Even though he was 99% sure that Gatō had no connection to the Land of Water or the Hidden Mist Village, as a ninja executing a mission, caution was paramount. If there was a possibility that a critical situation involved one of the Five Great Nations, like the Hidden Mist Village, repeated reconnaissance was necessary to achieve 100% confirmation.
The three approached the left side of the ship.
Some crew members on the deck immediately noticed Kakashi and the others, who made no attempt to hide their presence.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Just as Kakashi, Naruto, and Menma leaped onto the bow deck, the lead crew member shouted with horror.
"What?!"
"Enemies? Who has the guts to attack us?"
"Heh heh, my blade is thirsty! Let's see who's seeking death!"
"Brothers, grab your gear! Let's kill some people!"
In an instant.
Noisy shouts erupted all over the ship.
Then.
Burly figures swarmed from every corner of the ship, each looking fierce and menacing.
Holding machetes or long swords, they looked like gangsters not to be trifled with. However, while these thugs might be intimidating to ordinary people...
In front of ninja...
They were a joke.
If not for the need to capture Gatō alive...
Kakashi could have wiped them all out with a single high-damage Water Style jutsu.
Gatō appeared alongside these brainless fools. Chomping on a cigar and believing the situation was under control, he looked mockingly at Kakashi, Menma, and Naruto on the bow. "Ho ho! I was wondering who it was. So it's the ninja-sama from the Leaf. Zabuza really was trash, dying without killing a single person. But I knew he was unreliable long ago. Good thing I have a trump card! See these men? Leaf ninja, if you know what's good for you, get lost immediately! If I'm in a good mood, I might give the Leaf some face and spare your lives. But if you don't behave... heh heh, today, I'll throw you all to feed the fish!"
Truly stupid people...
Belonged to the category of the incurable.
It was a mystery how this guy had survived to become a somewhat famous wealthy merchant. With that IQ, shouldn't he have become fertilizer for some truly ruthless character long ago?
Although Menma knew Gatō had an IQ of zero—or even negative—seeing Gatō act so arrogant in front of ninja still felt unbelievable.
Can someone really be this stupid...?
Menma shook his head, thinking to himself.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
This was just the barking of a pack of imbeciles.
Menma turned to look at Kakashi.
"Hmm, I'll leave it to you two. No need to hold back."
Kakashi had no sympathy for these people. He had come along just to ensure there were no unexpected dangers. Now, seeing there were absolutely no issues, he leisurely leaned against the mast on the bow, waved his hand at Menma and Naruto, pulled out his treasured book, and began reading with gusto.
"Got it."
"Oh! Leave it to us!"
Menma and Naruto responded in sync.
Boom!
Boom!
Exploding chakra from their feet, they sped toward Gatō's position.
"Hmph! Stubborn fools! Kill them all! I'll double the fee I promised you earlier!"
Gatō snorted, looking enraged, and shouted orders to the surrounding thugs.
"Heh! Leave it to us!"
"Haha! Brothers, charge!"
"They're just two kids!"
Completely disregarding Menma and Naruto...
Spurred by Gatō's massive monetary offer, the thugs' eyes turned red with greed, and they charged howling toward Menma and Naruto.
Stupid!
Watching the aggressively charging gangsters...
A dense killing intent appeared between Menma's brows. As his lips moved to form the word...
Swish!
A kunai appeared in his palm.
The next second.
Menma took the initiative to charge into the enemy formation.
Splurt!
"Ugh?"
"Ah?"
"Gah!"
Cold light flashed, and his figure rampaged. Menma harvested the lives of these gangsters one by one, effortlessly, as if mowing grass.
Wherever he passed, no one was left standing.
Menma showed no mercy.
Completely unlike Naruto, who headed straight for Gatō, knocking away anyone who intercepted him without shedding blood.
Because of this, while the thugs were shocked by Naruto's strength despite his small size, they didn't show much fear.
But with Menma...
In less than a minute...
Seven or eight people lay in pools of blood around him. Seeing the expressionless Menma covered in the aura of blood, the thugs finally felt terrified.
"Ahhh! Demon! Demon! This guy is a demon!"
"Run! Run away!"
"No way! We can't fight this!"
"Run for your lives!"
The thugs in the back screamed, threw away their weapons, and ran toward the stern of the ship. Some even jumped directly into the sea. In their view, drowning was several times better than facing this demon, Menma!
No matter how stupid they were, they finally realized the massive gap between themselves and a ninja. It wasn't a gap that numbers could bridge.
They existed in completely different dimensions.
Gatō, who had looked at Menma and the others with mocking confidence just a minute ago, now had a face devoid of color. Seeing the men he hired fleeing desperately, wishing their parents had given them two extra legs...
Gatō instantly became panicked and terrified.
"Bastards! Bastards! Don't run! I gave you so much money, how can you run?! Come back! Come back!"
His hoarse screams couldn't call back the terrified thugs.
The moment his eyes met Menma's cold gaze...
Gatō trembled violently, completely out of control.