The next morning, we boarded the small fishing boat, and just as the sun started to rise, we set sail. The sea was calm, and the wind was gentle, so we had a pleasant journey ahead of us.
For Karin, this was the first time she had ever been on the open sea, so she was beyond ecstatic, and she spent most of the day running around the deck, much to the captain's annoyance.
As for me, I just sat near the bow, watching the endless blue expanse around us and letting the sea breeze ruffle my hair.
It was a peaceful day, and for a while, I could almost forget about the chaos I had left behind in Konoha.
Almost.
We reached the island late in the afternoon. As we approached, I could see a town built on this nameless island, a place people apparently didn't go to, yet here was the proof that there were plenty of people on it.
Though from the water it still seemed unremarkable, just a large cliff face surrounded by mists and sharp rocks, a dangerous place to approach without knowing the waters. In fact, thanks to my superior Byakugan vision, I could clearly see that many rocks around the island had been placed there or raised using Earth Release.
Clearly, the person behind this place knew what he was doing to keep the uninvited out.
"That's close enough," I told the captain as I stood up. I could sense his nervousness, the fear of these dangerous waters. Even with him trapped by genjutsu, he could still feel fear.
And he was right to do so, because he didn't know these waters and would be more likely to crash into one of the jagged rocks around than get into the hidden harbor.
"But," Karin said as she ran up to me, "we are still far from the island." Her little brows were furrowed as she looked from me to the shore, clearly confused by my words.
"You have chakra, don't you?" I asked teasingly. "So you should be able to just walk over, unless you haven't been training properly." I knew she trained. I watched over her all the time after all, but she didn't need to know that.
"Of course!" Karin said, puffing out her small chest as she declared it proudly.
"Good, then let's go." And with that, I walked over the side of the boat and began walking on the water, my steps light and sure.
With a small yelp of surprise, Kanna and Karin followed, though their steps were a little less stable, and after a few moments, the boat turned around, and the captain, still in a daze, sailed away, leaving us to our own devices.
"So… what now?" Karin asked as she looked around, the awe of the ocean replaced by the curiosity of this new, mysterious island. Her red hair was a stark contrast against the blue water and grey stone of the island's cliffs.
"I'm not sure about this, Kaguya-hime," Kanna said nervously, as she stood on the water like a baby deer on ice.
"It's fine, Kanna, your chakra control is more than good enough, you just need to believe in yourself," I said, waving away her worries. She had been practicing simple things for years and had long since mastered water walking.
She simply lacked confidence in herself. That, at least, was something I couldn't fix for her.
Turning to Karin, I pointed towards a hidden cove that was only visible from my angle. "We are going there," I said as I started walking again.
It took us a few minutes to reach it, and once there, I led them through a narrow, rocky passage that opened up into a small hidden dock. Well, it was hidden, but not all that small, as even now a dozen ships were sitting there in the water.
Each one was far better than the fishing boat we took to get out here; these ships belonged to wealthy merchants and nobles. They were clean, sturdy, and even had some guards milling about on their decks.
"So, this is the place," I said with a small smile as I looked at the large wooden walls that surrounded the town beyond the docks.
"This is it? What is this place?" Karin asked, her curiosity now at an all-time high.
"This, my dear Karin, is a paradise for people with money and plenty of time, as well as those willing and able to profit from the boredom of nobles," I replied. "A place where one can spend money without having to worry about things like shinobi rules or other such troubles."
This was an island beyond the reach of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. It was neutral ground, a place where anyone with enough money could come and do as they pleased, as long as they didn't break the few simple rules of this place.
"Hmm," Karin hummed, not understanding much, but just nodding along as she followed behind me until we reached the docks. Karin herself had no problem getting up from the water, but Kanna struggled more with climbing up.
Around us, the guards on the boats gave us strange looks, but given that we were dressed like nobles, they didn't do anything. They were, after all, only paid to guard their employers' boats, not to do anything else, much less cause trouble with anyone else.
