On the open sea, a merchant ship sailed ahead while another vessel rapidly closed the distance behind it.
On the merchant ship, everyone followed Taiichi's pointing finger and spotted the approaching ship. Because the distance was still too great, they hadn't noticed anything unusual yet.
After all, the sea didn't belong to anyone. There was no reason why you could sail these waters and others couldn't.
Swim, being an experienced old captain, couldn't make out the distant ship clearly either. But through the angle and the wind, he immediately realized something was wrong.
The other ship's speed was clearly abnormal—at least twice as fast as theirs.
"Ethan, get up to the crow's nest. Look behind us."
Swim pointed at the distant ship and shouted to a crewman standing below the mast.
The commotion drew every crew member's attention. They all watched as Ethan scrambled up the rigging in a few quick moves, grabbed the telescope, and peered backward.
Through the lens, dozens of rough-looking men on the distant ship were pointing at their vessel, grinning like a pack of wolves that had just spotted prey. Every so often one of them would throw his head back and laugh wildly.
On the enemy ship.
"Boss, that merchant ship seems to have noticed something's off. Their lookout is watching us."
"Oh? Their vigilance is pretty low."
The scar-faced man in charge sneered. He wore a Mist forehead protector, though a deep scratch ran straight across it from left to right.
"Little ones, raise the flag. Jiro, get us moving faster."
"Got it, boss."
The man called Jiro was also a shinobi. He formed a quick set of hand seals and slapped his palm against the deck.
Water Release: Surging Wave Technique.
The seawater around the ship began to churn violently, forming a powerful current that pushed the vessel forward at increasing speed.
At the same time, a black flag bearing a white skull slowly climbed the mast, announcing exactly who these people were.
On Taiichi's ship.
The moment Ethan saw the skull flag through the telescope, his panicked shout rang across the deck.
"Pirates! Pirates incoming!"
Swim's face went pale, but he kept his head. Orders flew from his mouth one after another.
The crew, who had started to panic, quickly steadied under clear instructions. Some adjusted sails and rudder to pick up speed. Others grabbed weapons and prepared to fight.
Once Swim saw his men moving, he turned to the four shinobi he had hired.
"Lord Yudo, it's up to you from here."
"Don't worry, Captain Swim. This is what we're paid for."
Yudo said no more. He led his three teammates toward the stern, where they could better watch the approaching threat.
Before he left, the female shinobi shot Taiichi a vicious glare, her expression promising she would settle things with him later.
"Song Tao, don't take it personally," Swim said quickly as he passed. "Shinobi have strange tempers. You'll get used to it. You should head back to your cabin too. The deck's about to get dangerous."
He didn't wait for an answer before hurrying off to organize the crew.
Taiichi's mouth twitched. He was a shinobi too, wasn't he? Was his temperament also considered strange?
Thanks to the brief delay, the enemy ship had closed even more ground.
The two vessels were now running side by side. The pirate ship was noticeably smaller and built for speed.
In his perception, Taiichi could clearly feel two people on the pirate ship radiating intense chakra. One was using Wind Release to fill the sails. The other was using Water Release to control the current. No wonder they were moving so fast.
And the leader of these shinobi was a rogue ninja from Mist.
Taiichi glanced at the four hired guards with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
These days, shinobi from the great villages were already stronger than most wave ninja. On top of that, anyone who could survive the ANBU manhunts of their former villages had to be exceptional.
The four guards looked at each other. Even the irritable woman had gone quiet for once.
After a short exchange of insults, the two sides clashed.
A massive water dragon rose beside the pirate ship and charged forward with terrifying force.
On the merchant ship, two fireballs flew out to meet it.
A thunderous explosion echoed across the water as fire and water canceled each other out.
Taiichi, watching from behind, frowned deeply.
Fire Release. On the open ocean, they were using Fire Release.
Even if they didn't know Water Release, Wind or Lightning would have been better. Did they really not know any of those three elements when they chose to work at sea?
His guess proved correct. In the next few exchanges, the merchant ship's side really did only have Fire Release to answer with.
Taiichi couldn't help but feel impressed. There really were people reckless enough to take sea missions when they only knew Fire Release.
The pirates obviously saw the weakness. After a round of mocking laughter, five shinobi immediately charged across the water toward the merchant ship.
Among them was the Mist rogue ninja Taiichi had noticed earlier.
Swim also realized how badly outmatched they were—not just in individual strength, but in numbers as well.
"Archers! Loose arrows! Don't let them board!"
Sparse arrows flew toward the shinobi running on the sea.
But such attacks posed little threat to agile shinobi. Without even using ninjutsu, the five simply dodged and kept coming.
As they closed in, the lead pirate finished his seals. The water beneath the five surged upward, lifting them rapidly toward the deck.
Several kunai were thrown to slow the four guards. The five pirates landed cleanly on the merchant ship.
"Well now, little lady. Weren't you acting tough earlier?"
The pirate leader walked with an arrogant swagger, closing the distance step by step.
Behind him, the other four fanned out, forcing everyone from the stern toward the bow.
Further back, five grappling hooks crossed the gap between ships and bit into the merchant ship's hull. The remaining pirates were already climbing the ropes.
"We can't wait for all of them to board," Yudo said grimly. "If we do, we're finished."
He charged straight at the enemy leader.
The other three didn't hesitate either, weapons raised as they followed.
Unfortunately, courage alone wasn't enough.
The pirate subordinates didn't even need to move. Their leader alone completely overwhelmed the four guards.
And he still had breath to spare for mockery.
"Pretty thing like you would be a waste to kill. Why not surrender and keep big brother company instead?"
"You bastard!"
One of the guards forced himself forward again, only to take a vicious knee to the chest that sent him flying straight to Taiichi's feet.
