"I can only take you this far."
Passing through the fog-laden sea, the boat sailed into a narrow cave, revealing a dazzling city built on an isolated island.
The boatman, rowing the boat, docked it and spoke to the passengers.
He was responsible for guiding outsiders to the island; his job was to escort guests and he had no authority to set foot on the island.
Ichihime nodded to the boatman, disembarked from the boat, and stepped onto the island, carefully observing this unknown island city.
As described in rumors, it was splendid and gold-bright, like a secluded paradise, also known as a rich man's haven.
With Kado's arrangement, she easily went through the procedures to enter the island. Next, she only needed to gather information regarding the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire.
For convenience in action, she changed out of her ninja suit and instead wore a pure white corset dress like a regular girl, with a mask adorned with silver flowers to conceal her true face.
After all, she was unsure if she would encounter conflicts here, so it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
In this golden island city, there were incredibly detailed signposts that, along with Kado's instructions, quickly led her to a large and prominent domed building where she stood.
Effortlessly bypassing the security staff's inspection, she infiltrated this huge building.
Though she did not know what this building was used for, the air carried a faint smell of blood, suggesting it might not be a pleasant place.
Walking along a hidden path, according to Kado, this secret passage led directly to a certain VIP room within the building.
In this foreign land under someone else's control, without guidance from someone familiar with the area, even the identity issue would be hard to resolve, let alone investigating matters here.
Therefore, using the help of island insiders, leveraging their power to investigate matters, would be much easier.
At the end of the path, a door blocked the exit.
Beside the door, an electronic keypad was connected.
Entering the correct password was necessary to open this door.
The door's material prevented Chakra detection, and the surrounding walls were made of very hard stone, specifically crafted to resist immediate explosion even with numerous explosive tags and to block infiltration via Earth Escape Technique.
Ichihime recalled the password given by Kado and entered the numbers into the keypad.
With a snap sound, the sound of unlocking was heard, and the door automatically opened slightly inward.
Password correct.
Some light seeped in through the gap in the door, and the room inside was brightly lit.
"Please come in, mysterious guest."
The room's host on the opposite side seemed to hear the sound of the door opening, and a voice with a light chuckle came from inside.
Ichihime hesitated not, further pushing the door open, appearing entirely in the lit-up VIP room and saw the room's host.
The host lay relaxed on a luxurious swivel armchair, with his back facing the door, focusing on the transparent glass wall in front, as if attracted by something interesting outside the glass wall.
Closing the door, Ichihime approached the room's host and followed his gaze, looking towards the enormous field outside the glass wall.
It was a huge arena for combat, with stands full of spectators.
Two young ninjas, dressed in ninja attire, were fighting at the center of the arena.
Whenever a dazzling ninja technique was unleashed, it would incite the audience to cheer excitedly.
Witnessing this scene, Ichihime felt oddly uncomfortable.
It wasn't the fighting ninjas that repulsed her, but rather the audience in the arena stands, who seemed crazed, like bloodthirsty beasts exuding an oppressive aura.
"What is the point of such fights?"
Ichihime asked puzzledly.
The other chuckled in response, "Of course there's a point. Everyone needs to vent their inner dark emotions, and violence is one form of that release. Besides, it's also a battle for pride among their masters. The masters gain face, while they earn money—a win-win collaboration. Though the losers are controlled by the winners' masters, that is their way of survival."
"I beg to differ."
Ichihime huffed coldly.
"You seem quite indifferent, Miss. Though Kado introduced you, I didn't expect you to be underage."
The other seemed surprised.
Ichihime remained silent and didn't reply.
The other seemed unwilling to delve further, stood up from the chair sluggishly, stretched lazily, and exhaled comfortably.
At this moment, Ichihime began to truly appraise this man.
He was of stout build, and without his bizarre sunglasses, he'd be more dashing.
"Well, let me introduce myself. I am a weapons dealer, also moonlighting as an intelligence broker, named Oyashiro Homura. On this island, I wield a modest influence. What about you, Miss?"
Oyashiro politely extended a hand, asking Ichihime with a gentle smile.
"Just call me Senjo."
"That doesn't sound like your real name, Miss, really a pity... when I just told you my true name."