On the border of the Land of Fire, along a coastline that looks out across the water toward the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, lies a gathering of fishermen. Though it has yet to be recognized as a formal village, the place has a name: Awa.
This was the destination for Jiraiya and his students. Ever since the destruction of the Hidden Whirlpool Village, the fishermen of Awa had frequently ventured to the ruins to "treasure hunt." With the fishing moratorium having ended only a few months prior, it had served as a vital source of supplemental income during the off-season.
The man who had accidentally broken the seal was a fisherman named Mou. Beyond that, intel was scarce; the previous waves of ninjas sent to investigate Awa had returned with their memories of the experience completely wiped.
The trio didn't bother with disguises for this mission. Their target wasn't a ninja, nor even a human. In this case, maintaining a facade would only drain their mental energy without providing any tactical advantage.
On the outskirts of Awa, Jiraiya spent some time teaching the boys the finer points of grilling fish. Under normal circumstances, ninjas on a mission shouldn't light fires to cook, as the smoke and scent easily attract enemies or wild beasts.
But... hot food just tastes better.
At the very least, Tatsuma was eating happily. Compared to their last mission, where he'd spent a week gnawing on chalky soldier pills, this was heaven.
"Ah~ I'm stuffed. Minato, go wash the cookware. Tatsuma, get the fire going and brew some tea."
At the edge of the beach where the sand met the coastal forest, Jiraiya sprawled out on the ground, rubbing his belly as he barked orders at his students. Neither boy complained. They headed to the mouth of a nearby river to fetch fresh water.
While Minato squatted by the water to scrub the pots, Tatsuma returned to the fire to boil water, pulling some tea leaves from his pack.
They hadn't actually brought tea with them; these leaves—along with the spices used for the fish—had been a gift from a merchant caravan they'd assisted the day before. The caravan had been under attack by a pack of wolves, and the trio had made short work of them.
The merchants had originally tried to offer them money, but Jiraiya had flatly refused. Taking cash would have turned the encounter into an official commission, and Konoha ninjas are strictly forbidden from taking private contracts. All missions must go through the village "middleman." To avoid the paperwork, they'd accepted the "gifts" instead.
Tatsuma set out three wooden bowls he'd carved while waiting for the fish to cook, placed a pinch of tea in each, and carefully poured the boiling water over them once it was ready.
By then, Minato had finished the cleaning. The three of them sat back, sipping tea and enjoying the midsummer sunset.
"Notice anything strange yet?" Jiraiya asked between sips.
Tatsuma and Minato nodded simultaneously. Jiraiya pointed at Minato. "You first. Speak up."
Minato nodded. "There are too many fishing boats on the shore. It's early August—the moratorium just ended, the fish are at their fattest, and the weather has been perfect. No typhoons, no tsunamis. Yet, for the entire day, I haven't seen a single fisherman head out to sea or a single boat return. Every vessel is docked. Something is definitely wrong."
Jiraiya nodded; Minato's observational skills were as sharp as ever. He turned to the other boy. "Tatsuma, what about you? Anything to add?"
Tatsuma shook his head. "Without entering Awa, it's impossible to find more concrete clues. However, I suspect Genjutsu—or perhaps some form of mental suggestion acting on the fishermen's logic."
Jiraiya took a long pull of his tea. "Mm. Are you two ready? Don't forget, Awa has over a thousand fishing households. Can you handle a Genjutsu powerful enough to influence that many people at once?"
Tatsuma nodded. While he wasn't a Genjutsu master, he was a pro at Genjutsu: Release. He briefly lamented that this world didn't sell smartwatches; if he could set a vibrating alarm to remind him to use Release every ten minutes, life would be much easier.
"So, when do you think is the best time to move in?" Jiraiya tested them.
"Nightfall," Tatsuma answered immediately. "If a Ninja Beast is using Genjutsu to control the villagers, its schedule likely mirrors theirs—unless the beast doesn't need sleep or has the ability to maintain illusions while unconscious."
"Minato, you agree?"
Minato nodded. "My thoughts exactly."
"Then rest up," Jiraiya commanded. "We move out in four hours."
"Yes, Sensei!"
Tatsuma and Minato closed their eyes for a nap while Jiraiya took the first watch. Four hours later, as the clock neared 11:00 PM, Jiraiya woke them.
After a quick warm-up to ensure their bodies were limber, they followed Jiraiya as they slipped silently into Awa.
Though it was the tail end of summer, the ocean breeze at night carried a bite. The fishermen had finished their day's work early and retreated to their homes.
Reaching the center of the community, Tatsuma formed the Ram Seal and began to sense the surrounding area with his chakra. A moment later, he shook his head. He couldn't detect any abnormal chakra signatures.
Jiraiya trusted Tatsuma's sensory skills implicitly. He didn't bother checking himself. "That's not necessarily bad news. It might just mean the target isn't here right now, which makes it easier for us to investigate."
He paused, then continued, "Scout the perimeter. Find Mou's house as quickly as possible. In the meantime, check the condition of the villagers. See if they're acting strangely."
The boys nodded and vanished in different directions, leaping across the rooftops.
Two hours later, they reconvened at their meeting point. Their expressions were equally grim. Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma. "What did you find?"
Tatsuma glanced back toward the sector he'd searched. "I didn't find Mou's house, but I checked on several families. They all seem physically weak—undernourished. More importantly, their kitchens are full of stones. In a few houses, I even found pots on the stove filled with rocks."
Tatsuma looked to Minato, who nodded in confirmation. "Same here. I checked a few houses with pets; the dogs and cats had stones in their food bowls too."
"Sharp eyes as always, Minato," Tatsuma praised.
Minato looked slightly embarrassed by the compliment, while Jiraiya's expression became intrigued.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "My guess? That Tanuki has the entire village under a Genjutsu. It's stopping them from going out to sea so they'll stay home and buy fish from Mou instead. But since there's no fishing, there are no fish. So, the beast is using an illusion to disguise stones as fish and selling them to the villagers. It's the same 'kindness' as before—helping Mou prosper by inadvertently starving everyone else."
Tatsuma and Minato nodded; they had reached the same conclusion, though they couldn't prove it yet.
"Looks like we'll have to come back during the day. For the rest of the night, we focus on finding Mou."
Under Jiraiya's orders, they spent the pre-dawn hours systematically checking the houses. While over a thousand households was a lot to cover, their luck held out. They found the residence before the sun came up.
They slipped out of Awa to wait for sunrise, then returned as the village stirred to life, heading straight for Mou's home.
A crowd had already gathered outside. People were lining up to buy fish from a tanned, thin, middle-aged man who was chatting happily with his neighbors. This was Mou—the man who had accidentally broken the seal.
Tatsuma looked at the scene. In his eyes, Mou's baskets weren't filled with rocks; they were overflowing with fat, silver, wriggling fish. For a split second, the sight was so convincing that Tatsuma actually felt a phantom hunger, tempted to step forward and buy some for himself.
BONK! BONK!
Tatsuma and Minato simultaneously caught a heavy knuckle-strike to the top of their heads. At the same instant, a surge of Jiraiya's chakra flooded their systems.
Their bodies jerked as the Genjutsu shattered. The lively, silver fish in the baskets vanished, replaced by cold, grey, jagged river stones.
_______
+50 chapters on: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls