Chapter 424: Side Story Part 4: Shirodo Festival
Soon, the group reaches the shore.
"We are finally on the land!" The sailors frantically dash towards the shore and kiss the sand with tears in their eyes.
Hoshi and Kei also take a deep breath.
"The land sure smells refreshing after spending a long time in the sea." Kei stretches his sore muscles. He turns towards the rest of the sailors.
"All right boys, get back to the work. We have lots of things to do." He points towards the gigantic corpse of the sea monster.
"Yes, boss!" The crew members turn to the remains of the sea monster with sparkling eyes.
"Hehe… after this, I can marry my childhood friend." One of the sailors sharpens his butcher knife.
"Oi Asuga, what's with that pervy smile? Are you still fantasizing about that girl whose father beat you to a pull for uselessness?" Another sailor mocks him with a smirk.
"Tch… Mitsu, at least I have a girl, but what about you? You are still a virgin at your age." Asuga retorts.
Pffft… Haha…
The rest of the sailor bursts out in laughter. Mitsu's face turns red in embarrassment.
"I am not a virgin, not anymore!" He proudly declares.
"Oh, so you made love with some old hag in your dreams?" Another sailor burst his fantasy bubble.
"You… you guys!" Mitsu points towards his friends with trembling fingers.
Ahem…
Kei clears his throat.
"Don't waste your time by idle chit-chat. We still have lots of work to do." He rebukes them.
"Yes… yes, captain!" The sailors quickly disperse and engage in their work.
"Tha… thank you, captain, for your help!" Mitsu thanks Kei with heartfelt gratitude.
"Umm… don't mind it. You are a part of my crew. Also, if you need with your… umm… I mean, if you are still looking for a girl, then I can arrange one for you. Though she might be slightly older in age." Kei attempts to console Mitsu.
"Not you too, Captain!" Tears flow from Mitsu's eyes.
"Alright… alright! I was pulling your leg." Kei wipes a fake tear from his eye.
"Still, you can consider my earlier offer."
"Grr… I hate you, Captain!"
Haha…
Kei leaves him alone.
Meanwhile, Hoshi escorts Izuna to the town.
There is a festive atmosphere in the town. The townsmen are decorating the streets with vim and vigor. Many kids are roaming the streets with various fish masks. The essence of the festive mood permeates the air.
Many hawkers and vendors are selling goods related to the Sea Lord. Some of them are selling colorful sea shells, others are selling wooden carvings of the sea fishes. There are a few shady ones who are selling fake charms.
The joyous mood of the people alleviates some tension in Izuna's heart.
'Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to relax and enjoy this festive gathering.'
Izuna takes a stroll across the streets of the coastal town while enjoying several local delicacies.
"Mmm… not bad. The food is quite appetizing, with a unique flavor. Even their cooking method and spices are different from the shinobi world. This sure is a pleasant culinary experience." He savors the taste of various seafood unique to Redaku.
"Everyone gather at the town square; the sea lord play is about to start."
This announcement sends an adrenaline rush through the entire townsfolk. All of them leave their current work and swiftly rush towards the town square.
At the town square, a group of performers gathers on a stage to perform a play.
"It's time for that event again!" Hoshi stares at the group of people rushing toward the town square.
"What event?!" Izuna curiously enquires.
"Every year the Shirodo (Sea Lord) Festival is held during the Minazuki period. The festival will last for seven days and each day there will be a play depicting the entire story of the brave hero and the Sea Lord. On the seventh and the final day, a parade of illuminated boats will be held to commemorate the ending of the festival." Hoshi explains with enthusiasm.
"Lord Izuna, I am sure you will like it." He gestures towards the town square.
"That sounds interesting. Maybe I will also take a look at their performance." Izuna curiously stares at the outfits of the performers from a distance.
'Some of their clothes are from the Warring Era period.'
Soon, almost the entire town gathers at the square. With the beatings of a Taiko drum and the plucking of a Koto string, the play starts.
[In the far corners of the northern land, once there…]
The vibrant and magical acting and the melody of the instruments stirred the emotions of the audience. The delightful performance captivates the souls of the spectators. Like a fleeting moment, the ephemeral play finally came to an end.
The performers silently left the square, leaving behind a spellbound audience immersed in the narrative of the play.
A few moments later, hustle-bustle returned to the town square as the people fanatically discussed the story with enthusiasm.
"The quality of the play was much better than the previous year. I couldn't even take my eyes off the stage for a moment."
"Yes, the music was so enchanting and soothing that for a moment I felt like I shattered all my shackles as I stepped out of my cage and soared into the sky."
"How was it, Lord Izuna?!" Hoshi slowly opens his eyes and turns to Izuna.
"It was a very fascinating play. I really enjoyed it a lot." Izuna replies as he glances at the retreating figures of the performers.
"Now, I can't wait for the next day." An erratic smile emerges on his face.
"Yes, Izuna-sama!" Hoshi agrees with him.
"So, are there any inns nearby?" Izuna enquires.
"Of course! Of course! I will lead you to the best inn in the town. The owner is an old friend of mine, so there won't be any problems." Hoshi smiles as he leads the way.
