"Enclosing Jutsu..."
On the top deck of the ship, Ishikawa formed hand seals and slapped the ritual scroll with a low shout. In a puff of white smoke, Seimei's head vanished—sealed and stored securely.
Without pausing to rest, Ishikawa grabbed the scroll and immediately rushed to the cabin. Thanks to the infusion of 0.2 units of chakra and the Military pill, the aftereffects of the Spirit Transformation Technique were far less severe than usual.
As for Black Hawk? He had already been unsummoned, returning to the mountains behind Konoha—ready to be deployed again at any moment.
"Teacher, something's happening!" Bursting through the cabin door, Ishikawa called out to Kakashi in a serious tone, panting with sweat beading on his forehead.
"You said..." Kakashi, who had been leaning against the headboard of the bed, immediately stood up, locking eyes with Ishikawa, his expression sharp and expectant. He vividly remembered Ishikawa using Black Hawk for reconnaissance earlier.
"There's a small boat trailing us from the southeast. We're definitely being followed!" Ishikawa got straight to the point, not bothering to explain further.
Whether or not the ship was actually suspicious, this excuse would help divert attention from the true reason behind Black Hawk's deployment.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I've been observing them for half an hour!"
Hearing Ishikawa's firm reply, Kakashi's expression turned grim.
"You go inform Taro and Jiro to prepare for battle. I'll speak to Mr. Nagayoshi." With that, Kakashi promptly strode out toward the client's room.
Seeing this, Ishikawa didn't hesitate and immediately went to summon Taro and Jiro.
Five minutes later, inside the cargo ship's cabin—
"Change course. I want to confirm whether we're truly being tailed." With the client's approval, Kakashi gave the command. The helmsman quickly adjusted the ship's direction.
"In this darkness, how can we even confirm whether we're being followed? If they can't see us, changing course won't help us find them either!" Taro wiped the sweat from his forehead, bewildered and anxious.
"That's right, Teacher Kakashi. I think that's exactly why the enemy chose to follow under the cover of night. We can't spot them at all in this darkness." Jiro echoed the sentiment, making the client's face turn pale.
Although he trusted Kakashi's strength, they were at sea! If the enemy attacked and damaged the cargo ship, he would be completely ruined...
"Don't worry. If we are truly being tracked, the enemy must have a way of following us. And I have a way to locate them, too!" Kakashi gave the client a reassuring look and a confident smile.
Even if he wasn't sure exactly how they were being followed, there had to be some method. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't even be able to find the ship—let alone rob it.
As he thought about this, Kakashi's expression turned serious. "In that case, if they're really enemies, they'll likely strike tonight. Otherwise, daylight will expose them."
Having issued that warning, Kakashi bit his finger and quickly formed seals. "Summoning Jutsu..."
With a bang, the ninja dog Pakkun made another dazzling appearance!
"Pakkun, I need you to check if anyone's following us."
"Eh? My tracking skills don't work so well out at sea." Pakkun wrinkled his nose at the salty sea breeze and gave a slight complaint in response to Kakashi's request.
Still, despite grumbling, he trotted out onto the deck and began sniffing the air intently.
"There's definitely a ninja scent here! But because of the sea breeze, I can't confirm their number or strength. I can only tell they're two kilometers behind us."
"Two kilometers?" Kakashi, who had followed closely, muttered as he instructed the helmsman to change course again.
As expected, the moment their ship shifted direction, the pursuing boat adjusted course and quickly followed suit...
"They've caught up. It's confirmed—they're the enemy," Pakkun sniffed carefully, then gave his final judgment, prompting Kakashi and Ishikawa to frown in unison.
Kakashi hadn't expected their opponent's tracking skills to be so refined, and Ishikawa hadn't expected the ship actually to be hostile!
"Oh no, we've alerted the enemy," Ishikawa suddenly realized, his face darkening as he shouted the warning.
By altering their course to test the pursuers, they had also unintentionally signaled the enemy that their presence had been noticed. As the ones exposed, the enemy now had only two options—retreat or launch an immediate night attack.
"Of course I know that. This tactic was meant to test and intimidate them. If they back off when faced with resistance, that's ideal. But if they press forward, it means their strength may not be so simple." Kakashi gave Ishikawa an approving look and shrugged helplessly before turning to Pakkun with a questioning glance.
"Sorry, Kakashi. Looks like you're in for trouble..." Pakkun shook his head and sighed in an eerily human way—making it clear the enemy wasn't backing down.
"In that case, we have no choice but to strike first. We can't fight aboard the cargo ship—we'd risk too much damage!" Ishikawa's eyes were cold and sharp. He wasn't about to let anything happen to the ninja tools he'd bought for a hundred thousand taels.
"Yes, yes! The young man is absolutely right!" The client instantly nodded in agreement, looking at Ishikawa with eyes full of emotion.
Even if he knew the boy's concern was mostly about his goods, in the event of an attack, it was the client who would suffer the greatest loss.
"Taro, Jiro—you stay with Pakkun and defend the ship, just in case. Ishikawa and I will intercept the enemy. We must stop them before they get close to the vessel." Kakashi made a swift decision and gave clear orders. If anything happened to the cargo ship, their mission would end in failure.
"Teacher Kakashi! I know Water Release ninjutsu—let me help intercept them!" Seeing Kakashi and Ishikawa about to leave, Jiro rushed forward and volunteered, determination in his eyes.
His words instantly warmed the hearts of both Kakashi and Ishikawa...
"No need. It's because you know Water Release that I want you here defending the ship," Kakashi refused firmly. Without even looking back, he called out to Ishikawa, and the two of them leapt off the deck, speeding across the water to engage the enemy.
At the same time—
"Haha, so they're splitting their forces?" Hearing the whispered update behind him, the green-haired brute grinned and made his decision.
"You two, dive in from below. Take out the ones guarding the cargo ship and steer it directly to the Land of River's port. We'll find you after we've dealt with those two…"
"Yes, boss." Two of the four subordinates behind him nodded immediately, then leapt into the sea with a splash and swam toward the cargo ship.
"Don't underestimate them, Raiga. That opponent is a Konoha Jōnin with an eye technique—the famous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi..." Just after the two had vanished beneath the waves, a crisp voice sounded from behind the green-haired man.
"Sharingan Kakashi? Hah! That guy's eye technique is nothing compared to yours, Ranmaru." The man named Raiga sneered, his eyes flashing with hatred and murderous rage. "Tonight, I'll take Kakashi's head and wipe away the disgrace he left me in our last encounter…"
"I'll help you, Raiga."
"We will too, Raiga-sama!"
Hearing his comrades' shouts beside him, Raiga was filled with renewed battle spirit and quickly formed a series of seals.
"Then let the shinobi of Konoha taste the might of the Kurosuki Family! Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu..."