A calm sea is always so blue, making one feel refreshed. However, a raging sea makes one shiver with fear.
Gale-force winds, giant waves, and a massive dark cloud quickly enveloped the sea vessel. The sky and the sea began to merge, connected by the torrential rain, along with lightning and strong winds.
The sea vessel, which Inoyue had initially thought to be very large, now resembled a paper boat in a basin, tossed up and then crashing down heavily. If Yuhi Kurenai had not repeatedly used Water Release Ninjutsu to skillfully support the sea vessel each time it fell, everything would have been destroyed.
The sea vessel had a rounded top, as if specifically designed to withstand storms. Despite such a storm, surprisingly little water entered the vessel, and the crew members were tense yet orderly, each performing their assigned tasks.
The sea's power is immense; the sea is part of nature, and the power of nature is often invincible.
In his previous life, Inoyue had been out at sea, but the waves he encountered then were at most three or four meters high. Compared to the current situation, that was merely calm.
When going out to sea, Inoyue had initially thought the training ground would be the Kumogakure's Turtle Island. However, after more than ten days at sea, he discovered that the training ground Yuhi Kurenai spoke of was even further than Turtle Island; it could even be described as rarely visited.
"Now, I should be in an unknown sea area, right?" Inoyue mused to himself. From the more than ten days of sea travel, he should have long surpassed the Ninja World map he had seen in his previous life.
The world of Hokage is vast, especially overseas. The original work did not describe the overseas areas much; it was a place almost no one had reached.
At this moment, Inoyue, though somewhat afraid while being tossed by the giant waves, was more filled with excitement.
Exploring the unknown indeed makes one excited. Driven by curiosity, even these giant waves didn't seem so terrifying.
Curiosity and excitement were one reason, but more importantly, it was his trust in his master. Since he dared to bring him here, he naturally had full confidence in reaching their destination. Once he understood this, looking at the roaring sea, Inoyue even felt a sense of being immersed in it.
...
How can one see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain? Inoyue finally understood the meaning of this lyric.
After passing through the sudden dark cloud formation, there was a calm, azure sea, along with a pleasant sea breeze and warm sunshine.
Everything was so beautiful. Inoyue had never seen such a beautiful landscape.
After their struggle, the sailors finally overcame the danger. Seeing the eight-year-old girl standing on the ship's bow sculpture and shouting, they all chuckled. Most of them were visiting this place for the first time and were equally stunned by the scenery before them.
"Your daughter is truly impressive; she wasn't even scared by this storm," the Boat Master said with a smile, walking over to Yuhi Kurenai and placing a hand on her shoulder.
Yuhi Kurenai showed a rare smile: "She is not my daughter, but my favored disciple!"
"Oh! Is that so? Then your disciple is truly remarkable. Congratulations. What were we doing when we were eight years old, I wonder? I think we were just catching fish in the coastal waters; we wouldn't have dared to experience such a scene."
The Boat Master's age was similar to Yuhi Kurenai's; it seemed they were good friends. Inoyue's performance was indeed outstanding, and her current demeanor, seeing new and exciting things, was particularly endearing.
"It's been many years since we last met, hasn't it!" Yuhi Kurenai sighed.
"Ah! More than ten years, I suppose. It's truly wonderful to be able to go out one more time before retirement!"
"Kono, come here for a moment," the Boat Master suddenly turned and called out to a young man in his twenties.
"This is my disciple, Kono Nakajima. If you need to go out to sea again in the future, you can find him." The Boat Master introduced his disciple to Yuhi Kurenai, believing that after this trip, he would no longer go out to sea.
The storm they had just experienced was something that most people, once they got older, couldn't conquer. Therefore, long-distance voyages could only be entrusted to his disciple.
The young man named Kono Nakajima was tall, dark-skinned, and had very muscular physique, making him a good sailor. During the storm, he was in command for most of the time, showing that his long-distance sea navigation skills had indeed been truly passed down by the Boat Master.
Yuhi Kurenai also called Inoyue over, and they introduced their respective disciples to each other. The Boat Master entrusted this long-voyage sea vessel to his disciple, while Yuhi Kurenai also had the intention of entrusting this place to Inoyue.
This was like a kind of inheritance, signifying that Inoyue had now become the direct disciple of Yuhi Kurenai, the Genjutsu master.
...
"We'll be there soon, and we should be heading back. Good luck to you both!" the Boat Master said with a hearty laugh.
Inoyue turned her head to look ahead, but there was still only the azure sea surface, with no islands in sight.
After ten minutes of sailing, a gray mist belt suddenly appeared on the horizon, stretching from left to right, with no beginning or end in sight.
The scene inside the gray mist was not clear, as if that was the demarcation line of this sea. Inside the line was a calm, clear, and azure sea, while outside the line was completely shrouded in gray mist, making it impossible to see clearly.
"You can do it, little girl!" Kono Nakajima patted Inoyue's head, revealing a smile with white teeth.
Inoyue was an adult and disliked being patted on the head, but her body was that of a loli, making it difficult to resist sometimes. Being too cute often incited the urge for others to pat her head.
However, given the hardships they had endured, Inoyue gave a smile: "Big brother, don't pat my head next time. Adults say that patting heads makes you not grow tall!"
Inoyue was acting cute, and she was already naturally adorable. The moment that sentence left her mouth, she suddenly got goosebumps and felt particularly disgusted; at the same time, she complained inwardly: "I'll never act cute again; even I can't stand myself."
Nakajima gave an embarrassed laugh, and everyone around them also burst into laughter at this scene, instantly making the atmosphere incredibly relaxed.
...
Waving goodbye to the crew, Inoyue and Yuhi Kurenai stood on the calm sea surface.
"Master, what if they encounter that storm again on their way back?" Although Inoyue knew the crew had a way to return, she couldn't help but ask.
"Don't worry! That storm is a necessary path to get here, but they won't need to experience it again on the way back. Coming here is a narrow escape from death, but returning is a smooth journey. They can also take the opportunity to catch some rare seafood not found in coastal waters. For them, it's killing two birds with one stone."
"So that's why the Boat Master is retiring?"
"Of course, one catch of seafood is enough for five years of their labor. That's why he introduced his disciple to us. If you want to come here in the future, his disciple can inherit this opportunity."
Everything in the world has cause and effect. While Yuhi Kurenai and the Boat Master were good friends, the main reason the crew members were willing to come was this. Entering this sea area without the help of a Ninja with Kage-level strength is impossible.
"How did Master discover this place?" Once Inoyue arrived here, she seemed to turn into a curious baby, full of questions.
"Hehe! That goes back to the Second Ninja World War," Yuhi Kurenai began to explain to Inoyue how he discovered this place.
During the Second Ninja World War, Yuhi Kurenai, who was then an Elite Jonin, was injured while fighting Cloud Ninja at sea and was forced to escape into the outer sea. During his endless drifting, Yuhi Kurenai experienced the storm they just did, narrowly escaping death, and thus discovered this sea area.
The two turned and looked at the large expanse of gray mist less than five hundred meters ahead.
"This is the place that gave me a second life, and also where I understood the true meaning of Genjutsu! I hope it will be equally helpful to you." Yuhi Kurenai looked at the gray mist before her, her eyes showing a feeling like seeing a loved one. It was as if this place was an old friend of his, and now, he was visiting this old friend.
Looking at the gray mist before her, Inoyue felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Master, what is this place called?"
"This endless area is 'The Underworld Domain.' As for the island inside, I call it: Paradise Island."