Time quickly passed, and the Merchant Guild finally arrived at a busy port in the Land of Water.
During their voyage to the Land of Water, the Merchant Guild took out everything they wished to sell from their sealing scrolls. For now, the Merchant Guild would not reveal these scrolls until Kyo could release a batch of them onto the market.
Moreover, the clans inside the Land of Water are said to be extremely aggressive, with most of them being difficult to negotiate with.
Before dismounting the ship, Toji ordered Sakina, "Go rent a building for the Merchant Guild to sell our goods. A large one would be preferable, but if you can't afford it with ryo, then get a smaller one."
Sakina nodded and led three ninjas with her. The other members of the Merchant Guild began unloading the goods from the ship.
With the amount of goods the Merchant Guild had, all eyes were on them.
Many merchants who saw the amount of goods the Merchant Guild possessed sighed and left their stalls, heading to another part of the port. The sheer quantity being unloaded was enough to supply the entire port for years, so many did not want to compete with the Merchant Guild.
However, unlike the merchants, the ninjas and civilians were delighted to see what the guild could offer. They saw a wide array of goods, including grains, meat, fish, and other foods.
For people whose main diet was fish, this was a welcome surprise. What's more, judging from the quantity of food alone, obtaining these goods would not be as competitive as with other merchants.
Among these people was a young man in his mid-twenties. He wore a blue kimono and carried a sword at his waist. His dark, long hair matched his unyielding dark eyes. On his left face, he had a scar that ran across his left eye. Alongside this scar was a blind left eye.
However, the most discerning feature was his sharp teeth that could cut through even steel.
The man glared at the ninjas from the Merchant Guild and scoffed. "Merchants? Pretty strong for merchants…"
He turned around and murmured, "I must tell Father about this."
From the start of the Warring States era to the present day, the Land of Water has been the most restless nation in the ninja world.
Not because the clans were stronger or more aggressive than other clans outside of the Land of Water, but because of the policies of the Land of Water.
For years, the Land of Water, much like the Land of Waves, had been an isolationist country that rarely interacted with other nations. The only interactions it had were with the Land of Tea, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Wind.
Even with the pretense of interaction, the Land of Water only deals with merchants who are unaffiliated with any nation. These merchants simply happen to reside within the country.
The only nation that truly interacts with them is the Land of Wind, which trades them ores that they forge into swords.
With their policy of isolationism, the many clans must compete for resources far more than clans outside the Land of Water. Unlike the Land of Waves, which has only a single ninja clan residing within it, the Land of Water is divided.
Even the Land of Wind, a nation that lacked resources, wasn't as chaotic as the Land of Water, because the Land of Wind was not isolationist. Many clans and the court could still trade and take missions outside the Land of Wind.
And so, because of a single policy, most people in the Land of Water are considered to be ruthless and cautious of people outside of their country.
The young man left the port and arrived at his clan's grounds. Upon seeing him enter the mansion, many ninjas saluted and greeted him, but he ignored them all and walked toward his father's office.
When he entered the room, he was met with the same pressure he always felt around his father.
But even with this pressure, he looked up and saw his father smiling at him with a grin.
The man in front of him was tall. Even while sitting, he already stood at six feet, and when he stood up, he reached a height of seven feet two inches.
His shoulders were broad and his body well-built. His eyes were small and round, the same as his pupils. However, what stood out the most was his skin and gills.
On his face were gills that allowed him to breathe in water, while also being able to breathe on land. Alongside his gills was his gray-blue skin that matched his sharp teeth to look like a human shark.
The young man shivered when he saw those sharp teeth. It was normal to be afraid, as the man in front of him was Hojirozame Hoshigaki, the Apex of the Land of Water. A man who killed a hundred with his bare fist, and a man who rivaled even the patriarch of the Uzumaki clan in chakra reserves.
Hojirozame snickered, "You're already 25, and you're still this weak?" He picked up his wine and drank it before continuing, "What is it? I only asked you to gather rations for the upcoming war with the Funato clan."
Before letting his son answer, Hojirozame crushed the glass cup in his hand and said, "Those Funato pirate bastards… They've gotten bold over the years, even plundering one of our ports."
Byakuren, Hojirozame's son, spoke, "That's why I've come, Father."
Hojirozame raised an eyebrow. "What, did you see the Funato family at the port?"
Byakuren shook his head and explained. "Earlier, when I entered the port, I saw multiple powerful ninjas unloading a massive amount of goods.
At first, I thought nothing of it. But when I saw how clean their ship was, I knew something was wrong. Just the sheer amount of their goods alone should have caught the attention of the Funato family—yet nothing happened. They simply let such a big fish slip away."
Hojirozame frowned. "Are they not part of the Land of Water?"
Byakuren shook his head. "No, they aren't. From the way they dress, I'm assuming they aren't from the Land of Water. However, it could just be a disguise."
Hojirozame let out a sneer. "Those pirate bastards are greedy. They would plunder everyone, even people from the court."
He stood up, put on a kimono, and grabbed his sword. "They could be part of the Funato family." He let out a mocking smile and said, "Let's go, I wanna see if they really grew enough balls to disembark near my territory."
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Hey, sorry I haven't posted in a while yall. I've had multiple test for the past two weeks lol.