With their three-person squad assembled, Hitomi reached into his pack and pulled out a scroll of parchment. He untied the leather cord and unfurled it, revealing a meticulously detailed map of the island.
Glancing at the scale, Hitomi did some quick math and let out a low whistle. "Longest stretch is about 136.63 ri, shortest is 101.72 ri. For a hundred-person battlefield, this place is huge…"
Mitsuki chimed in, "Actually, it wasn't always this big."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Hitomi asked, curiosity piqued.
Mitsuki grinned. "You don't know? The first Grand Martial Tournament only had two rounds—a written exam and a massive battle royale."
"So they decided the winner right here on the island?" Hitomi pressed.
"Exactly," Mitsuki replied. "Back then, the island was only half its current size. But even that wasn't enough to contain the top-tier ninja. When they clashed, their fights shook the whole island. The others could only hide and watch, totally powerless—the experience was pretty lame for everyone else. That's why the first tournament was called the 'War of the Gods.'"
"To stop that from happening again, they expanded the island for the second tournament and introduced a third round—the arena battles."
"Truth is, for those elite ninja, a bigger island didn't change much. What mattered was they came to an understanding—they'd hold back in the second round to avoid ruining things for everyone else, saving their strength for the arena. Even so, the power gap was obvious. The mid-tier guys had a rough time."
Hitomi listened, silent and thoughtful as tales of his father's generation echoed in his mind.
Sarada, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with excitement. "And then? What happened after that?"
Mitsuki's eyes sparkled. "The turning point was the fifth tournament. All the top ninja graduated to Eternal Earth-nin and then to Heaven-nin by succession. From then on, they just sat on their thrones and waited for challengers—no need to compete anymore. That's when the rest finally got a chance to shine."
Sarada leaned in, eager. "Who were those top ninja?"
She'd been sheltered most of her life, so it was no wonder she didn't know all the names. This whole trip was about proving herself, finding her father, and finally meeting him face-to-face.
Karin hadn't told her his name—not directly. She only knew her father was one of the strongest ninja alive.
Mitsuki ticked off the names on his fingers. "Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Sasuke. Those five are the top dogs now."
"Uchiha…" Sarada's mind raced. My name's Uchiha. Does that mean my dad is Obito or Madara?
Her gaze shifted to Hitomi. Uzumaki Naruto… Uzumaki Hitomi. Is his dad Naruto? The naming fits.
But Mom always said the Sharingan was exclusive to the Uchiha. How did Hitomi get his?
Maybe Hitomi's mom was an Uchiha? She wanted to ask him directly, but they'd just met—it felt way too awkward.
Mitsuki caught her hesitation and chuckled. "Sarada, you're wondering why Hitomi isn't an Uchiha but has the Sharingan, aren't you?"
"Eh?!" Sarada nearly dropped her glasses, flustered. "N-no! I wasn't curious… but now that you mention it, it is kinda weird!"
Mitsuki turned to Hitomi. "Hitomi, Sarada's dying to know. Why don't you explain?"
Hitomi was absorbed in the map, cross-referencing the terrain around them. Without looking up, he answered matter-of-factly, "My dad has the power of Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki. All three."
Sarada's jaw dropped. "Wait, then why isn't he called Senju Naruto or Uchiha Naruto? Why Uzumaki Naruto?"
Hitomi sighed, shaking his head. "That's a silly question. Why aren't you called Uzumaki Sarada? You've got red hair, don't you?"
"Eh?" Hitomi said it offhand, but the words hit Sarada like a thunderbolt. A terrifying thought flashed through her mind: Am I… not really an Uchiha?
Hitomi set the map down. The island was split into seven zones: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
Judging by the terrain, he figured they were at the edge of Area G, with the misty ocean behind them. Their only options were to go forward or angle left or right.
Impressed by Mitsuki's knowledge, Hitomi asked, "Mitsuki, any thoughts on our next move?"
Mitsuki nodded. "This battle royale lasts three days—thirty-six hours. Every two hours, toxic fog rolls in, shrinking the safe zone…"
Sarada snapped out of her thoughts. "So being on the edge is dangerous?"
"Not necessarily," Mitsuki explained. "The poison fog doesn't always spread from the outside in. Instead, they randomly pick a 'center point' somewhere on the island. The safe zone is a circle around that point. Everything outside gets covered by poison."
"Center point… random…" Sarada murmured, trying to process.
Mitsuki smiled. "Right. The center could be dead center—or way out on the edge. If it's on the edge, the safe zone might even include part of the ocean, making things lopsided…"
Hitomi frowned. "If the center's on the far side, we're screwed."
Mitsuki agreed. "Exactly. But if it's here, we're golden—this spot could be the final circle."
"The first safe zone sets the whole strategy for the game," Mitsuki continued. "But we have to plan for the worst. If the layout's lopsided and we're on the wrong side…"
Hitomi and Sarada spoke in unison. "We're basically dead meat!"
Mitsuki nodded. "That's why heading inland gives us the best shot. Let's move forward and gather supplies as we go."
Hitomi agreed. "Let's do it."
The trio broke into a run.
Hitomi hung back, deliberately slowing his pace and keeping a wary eye on the two ahead—especially Mitsuki.
Mitsuki just smiled, unfazed by the caution.
Before long, something strange caught their attention.
They stopped in their tracks.
Sarada squinted. "What is that…?"
Mitsuki's eyes lit up. "A chakra-powered Scientific Ninja Tool Vehicle. Emergency escape from poison fog—but it's loud as hell, so you're basically announcing your position. Double-edged sword."
Hitomi eyed the surroundings. "We're the only ones here. Shouldn't be a problem."
Sarada frowned at the vehicle. "But there's only room for two!"
Mitsuki glanced between them. "Here's a thought—I'll drive, and Sarada, you sit on Hitomi's lap."
Sarada's cheeks went scarlet. "Eh—th-th-this…?!"
Hitomi deadpanned, "Why not me on Sarada's lap?"
Mitsuki laughed. "If Sarada's cool with it, I don't mind."
Sarada sputtered, mortified. "Like I'd ever agree to that, you idiot!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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