The air at the harbor is always churned with a damp, salty, briny smell.
Early the next morning, Hii Kōri—who had stayed up late drinking—led Sasori, who was quiet as a doll, and Uchiha Hikari, whose expression was calm but whose eyes held a hint of curious wonder, as they followed Sakaki Tatsuma and a number of necessary business and administrative personnel aboard a cargo ship painted a striking bright red.
Hii Kōri certainly couldn't leave Uchiha Hikari—this "old-timer" who was still at the literacy stage when it came to common sense of the current era—alone in an unfamiliar port city. Besides, with Hikari's strength, she was hardly dead weight. If a fight did break out later, she would instead bring endless surprises to the enemy.
As for Sasori, he had originally been brought out by Sakaki Tatsuma to use the equipment here for the meeting and to get some fresh air. There was no real need to take him along.
But since Hikari was coming anyway, bringing his own nephew along as well didn't make much difference. In fact, if he had told Sasori to go back to Sunagakure at this point, it would have felt like treating him differently.
It also happened that Hii Kōri was planning to tinker with some small autonomous mechanisms for his own use, so having Sasori help out would be good.
"I'm going back to my room to rest. Call me at dinner."
As soon as they boarded the ship, Sakaki Tatsuma called out, then dove into his room, did battle with the blanket monster, and was knocked flat on the bed, simply swallowed up.
Hungry! He was about to be eaten by the blanket monster!
Utterly embarrassing.
But Ahaha-kun had his defense too. He had drunk himself into a stupor the night before, not knowing up from down, and had been forcefully woken by Hii Kōri that morning. Before boarding, he had downed a potent hangover remedy. Along the way, he had endured his hangover, using his sunglasses to cover the utterly chaotic, dementia-like fog in his vision just to make it onto the ship.
To this, Hii Kōri—who drank top-grade aged spirits from the Land of Alcohol like water—was naturally unfazed.
This cargo ship, departing from the southeastern port town of the Land of Fire, would take about seven days to reach the main island of the Land of Water. Even if Sakaki Tatsuma slept straight through until tomorrow, it wouldn't delay anything.
Although this speed was considered quite efficient among ships currently powered by sails in the ninja world, in Hii Kōri's understanding, it was still far too slow.
But there was no helping it. The current technology tree of the Naruto world was still stuck in a fairly "classical" stage. Whether it was the propulsion system, fluid dynamics, or the overall manufacturing industry, none of it could support more advanced vessels. So he would just have to endure it.
However, while technology could affect a ship's speed, the experience was left to nature.
Even the large research vessels he had ridden in his previous life—with tonnage beyond ordinary imagination—still pitched, rolled, and swayed just the same when encountering fierce wind and waves.
And this cargo ship, after leaving the shallow waters and heading into the turbulent distance, naturally began to rise and fall with the waves as well.
Sakaki Tatsuma, who was fairly experienced and had some resistance to life at sea, was naturally unfazed. This kind of rocking couldn't pull him out of his hangover.
As for Sasori—who had ridden in Hii Kōri's desert off-road vehicle a couple of years ago, experienced his uncle's wild, unrestrained driving, and even gotten a bit addicted to it—he adapted quite well to the continuous bumping. He merely adjusted his center of gravity slightly and could walk steadily on the rocking deck, even sparing attention to observe the ropes being let out and taken in, and the operation of the helm.
In the end, the one who reacted most obviously was Uchiha Hikari, who had never been far from stable land before.
The first half-day at sea was fine. The novelty and excitement were enough to overcome the slight rocking. But by afternoon, as the cargo ship entered a relatively open area with slightly more high-spirited currents, the continuous, omnipresent swaying—which couldn't be countered with her own strength—began to slam the girl's inner ear balance system, which had been optimized for high-speed movement and fierce combat on land.
"Ugh..."
Even though Uchiha Hikari's physical conditioning was actually the best on the entire ship aside from Hii Kōri—and she was an exceptional ninja who had over seven years of combat experience at just twelve years old, having frequently used the Body Flicker Technique to maneuver on the battlefield—that was active, controllable exertion, completely different from the pitching of a cargo ship at sea.
Just after noon, while fishing with Hii Kōri on the deck, Hikari's complexion began to visibly pale. She gripped her fishing rod tightly, her knuckles turning white, almost crushing the expensive custom-made item. Her other hand covered her mouth, her brow furrowed in pain.
A few seconds later, she vomited up everything she had eaten for lunch. She hung over the railing like a dried fish.
"...I didn't expect you to get seasick..."
