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"Guest, here is your Miso Chashu Ramen! These Daifuku and Tempura are on the house! Please enjoy!" The waiter served him with a respectful smile, carrying the tray with both hands and arranging the steaming food on the table one by one.
"Mhm." Menma retracted his gaze from the window and looked at the food on the table, feeling a bit surprised.
The waiter's smiling service brought a touch of warmth to his heart. The two extra snacks were likely a gesture of gratitude for Menma's tip.
"By the way, sir, if you intend to take one of the Gato Company's merchant ships to the Land of Lightning, you can find the ticket office for the shipping lines on the next street over," the waiter added.
In addition to transporting cargo, these merchant ships sold passenger tickets to travelers as a way to supplement their income.
"Thanks," Menma replied briefly, picking up his chopsticks to begin eating.
Seeing how cold the guest was, the waiter didn't find it strange and tactfully withdrew.
Perhaps because it wasn't a specialized ramen shop, the taste of the noodles was quite average. However, the complimentary tempura was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the daifuku was sweet and delicious, leaving him quite satisfied.
After a full meal to replenish his strength, Menma walked out of the small eatery and headed toward the docks to find his target.
From a distance, he saw a merchant ship flying the Gato Company flag preparing to set sail. Sailors on deck were shouting through megaphones, and the railings were crowded with travelers scrambling to board.
With a light leap and a Body Flicker, Menma arrived on the ship.
"Hmm?" A ronin samurai patrolling the deck felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head slightly.
The moment the white three-eyed fox mask entered his sight, the ronin was caught in a genjutsu. His eyes became vacant and unfocused.
"Where is Gato?" Menma asked in a low voice.
"Lord Gato will board the ship shortly," the ronin replied woodenly, his eyes dazed.
"Take me to his room," Menma ordered.
Simultaneously, he wove hand signs and instantly transformed into a katana-wielding samurai.
"Yes, my Lord," the ronin samurai led the way.
The two walked one after the other, moving through the cabins as naturally as a routine patrol; no one suspected a thing.
"This is Lord Gato's room." The ronin stopped before a carved wooden door.
"Stay here and guard. When Gato arrives, let him in," Menma said as he pushed the door open and entered.
"Yes." The ronin samurai stood at the door like a statue.
Entering the room, Menma found that while there were no gold or silver treasures in plain sight, it was decorated with various leather upholstery, expensive liquors, and some collections he couldn't quite identify.
He sat behind the office desk, pulled out a drawer, and began flipping through some ledgers.
*Month X, Year X: Fleet departs from Land of Fire port carrying X amount of supplies, heading for the Land of Water.*
*Month X, Year X: Fleet returns to Land of Fire from the Land of Water carrying X amount of supplies.*
...
These were all recent accounts. Even during the Third Shinobi World War, Gato's fleet traveled between the ports of various nations. Although they occasionally encountered ninja or pirates and lost some cargo, the fleet's overall profits were extremely aggressive.
Times of war in the shinobi world were the most suitable for a merchant like Gato to reap exorbitant profits.
Though Menma wasn't a professional accountant, he could see massive expenditures in the ledgers; much of the fleet's profit had vanished. It appeared to have been offered as tribute to the nobles and even the Daimyos of the major nations. This ensured that Gato Company's ships could travel through different countries without hindrance.
Currently, the Gato Company was only moderate in scale. It had not yet reached the level of wealth seen nine years later, when Gato would be known as one of the world's few multi-millionaires.
"I seem to recall from fan-fictions in my past life that robbing Gato was a primary source of funding," Menma thought, leaning back in the leather chair. He rested his chin on one hand, idly flipping through the accounts.
At that moment, the ship jolted slightly, signaling the start of the voyage. Not long after, a commotion broke out outside.
*Bang!*
The door was kicked open violently. A short man in a business suit and round-framed sunglasses stormed in aggressively. Behind him followed several fierce-looking ronin samurai and rogue ninja. The ronin Menma had controlled earlier had already been subdued by them.
"I want to see which blind fool dares...!" The short Gato entered the room, gnashing his teeth.
When he saw someone actually sitting in his leather chair—purchased at a high price from the Land of Bears—his face turned pale, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "It seems there will be plenty of 'fun' on this trip."
He gave the order to his subordinates with a cruel smirk: "Teach this brat who doesn't know his place a good lesson! Remember not to break my collectibles! After that, you can play with him on the ship however you like."
As Gato spoke, the gang of ronin and rogue ninja behind him walked in with twisted, sinister smiles. It was as if the boy before them was already their toy.
"Is there not even a decent ninja among you?" Menma sensed the chakra within them and found that only two were at the level of a Genin. He shook his head.
He didn't even have the interest to stand up. Sitting in the chair, he wove a hand sign with one hand.
"Ninsō: Tennyo (The Jade Maiden)!"
Instantly, the space around Menma rippled, and a "Jade" (玉) character array glowing with dark red light emerged beside him. The Nine-Masked Beast, Tennyo, rushed out from the summoning array and floated in mid-air.
"What is that?" Before the samurai could react, the maiden floating from the array brandished her silk ribbons.
The two ribbons lunged like sharp swords, piercing through the ronin at the very front.
Blood splattered. The pungent scent of blood snapped the ronin and rogue ninja back to their senses. They stopped in their tracks, frozen in place with terror.
The maiden continued to swing her ribbons, which extended outward, knocking down all the ronin and rogue ninja blocking the path. Screams echoed one after another as severed limbs flew through the air; the interior of the cabin was turned upside down.
Seeing this, Gato was so terrified that he turned and ran for the door without looking back.
But just as he reached the corridor, the two ribbons caught up and bound him tight.
"AAAAHHH!" Gato screamed as he was dragged back into the room.
Only this time, the room was filled with the mangled corpses of his samurai and ninja.
"My... My... My Lord... Please... Please... Don't... Don't kill me..." The previously arrogant Gato was now trembling so hard he could barely speak.
His small round sunglasses hung half-off his face, revealing eyes filled with terror as he looked at the mysterious person.
Menma stood up from the chair and floated toward Gato, looking down at the pathetic merchant from above. He knew that killing alone wouldn't make Gato loyally serve him.
Therefore, Menma wove a hand sign and said coldly:
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu!"
(End of Chapter)