The two chakras fused and then exploded! A mermaid with a fish tail and a human body appeared and then leaped into the sea. Although it only lasted for a moment, Naori saw the mermaid's face. It was her own face.
The mermaid swam happily in the sea, occasionally leaping out of the water to wave at Naori. But after a while, she disappeared.
"It's so beautiful. This must be the legendary mermaid."
Torifu nodded. "Yes. Legendary creatures are indeed beautiful."
Naori leaned on the side of the boat, looking at the endless sea. "The legend says that if you eat a mermaid's flesh, you can live forever. Have you heard of the Yao Bikuuni? She ate mermaid flesh."
[T/N: A figure from folklore tale. Yao Bikuuni = 800 Year Old Buddhist Nun.]
Torifu had, of course, heard this legend. In both his original world and this one, the legend of the Yao Bikuuni was well-known. The Yao Bikuuni ate mermaid flesh and gained eternal life, but this was also a curse from the mermaid.
"Do you want to live forever, Naori?"
Naori turned to look at Torifu, then smiled and shook her head. "If I were the only one to live forever, it wouldn't be a blessing, but a curse. It would be too painful."
"I prefer to enjoy the present. As long as I seriously enjoy every moment of my life, I'll be content, even if it's only for a few decades."
This thought resonated with Torifu. It was no wonder the two of them were meant to be together.
The young couple was enjoying a romantic moment on the deck, but this scared the captain and the sailors. They thought the sudden stream of water was some kind of monster, only to find out it was something a shinobi did. They weren't given any warning, which was very frightening. But they didn't dare to ask Torifu for an explanation and could only calm themselves down.
The fishing boat sailed smoothly, and soon it was night. Luckily, it was a clear night with no strong winds or waves. This was a great thing for a boat. Even a fishing boat like the one Torifu and his group were on would be at risk of sinking in a big storm.
Everyone was now standing on the deck, looking up at the sky. The starry sky over the sea was somehow much more beautiful than the one in the Hidden Leaf Village. Every star was exceptionally bright. A galaxy made entirely of stars traversed the entire night sky, as if it were a silver veil draped over the darkness.
"Everyone, we should reach the vicinity of the Land of Whirlpools early tomorrow morning. Let's get a good night's sleep so we can have some energy for tomorrow."
The others nodded and went back to the cabin to rest. As planned, Torifu would take the first watch.
The night passed peacefully. The captain and sailors were well-behaved. They didn't try to poison them or ambush them, nor did they deliberately deviate from the course.
Early the next morning, when the sky hadn't completely brightened, Torifu and the others were already standing on the deck. In the distance, they could see the island where the Land of Whirlpools was located. It didn't look very big, but it was more than enough for a clan to live on. The Uzumaki Clan had at most two to three thousand people. Living on this island, they wouldn't have to worry about resources, and they were far from the wars. It was a very good place.
"Shinobi-sama, we can't go any closer. It wouldn't be good if the Land of Whirlpools found us."
Torifu nodded. "We understand. Just stop here." He then gave the boatman two thousand ryo as a reward.
"This should be enough, right?"
The captain held the money bag and smiled. "It's enough, more than enough. Please, have a safe journey."
Torifu and the others looked at each other and then jumped off the boat. The sea was calm without any waves. The fishing boat behind them saw that Torifu and the others had left and sailed away, presumably heading back to Gyokai Village.
"I wonder how we're going to get back."
"The situation in the Land of Whirlpools will definitely be handled by the time we return. We can just have them send us back."
Hiruzen thought that made sense and didn't think about it anymore.
"Alright, let's go. Let's finish the mission quickly and find Uzumaki Ashina."
Everyone agreed and then ran toward the shore! The sea was eerily silent, with only the sound of a few people running on the water's surface. The island of the Land of Whirlpools was getting closer and closer.
But just as they were about to reach the shore, countless water arrows suddenly came from all directions! Torifu and the others ignored the water arrows and continued to run forward! Just as the water arrows were about to hit them, Hiruzen suddenly let out a roar! An orange-red chakra energy erupted from his body, shattering and evaporating all the water arrows!
At this moment, a layer of an orange-red substance like lava appeared around Hiruzen's body.
"It seems someone doesn't want us to land on the island."
Torifu put a hand to his forehead helplessly. "I had a feeling this journey was going a little too smoothly. I thought it would be a talkative boatman, but it turns out they were waiting for us here."
"How many people?"
Kagami activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and scanned the surroundings, but he didn't find anyone. However, a thin layer of mist seemed to have appeared around them.
"Are they from the Hidden Mist?"
Torifu smiled slightly. How dare they use the Silent Killing Jutsu against them? They were asking for trouble.
He breathed out a cloud of mist. The moment it came into contact with the fog, he took control of it! The shinobi who were hidden in the fog instantly lost their cover and were exposed to everyone.
"They are Hidden Mist rogue ninja. There are about fifty of them."
Naori immediately revealed the identity and number of the shinobi.
Hiruzen grinned. "Fifty of them? They must think a lot of us!"
"Lava Release: Great Eruption!"
As soon as he was done, four fiery red tails suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen! Then, an endless stream of lava and flames erupted from his mouth! Some shinobi with poor reflexes were instantly swallowed and turned to ashes by the lava and flames! He then launched multiple lava meteors at the rogue ninja leader! But with just two swords, the leader sliced all the meteors, which fell into the sea.
After Hiruzen killed a few of them, the rogue ninja started to panic and retreated to their leader.
Torifu parted Hiruzen and Kagami and walked forward. "Although you probably won't say, I'm still going to ask you. Who sent you? Which prince?"
The leader pointed his long sword at Torifu. "Defeat me, and you'll get what you want to know."
Torifu had a helpless expression. "Sigh, if you had cooperated, you might have lived. But now, you have to die."