Hii Kōri sighed, had Rashōmon pack up the fishing gear and small stools, then reached out to support Hikari's soft, weak shoulders. "Are you done vomiting? If you're done, I'll help you back to your room."
Seeing Hikari nod, Hii Kōri simply picked her up and carried her to the cabin assigned to her.
This was a cargo ship after all, so the room wasn't large, but it was very clean and had all the necessary facilities. Beside the door was a round porthole looking out at the blue sea—though now, that was more like a vomiting trigger for Hikari.
Laid on the bed by Hii Kōri, the girl's small face was as pale as paper. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She curled up weakly, seemingly lacking even the strength to speak.
Hii Kōri had a steward bring warm water, clean towels, and some herbal candies to alleviate seasickness symptoms. Then he waved off the attendant who wanted to help, closing the cabin door.
Only the two of them remained in the room.
The sound of waves striking the hull, the faint creaking of wooden structures under stress, the distant shouts of sailors...
To Uchiha Hikari at this moment, all of it carried an irritating quality.
Hii Kōri pulled a chair over and sat by the bed. He made a hand seal and released a pale blue barrier, enveloping the small cabin.
It was a barrier capable of stabilizing spatial disorientation. After "replicating" the Six Paths Boundary, Hii Kōri's understanding of space had become increasingly clear. This kind of small barrier for locally adjusting spatial structure was something he could now do offhand.
Even if using it to stabilize a cargo ship's guest cabin was somewhat overkill.
After releasing the barrier, Hii Kōri wet a towel with warm water and carefully wiped the cold sweat from Hikari's face and neck. Then he picked up the bowl of lukewarm sugar water, scooped up a small spoonful, and brought it to Hikari's lips. "Drink slowly. Small sips. The sugar will help you regain some strength, and the herbs will slightly soothe your stomach. Don't think about vomiting—the more you think about it, the worse you'll feel."
Hikari reluctantly opened her eyes and, with Hii Kōri's help, took small, slow sips of the slightly sweet, faintly bitter sugar water.
The warm liquid slid down her throat, indeed bringing a touch of relief and warmth.
At the same time, Hii Kōri applied medical ninjutsu to Hikari, conditioning her somewhat disordered nerves. The girl's complexion gradually regained a hint of color.
Though still weak, the overwhelming nausea and dizzying vertigo had been relieved considerably.
As Hii Kōri tended to Hikari, dozens of Spirit Thread Nerves extended from his hair and sleeves, curling various small components—crystal pieces, springs, gears, and the like—from a material box he had just opened and assembling them silently in midair.
By the time the bowl of sugar water was empty, Hikari's breathing had steadied.
"Kōri..." "Mm. I'm here."
Leaning against her pillow, her obsidian-like eyes gazing at Hii Kōri's calm profile, she suddenly spoke in a small voice: "Yesterday... you said you would start a war in five years... What is your purpose in waging war?"
"Do you want the truth, or do you want pretty, flowery words?"
Hii Kōri didn't pause in his scribbling on the notebook he carried with him. He didn't even shift his gaze, but the corner of his mouth seemed to curve upward very slightly as he asked in return.
Hikari's brow twitched, as if she hadn't expected such an answer.
She thought for a moment, then, with a soft, nasal tone made even softer by her weakness, hummed, "...Let's hear the pretty words first."
"Pretty words, huh..." Hii Kōri drew out the syllables, then reached out a finger to catch the assembled Crystal Mayfly.
Its body was crystalline and translucent, as if made of crystal. Its folded wings emitted a soft glow, possessed of a strange, enchanting beauty. Even at only two finger-joints in size, the threads, springs, and gears were still arranged inside it in perfect balance.
And all of this was assembled from crystal pieces, friction, and trace amounts of chakra.
Although he still couldn't imbue techniques into such a small mechanism like his future self could, Hii Kōri had at least replicated small-scale mechanisms with other functions.
"Of course, it's for peace and unification."
Hii Kōri raised his finger, and the Crystal Mayfly fluttered its wings and took flight, joining more assembled mayflies, dancing freely in the light streaming through the porthole.
"Right now isn't really any different from the Warring States period. The ninja world is still as divided as ever. Five great nations, countless small nations, hidden villages, nobles, bloodline clans—even if the methods have changed, they're still fighting each other. Hatred spreads and grows like weeds. Wars repeat in cycles. Every generation experiences loss."
