team as they prepared to board.
With the monster disrupting trade between Ise Town and Red Shoal Island, failure to resolve the situation meant the disappearance of their top-grade beef from the shinobi continent. Ise Town itself would likely decline back into obscurity.
"Don't worry, Lord Chino! Leave it all to us!" Kiba piped up confidently before Sakura could respond.
Sakura and the others stepped onto a large, two-decked ship. It was sturdy but lacked excessive ornamentation, appearing quite practical. Aside from Sakura's team, only the ship's crew were aboard.
"Man, the Lord is pretty generous, huh? Giving us a whole ship just for ourselves," Kiba remarked, looking around at the empty deck space occupied only by the sailors.
"Kiba, this isn't generosity," Shino stated quietly from the side. "The reason is: no one else dares to board this ship."
"Eh? Why not?" Hinata asked, puzzled.
"Yesterday, the Lord mentioned the monster also eats people," Shino explained logically. "This harbor is practically full of docked ships. It means no one dares to set sail right now."
"Exactly," Sakura added, nodding. "Which means the crew currently on this ship are essentially considered expendable. If we weren't here, they probably would have turned back long ago."
Sakura watched the busy crew members for a moment, shaking her head slightly, before heading inside the ship's structure to find a place to rest.
Just then, a crewman approached her. Sakura found his face familiar, and after a moment's thought, recognized him as the young guard who had guided them the previous day.
"Is there something you need?" Sakura asked.
"I came to tell you that we volunteered for this voyage. Lord Chino didn't force us," the guard stated directly.
Sakura looked at him, slightly perplexed, wondering why he felt the need to come and tell her this.
Perhaps sensing her confusion, the guard continued, "Lord Chino has worked incredibly hard for the development of Ise Town. It's safe to say that without his governance, Ise Town would still be just a collection of cattle farms, not the prosperous place it is today. I just hope… you won't hold any prejudice against the Lord. That's all."
Sakura inwardly sweat-dropped. So, he's basically a die-hard fanboy of the Lord, can't stand anyone thinking poorly of him.
"I understand," Sakura said, deciding not to argue with a zealot who was clearly already brainwashed. "So, how long until we reach Red Shoal Island?"
"It takes about two days from here. We should arrive tomorrow afternoon," the guard replied.
"That long?" Sakura raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"That's actually quite fast," the guard countered. "Without a map, finding it could take a week, maybe longer."
Since the guard put it that way, Sakura resigned herself to the wait. After instructing Shino, Hinata, and Kiba to remain alert and watch the surrounding waters, she found a deck chair. Creating a Storm Release Clone, she sent it plunging into the sea below to continue practicing her 'split personality technique'.
Time seemed to pass quickly, and before she knew it, evening had fallen. Sakura hadn't made much progress with her mental training; deliberately trying to fracture one's own psyche was proving difficult, and a part of her resisted the process entirely.
"Aaaah~~!" Kiba stretched languidly, letting out a huge yawn. "Been watching all day, and not a single sign of any monster! So boring!" Akamaru barked in agreement beside him.
"Hinata, have you spotted anything?" Sakura asked. Since maintaining the Byakugan constantly consumed chakra, Hinata only activated it periodically.
"No threats detected, Sakura-san. But..."
"But what?" Sakura prompted.
"It's just... there seem to be a lot more fish around here than usual. And they're quite large," Hinata reported, her Byakugan active.
"So, nothing significant then," Sakura mused aloud, turning to Shino. "What about you?"
"No anomalies detected. My insects remain calm," Shino replied, a kikaichu resting peacefully on his hand.
"I see. Well, let's see what tonight brings. The monster probably doesn't appear during the day. You three will have to keep up the hard work tonight."
"I-It's fine! This is part of the mission, after all," Hinata responded earnestly.
Sakura herself lacked specialized reconnaissance ninjutsu; her only Earth Release sensory technique was useless out here on the open ocean. Lady Tsunade had likely considered this when assigning Team 8 to accompany her. If Sakura were alone, her only option would probably be to wait for the monster to reveal itself and face it head-on.
