After joining up with the reinforcements from Kirigakure, the Koeda Clan's journey of migration became much smoother. Even the stubborn Iwa-nin—men as unyielding as stone—ceased their pursuit once they realized that this group of shameful traitors had allied themselves with the Mist.
Of course, this wasn't because the Kiri-nin were especially terrifying.
The Iwa-nin, with their mastery of Earth Release, had little fear of these water-wielding "fishermen"—after all, Earth Release naturally suppressed Water Release.
But the pursuit of the Koeda Clan stopped for many reasons.
For one, as the Koeda Clan continued to march southward, the distance from Iwagakure grew ever greater, making it more difficult for the Iwa-nin to operate. The Land of Rivers was, after all, the shared domain of Konoha and Sunagakure. Iwa-nin could not freely move their forces there, nor could they dispatch large numbers of troops.
Yet the strength of the Koeda Clan was not something a few squads could handle. And now that they were allied with the Mist, who could say how many elite fighters Kirigakure had sent? Eliminating the Koeda Clan would demand an even greater—and more dangerous—price.
It wasn't that Iwa couldn't afford such a price.
The question was: was it worth it?
Even the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, who had once roared in anger and sworn to tear Koeda Kyoichi into eight pieces upon learning of Akaishi's death, eventually fell silent. In the end, he was unable to strike down these traitors before they found new allies… and now, destroying them would only be harder.
After convening a high-level council, Ōnoki finally chose to abandon the pursuit of the Koeda Clan.
Though he had sworn to annihilate them, vows are not absolute—whether they're kept depends on the circumstances. Ōnoki was not the sort to fight a battle he knew could not be won.
Even if this decision brought shame to him and Iwagakure, even if it meant that all their earlier efforts had been wasted—knowing when to cut one's losses was also an essential skill of a Kage.
Naturally, there was another reason the Iwa-nin abandoned their hunt: the situation in the Land of Rain had changed.
With the death of Hanzō of the Salamander, Amegakure had plunged into turmoil. Akatsuki struck down Hanzō's loyalists and seized control of the village by force, taking hold of the most powerful military force in the Land of Rain.
As a country bordering the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind, the Rain's geography doomed it to unrest.
And when the newly ascended leaders of Amegakure began showing signs of aligning with Konoha, both Iwa and Suna grew wary. If Ame were to throw itself into Konoha's embrace, then wouldn't that give Konoha a convenient springboard to directly strike into the Land of Earth or the Land of Wind?
Compared to that crisis,
the Koeda Clan suddenly seemed far less important. Losing face was one thing—profit and survival mattered far more.
Thus, both Iwa and Suna shifted their attention to the Land of Rain, leaving no time to concern themselves with the Koeda Clan.
Konoha, too, was entangled by Amegakure's sudden "olive branch." And with the eastern front locked in fierce battle against the Kiri, they could not spare the effort to deal with either the Koeda Clan or the Kiri-nin who had slipped into the Land of Rivers.
And so, for many reasons combined, no one moved to obstruct the Koeda Clan's migration any longer.
After a long journey of a thousand miles, they finally reached a southern port in the Land of Rivers and stepped aboard ships flying the flag of the Land of Water.
Thus began their voyage at sea.
For most of the Koeda Clan, this was their first time traveling by ship. Only a few elders, like Koeda Dazen, still remembered their childhood days of braving the waves. The rest, born in Iwagakure, had hardly ever even seen the ocean—even though the Land of Earth itself bordered the sea.
But the Iwa-nin had never cared for the sea.
They preferred the solidity of firm, reliable ground.
The younger generation of the Koeda Clan was no different. At first, life on the ocean proved hard to endure. But human resilience and adaptability always surpass imagination. After the first difficult days passed, they gradually grew accustomed to life adrift.
After all—
there was no going back.
They had no choice but to keep moving forward.
···
"What are you doing up there?"
Terumī Mei stood at the lookout tower, tilting her head toward the top of the mast. Perched on a round wooden plank balanced there sat Kyoichi, legs crossed in meditation.
"Training."
Kyoichi sat still, answering the girl's curiosity with a single word.
"Training? What kind of training is this?"
Mei frowned in confusion. She had never heard of training by sitting atop a mast.
"I'm honing my sense of balance."
"Oh, I see."
Mei nodded in sudden understanding.
A ship at sea rocked endlessly, and Kyoichi was seated atop the mast. A single lapse in focus would send him tumbling down. In fact, he had already fallen countless times yesterday—only to be caught each time by the quick reflexes of the shinobi, clinging to ropes and planks.
But after failure upon failure,
by today,
Kyoichi was already able to sit atop the mast without falling.
His progress was astonishingly fast.
"But isn't this good enough already? Even veteran sailors who've spent decades at sea wouldn't have balance as sharp as yours… are you really going to keep at it?"
Mei pressed further.
These days, she often lingered near Kyoichi.
At thirteen, she harbored no strange thoughts—it was simply curiosity. Having been defeated so utterly by Kyoichi, she couldn't help but take interest in him. And his bizarre training methods only made her curiosity grow stronger.
"Not enough."
Kyoichi shook his head slowly.
That slight movement disrupted his balance, sending him plummeting once again. But he swiftly caught hold of the ropes and the plank, dangling in midair. Gazing at the girl in the lookout tower, he said:
"See? My balance still has plenty of room for improvement. Only when I can sit there as naturally as if I were on solid ground will it be enough!"
And of course, this training was not only to prepare for battles at sea.
It was also a step toward mastering Sage Techniques.
Kyoichi was working to overcome the flaw of needing extended preparation to enter Sage Mode. His goal was to achieve what the First Hokage once had—the ability to enter Sage Mode instantly, so as to face any situation with composure.
"···So that's why you're so strong? Aren't you being a little too hard on yourself?"
Mei's eyes widened.
Clearly,
she had misunderstood.
But before Kyoichi could correct her, a voice rang out from below:
"Mei, Kyoichi! Come down, quickly—there's an urgent matter!"
***************************
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