---
Not long after Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui left the village, a silver figure suddenly landed in front of Hatake Kuroshi.
The speed was incredible, the presence intense, almost as if seeking revenge.
Shisui almost subconsciously dodged aside, but clearly, the person hadn't noticed his presence.
"Hm?"
Hatake Kuroshi tilted his head somewhat inexplicably, looking at Kakashi before him, who was still catching his breath slightly.
"This is for you."
Kakashi averted his gaze, somewhat hesitantly holding out a bag towards Hatake Kuroshi.
"Eh? Oh—a real parting gift? You could have just given it to me at home~"
A bright smile spread across Hatake Kuroshi's face as he accepted the bag.
It felt quite heavy by touch. Hatake Kuroshi blinked with surprise; this weight wasn't what he expected.
"Lots of money, huh? Aren't you keeping it for yourself? Why is there a scroll too? I can't use this kind of thing, right?"
Before Kakashi could say anything else, Hatake Kuroshi opened the bag right in front of him and started rummaging through its contents.
So casual!
Shouldn't he wait until Kakashi leaves before opening it?!
Three black lines appeared on Shisui's forehead beside them as his gaze shifted to Kakashi's face.
As expected, Kakashi's expression stiffened, frowning in annoyance, lowering his eyes and scratching his cheek.
"ANBU doesn't require many expenses."
"You can open the scroll with your blood. It contains some common weapons."
Hatake Kuroshi shook the bag and tied it shut again.
"You really are thoughtful about these kinds of things."
"..."
Hatake Kuroshi took the bag and stuffed it into his trunk.
Yet Kakashi remained standing before him, head lowered, motionless like a telephone pole.
"Is there anything else?"
Hatake Kuroshi tilted his head, leaning down closer to the side of Kakashi's face.
He knew Kakashi felt constrained staying even a second longer than necessary after finishing their business; usually, he'd leave immediately after speaking.
Still standing here now practically broke their record for close proximity since childhood.
"...Have a safe trip."
Kakashi glanced briefly at Hatake Kuroshi's eye patch, then hastily left using Body Flicker (Shunshin) as if fleeing.
Telling me not to make him identify my corpse, yet sending these things?
So awkward.
Hatake Kuroshi shook his head somewhat helplessly.
Shisui watched Kakashi's back quickly disappear back into the village and leaned in like a spectator.
"Your relationship with Kakashi is really subtle."
"If you're jealous, just say so~"
Tsk.
...
Unlike the large nations bordering the Land of Fire, the Land of Water was surrounded by sea on all sides. The only way to get there was by sea route.
The place one inevitably had to pass through was the Land of Waves.
Although called a country, it was actually just a small nation on an island with no military power.
Besides acting as a small transit point to earn some passage fees, they mostly relied on fishing for survival, making them quite poor.
Relations between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire hadn't improved much since the Third Shinobi World War.
There were no necessary beneficial exchanges between the two, so naturally, not many sea routes were developed.
To travel without attracting attention, they could only pass through the Land of Waves, find experienced local fishermen, and have them sail them to the Land of Water.
Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui stood by the sparkling water's edge. Only one wooden boat, looking like it could be capsized by a single wave, was docked at the pier.
"Let's go, bosses! We're the only boat here."
"After reaching the Land of Waves, we'll switch to a bigger boat to go to the Land of Water."
The boatman held his oar, smiling obsequiously at Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui on the shore.
Since the Third War, very few civilians traveled to the Land of Water; they could hardly make any profit.
It was rare for two people who looked like civilians to show up; they had to seize this opportunity.
The white-haired youth wore an eye patch, his figure slender and tall. If he weren't blind, he might actually be quite handsome.
And he held a bulging trunk in his hand. The boatman's gaze was fixed on it, almost unable to look away.
These weren't those empty-handed, hard-to-deal-with ninjas.
"I think..."
Shisui instinctively felt the boatman was up to no good and hesitated, wanting to dissuade Hatake Kuroshi.
Unexpectedly, before he could finish, Hatake Kuroshi took a long stride and sat down in the boat, placing his trunk beside him.
His expression was excited, like a tourist genuinely taking a boat trip for the first time.
"Ooh, I've never been on a boat before~"
"Don't 'you think,' Shisui. There's no other way from here."
