"More money?" Kaisei's heart bled at the thought. "Natsuhane, you know the state of the Land of the Sea. We really don't have the money..."
Natsuhane waved his hand dismissively, "I didn't say you had to pay me now. Just like the reward for the monster on Mother Island, you can pay me when you have the money."
Kaisei was overjoyed, "Really? That's great! On behalf of the citizens of the Land of the Sea, thank you!"
"Don't thank me too soon," Natsuhane cautioned. "Let me be clear. If we encounter pirates on the way, I'll deal with them. But if we don't, I need to move on to handle the 'Vanishing' issue. I can't spend all my time chasing pirates."
Kaisei laughed, "Don't worry. I've made sure the ship's lights are at their brightest. Those pirates will definitely take the bait. With a strong person like you on board, we have to seize the chance to get rid of those wretched pirates once and for all!"
As they spoke, bright lights appeared on the distant sea, rapidly approaching the gold transport ship.
"Lord Kaisei! Suspicious ships are approaching. It seems they mean no good!" a crew member alerted.
Kaisei nodded, "Excellent, they're finally here. This time we won't run. We'll wait for them right here."
"Natsuhane, the rest is up to you."
Natsuhane didn't respond, merely continued to enjoy the surrounding night view.
Dealing with a few pirates for some extra money seemed like a good idea.
"Wait, that... that can't be...!"
"It's impossible! Why are they in the Land of the Sea? This has never happened before. They usually only deal with the Land of Water!"
The crew's faces turned pale, and some even collapsed in fear.
Seeing this, Kaisei roared, "What's wrong with you all? Get a hold of yourselves!"
The crew pointed at the approaching pirate ship, their voices trembling, "Lord Kaisei! We must flee...! That ship belongs to the Funato Clan!"
"What!" Kaisei, who had been full of bravado, started trembling upon hearing the clan's name.
"This is bad! I was trying to lure local pirates, not the Funato! Turn the ship around! We must escape!"
"Funato Clan?"
Natsuhane was unfamiliar with the name. Since they were called a clan, they were likely a ninja clan.
"Kaisei, who are the Funato Clan?"
Kaisei wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression anxious, "They're very famous pirates!"
"Oh, if they're pirates, then I'll take care of them. Just remember to pay me later."
Seeing Natsuhane's intention to fight, Kaisei hurriedly stumbled over to stop him. "Natsuhane, you can't! If you provoke them, our entire country will be doomed. They're not just ordinary pirates; they have powerful backing!"
Natsuhane smirked inwardly. Pirates with powerful backing? Interesting.
The gold transport ship, under the frantic efforts of the crew, began to speed away.
Surprised by the ship's speed, Natsuhane remarked, "Wow, this ship is incredibly fast for something that looks so ordinary."
Kaisei explained, "This ship is designed to transport tribute. Since we can't fight the pirates, we made the fastest ship possible for escape."
Natsuhane sighed, "I can't argue with that logic. But what's the deal with the Funato Clan? Why are you so afraid of them?"
Kaisei, still watching the receding pirate ship, took a deep breath, "The Funato Clan are the rulers of the seas. Not just our country, even the Land of Water fears them."
"Oh?" Natsuhane's interest was piqued. A ninja clan feared by the Land of Water must be quite formidable.
Once the pirate ship was out of sight, Kaisei finally relaxed, instructing the crew to reroute towards Ghost Island. After calming down, he shared everything he knew about the Funato Clan with Natsuhane.
"If the Five Great Nations are the rulers of the land, then the Funato Clan rules the seas. They've lived on the sea for generations, surviving by raiding merchant ships. The larger nations have few coastal areas, so they rarely encounter the Funato and thus don't bother dealing with their crimes.
"But the Land of Water is different. Like us, most of its territory is sea. The Funato often clash with the Land of Water, a conflict that has been ongoing for a long time."
Natsuhane interrupted, "If that's the case, why hasn't Kirigakure eradicated them?"
Kaisei sighed, "It's not that easy. The Funato Clan's members are spread across every ocean. Kill one group, and another appears.
"The real issue is their strength. Their water-style jutsus are highly advanced, making them formidable. Kirigakure knows this and is wary of them. If the Funato Clan united, they might actually stand a chance against Kirigakure."
"Facing such a powerful clan, we dare not provoke them."
Natsuhane frowned, "Letting these pirates run wild isn't a solution. What will you do if you encounter them again?"
Kaisei shrugged, "What else can we do? We'll run, like today."
Natsuhane scoffed, "Your ship is fast, but what about the ordinary villagers? Their fishing boats can't match this speed."
Kaisei looked ashamed, "Well… they'll just have to consider themselves unlucky."
Natsuhane glared at him, "And you call yourself one of the country's pillars?"
Kaisei sighed, "I have no other choice…"
Just then, water columns erupted from beneath the ship. Each column had a bald figure armed with a sharp trident.
They were uniformly dressed and masked, with identical purple markings on their foreheads, the mark of the Funato Clan.
A blonde figure emerged from the water, leaping onto the deck, and shouted, "Trying to escape from us? Pathetic."
"This sea belongs to the Funato Clan!"
"Leave your lives, your money, and this ridiculously fast ship behind! You're all dead!"
"Water Style: Water Flow Bridge!"
…
If you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to add it to your library and follow for more updates. Support me on Patreon for high-quality content and more chapters at patreon.com/Betek.
4o