Mizukage's Pokémon Ninja Scroll

Chapter 22 Apple Village

After Mr. Hugo's explanation, everyone learned the details of how the incident began.

Apple Village is an ordinary little village located on the southern edge of the main island of the Land of Water, close to the mainland of the Land of Fire. Although it is situated by the sea, the terrain is not suitable for building a port, and the complex terrain outside the village makes land transportation difficult.

The complex terrain has resulted in a poor economy in the village, but thanks to this environment, the small Apple Village has never been visited by the rampant pirates from the surrounding Water Kingdom.

However, just over ten days ago, fishermen from the village discovered a merchant ship that had run aground on a reef. Out of kindness, the villagers went to great lengths to rescue the ship, and fortunately, there were no casualties on board.

The merchant ship stayed in Apple Village for several days to repair itself, and the villagers learned that the merchant was a weapons merchant from the Kingdom of Craftsmen.

However, when the villagers asked the merchant where in the Land of Water he was going to make his trade, the merchant hesitated and evaded the question. The villagers assumed that the merchant wanted to protect his trade secrets and did not press him further.

Afterwards, with the help of the villagers, the merchant ship was finally repaired, and the merchant took the opportunity to say goodbye and leave. Before leaving, he left some money and a few weapons to thank the villagers for their help.

However, because these ordinary little villages were not accurately marked on maps, and the villagers had little geographical knowledge, the merchant inquired in detail about the surrounding sea conditions from the local fishermen before leaving.

"The merchant specifically asked us about the islands to the east and even described the features of one particular island. Only one elderly fisherman in our village said he had seen that island from afar."

Hugo then emphasized, "Later, the village chief said that the nearest port from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Water was clearly to the west of the village, and it was precisely because of that port that the village had so few people."

"So, when that merchant ship left, it headed towards that small island to the east, right?" Upon hearing this, Tachibana Kengo guessed at the opportune moment.

"Yes, the village chief said at the time that this businessman probably wasn't doing any legitimate business." Hugo also confirmed Jianchuan Ju's guess.

"A few days after that merchant left, pirates attacked our village. Only those who had gone out to sea to fish and hadn't returned, along with some elderly, weak, women, and children who had taken refuge in the mountains, escaped the attack." At this point, Hugo's eyes were already a little moist.

"There's nothing of value in our village, but those pirates not only robbed us of money, they also kidnapped children. My daughter was also taken by the pirates."

"It must have been that merchant who made a deal with the pirates, even selling our village's location to them. The survivors say the pirates' weapons are exactly the same as those on the merchant's ship!"

"Maybe it was just bad luck that the merchant ship was robbed by pirates?" Zabuza asked bluntly, even though he could see that Hugo was a little emotionally unstable.

Upon hearing Zabuza's words, Tachibana Kanagawa thought for a moment and then retorted, "It shouldn't be. First of all, the merchant's target was a small overseas island. Moreover, if it was a pirate attack, the attackers usually wouldn't specifically mention a remote village with little profit, especially since this village had done him a favor."

Jianchuan Ju stroked his chin, thinking that the merchant ship Hugo mentioned must have been on its way to trade with pirates.

"Yes, that's what everyone in the village thinks too."

"In that case, let's set off. Having a goal is much better than searching aimlessly at sea." Seeing that she already knew enough information, Mei Terumi decided to set off as soon as possible.

However, Tachibana Kanagawa still asked Hugo one more question: "Can the people in your village still find the location of that island?"

"No problem, most of the fishermen and fishing boats in the village are still there. Although no one has been to that island, it's easy to find if you know the general location."

In the end, the group decided not to bring Hugo and head directly to Apple Village.

After all, it wasn't an escort mission. Hugo also mentioned that there were other people in the village who could lead the way. Rescue missions require speed, and bringing along an ordinary person would definitely slow down the progress significantly.

Qing didn't interrupt at all, but silently watched his disciples prepare for the mission.

A day later, the Qing team arrived at Apple Village after traveling day and night.

Although the buildings in the village looked relatively intact, there were obvious signs of repairs everywhere, and there were still some bloodstains on the streets that had not been washed away.

The entire village was almost deserted, with hardly any pedestrians on the streets. The few passersby dressed in simple clothes looked at everyone with a blank expression and a hint of wariness.

Just looking at this dilapidated village, one can imagine the devastation this remote little village has suffered.

However, since they had already rushed here overnight, they couldn't afford to delay any longer.

Mei Terumi gestured to Tachibana Kenkawa with her eyes.

Knowing what was going on, Tachibana Kanagawa stepped forward and stopped a middle-aged man, asking, "We are Kirigakure ninjas who have been sent on a mission to rescue prisoners. May I ask where the village chief lives?"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light seemed to appear in the eyes of the numb-looking middle-aged man, before he quickly succumbed to sorrow once more.

"The village chief has been killed by pirates. Now his son, Daz, is in charge. I'll take you to him."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man turned around and led the way.

The group arrived at a relatively clean courtyard. Before they could even speak, a burly young man wearing a straw hat walked out of the stone house.

The young man was slightly taken aback when he saw so many strangers standing in the courtyard after he went outside. However, he immediately realized who it was when he saw the Hidden Mist Village insignia on the people and asked, "Are you the ninja masters Hugo invited?"

Given the atmosphere in the Land of Water, no one would look down on a ninja because of their age, especially with an adult like Ao wearing a Jonin vest in charge.

This saved Jianchuan Ju and the others a lot of trouble. After a brief introduction of their origins, everyone turned their attention to the young "acting village chief".

"Then let me take charge of leading everyone to the island."

The young man named Daz looked at everyone with a determined expression.

The middle-aged man who had led the way for the Blue Squad hesitated when he heard Daz's words, but in the end he just sighed softly and didn't say anything more.

Seemingly fearing that the ninjas might misunderstand, Daz explained, "I am the best fisherman in our village and am very familiar with the surrounding waters. I can take you there by myself in my boat."

Mei Terumi said, "No problem. You just need to take us to that island. After we get on the island, you can return directly. We will bring the kidnapped children back to the village after the mission is completed."

Mei Terumi seemed unusually sensible today, and even her usual arrogant demeanor was gone when she spoke.

Seeing the worry on the faces of the two ordinary people present, Tachibana Kanagawa reassured them, "Don't worry, as ninjas, dealing with pirates who are just ordinary people is no problem at all."

After that, Daz simply gave a brief explanation to the middle-aged man and then led the four of them out of the courtyard.

In this way, without disturbing the rest of the village, the group went straight to a shore where several fishing boats were moored.

It seems that recently, the villagers haven't been in the mood to go fishing at sea, and the fishing boats on the shore are just sitting there, leaning to one side or the other.

Considering that the mission was for rescue and that Daz would be returning early, the group even helped to tow and connect an empty boat together.

However, when Jianchuan Ju got up close to the fishing boat, he couldn't help but complain in his heart.

"These wooden fishing boats are all equipped with engines and propellers. Thank goodness we didn't plan on chasing pirates at sea; are their ships already ironclad warships?"

(End of this chapter)