Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 250 The Hidden Mist's Second Plan: Night at the Port

The Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village were driven back. But the crisis in Konoha was not over.

Or rather, the crisis of Takaya Shokai is not over.

On the southeastern front.

Hyuga Masaru stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the turbulent deep sea below. His Byakugan detected many sources of chakra on the surface of the sea.

"Mr. Sousuke, the Kirigakure fleet has not retreated."

Hyuga Katsutoshi reports to Sousuke, who is standing nearby.

"They regrouped in deep waters twenty nautical miles away."

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Sousuke smiled.

"It seems they are determined to cut off my tea country's shipping routes. As long as my merchant ships dare to set sail, they will be attacked."

He was well aware that this was one of the strategic objectives of the Water Kingdom.

The appreciation of the currency caused by the daimyo of the Land of Fire plunged the isolated and resource-scarce Land of Water into severe inflation.

They have two strategic goals.

One option is for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to lead the Hidden Mist assassination squad into the Land of Fire to assassinate Konoha's elite forces.

Now, this plan has been thwarted by Sosuke's violence.

However, Kirigakure did not retreat. They had a second plan.

That is, to cut off Konoha's sea supply lines.

"Boss, this is troublesome."

Genzo walked up to Sosuke, his brow furrowed.

"Our prosthetic legion's metal parts are too heavy. If we fight on the sea, the rate of chakra consumption to maintain surface tension is ten times that on flat ground."

"Once their chakra is depleted, or they are injured, the brothers will sink into the deep sea like iron weights—certain death is inevitable."

This is an objectively existing physical disadvantage.

On the high seas, the Hidden Mist ninjas are natural rulers. They are experts in underwater assassination and have excellent swimming skills, while once Sousuke's private soldiers fall into the water, they have no chance to fight back.

Sosuke gazed at the deep sea shrouded in mist in the distance.

"I see."

He turned around, his black trench coat fluttering in the sea breeze.

"Since we can't beat them on the water, we won't tread water."

"I have another way."

The land of tea, the port of the Imperial Palace.

Inside the He Jie family's private shipyard, the lights were on, and hundreds of shipwrights were working through the night.

Sosuke directly used the largest ocean-going merchant ship under the Wagaku family.

"Modification. Violent modification."

Sosuke stood on the dock and gave a death order to the chief shipwright of the Wagaku family.

He used his financial power.

The Takaya Trading Company's transport team mobilized a massive amount of strategic materials from various locations overnight.

"Wrap the entire hull with insulating rubber, and then add a layer of high-strength steel sheet on the outside."

"I don't want any water rats to be able to drill through the bottom of my ship underwater, nor will I allow lightning chakra to conduct electricity on the hull."

"Both sides of the ship are equipped with crossbows."

"The ship's hold was filled with heavy oil and explosive tags."

With a generous reward, hundreds of shipwrights worked through the night, disregarding their fatigue.

The sea breeze was cool at the dock late at night.

Sosuke and Mikoto Uchiha sat in front of a seafood stall by the roadside.

On the charcoal grill, palm-sized scallops, whelks, and squid are roasting. The melted butter releases an enticing aroma that wafts far on the night breeze.

Sosuke cut open the grilled scallop meat, picked up a piece, and put it on Mikoto's plate.

"Try it. It's a specialty of the tea country, and it's very fresh."

Mikoto was wearing a dark purple casual outfit, her long hair slightly disheveled by the sea breeze.

She picked up her chopsticks and gracefully took a bite.

"Very delicious."

Mikoto's eyes curved slightly, her smile gentle.

Judging by her appearance alone, who would have guessed that not long ago, she used Kamui to instantly kill a member of the Ninja Swordsmen?

"Mr. Sosuke."

Mikoto looked at the shipyard in the distance.

"You must have invested a considerable amount of money to build these warships, right?"

"Don't even mention it."

Sosuke looked pained.

"Naval warfare is really expensive."

"Those bastards from Kirigakure have cut off my source of income and made me spend so much money modifying my merchant ships. I'll make them pay for this with interest!"

Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"You also have times when you're worried about money."

In her memory, this man never hesitated to spend money. Whether it was sponsoring the Uchiha clan or offering bounties on Iwagakure, he was always generous.

She poured Sosuke a glass of iced tea.

"Normally, spending money is a strategic investment; the money spent on modifying the ship is purely an extra expense."

Sosuke tilted his head back and took a big gulp of iced tea.

"Are you full?" Sosuke put down his cup.

I'm full.

Mikoto nodded. Actually, she didn't eat much, only a scallop and two bites of fish, but her stomach already felt warm.

"Let's go. Let's go for a walk."

Sosuke stood up and paid the bill.