"If this divisions could be ended, and the entire ninja world—all the nations—placed under a single unified order, then even if conflicts still arise, their scale could probably be contained. Resources could be allocated more reasonable. That way, at least the children of the next generation might grow up in a relatively safe and stable environment, without having to—like us, or like the children of your era—be forced to grip kunai from a young age and struggle to survive in mountains of corpses and seas of blood."
This rhetoric was quite similar to the "rule the world" he had mentioned to Uchiha Hikari on the night around the campfire after she was freed from the seal—just packaged in somewhat grander "justification."
The girl blinked, then suddenly turned over, lying on her side facing Hii Kōri.
Though still weak, she still puffed up her pale cheeks, blew out air like a dissatisfied pufferfish, and softly muttered, "Liar... that night, you were definitely just fobbing me off."
"Heh heh... is that so?"
Hii Kōri handed the pen and paper in his hands to his Spirit Thread Nerves, turned his head, and without further words, simply reached out and pinched the girl's slightly puffed-out cheek, gently shaking it.
His grip wasn't strong; even the current Hikari could easily break free of it. But the girl just stared at him with her big, dark eyes, letting him pinch her cheek, making muffled sounds of protest.
"Then... the truth?" After Hii Kōri let go, Hikari rubbed her cheek and pressed further.
"The truth, huh..." Hii Kōri leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. The group of Crystal Mayflies, as if receiving a command, landed one by one on the hem of his clothes, calmly unfolded their bodies, forming a crystalline decoration like scales.
"Of course, it's also to unify this world."
"?!" Hikari was stunned for a moment, then puffed up in protest, "Isn't that the same?!"
"Of course it's different." Hii Kōri shook his head, his gaze falling on Hikari's puffed-up little face, and replied meaningfully, "The final goal and the necessary process to achieve that goal—how could these two be confused?"
"My goal has always been very simple. I just want an undisturbed, sufficiently safe and stable environment where I can pursue my research interests without distraction, explore the mysteries of this world, and validate the ideas in my head. Knowledge, technology, the essence of power... those are enough to absorb all of my attention."
He paused, his gray eyes gazing at the undulating blue sea outside the porthole. "But when you're alive, it's hard to avoid forming connections with others. As you age and experience more things, people you care about gradually gather around you. The more people you want to protect, the more things you naturally want to hold in your hands."
"In that case, rather than waiting for threats that might fall at any moment, it's better to proactively erase from this world all the 'enemies' and 'unstable factors' that would hinder the peaceful lives of myself and those I care about, and create a peaceful world that truly belongs to me. Not just the other hidden villages, other countries, other continents not yet known..."
"And also the aliens from beyond the stars."
This last sentence, Hii Kōri naturally couldn't say aloud.
But even so, just by looking at the cold expression on Hii Kōri's face, Uchiha Hikari could clearly feel the intense emotion silently overflowing from his heart.
It was pure killing intent, wrapped all of his softness.
"For your own purposes, you would start a war that sweeps across the entire world..."
The girl murmured to herself, yet found it hard to refute Hii Kōri's argument. As a witness to the Warring States period, she had seen countless people who raised the banner of justice while committing unjust acts. Even she herself was not a victim of her own clan's so-called "love," was she?
Hii Kōri's attitude—clearly putting his own self-interest on display—actually made Hikari more able to accept it.
The ninja world was nothing more than killing and being killed. Admitting that you acted for your own selfish desires wasn't such a bad thing.
"To achieve a hundred goods, what harm is one sin? Once a sin is committed, how can a hundred goods repay it? Whether the good of the goal and outcome can offset the evil of the process, whether the good created in the future can make up for the evil of the past... if you get caught in that whirlpool of good and evil, it's easy to fall deeper and deeper, finding it hard to reach your own answer."
"As long as you can be true to your own heart, that's enough."
Hii Kōri threaded his fingers through the girl's soft black hair, feeling the texture—completely different from the hair he was familiar with—and said softly, "Of course, Hikari, if you find this unacceptable and don't want to participate in the war anymore, I won't force you. Stay with me, or go traveling on your own, take revenge on the Uchiha clan, or live in hiding... whatever you want."
With that, he picked up the now-empty bowl and stood up, seemingly about to leave so Hikari could rest well.
"Wait... there's something I want to tell you..."
Just as Hii Kōri's hand touched the door handle, the girl's somewhat urgent voice came from behind him.
Hii Kōri stopped moving and turned his head slightly.
Uchiha Hikari propped up her still-weak body against the headboard. Her long black hair spread across her pale cheeks. She took a deep breath and said softly, "The name of my Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power is 'Yachihoko.'"
"And its ability is... to control the mind and chakra of anyone I have marked with my seal, regardless of distance."
***
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