After bidding farewell to his two mentors, Shinju turned toward his friends.
Before he could speak, Kiba patted his chest and said,
"Shinju, you've always been the one protecting us and the village. Now it's our turn to protect you."
Neji nodded. "Don't worry. We've grown a lot over these years. Give us... another thirty or fifty years, and maybe we'll finally be able to keep up with you."
Everyone burst out laughing at that.
Lee grinned. "Neji, you're usually so serious. Didn't think you knew how to joke around."
Neji's face stayed perfectly straight. "I'm being serious."
Lee was left speechless. To catch up to Shinju's pace in thirty to fifty years... was that supposed to be long, or short?
After a few more casual exchanges, Shinju and Naruto vanished, and the group at the village gate slowly dispersed.
...
Land of Lightning — an unnamed small dock.
After Shinju brought Naruto to the Raikage's office, the Raikage ordered Darui to take the two of them to this hidden dock.
Darui explained, "Your movements can't be exposed to the Akatsuki, so Raikage-sama specifically arranged for you to depart from here."
Naruto asked, "Are you coming with us?"
Darui shook his head.
"See that small boat ahead? Once you're aboard, someone will take you across. Raikage-sama's already prepared everything."
"What about Killer B? Isn't he coming with us?" Shinju asked.
Darui smiled. "Killer B-sama left yesterday."
"Alright, it's time for you two to set out. Safe travels. ∩_∩"
After saying goodbye to Darui, Shinju and Naruto walked toward the small boat he had pointed out.
"There are quite a few boats here. Is this one of Kumogakure's secret bases?" Naruto asked casually as he walked along the dock.
Shinju glanced around and shook his head.
"Doesn't look like it. It's probably just an ordinary fishing village."
They boarded the boat.
Just as Darui had said, there was an elderly boatman waiting, clearly expecting them.
With a brief exchange of looks, the old man started the boat.
Rumble...
Accompanied by the low roar of the engine, the small vessel cut through the waves and slowly moved forward.
They hadn't gone far when Shinju spotted another small boat not far ahead.
He pointed at it and asked the boatman, "I don't see any fish on that one. Why are they heading back?"
The boatman explained, "You don't know, sir. There's been some kind of sea monster near our village. Judging from their faces, they must've seen it again and decided to turn back early."
Naruto frowned. "A monster? What kind? There's never been one before. Why did it suddenly show up?"
The boatman looked troubled. "Well, it's not exactly sudden. That thing's been roaming these waters for nearly twenty years now."
"As for what it looks like... I've only ever seen it from afar. All I know is that it has a massive dorsal fin and a sword-like snout!"
As they talked, the returning fishing boat approached them.
A black-haired young man appeared on deck and called out,
"Don't go any farther! That beast's just ahead!"
Then he muttered angrily to himself, "Damn it, one of these days I'm gonna cut that thing into pieces! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ)"
Hearing the warning, the boatman thanked him profusely, then turned back to Shinju and Naruto with an apologetic look.
"You heard the guy. I'll steer around that area instead."
Shinju waved his hand. "No need. Go straight ahead."
"We're shinobi. Since we've run into this, we might as well help you deal with it."
The boatman hesitated. "But..."
Shinju said calmly, "It's fine. Just go."
The old man had been warned by the Raikage's men that the people he was ferrying this time were extremely important—nothing must happen to them.
So even though Shinju offered to help, the old boatman stubbornly insisted,
"No, sir. With you two aboard, I can't risk it. We'll go around."
Naruto sighed. "Man, you're really stubborn—"
Before he could finish, Shinju pointed ahead. "Look."
Naruto followed his gaze—and there it was: a massive fin cutting through the surface of the sea!
The fin alone rose over a meter high above the water. Just imagining the size of the creature beneath made one's skin crawl.
The boatman froze in terror.ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Why now of all times?!
"Hold on tight, sirs! I'm speeding up!"
He yanked the rudder sharply, trying to flee.
Unfortunately, a boat's speed couldn't compare to that of a creature born in the sea.
Before they could even complete their turn, the enormous fin swept up behind them!
With a loud splash!! the gigantic fish monster burst from the water, lunging straight toward the small boat!
Shinju focused his eyes. The creature was just as the boatman had described—its sword-like snout gleamed menacingly.
"Looks like a marlin... just a little too mutated," Shinju murmured.
He raised his right hand, and his five fingers instantly turned to wooden vines, whipping out toward the airborne monster.
Ordinary fishermen might stand no chance against such a beast, but Shinju's Wood Release could handle it easily.
In an instant, the creature was bound tightly.
The boatman's eyes went wide. (꒪⌓꒪)
"So this... this is the power of a shinobi?! Incredible!"
Shinju didn't respond. Staring at the struggling marlin suspended in midair by his Wood Release, his eyes narrowed.
"Naruto, come take a look. I think this fish might be a summoning beast."
Naruto leaned closer, scratching his head.
"How can you tell?"
Shinju answered matter-of-factly, "Don't you see the sealing formula for a summoning jutsu engraved inside its body?"
Naruto blinked. "Huh? (✘Д✘๑)?"
Seeing that Naruto didn't get it, Shinju didn't bother explaining further. He simply continued analyzing aloud.
"This thing was probably someone's summoned beast. When its summoner died, it didn't return to its home realm for some reason, and just stayed here all these years..."
"Judging by the time it started appearing, that must've been around the Third Shinobi World War..."
The boatman, trembling, interrupted, "S-sir, maybe you should just kill it first?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Shinju tightened his wooden vines. In an instant, the monster was shredded into pieces.
The boatman nearly cried with gratitude.
"Sir, you're a savior to our village! Without you, that monster would've plagued us forever!"
Shinju simply waved a hand. "It was nothing."
Then he muttered softly, "To think a single abandoned summoning beast from the war could terrorize this sea for decades..."
Naruto sighed. "Yeah... if only there were no more wars in the world."
The boatman added, "If the world were unified, maybe wars would disappear altogether..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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