The two walked side by side through the night market at the Imperial Palace.

Compared to the strictness of Konoha and the desolation of wartime, this port city is full of exotic vitality.

The streets were lined with colorful paper lanterns. Tourists thronged the area.

"Mr. Sosuke."

Mikoto looked at the dazzling array of shops on both sides.

"This place is so prosperous. If only Konoha could be like this, without war."

"It will happen."

Sosuke had his hands in his coat pockets.

"The war will end soon."

The two passed by a jewelry stall.

The stall owner was a fisherwoman with dark skin. Her stall was filled with ornaments, mostly made of polished seashells and pearls, as well as some other small items.

Mikoto stopped in her tracks.

Her gaze fell on a comb.

It's a crescent-shaped comb made from the shell of a hawksbill turtle. The colors are a mix of light and dark, with a warm, lustrous sheen. The craftsmanship isn't top-notch, but the style is very antique.

"Madam has excellent taste."

The stall owner greeted us warmly.

"This is the shell of an old hawksbill turtle from the deep sea, it's said to ward off evil spirits. Only two thousand taels!"

Mikoto held it in her hand for a while, then put it back.

As a ninja, one shouldn't be obsessed with external things. Moreover, she should focus on becoming stronger and reclaiming Itachi.

"Let's go," she said to Sosuke.

Sosuke picked up the hairpin and tossed a five-thousand-tael banknote onto the stall.

"Keep the change, please."

The stall owner was extremely grateful.

"This—" Mikoto said somewhat embarrassedly.

Sosuke handed her the comb.

"This color suits you well. Keep it."

Mikoto held the tortoiseshell comb.

The luster of the tortoiseshell flowed under the lantern.

"Thanks----"

She smiled slightly and tucked the comb into her sleeve.

"Let's go for a walk on the beach," Sosuke suggested.

"it is good."

The two left the bustling night market and walked along the stone-paved road toward the breakwater of the harbor.

The waves crashed against the breakwater, breaking into white foam, the sound of the waves drowning out everything.

The distant deep sea was shrouded in a thick white fog. That was the masterpiece of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village).

Are you cold?

Looking at the sea, Sosuke casually asked.

The sea breeze at night was damp and quite chilly.

"A little," Mikoto answered truthfully.

She was, after all, a woman who had just given birth, and although she had been modified by the vortex factor, her inherent fear of cold still remained.

A rustling sound arose.

A black trench coat, still warm from her body, was draped over her shoulders.

Sosuke took off his coat.

"Wear it. The sea breeze will give you a headache if you're exposed to it too much."

The trench coat was so big that it almost completely enveloped Mikoto.

Mikoto did not refuse. She adjusted the collar of her trench coat.

"Mr. Sosuke."

She looked at Sosuke with gentle eyes.

"Thank you for everything during this time. You've shouldered so much for both Itachi's situation and the Uchiha's predicament."

"This is what allies should do."

Sosuke stood in the wind, his hands in his pockets.

"Moreover, I also received a lot from the Uchiha clan."

The two walked side by side on the seawall.

Mikoto looked at the dark sea and couldn't help but feel curious.

"Mr. Sosuke, you command quite a few merchant ships. I'd like to ask, what's it like on the other side of the sea?"

"Across the sea lies the land of water, where there are archipelagos. Further away are small overseas countries or deserted islands."

"The world is so big," Mikoto remarked.

"Actually, it's not that big."

"Those small overseas countries are geographically fragmented and extremely poor. The nobles, in order to seize the limited arable land, think about how to kill people every day."

"Further on, there are some deserted islands without even a name, inhabited by uncivilized savages."

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"You are truly knowledgeable."

"In that case, the Land of Fire is still the best."

"It's too windy, let's go back. You're still recovering."

Mikoto nodded.

"it is good."

The two slowly walked back to the bustling downtown area of ​​the Imperial Palace.

As I passed through a dimly lit back alley, a stray cat darted out.

Sosuke stopped in his tracks.

He took out the grilled squid tentacles he had casually packed at the seafood stall from his pocket, squatted down, and handed them over.

"Suckling".

The stray cat leaned closer and sniffed it.

Then, with a look of disgust, it turned its head away, meowed, scurried up the wall, and ran off.

Zongsuke's hands froze in mid-air.

"Even the cats here are this picky about food?"

Sosuke stood up, threw the squid tentacles into the trash can next to him, and clapped his hands.

"You ungrateful little beast."

Mikoto stood to the side, watching his actions, and chuckled softly while covering her mouth.

It was already late at night when they returned to the guest house arranged by the He Jie family.

"You should get some rest."

Mikoto walked to her door, took off her black trench coat, and handed it to Sosuke.

Sosuke took the trench coat.

"Good night."