A few minutes later,
"Ah!"
Izuna's face twitches slightly as he stares at the entrance of the inn Hoshi introduced to him.
"Lord Izuna, despite its looks and surroundings, this place is the best inn in the town and boasts a premium customer experience."
"I can attest to their services." Kei, the ship's captain, walks out of the inn. He waves at the group with a wide smile on his face.
"Best service, my ass! Isn't this place a love hotel, and this place is the red-light district of the town? Or do you think I am as blind as a bat and can't see the so-called classiness of this place?" Izuna retorts with an angry expression.
"You better take me to a different place or else…" Izuna turns around to leave.
"Please wait, Lord Izuna!" Hoshi hastily stops him.
"Love hotel is just a small part of our business. The needs and preferences of the customers are always our priority. We aim to serve our customers in all aspects." A middle-aged lady walks out of the hotel.
The newcomer has shoulder-length red hair and brown eyes. She is clad in a purple kimono with floral patterns and wears traditional footwear.
"So, you are the owner?" Izuna inspects the lady with an intriguing look.
'Hmm… things are getting pretty interesting.' A faint smile on Izuna's face.
'What was that?' The middle-aged lady looks around in confusion.
"It has been a while, Lady Himari." Hoshi politely bows to her. He points towards Izuna and introduces him.
"Lady Himari, this young man is Lord Izuna. He is our savior and a shinobi from legends. He fought against a giant sea eel monster and disposed of it with ease."
"Oh?" Lady Himari raises an eyebrow and takes a second glance at Izuna.
'So, that feeling earlier it must be him. Did he find out my secret?' A smile appears on Lady Himari's face as she welcomes Izuna, while numerous thoughts rush across her head.
'It would be bad if he finds out our secret. I have to keep a close eye on him.'
"You don't have to worry, Lord Izuna. Besides, the love hotel; we are also a properly functioning inn with all necessary facilities." She assures him with a smile.
"So, how long does Lord Izuna plan to stay in the town?" She enquires.
"I am not sure of the duration, but at the very least I plan to attend the Shirodo festival," Izuna replies to her with a smile.
'I can't read him at all.' Himari has a wry smile on her face.
'Even if he is a shinobi, I don't want him to mess up our plans. The appearance of one at such a time spells nothing but trouble for us.' Himari leads him inside the hotel.
She hands over the keys to one of the most luxurious rooms to Izuna.
"We have prepared one of our finest rooms for your service. I hope sir 'Shinobi' will enjoy his stay in our humble place."
Izuna rolls his eyes.
'Isn't I because you want to monitor me since you seem to be hiding some secrets? Anyway, I will entertain you folks. This place seems to be more amusing than I initially assumed it to be.'
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A/N:- My new Naruto fan-fic, 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' is out.
Also, check out my pat reon www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife to support my work and get a sneak peak at the latest chapters of both series in advance. Read upto 60+ chapters from both series combined in advance.
Chapter 425: Side Story Part 5: Redaku Arc: The Mysterious Groups
Later in the night.
Hmm…
Izuna opens his eyes. He glances outside the window. His vision pierces through multiple walls to spot a hidden underground facility.
"I can't see past the passage of this hidden facility. There seems to be some sort of restriction or seal in place. Izuna turns around and glances at a nearby tree.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan,"
The tomoe in his eyes spins rapidly.
"This should take care of the peeping tom."
"Shadow clone jutsu,"
Izuna makes a shadow clone and signals it to lie down on the bed.
"With this, I have an alibi. Now I don't need to worry about the useless trouble these people could create for me."
Swoosh…
Izuna's figure slowly turns invisible.
"Light Release: Camouflage Cloak,"
He wraps his body in a few small barriers to avoid creating any unnecessary sound.
"Now it's time to look at the secret of this little inn."
Whoosh…
Izuna's figure disappears from the room as he approaches the hidden facility at a quick pace.
Soon, he reaches the entrance of the hidden facility.
Hmm…
Izuna spots a few fuinjutsu runes on the door of the facility.
"These people… they have a certain level of Fuinjutsu skill to erect such a barrier and place so many restrictions. Only the members of the Uzumaki clan in the shinobi world can compete with their level of expertise."
The level of Fuinjutsu skill impresses Izuna. He continues to inspect the barrier for a while.
'Now that I take a closer look at these runes and their usage, I can safely deduce that the Fuinjutsu technique of the Uzumaki clan and these people had the same origin. While the Uzumaki clan weaponized their Fuinjutsu in terms of sealing and binding powerful opponents, these people focused on the utility of the Fuinjutsu in terms of barriers, summoning, and other miscellaneous tasks. Furthermore, they have refined their techniques by studying the gigantic Fuinjutsu formation around this planet since the core of that formation lies somewhere in Redaku.'
Izuna recalls the powerful barrier encompassing the entire planet. After studying that barrier for months, he concluded that this planet doesn't have enough energy to sustain that barrier for such a long time. Nature energy of this entire planet and its inhabitants isn't enough to manipulate the flow of space-time around the planet. If that formation were to use the Shinobi world's nature energy, then the entire planet will turn into a wasteland in just a few months. The energy consumption of sustaining such a powerful phenomenon that manipulates reality and bends space-time rules is unfathomable even to the current him.
