"Huh? Are you talking about Gato Company?" A drunken man looked at Ryujin Kenichi with bleary eyes, his breath reeking of alcohol, causing Kenichi to lean back slightly.
"Yes, Gato Company. Where is it located?" Kenichi asked again, with a note of irritation.
He had already arrived in the Land of Waves, expecting to investigate the infamous company run by Gato—the shipping magnate who would one day choke this country with corruption and fear. But to his surprise, there was no sign of Gato or his enterprise yet. It left him feeling momentarily off-balance.
Could it be that Gato hadn't begun his expansion into the Land of Waves yet?
"Never... hic... heard of it," the man slurred before collapsing onto the table, falling fast asleep.
Kenichi scratched his head. So things really were different. But after a moment's reflection, he figured it made sense.
Naruto had only just been born.
When Team 7—Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi—was sent on a C-rank mission that led them here, Naruto would already be twelve. That meant there were still more than eleven years until the events of the Land of Waves arc.
Plenty of time for the world to change.
"A miscalculation," Kenichi muttered. Gato might not have made his move into the Land of Waves yet. Whether he would rise to power at all in this timeline was anyone's guess.
This was the trouble with being dropped into the past without access to information. No internet, no newspapers, not even reliable rumors. In a place like this, even learning who held power could take days.
"Forget it. I'll gather intel while I move." Kenichi shook his head, then pricked the man's finger with a thin needle, collecting a small sample of blood.
He planned to analyze genetic material as he traveled—just in case. The shinobi world might have begun with Kaguya planting the God Tree and introducing chakra, but before her arrival, there were still strange phenomena and divine beings.
The so-called Evil God worshipped by Hidan, and the Shinigami of the Uzumaki clan's Reaper Death Seal... They all hinted that the world had always been more than just chakra and hand seals.
Who knew what secrets might be locked away in bloodlines?
"These plants could also be useful..." Kenichi picked a fruit from a nearby tree. A villager rushed over, furious, but the coin Kenichi flipped his way quickly turned the man's rage into gratitude.
Kenichi briefly considered using his Sharingan to resolve it—genjutsu would've made it effortless—but he didn't like wasting it on trivial things. Sometimes, money was faster.
As he wandered through the dusty streets of the Land of Waves, he observed the peaceful, if impoverished, life around him. Without Gato's stranglehold on the region, the villagers' lives were quiet and unburdened—no hired thugs, no fear, no bridge-building rebellion.
The gray skies matched the dreariness of the town. Most wore threadbare clothing. This was clearly a fishing village, with little infrastructure or wealth.
He could probably found his own shinobi village here, if he wanted to—there wasn't a single trace of ninja presence in the region. But what would be the point?
"Kenogakure? The Village Hidden in the Fishnets? No thanks," he muttered, smirking to himself. Even the title Fish Shadow sounded ridiculous.
The Land of Waves didn't even have a proper daimyo—just a handful of local elders. It was lawless, and yet not lawless enough to be interesting.
"Guess I'll check the port. If it's still a bust..." Kenichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. If there was still no sign of Gato or his company, maybe it was time to head to the Land of Fire. At least there, wealth and opportunity abounded.
But luck was on his side.
As he arrived at the docks, a medium-sized cargo ship bearing a stylized Gato Company logo pulled in. Workers bustled about, unloading crates. One man fumbled his grip as thunder cracked across the sky.
"You fool! Be careful with that! That's for the nobles in the Land of Water!" barked a man who looked younger than expected—thin, sharp-eyed, with the entitled arrogance of a petty merchant.
Kenichi's eyes gleamed. "Gato?" he asked, approaching.
The man turned reflexively—and met a pair of blood-red eyes.
The tomoe in Kenichi's Sharingan spun slowly. Within moments, Gato's eyes glazed over, his will slipping into Kenichi's grip.
Controlling a non-shinobi with the Sharingan was almost insultingly easy.
"Well then," Kenichi murmured, stepping closer, "let's talk business."
However, Kado was clearly not unprepared. Four shinobi suddenly leapt out from behind him.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive torrent of water surged toward Ryujin Kenichi, crashing like a river let loose from the heavens.
"Why do they always have to yell the name of their jutsu? Is it some kind of weird compulsion?" Kenichi thought, exasperated. Wouldn't it be smarter to just launch it silently and catch your opponent off guard?
He remembered asking his sensei about it once.
"Kenichi, real shinobi don't need to shout out their techniques. That's something genin do to sound cool."
At the time, Kenichi had nodded earnestly. Then he remembered seeing his sensei yell out "Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" in the anime.
Yeah… third-rate ninja confirmed.
Of course, deep down, Kenichi knew why. It was all for the audience's benefit—if there even was an audience.
Still, he wasn't surprised that Kado had brought bodyguards. That was just smart. With practiced speed, Kenichi weaved a set of hand seals, slammed his palms to the ground, and summoned a defensive wall of earth.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
The ground rose in front of him, blocking the cascading wave of water with a satisfying crash.
"Murder!"
The dockworkers screamed in panic and scattered like startled birds. Kenichi didn't blame them. Honestly, they made things easier by getting out of the way. If they'd stayed to watch, they'd just end up as more "test subjects" for his lab.
Seizing the brief lull, Kenichi activated his heightened senses. In an instant, his Sharingan flared to life—three tomoe spinning smoothly—and faint lightning-shaped markings danced at the edge of his vision.
He glanced at the sky.
"Looks like a thunderstorm's rolling in."
Dark clouds churned overhead, and a flash of lightning cracked in the distance. With the Sharingan, he could trace the exact path of each bolt in perfect clarity.
Then the temperature dropped slightly. Mist began to roll in from the water's edge—thin at first, then thick enough to swallow entire ships.
"Hidden Mist Technique?" Kenichi scoffed.
Little-known fact: mist conducts electricity.
Not pure vapor, sure—but this wasn't some sterile lab fog. This was heavy, natural mist full of dust, salt, and industrial particles. It would absolutely carry a current.
Kenichi raised one hand toward the sky.
"Descend... Thunder Dragon!"