Lost at Sea
In the endless blue of the open sea, where the horizon vanishes into mist and water, storm clouds churned overhead, and wind and rain raged without mercy.
A ragged, makeshift raft surged with the crashing waves, tossed like driftwood in the gale. At any moment, it looked like it would splinter apart—and take its passengers with it.
"Are we really going to make it to the Land of Water?!"
"If it weren't for two straight days of storms, we would've made it by now—my method was solid!"
Two boys argued atop the battered raft, their voices almost drowned by the howling wind.
They were Bai Ye and Aburame Kazuhiko, young Genin who had departed from the Land of Fire not long ago.
Just two days earlier, they'd reached the port at the Fire Country's eastern border.
But with the Land of Water suddenly closing its borders and enforcing a strict isolation policy, all merchant ships had been suspended. No ferries. No smugglers daring to run the blockade. If one wanted to cross, they had to do it themselves.
Low on funds and stubborn to a fault, the boys agreed on a wild plan: build a raft, with Bai Ye acting as the engine using chakra-enhanced propulsion, while Kazuhiko deployed his kikaichū to navigate the direction.
And so—with zero nautical experience and no preparation whatsoever—they set off to sea.
The so-called "mastermind" behind the idea? Kazuhiko, who had been under constant complaint from Bai Ye ever since.
According to their original plan, Bai Ye's propulsion would get them to the Land of Hot Water in a single day. There, they would resupply and rest before continuing on to the Land of Water.
At the time, Bai Ye had reluctantly agreed. But less than half an hour into their journey, they were struck by a sudden offshore storm.
And now…
"Trust me, I can still find the correct path—even in this weather," Kazuhiko insisted, eyes shut as he concentrated.
Bai Ye stared blankly at the sky, regretting all his life choices. "You looked just as confident yesterday. And here we are, drifting aimlessly into oblivion."
The storm had intensified, and by now, they had completely lost their heading.
"Our mission's already a bust. If we don't find land soon, I'll die of hunger before a kunai finishes me off."
Bai Ye sprawled on the raft like a dried-out sardine, completely sapped of willpower.
They had only brought one day's worth of food. After all, they only expected to be on the sea for a day. Strategic rations like soldier pills were untouched—far too precious and hard to replenish.
"I caught a few fish. We'll eat those if we have to," Kazuhiko offered, pointing to three pitifully small fish pinned to the raft with kunai.
"Nice idea. But the moment you bit into one, you nearly threw up your intestines."
Indeed, one of the fish bore a distinct row of bite marks—and even now, blood slowly seeped from the wound, washed away by the relentless rain.
Unprocessed and raw, the fish stank of brine and death. When Kazuhiko had tried to eat one, he'd nearly vomited the rest of yesterday's meals.
The only silver lining: an endless supply of fresh rainwater.
"Kazuhiko, stop pretending to be dead. Send your bugs to scout the area."
"They're useless in this weather. If my kikaichū could navigate in a storm, we'd have reached the Land of Water by now."
Kazuhiko rarely bothered to talk much, but being stuck at sea must've made him unusually chatty.
"Can't you try using bugs in the water?" Bai Ye asked. "I remember reading the Aburame clan can communicate with local insect species."
Kazuhiko blinked. "Huh. That… actually might work."
Encouraged, he sat up and activated his clan's secret technique, focusing his chakra to search for aquatic insect life.
On land, Aburame shinobi rarely needed to deal with aquatic species. But technically speaking, they could form temporary bonds with wild insects—even water-based ones.
He'd simply never tried.
"It's working—but they're so damn slow."
Kazuhiko frowned, brows furrowed. The insects he found could respond to chakra—but their sluggishness was laughable compared to his usual swarm.
"I was half-joking anyway," Bai Ye muttered as he stretched, turning onto his side to nap again.
But Kazuhiko, now fully invested, kept experimenting. Some of the aquatic bugs had intriguing abilities—certainly worth studying when they returned.
Suddenly, Kazuhiko stiffened.
"Don't relax yet. Something's off."
He slapped Bai Ye's arm, waking him. His expression had turned serious.
"Enemy attack?" Bai Ye shot upright, instinctively drawing his Zanpakutō and assuming a defensive stance.
Kazuhiko facepalmed. "Idiot. Do you really think someone's going to ambush us in the middle of the sea?"
He pointed into the water. "My aquatic bugs are sensing irregular current flow. There's something wrong beneath us."
Bai Ye glanced around. "This ocean's been chaotic since we got here. Doesn't seem that different."
Still, he didn't sit back down. The storm was too strong—standing meant using chakra to stabilize himself. Lying down with a rope tied around his waist was far safer.
"I'm serious," Kazuhiko muttered, closing his eyes. "The water current is being pulled inward. There's a huge vortex forming beneath us."
"A vortex? Like a whirlpool? I don't see anything."
"We've been drifting toward it for a while. Even the furthest bugs I sent out can't detect anything outside the basin. We're trapped."
"That wide of an affected area…" Bai Ye frowned, thinking hard. "Could we be near the Land of Whirlpools?"
"The what?"
Kazuhiko blinked, unfamiliar with the name.
"It was destroyed years ago," Bai Ye replied grimly. "But the Uzumaki Clan used to live there. Their emblem—red spiral—you've seen it on every Konoha flak jacket."
Kazuhiko's eyes narrowed, suddenly realizing the irony.
"They vanished, and no one remembers them—but we still wear their legacy on our backs."
Bai Ye nodded. "If this whirlpool really is a remnant of their homeland, then maybe…"
He trailed off, eyes fixed on the angry sea—wondering if they were being swallowed by the past, or heading toward a new discovery no one dared to revisit.
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