The sky was a gray canvas stretched over the Land of Waves, wringing mist and humidity onto the ground.
Senta stared at the thick fog that hung heavy over the gray waters, feeling the air become suffocating. The only sound was the quiet splash of oars.
Mitsuro sat silently in a corner, his long black coat wrapped tightly around him. Growing impatient, Senta turned to the old man rowing the boat.
"Old man, when will we get there?"
Without looking up, the old man replied in a tired voice, "Don't rush. The weather's bad. We have to be careful, or we'll get lost."
Senta grumbled, "At least use the boat's engine!"
Staring into the fog, the old man replied, "With this fog, if I use the engine, Gato's guards might think we're attacking them."
Senta said, annoyed, "Huh? Why?"
The old man sighed. "Because Gato has taken control of this place, and he doesn't let anyone but himself bring in goods. As for passengers, forget it! That's why I was so surprised when you said you wanted to go to the Land of Waves."
Senta frowned. "Is the situation that bad? Isn't Gato a merchant? Why would he stop trade?"
"You either know nothing about the world, boy, or you're pretending not to. Gato is one of those who earned his wealth through a monopoly."
Mitsuro listened carefully to the old man's words. This information was exactly what he already knew. Without asking a single question, he allowed the old man to continue speaking.
"I myself am only familiar with the old boatmen and fishermen of the waves, and I have never set foot in the Land of Waves myself, but they say the waves have always been poor. Even its nobles don't have much money. This poverty has gotten worse since Gato came here a few years ago. Like a pirate, he steals whatever he wants. Even the people's peace…"
Slowly, the shape of an unfinished bridge emerged from the mist like an old wound. The boat moved gently on the water, the sound of the old man's straining oars the only thing breaking the silence.
The old man finally smiled.
"We're almost there. After the tunnel straight ahead, we'll reach the port."
...
Inari sullenly jumped over the muddy path. The town's air was foggy as usual, and humidity rose from the ground.
His toes felt the cold mud between the gaps in his straw sandals. In this small town, nothing stayed dry.
Clothes, wooden houses, and even people's faces were always covered in dampness and humidity. The putrid smell of fish hung in the air, mixing with the scent of wet earth.
He walked through the narrow, dark alleys, trying to keep his sandals and pants from getting too dirty.
The wooden walls of the houses were rotting and filthy, and it felt as if they could collapse at any moment.
He was upset.
He didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially that annoying, yellow-haired runt! His grandfather had left to continue building the bridge and had brought along some weirdos to look after him, but they were nothing more than kids.
No one helped anyone here unless they paid the price.
His eyes fell on a cafe where the bridge workers usually gathered. They always talked about everything that had happened during the day.
He passed a decaying wooden wall and happened to see two men sitting and drinking inside the cafe.
In the Land of Waves, you always had to be on guard, as poverty had led to a large number of thieves.
When stealing became a daily routine for people, getting caught was also natural.
Most people walking in the town were careful not to be robbed. If a thief was caught, they would be severely beaten and have their pockets emptied. If the thief survived, they would try to pick someone else's pocket again. This was the unwritten rule of the Land of Waves.
Those two, however, didn't seem to care much about their surroundings. They were clearly strangers from outside the Land of Waves. One of them wore a long, black coat with the collar pulled up to his neck.
He had a black bandana on his head, and his hair was not visible. The other was a slender man with a kind face and a light stubble. He wore a dirty, samurai-like outfit and had an old sword on his lap.
Inari's curiosity was piqued, and he went behind the dilapidated wooden wall and sat there, staring at the two strangers.
The first man spoke very softly and nonchalantly. "Give me the information I asked you to gather last time."
The second man reached into his clothes and pulled out a paper. "Here... I thought you'd want to see it sooner. There isn't much in it. The location of the villa is known. There are no secrets about it. But no one knows where the safe is."
The first man took a sip of his drink and replied, "It doesn't matter. That part is the easiest." He then looked at the information on the paper. After a pause, he continued, "That's it?! This number is real?"
The second man took off his sandal and began to scratch the sole of his foot. "What did you expect? Hiring even this many is impossible for many! From what I understand, he's a real cheapskate!"
The first man threw the paper on the table. "It's better not to hire all those useless people than to waste money! It's impossible for Gato not to understand that!"
Inari was startled. They were talking about Gato... the one who had killed his godfather.
The first man continued, "Are you sure not even one jonin has been hired as a guard? Just twelve chunin?"
The second man put his sandal back on and said, "And more than a dozen ronin… you know well that jonin without a village don't grow on trees for Gato to just pick up... He's only hired one guy named Momochi Zabuza, and he's not for guarding; he's more for eliminating his rivals."
He looked around and lowered his voice. "So, when are we going to act?"
Inari moved closer to the gap between two wooden boards to hear better. He wanted to hear who they were and what they planned to do. If it was important, he had to tell his grandfather and the ninja protectors.
The first man did not reply. Instead, he turned his head and looked directly at the wooden wall behind which Inari was hiding.
Inari instantly felt an intense cold and a feeling that his clothes were soaked. He couldn't breathe properly. It felt like death had come for him. His steps involuntarily trembled, and he backed up and fell backward onto the ground. Suddenly, he felt a shadow above him.
He looked up in fear. The first man was standing over him.
His face was hidden in the darkness, but his eyes glowed like two red orbs, staring at him.
He said slowly, "Kid, forget everything you heard. Understood? Killing children isn't something I like to do, but I won't hesitate if I have to."
Inari was frozen with fear. His body couldn't move.
Then, the shadow vanished into the darkness, and he sat on the ground. After a moment, it was as if he had forgotten why he was sitting on the ground.
All he remembered was the horrible cold that had penetrated to his very bones.
He got up and nervously ran toward his home.