Chapter 48.
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"That'll be 30,000 ryo, 10,000 for each" the grizzled ship captain stated, eyeing them appraisingly.
Tsubasa simply handed over a small pouch, which the man weighed in his calloused palm.
After a moment, a toothy grin split his weathered face. "Aye, that'll about cover it for your passageway." He jerked his head towards the weathered vessel. "You three are welcome to board. We'll be setting sail within the hour."
Tsubasa gave a curt nod, and they climbed the ramp to the deck of the creaking ship. As soon as her sandals hit the swaying planks, Yumiko's eyes went wide with wonder. She stared out over the vast expanse of the glittering ocean in awe.
"So this is a real ship..." she murmured, running a hand along the sun-bleached railing. "I've never actually been on one before."
"This is a relatively small merchant ship," Tatsuya commented idly beside her, in his old world, this size of ship was like a baby compared to those massive oil tankers.
Yumiko whipped her head around, ponytail lashing. "You've been on bigger ships then?" Her brow furrowed skeptically. "But how? I thought this was your first time too?"
Tatsuya's lips curled as he simply shrugged, not like he could say about his previous life.
The three of them currently had their appearances changed by transformation henges to avoid easy recognition during their mission travel.
A few deckhands busied themselves with last-minute tasks - tying off rigging, loading supplies aboard the weathered vessel. The salty spray of the waves surrounded them, punctuated by the cries of distant gulls wheeling overhead.
An hour slipped by almost unnoticed as they idly watched the seabirds soaring on the coastal winds. Until finally, the gruff captain's voice rang out across the deck.
"All hands! We're setting sail!" he bellowed, and the crew leapt into action, unfurling canvas sails to catch the stiff breeze.
Yumiko watched in fascination as the ship slowly lurched into motion, angling away from the docks. "What happens if there's no wind?" she asked curiously.
"Notice the steam engine towards the stern?" Tatsuya pointed out the squat metal furnace. "They can burn coal to power the ship if there's no wind for the sails. But they usually don't need to be around here."
He shrugged again. "The mainland and Wave Country aren't that far apart, and this passage is pretty consistently windy from what I've read."
Yumiko's eyes narrowed slightly at his nonchalant admission. "You researched this pretty thoroughly, didn't you?"
A small grin played over Tatsuya's lips. "Maybe a little…You know I like geography," he replied easily.
"Hmm..." Yumiko studied him a moment before nodding. "In that case, you will be my guide since you seem to know so much about our destination already."
"Sure, if you'd like," Tatsuya agreed nonchalantly, not like it was anything hard to do.
Then something caught his eye in the sea, and an idea formed in his mind, so he glanced around the gently rocking deck before his gaze settled on the thing he was looking for. "Actually, why don't I give you a little hands-on lesson?"
He strode over and snatched up one of the spare fishing rods stowed against the gunwale before returning to Yumiko's side.
"You want to fish now?" she asked doubtfully as he proffered her the rod. "I don't think you'll catch anything at this speed without a net."
Tatsuya just smirked. "Don't sweat the details. Just watch and learn."
With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the baited line sailing out to trail behind the steadily sailing ship. Yumiko watched the lure bobbing along the frothing wake with clear skepticism.
"If I remember right," Tatsuya began, "there's a rare variety of fish indigenous to this stretch of ocean. One of the few species capable of cultivating their own chakra, though their control is sloppy without a proper network."
Yumiko's brow furrowed as she processed this. "They have chakra? But how? There's no way the food supply here could fuel that, not in these cramped sea lanes..."
"Keep watching those gulls circling above," he instructed with a meaningful nod toward the wheeling birds.
Dutifully, Yumiko focused her sharingan upward - only to gasp seconds later as her enhanced vision traced a nearly imperceptible thin streak of water lancing out of the ocean like liquid shrapnel. It slammed through a cluster of the gulls in a puff of feathers, downing half their number instantly.
"What the--?!" She recoiled, scarcely believing what she'd witnessed. "Those were like...compact water bullets! I don't think, even I could dodge one without my sharingan activated."
Tsubasa hummed confirmation. "A handy little trick those chakra fish have developed to snatch low-flying prey. Don't worry though - from their perspectice, this whole ship reads as one massive organism. They don't bother targeting prey that big."
Yumiko seemed to deflate in relief at that reassurance. Just the thought of being skewered like those poor gulls from thin air...
"Wait," she realized suddenly, eyeing the trailing line. "And you're trying to catch those fish? What if it provokes them?"
But Tatsuya seemed to ignore her and licked his lips subconsciously as if imagining something delicious. "They are a Rare delicacy, but little risk is well worth the reward. Their chakra-enriched flesh makes for one of the most delicious foods you'll ever taste."
"Ha! Seems our young friend here knows his mulberry fish!" Yumiko started at the captain's scratchy bellow as he emerged from his cabin to join them. "But I'll warn ya lad, near impossible to land one this time o' year, even for a skilled fisherman."
The grizzled man squinted at Tatsuya with new appraisal. "You got a trick up your sleeve for catchin' that sweet pink meat? Because they don't take to the line easy when the currents run cold..."
Tatsuya simply offered a mysterious smile in return, his eyes bright with eager confidence.
Extending his senses, he channeled a steady flow of chakra from his core, down his arm and into the fishing rod itself. He carefully guided the energy along the taut line until it coalesced around the bobbing lure.
But he did not extend it beyond the bait with the salty ocean as that would cause his control over the chakra to dissipate instantly.
