The ship docked at the shore.
A delegation from the Land of Water had come to welcome them.
A plump official hurried forward with an eager smile.
"Lord Hiashi, you must be exhausted after such a long journey by sea and land. The daimyo has already instructed me to arrange lodging nearby. You may check in at any time, rest properly, and then proceed to the capital of the Land of Water once you have recovered."
Hyuga Hiashi turned back and glanced behind him.
"That would be best. Then I will trouble you."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."
They entered the town.
Aside from arranging accommodations, the other side had also prepared a banquet.
Hyuga Hiashi and the official sat facing one another.
"Lord Hiashi, the Hyuga clan's willingness to trust our Land of Water has greatly pleased the daimyo. His Excellency has also decided to show the Hyuga clan the goodwill of our Land of Water."
"The Land of Water has decided to gift the Six South Sea Islands to the Hyuga clan."
Hiashi's brows lifted slightly.
Before coming here, Hyuga Hiashi had already learned about the situation of the maritime fleets.
To establish a foothold upon the sea, four factors mattered most.
The first was the strength of the fleet members.
The ocean was filled with dangers. Aside from ferocious predatory fish, there were storms, towering waves, and other maritime fleets.
The second was ships.
Even Water Release shinobi needed ships to rest on, and the prey and resources they obtained had to be transported by ship as well.
A good ship could greatly increase the speed at which resources were acquired.
In this regard, the Land of Iron and Sunagakure possessed considerable advantages.
One was a nation that made a living by producing basic ninja tools. It had abundant mineral resources and extremely strong assembly-line production capabilities.
After a period of exploration, they had built sea ships that belonged to the Land of Iron.
Sturdy, durable, and reliable—just like their ninja tools.
Sunagakure, on the other hand, relied on its accumulation in puppet techniques, flexibly applying part of the craftsmanship behind puppetry to shipbuilding.
Compared to the Land of Iron's ships, Sunagakure's ships were faster and possessed more functions.
In the current great maritime region, a saying had already begun to spread.
"Top grade, Sunagakure. Middle grade, Land of Iron. Everything else is third-rate."
It sounded somewhat ironic.
A shinobi village located in the desert had produced the best ships.
Yet that was the truth.
Shipbuilding had now become one of Sunagakure's main business pillars.
Because of this, the Suna Maritime Fleet was one of the rare great fleets that did not travel deep into the ocean on a large scale to search for resources.
Instead, it revolved around several islands, where it had built a shipyard.
The critical core components were manufactured in Sunagakure, then delivered to the shipyard by specialized shinobi.
After that, the people there would construct the remaining portions.
The moment one was completed, fierce competition to buy it would begin.
There was no worry about sales whatsoever.
Compared to fishing and hunting on their own, the profits from shipbuilding were far greater.
Many maritime fleets desperately wanted to own a sea ship produced by Sunagakure.
Hyuga Hiashi was no exception.
"I sent Neji to Sunagakure. Rasa does not know it was me, but obtaining Neji is also a good thing for Sunagakure. With Rasa's magnanimous character, if the Hyuga clan purchases ships, we should receive some convenience."
"After all, even as an opponent, Rasa was willing to speak up for Minato because he sympathized with him."
"He also respects Jiraiya greatly."
When Hyuga Hiashi thought of Neji, his focus drifted slightly.
Previously, for Neji's sake, Hiashi had sent him to Sunagakure.
But now, the Hyuga clan had defected.
"If I had known the Hyuga clan would one day reach the point of defection, there would have been no need to send Neji away."
"I could have kept him by my side and raised him personally."
"I would have made up everything I owed Hizashi to Neji."
"But now, Neji can no longer return to the Hyuga clan."
"Sunagakure will not release him."
The third factor was establishing a trade relationship with the Land of Water.
Resources only had meaning once they circulated.
Otherwise, if too much of the same type of resource piled up and could not be consumed, it would become nothing but waste.
Only the Land of Water had the ability to digest so many resources.
And only the Land of Water did not need to care about Konoha's attitude and could trade with the Hyuga clan.
The fourth factor was islands.
Even a maritime fleet still needed a relatively fixed base.
No matter what they did, having one would make everything much more convenient.
And now, the daimyo of the Land of Water had made an extremely generous move.
Six South Sea Islands at once.
Hyuga Hiashi raised his cup.
"Thank you for the daimyo's generosity. From this day forward, the Hyuga Maritime Fleet will be a close partner of the Land of Water. If the Land of Water encounters trouble, my Hyuga Maritime Fleet will absolutely not stand by and watch."
The official from the Land of Water smiled.
"Lord Hiashi is indeed a straightforward man. I hope our cooperation will be pleasant in the future."
"To pleasant cooperation."
That night, most members of the Hyuga clan were very happy.
They had finally seen a future.
A true future that belonged to the Hyuga clan.
"At last, our Hyuga clan no longer has to live suffocated inside Konoha!"
"There is no longer any distinction between the main house and the branch house."
"We can finally straighten our backs and live as human beings!"
"Our future will only become better and better!"
"…"
An elderly Hyuga recalled the past and sighed again and again.
A middle-aged man looked at his child, his eyes wet with joy.
"Lord Hiashi is greater than every clan head before him."
"He abandoned his status as a member of the main house and carved the Caged Bird Seal onto himself."
"Our branch house can finally break free from a fate no different from slavery!"
…
…
Sunagakure.
"Use it!"
With a thought from Rasa, three lines of small text appeared on the S-rank Ninjutsu Upgrade Card.
"Transformation Technique!"
"Wind Release: Shuriken!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
This time, Rasa chose the Transformation Technique.
The next moment—
A stream of light flashed across the card. Immediately afterward, the names of the three ninjutsu vanished.
A wave of information poured into Rasa's mind.
[Transformation Technique: Forced Targeted Body Transformation Technique]
[—Consumes a large amount of chakra to forcibly change the physical form of a designated target. The final form depends on the caster's intent and the amount of chakra consumed.]
Rasa froze for a moment.
The Transformation Technique could be considered one of the more practical ninjutsu in the shinobi world.
Naruto's Sexy Technique and Harem Technique were both derivatives of the Transformation Technique.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had also relied on having ANBU shinobi use the Transformation Technique to take on the appearances of Kakashi and Jiraiya, allowing the rumors inside Konoha to calm down slightly.
However, the Transformation Technique only changed one's appearance. There were many things it could not alter.
Therefore, when facing shinobi with strong sensory ability or sharp observation, flaws would easily be exposed.
"The Transformation Technique changes the caster's own appearance."
"After becoming S-rank, it changes the opponent's appearance instead?"
"Based on this description, the target also has no way to return to normal within a short period of time."
"That is far too powerful!"
Rasa's eyes lit up.
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