Although that's true, jumping on so rashly really makes me worry you'll get kidnapped.
Seeing Hatake Kuroshi's carefree manner, Shisui's temples throbbed with pain.
Unlike a ninja's caution, Hatake Kuroshi's recklessness was so extreme it was hard to tell if it was intentional or unintentional.
"It's best to negotiate with them before boarding. On the water, if there's an enemy attack, we won't have the advantage."
Shisui watched the surrounding people warily, leaning close to Hatake Kuroshi's ear and whispering.
"Robbery or murder, they have to choose one, right? Besides, the people here are very weak, no need to worry at all~"
"If Shisui-chan is scared, you can hold onto me tightly~"
Hatake Kuroshi grinned, raising his arm considerately in front of Shisui.
I shouldn't have worried about this guy.
Shisui raised an eyebrow and firmly pushed Hatake Kuroshi's arm down.
The small boat swayed on the sea surface. The sea route, unlike land, had no obvious landmarks to indicate position.
A thin mist, like water vapor, rose from the sea surface.
The shore quickly faded into darkness behind them. Looking ahead, it was still pitch black; the location of the Land of Waves was nowhere in sight.
Apart from the gentle lapping of waves against the hull, the surroundings were so silent it felt as if they had left the human world.
Hatake Kuroshi rested his cheek on his hand, staring at the shimmering water reflecting the moonlight.
He lowered his hand, and soon a small mass of seawater floated up beneath his palm.
It formed a constantly twisting small water ball, covered by a thin layer of mist.
Hatake Kuroshi looked at the water ball, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.
After traveling for about ten minutes, Shisui silently poked Hatake Kuroshi's arm.
Someone was coming, and more than one.
In the pitch-black night, besides the thin mist, almost nothing could be seen clearly.
Clang—! A sharp ringing sound shattered the deathly silence.
A kunai pinned the boatman's trouser leg directly to the boat floor. He fell backward onto his bottom, and the boat instantly stopped moving.
Instantly, two or three boats nearby rapidly approached while turning on searchlights.
All the lights focused on the wooden boat in the center.
"Whoa—! So many people."
"Did you know what I brought, or is this just a very enthusiastic welcome?"
Hatake Kuroshi leaned over the side of the boat, waving with interest at the approaching vessels.
What a strange person.
Although wearing an eye patch, he seems able to see them.
The sudden bright lights made Shisui, standing in the center of the boat, involuntarily squint.
The silvery blade reflected a cold glint under the moonlight. The boatman abruptly stood up and charged directly at Shisui, slashing downwards.
Thump!
After a muffled sound, the boatman flew out backward, bent over, skimming across the water surface and splashing up a large spray.
The impact of the boatman being sent flying instantly capsized one of the attacking boats.
Then, in an instant, a barrage of condensed water spheres shot out from Hatake Kuroshi's position as the center!
Several splashing sounds echoed as the surrounding boats were instantly punched through with round holes.
The wooden boats couldn't withstand such impacts; seawater rapidly poured in, and in the blink of an eye, the vessels were about to be submerged.
No one in the surrounding fleet expected this sudden turn of events. Everyone started clamoring.
"What's going on! Why did the boat suddenly get a hole?!"
"It's no use, we can't plug this water!"
"What did that person throw out just now?!"
Seeing people splashing about in the water like dumplings being dropped into a pot, yelling and shouting... Hatake Kuroshi lowered his head with amusement.
"Hey, hey—who among you is good at rowing? We need someone to row here."
Suddenly, a sharp blade emerged from the water, stabbing straight towards Hatake Kuroshi's face.
"Ah, dangerous, dangerous! No one with knives—"
Hatake Kuroshi called out lightly, tilted his head slightly, and plunged his hand directly into the water.
Shisui watched Hatake Kuroshi, who was clearly having fun playing beside him, feeling rather speechless.
He wasn't really looking for a boatman to help.
---
Check my: p@treon.com/ShixT9 for extra 60 Chapters
> Each 50 Spirit Stones I will release an extra chapter
> If a member joins my p@treon
> Tier 1 = 20 Advance Chapters +1 Extra Chapter + Shoutout
> Tier 2 = 40 Advance Chapters + 2 Extra Chapters + Shoutout
> Tier 3 = 60 Advance Chapters + 4 Extra Chapters + Shoutout
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