Night
After dinner, Sakura lay back on the deck chair, gazing up at the star-strewn sky and listening to the rhythmic sounds of the sea. A strange sense of melancholy washed over her.
It had been thirteen years since she arrived in this world. She had forged bonds here, developed her own dreams. Sometimes, when she tried to recall her previous life, the memories felt hazy, distant.
This high-combat world was exhausting. Even though she wasn't weak anymore, she still couldn't find true peace of mind. The decisive battle looming three years from now… what would it be like? What level of strength would she reach by then? Uncertainty clouded her thoughts…
Just have to survive the Fourth War, she told herself. After that, the shinobi world should enter decades of peace. She had used Creation Rebirth quite a bit already; her lifespan was likely shortened considerably.
But Sakura didn't really care about that anymore. Unlike Orochimaru, she had no desire for immortality. She just wanted to live each day peacefully, to enjoy life. What was the point of living an unnaturally long life, anyway? Besides, she was different from the natives of this world. Perhaps… perhaps death for her would simply be the moment she woke up from this long dream.
Gazing blearily at the stars, lulled by the ocean's murmur, Sakura drifted off to sleep.
She woke to the harsh glare of daylight. Shielding her eyes with a hand, Sakura sat up.
"Hey! Are you really a ninja?"
A sharp voice cut through the morning air. It was the guard.
Sakura squinted in his direction, letting out a questioning "Hm?"
"I heard you're the captain! Is this how a ninja behaves?" the guard demanded, his voice laced with anger.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, Sakura saw the young guard standing over her, his youthful face flushed with indignation.
"We didn't hire shinobi for you to come here and sleep! If you don't want the job, you can leave anytime!" Seeing Sakura's sleepy, languid state only fueled his anger.
Sakura blinked, momentarily bewildered. Where is all this hostility coming from? All she did was sleep. She'd specifically assigned Hinata, Kiba, and Shino to night watch, and it wasn't like she was a sensory-type ninja.
Although clients technically held a higher status than the hired shinobi, Sakura wasn't about to tolerate this attitude. She brushed past him dismissively, heading towards Team 8, who were still maintaining their alert positions nearby.
"Hey! Is that how you treat a client?!" the guard shouted after her, practically vibrating with rage at being ignored.
Sakura stopped and turned back to face him. "What is it you want? Spit it out."
"I... I..." The guard stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Despite the crew's willingness to sacrifice themselves for Lord Chino, they weren't stupid enough to throw their lives away if the Konoha ninjas could actually protect them. The guard wasn't just thinking of himself, but of the others too.
"Hmph." Seeing him speechless, Sakura scoffed and turned to leave again.
She'd initially had a decent impression of the guard, but ever since they boarded the ship yesterday morning, he seemed to be deliberately targeting her. She'd let it slide yesterday, but she wasn't expecting him to escalate things today.
"Stop right there!" the guard yelled. Sakura heard the unmistakable shing of metal being drawn. "I challenge you to a duel!"
Sakura halted once more, finally taking a proper look at him. She hadn't paid close attention before, but now she saw he barely looked like an adult. His face, though still somewhat boyish, was set in a mask of fierce determination as he glared at her, sword drawn.
"Boring..." Sakura drawled, looking at him with amusement. "You're the client. I won't lay a hand on you. Besides, is it really appropriate to draw your sword on a girl like this?"
"You're a ninja, aren't you? Ninja have no gender!" the guard retorted hotly. "And I won't allow you to neglect your duties!"
"Neglect my duties? You mean me?" Sakura scoffed, starting to think the kid was genuinely delusional. "Ridiculous. All I did was optimally allocate tasks according to each person's skills."
"Is sleeping your task then?!" the guard shot back, glaring furiously.
"Heh," Sakura chuckled dryly. "I can't be bothered explaining it to you. How I manage my team is my business. If you don't understand, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." She truly felt this brat was suffering from a bad case of chuunibyou.
Still, she couldn't attack him – not while the client relationship was active. Once the mission's over, she thought, I'll teach him a lesson.
But as Sakura turned away again, before she had even taken two steps, the sharp whistle of a weapon slicing through the air reached her ears from behind.
This kid is asking for death!!!