The walk from the docks into the hidden city itself wasn't too long, but the sun had started to dip down and let us see how the city itself came alive with lights all over.
And beyond the largest central street, we could see a massive building. "Wow, what's that?!" Karin asked, all excited as she saw a building like nothing else she had seen before.
"That is the so-called Coliseum, a place for shinobi and samurai to fight for the crowds," I answered her, knowing that was the main attraction of this island. The reason most people came here.
A place for people to bet, to enjoy the sight of battle without having to risk their lives.
"Shinobi fighting for crowds? That's… cool!" she said, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and excitement. She had never really seen a serious fight, the closest she got was watching my fight against Kakuzu from a distance, but she hadn't been able to see much more than bright lights and explosions.
The concept of organized, public combat was a new and thrilling one for her.
"Yes, cool," I said with a small smile as I ruffled her hair. "Let's go see when the next fight is happening. If it's soon, we can watch it; if not, we will find a place to stay first, maybe get something to eat. Are either of you getting hungry?"
"I'm fine! Not hungry at all, I want to watch a fight!" Karin was quick to say as she jumped around, full of energy.
Both Kanna and I couldn't help but smile at that, because she was surely getting hungry after a long day at sea.
But since she denied it, so be it.
After all, it wasn't hard to understand why she was so excited at the prospect of a real shinobi battle, more so since these battles had true stakes, making the fighters actually fight seriously. Unlike the Chūnin Exams, which were more of a test, these fights were sometimes no less serious than a fight to the death.
As we walked down the main street, we saw that while most buildings were similar to those in any city, the architecture was different. Everything was built to be more flashy and eye-catching, with plenty of lanterns and neon signs advertising everything from inns to restaurants to brothels.
I had to admit, the people running this island knew how to squeeze money out of nobles and others who had plenty of coin to splash, because I stopped at a shop selling the typical knickknacks you could find everywhere, all kinds of masks and pieces of jewellery, but while other places had them made from simple material, here it was real gold and silver, real gems and other precious materials.
Which just went to show this place was for the truly rich and powerful alone.
But with the Coliseum so close, it was easy to see that it was the main attraction. As the street opened up into a large square, a massive amphitheater rose before us, larger than any building I had seen outside of Konoha.
The entrance was a grand archway, adorned with statues of fierce warriors and mythical beasts. A large sign above the archway read "The Coliseum." The letters seemed to have been painted with gold.
"This is the place?" Kanna asked, her voice filled with a mix of awe and apprehension. She had seen her fair share of violence, but this was different. This was a spectacle.
"The one and only," I replied as we approached the entrance. A pair of nicely dressed servants smiled and ushered us inside.
"Welcome, dear guests, to the Coliseum! We hope you enjoy your stay." They greeted us warmly as they opened the doors for us.
Inside, it was everything you could expect from a place like this: high ceilings and grand chandeliers of expensive crystal, red carpets on the floor, and fresh flowers in expensive vases everywhere, with more servants standing ready to help the guests with their every need.
"Welcome, guests," a woman in a maid uniform quickly stepped up to greet us as soon as the doors closed behind us. "Is this your first time here?" she said as she quickly and smoothly guided us away from the doorway without coming off as rude or pushy.
"Yes, this is our first time, we wish to see a fight if one is scheduled for soon, and if not, recommend us a place to stay, one of quality." I made no attempt to hide my own nobility. I might be a kunoichi, but I was still Kaguya, still noble beyond this rabble who claimed nobility without any of my blood in them.
The woman didn't know of my disdain for the rest of her clientele, nor did she break her smile at my rudeness. As someone used to dealing with all manner of nobles, she had long since learned how to deal with them. "Of course, my lady. As luck would have it, we have a main card fight scheduled for this very evening. It is quite the spectacle."
"That's perfect," I said, not hiding my smile. Indeed, it couldn't be better, because with my Byakugan, I had already seen who the fighters would be, and they were perfect indeed.