But focused through the bait, it should provide enough concentrated essence to attract his intended rare prey.
Yumiko and the captain jerked in surprise as the water around Tatsuya's lure suddenly began swirling, rapidly forming a miniature maelstrom.
Even Tsubasa arched her brow in surprise.
"Well I'll be..." The captain squinted through the saline spray. "That's a proper mulberry swirl if I ever saw one!"
Sure enough, Tatsuya felt an unmistakable tug as something substantial seized the bait. 'Heh, My chakra never disappoints'
Gritting his teeth, he wrenched back with every ounce of strength.
The others immediately recoiled, stunned, as a massive blue-green form exploded from the churning water - a powerful fish nearly as long as a man, its lamprey-like mouth gaping.
"Crazy lightning-eater!" The captain bellowed, almost reverential. "That's the biggest bloody mulberry I ever laid eyes on!"
The incredible sea creature twisted and fought, using its weight and powerful tail to yank Tatsuya forward with bone-jarring force. He quickly braced a foot against the gunwale to keep from being hauled overboard entirely.
Without relenting its death roll, the trapped fish dove back beneath the surface, dragging Tatsuya along the slick deck as he tightly clung to the straining rod. Yumiko and the captain rushed to his aid, digging in their heels and grabbing the line to assist his pull.
Tatsuya could feel the coarse fibers sawing into his palms as the full bulk of the mulberry's weight settled in the other direction. If he'd been even slightly less prepared, a little slower on the draw, he could easily have been ripped overboard.
Through gritted teeth, Tatsuya grunted at them, "A little help would've been appreciated sooner!"
"My bad, lad," the captain replied with an awed grin as he and Yumiko rushed to grab the straining line. "I was too shocked - ain't never seen one that bloody massive before!"
But the struggling leviathan seemed determined to make them fight for every inch. It thrashed and strained against their combined efforts, causing the wooden deck to creak ominously beneath Tatsuya's braced foot. Even the sturdy fishing rod groaned from the incredible tension.
Tatsuya knew better than to try subduing the fish with a lightning release technique. But that would ruin the delicate chakra-enriched flesh he so coveted as it would heat up the fish too much.
Thinking quickly, he turned to his teammates. "It's moving in a pattern - three seconds of full thrashing power, then a one-second lull as it catches its breath. We'll need to pour everything into hauling it in during those micro-breaks!"
The captain gave a fierce nod. "Aye, just give the count, young'un!"
"I'm ready!" Yumiko called, planting her feet determinedly.
"Alright then...Get set - three...two...one...PULL!"
At Tatsuya's bark, they flung their weights backwards as one. For a fractional moment, the mulberry's titanic mass strained against them with every ounce of its wild power. Then with a final, mighty heave, its huge mottled form came sliding up and over the gunwale to flop gracelessly on the slick deck before them.
The duo Yumiko and the captain collapsed beside their hard-won prize, chests heaving from the exertion. Even the grizzled old captain looked stunned by the sheer size of their lightning-born catch.
"Hah...hah...Damn, lad!" he panted, awe shining through his wild eyes. "That really was the catch of a lifetime!"
There it lay - a true titan among its species. An iridescent, sinuous blue-green body easily ten feet from whiskered snout to thrashing tail. Anyone could see why these rare beauties were so prized for their exquisite chakra-laced flesh.
"Nicely done," Tsubasa said, slowly clapping her hands at their display against the massive mulberry fish. Catching such a fish without ninjutsu is no easy feat.
Tatsuya nodded breathlessly, wiping his brow of the sweat as he approached the still-thrashing leviathan. He gripped the whiskered snout firmly, holding it steady while his other hand flashed in a precise chopping strike against its thick neck. The huge blue-green body shuddered once...then lay finally still.
He straightened, surveying the sprawled titan as the awestruck crew stared on. Meeting the captain's eyes, Tatsuya gestured up at the night sky now glittering with the first evening stars.
"How long till we dock on Wave." He asked
The grizzled man blinked, seemed to shake himself from his reverie. "Er, aye, near enough three and a half hours 'til we make landfall, I'd reckon."
Tatsuya nodded, already formulating a plan. Turning to Yumiko with a sly grin, he asked, "What d'you say we prepare some fresh seafood for the occasion? Properly celebrate this beautiful catch?"
His teammate's eyes lit up like a kid's as she nodded vigorously. "You mean we get to eat that monster?! Yes, yes please!"
"Well then, captain - this tub has a place where we can cook this beast, right?"
The sailor chuckled, clapping Tatsuya's shoulder heartily. "You mean for a kitchen tight6? Sure as salt lad,"
Tatsuya then turned to Tsubasa "Ready for a fish party?"
***
As the crew began rigging for their midnight mulberry feast, none were aware of the small skiff trailing them silently .
"Sure this one's worth the risk? We've been cleaning out ships so regularly, they're bound to clamp down on us eventually." The man peddling the boat murmured.
"You daft, fool? The Waters are chaos with the whole Daimyo situation - no one's organizing any crackdowns anytime soon." The other guy snorted in disdain.
The bearded man sucked his teeth. "I suppose...but what if they've hired ninja muscle this time? Konoha shinobi, even?"
At that, his companion smirked darkly. "Who needs to worry 'bout no ninja, when we got one of our own?" He jerked his head back towards the hooded figure crouched in their stern.
They couldn't see his exact features but just from the killing intent, they knew he was the real deal.
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