Taiichi stepped over the unlucky man without hesitation and walked toward the fight. He had hoped these four might at least injure the pirates a little. He had clearly overestimated wave ninja.
"Song Tao, what are you doing? Get back here!"
Swim was actually a decent man. Even now he was still thinking about Taiichi's safety. It was just his judgment when hiring guards that left something to be desired.
Taiichi didn't turn around. He simply raised one hand and waved.
"Swim, you're a good guy. I'll take care of these pirates for you. What I said about training earlier wasn't a joke."
Hearing those words, Swim's raised hand froze. The despair in his eyes was replaced by a sudden spark of hope.
Taiichi's movement caught the pirate leader's attention. The man studied the approaching figure carefully.
Young—probably mid-teens (actually only twelve). Neat clothes, smooth skin. Looked like someone who had lived comfortably.
Casual steps. Full of openings.
In short: easy prey.
"Now even brats want to play hero?"
The pirate leader sneered. He kicked one guard flying, elbowed another into the air, then grabbed the female ninja and hurled her straight at Taiichi like a sandbag.
Taiichi wasn't some soft-hearted fool. This woman had cursed at him earlier.
He simply shifted his weight and let the "sandbag" fly past him, coming face-to-face with the pirate leader who was right behind her.
The pirate hadn't expected Taiichi to dodge. His planned follow-up attacks suddenly had no target.
Taiichi's fist answered the opening without hesitation.
A dull thud.
The pirate leader flew backward even faster than he had come, crashing into his own men before collapsing in a heap.
"Damn it! This one's dangerous! Everyone, attack!"
Unlike the guards, who still worried about damaging the ship with ninjutsu, the pirates had no such restraint.
Two charged forward while the other two immediately began forming seals.
Their coordination was decent.
Unfortunately, they were facing Taiichi.
He appeared in front of the charging pair with Body Flicker. A monstrous-strength punch followed by a rising kick sent both men flying like cannonballs. The sickening crack of breaking bones echoed across the deck as blood sprayed through the air.
They didn't even need to hit the water. Everyone knew they were already dead.
All of it happened in the space of a single breath.
Taiichi flickered again. The two shinobi still finishing their seals never got the chance.
Same result. Same sounds. Same outcome.
The entire merchant ship fell into stunned silence.
The pirates who had already boarded turned and fled without needing to be told twice, leaping into the sea or scrambling back along the ropes. Those still climbing either tried to retreat or simply let go and dropped into the water.
In seconds, the once-aggressive pirates had scattered like frightened birds.
Only then did the merchant ship's crew react.
Taiichi walked toward the pirate leader, who was still trying to push himself up. The sight made the man scramble backward in terror.
"Hero! Spare me! I have money—lots of money! I'll give it all to you!"
"Is that so?"
Taiichi drew the words out, giving the man a brief flicker of hope.
"Too bad. I don't believe you."
A short blade appeared in his hand. He stepped forward and drove it cleanly through the man's heart.
Money? If he had money, why become a pirate? Did he think pirate stories were real?
"Lord Song Tao, what about the rest of the pirates?"
Swim was the first to approach. His face was flushed with excitement rather than fear.
Taiichi looked at him with a hint of approval. Besides his terrible judgment when hiring guards, the man wasn't bad.
"Of course we finish the job. Root out evil completely."
He walked to the railing and looked at the pirate ship pulling away in the distance. Both hands formed seals.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.
A raging sea of bright golden flames erupted from his mouth and surged across the water toward the enemy vessel.
The intense heat instantly boiled the sea along its path. Steam billowed upward, obscuring everything.
As Taiichi poured more chakra into the technique, the golden flames shifted, turning platinum-white before they reached the pirate ship and set it ablaze.
There were still shinobi on board struggling to survive. Occasional Water Release jutsu flew out, but the gap in power was too great. The water only fed the flames, speeding their deaths.
In less than a minute the fire died down.
Where the pirate ship had been, only scattered charred debris floated on the waves.
The ship and every pirate who had fallen into the sea had been reduced to ash.
This was the overwhelming power of Level 14 Fire Release.
But on the merchant ship, silence fell once more.
If Taiichi's earlier fight had still been within their understanding, this single Fire Release technique was not.
He had just burned an entire pirate ship to nothing on the open ocean.
Was that really something a human could do?
Taiichi turned and took a step back toward the group. The four guards and several crew members instinctively stepped back.
Swim was the first to recover.
"Lord Song Tao is… truly admirable!"
His light but sincere praise broke the tension. The crew quickly followed with their own flattery.
"Alright, Swim," Taiichi said. "Get the ship moving. Don't let this delay us."
"Yes, yes!" Swim nodded rapidly and shouted at the crew. "Full sails! Full speed ahead!"
Taiichi returned to the bow, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
This time, no one questioned whether he was training.
While Taiichi was still at sea, another urgent message arrived in Konoha from Tsunade.
Mist's forces had returned to the Land of Fire two days earlier and clashed again with her troops on the eastern coast.
Without Taiichi and with many of the great clans' top fighters having withdrawn, the eastern front was significantly weaker. They could only manage a stalemate with Mist near the shoreline. Neither side could gain a decisive advantage.
Hidden in a corner of the Hokage's office, Taiichi watched Hiruzen and the two advisors with furrowed brows.
The great clans had only just pulled their people back. It wasn't appropriate to ask them to return to the front so soon.
After all, those who had come home were clan heads and elders, not ordinary members.
"Tsu nade is still in the village, isn't she?"
Koharu suggested. She clearly didn't know Taiichi had already joined ANBU.
"No. Taiichi is currently—"
"Cough~ cough~ cough~"