'Perhaps this is the territory of the GODS.'
He shakes his head and focuses his attention on the barrier in front of him.
'This barrier is similar to a modern face or identity recognition system. It only recognizes a set of parameters similar to a lock, which only recognizes a particular keycode. So, if I replicate the logic behind those parameters and create a key, then it isn't that difficult to bypass this barrier anymore.'
Swoosh…
Izuna uses the earth style to create a sapphire. He infuses his chakra in the sapphire and inscribes multiple sets of runes and inscriptions on it in a matter of seconds.
"Done!"
He holds the sapphire in front of the eyes of a crow statue. A ray of light inspects the sapphire and grants him access.
'I will erase the record of my visit. These people sure are quite strict with their safety measures.'
Izuna edits a few runes and erases any information related to his key or his visit.
After successfully infiltrating the hidden facility, he closes his eyes and senses the multiple presences hiding inside the facility.
'This is quite a big facility. Who would expect that there is a huge underground hidden facility the size of a quarter of the town hidden right beneath their nose? The anomaly I felt earlier…'
Izuna turns his direction to a particular direction. He senses a strange chakra emanating from that direction.
'Other than the nature energy, I can sense another type of energy similar to energy which is quite similar to chakra but a lot less powerful.
Chakra is a privilege of the Otsutsuki clan, which the Sage of Six Path shared with the entire world. After reading through the various records, I am pretty sure the Sage wasn't aware of his actions at that time.' Izuna shakes his head as he follows the strange energy signature.
Soon, he arrives in front of a giant hall. Izuna cloaks his presence even further as he senses a gaze in his direction.
'Despite my efforts, someone here was able to sense my presence.'
Izuna's gaze turns to a young lady with silvery white hair. Multiple people in black robes gather in a circle inside the hall.
There is a gigantic circular formation in the middle of the group. The lady with silver hair is sitting in the middle of the formation with closed eyes.
'Huh?! Those fuinjutsu runes… it seems to be some sort of sacrificial summoning circle." Izuna curiously stares at the giant formation on the ground.
'Is that girl the sacrifice for this summoning?' A slight doubt appears in Izuna's mind.
The lady with silvery white hair slowly opens her eyes. She glances at the former position of Izuna.
'Strange! I thought that I sensed someone there for a second. But… that shouldn't be. The barrier formation at the entrance will immediately alarm everyone in this facility if someone attempts to trespass it. Even the data about every visitor is recorded inside it. So, if someone suspicious enters the facility while holding the key of one of our members, it will alert us to his presence.'
She closes her eyes and sends a strand of her chakra across the entire hall to sense the presence of any intruder.
'Hmm… there is no one suspicious here. Perhaps I was worried about nothing.'
She shakes her head.
'What's the matter, Miko-sama?" One of the black-robed persons enquires.
"Nothing. It's just that the stress and exhaustion from such a long ceremony are piling up." The Miko with silvery white hair shakes her head.
"Don't mind me. The moon is about to reach overhead. It's time for us to start the ceremony." She reminds the black-robed person.
"Yes, Miko-sama!" The black-robed person bows to her and retreats.
A few minutes later,
Rumble…. Rumble…
Ground trembles slightly as the roof of the hidden facility slowly opens up to reveal the giant moon in the sky.
The black-robed people take out a knife and slice their wrists.
Drip… Drip…
Blood trickles down from their hands and spills on the ground. It flows toward the formation inscribed on the ground and slowly seeps into it.
The Miko bites her thumb and wipes it on her palm. She makes some erratic hand signs and slams her palm on the ground.
'Hmm… those hand signs… they seem to be a variation of the regular shinobi hand signs.' Izuna mutters as he curiously stares at the ritual.
Rumble… Rumble…
The blood of the black-robed people coalesces into the formation. The formation slowly rises in the air and covers the space between the roof and the moon.
The Miko continues to make more hand sign and chant some incoherent words.
Soon, a film of water gathers between the moon and the blood formation. The moonlight passes through the water film and shines on the blood formation with a blue hue.
The Miko has a pale expression as she continues to infuse her blood and chakra in the formation. A rusty old bronze token appears in her other hand.
She grasps the bronze token tightly.
Wham…
A fluctuation of strange energy leaks from the token and fuses with the blood formation. The trembling blood formation stabilizes and a faint image of a strange creature appears on the water film.
Hmm…
'Interesting! Things are going to become more interesting in the upcoming days.'
Izuna takes another glance at the formation and the Miko.
Whoosh…
He silently exits the hidden underground facility.
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Somewhere in an abandoned warehouse at the port,
Multiple masked figures gather in a warehouse.
"How is it? How are your preparations?" One of the figures questions the rest.
"The preliminary preparations are complete."
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A/N:- My new Naruto fan-fic, 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' is out.
Also, check out my pat reon www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife to support my work and get a sneak peak at the latest chapters of both series in advance. Read upto 60+ chapters from both series combined in advance.
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