On the endless blue sea, a cargo ship sailed against the setting sun, gliding through the waves and leaving a long trail of white foam behind...
"Mr. Kakashi, dinner is ready! Please come down and eat!" Suddenly, as Ishikawa and the others were immersed in training, the client's voice echoed from inside the cabin.
"Alright, let's call it a day for training. Time to eat." Kakashi immediately seized the opportunity to retreat. Ishikawa and the other two had cornered him into teaching nearly the entire day.
One must rest—balance is key!
Seeing Kakashi head toward the dining room, the three boys exchanged glances and quickly followed. After training for so long, they were all starving...
"What a feast!" The moment Jiro entered the dining hall, he was captivated by the spread of delicious food. His mouth practically watered at the sight.
Ishikawa also looked up, eyes gleaming. This kind of luxurious meal would cost at least a thousand ryo back in Konoha.
"By the way, why does Mr. Nagayoshi treat Kakashi-sensei with such respect? He really went all out with this meal!" Taro glanced at their attentive client and asked in confusion.
Even if Kakashi was a Jonin from Konoha, there was no need for a client to be this humble—after all, he was the one paying them.
"Hahaha, clearly you don't know!" Hearing Taro's question, Nagayoshi turned around with a smile. "Mr. Kakashi is a world-renowned elite ninja. Hiring him to escort this cargo shipment at just a C-rank mission fee is an incredible deal. Of course I'm treating him well!"
What he didn't say aloud was this: Because of Kakashi's reputation, he had suddenly decided to double the original five loads of goods to over ten—and even brought along a large sum of cash, hoping to strike it rich in the Village of Artisans.
And now, standing before a living, breathing God of Wealth who could turn fortune his way, how could Nagayoshi possibly hold back?
"I see... I really look forward to the day I can make a name for myself..." Taro said with admiration, while Ishikawa and Jiro were already busy devouring their food.
After a hearty meal and some drinks, they confirmed the guard schedule under Kakashi's direction. Ishikawa and the others then returned to the cabin to rest and recover their chakra.
The first to stand guard, naturally, was Kakashi.
At the same time, on an island under the jurisdiction of the Land of Water—
"Heh, never thought we'd catch such a big fish before even leaving the Land of Water. And it's escorted by Konoha shinobi, no less. Let's take that cargo and make it our startup capital for the Land of Rivers..."
The burly man with dark green hair and thick eyebrows grinned darkly as he reviewed the intelligence in his hand.
"Hehehe, of course, Boss. We weren't planning to stick around in the Land of Water anyway. Might as well go big!"
"Exactly! And those Konoha ninjas are no saints. Killing them will stir up trouble between the Konoha and the Kiri —let them tear each other apart..."
"Right! It'll also buy us the time we need to vanish."
Behind the burly man, three other hulking figures in black robes spoke excitedly, their voices brimming with bloodlust, eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
"Ugh..." Suddenly, a soft cry came from behind the thick-browed man, as the odd bulge on his back trembled like a frightened animal.
"You scared my friend," the man barked coldly, turning sharply. His glare instantly silenced his subordinates.
"Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you." He gently patted the strange hump on his back and spoke softly, though his eyes remained sharp and merciless.
Konoha ninja... This time, your lives will be the atonement for the shame you brought upon me in the last war.
---
On the other side, Ishikawa and the others had no idea they were already being targeted. They continued their scheduled rotation of alert duty and training, and everything proceeded smoothly—until three days later.
"So this is the Village of Artisans? A small island nation with its own Ninja Village..."
Setting foot on solid ground again, Ishikawa couldn't help but gaze curiously at this unique land.
Even just at the coastal port, one could see a wide array of ninja tools on display. In addition to the standard kunai and shuriken, there were countless cold weapons—swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—reminiscent of his past life.
The sight didn't just make Ishikawa's eyes light up; it also left Taro and Jiro behind him wide-eyed in amazement.
"Mr. Nagayoshi will be negotiating supply deals here in the village of Artisans. The three of you are responsible for his protection. I'll remain at the warehouse to guard the cargo until it's reloaded for departure. Understood?"
"Understood!" Ishikawa and the other two responded without hesitation. Escorting the client sounded far more exciting than sitting around watching over goods.
It just so happened that Ishikawa also planned to pick up a few ninja tools for himself, so he gladly accepted the assignment—alongside his two younger brothers.
"Then I'll be counting on your protection!" The client, Nagayoshi, nodded at the three of them, then led the way toward a prearranged meeting with a partner merchant.
Under Nagayoshi's guidance, Ishikawa and the others soon arrived at the commercial center of Takumi Village. The moment they stepped onto the main road, a chorus of hawkers erupted around them—
Half-price kunai and shuriken, discounted swords and knives, and even chakra metal ninja tools—items rarely seen in Konoha—were openly sold here.
"Taro, Jiro—keep an eye on things. I'm going to check out some gear." After watching the client enter a store to begin negotiations, Ishikawa quickly issued the instruction and turned to approach one of the nearby counters.
"Excuse me, how much for that chakra blade?" He pointed directly at a short blade crafted from chakra-conductive metal, getting straight to the point.
"Ah, you mean this short sword made of chakra metal? It's capable of conducting chakra. The boss says it's one hundred thousand Ryo. No bargaining."
"What? A hundred thousand Ryo for that broken sword?!" Ishikawa blurted out, eyes wide.
His total wealth at the moment was just two hundred thousand ryo, and this one chakra blade would cost him half his life savings?
Ishikawa, who had done his research, knew that the quality of chakra metal weapons depended heavily on how much chakra metal was used in the forging.
This blade was, at best, a basic chakra weapon—like the kind Naruto had used during his time in the Land of Snow. It didn't even come close to something like Asuma's chakra blades. Yet they dared to ask 100,000 taels?
For that much, he could've bought over 300 explosive tags—was he supposed to be a fool?
"Forget it. Just give me a kunai made of chakra metal instead." Thinking of his still-incomplete lightning chakra nature transformation training, Ishikawa compromised and chose a more practical alternative.
A chakra-conductive kunai could accelerate his training and be used later in combat. After all, a weapon capable of enhancing chakra nature changes would significantly boost his combat effectiveness!
"I'm sorry, sir. Chakra metal is extremely rare. Ordinary shops don't carry kunai made from it. If you really want one, it would have to be custom-made."
"Which, of course, will cost even more..."
Ishikawa: "..."