Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Red-Haired Girl
At this moment, Natsuhane was already at sea.
Alone, on a small boat.
To prevent sunburn, Natsuhane had bought a straw hat before renting the boat.
After spending so much time inland, the occasional tranquil drift on the sea, enjoying the view of the ocean meeting the sky, was quite refreshing.
The Land of Sea was not large, and after just a few hours, Natsuhane arrived at Mother Island.
As soon as he stepped ashore, he heard fierce roars coming from the dense forest not far away.
"The roar is so loud; these creatures must be huge..."
With a sigh, Natsuhane headed towards the source of the sound.
On his way, he saw neither people nor houses, only endless rows of dense forest.
"Roar! Roar!!"
The howls grew closer and louder.
Natsuhane hid behind a tree and saw several ninjas engaged in battle with a number of large summoning beasts.
Judging by their headbands, they were undoubtedly Kirigakure ninjas.
Beside them were two men in white coats and a young girl with red hair.
The summoning beasts outnumbered the ninjas, forcing the latter into a corner.
"Damn it! These beasts are such a hassle!"
"Honoka! What are you hesitating for? Seal them now! If you don't use your power, we're all going to die! Do something!"
"I... I..." The red-haired girl was pale with fear, trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing her in this state, the ninjas cursed.
"This useless girl! I don't know why the higher-ups sent her with us; she's nothing but a burden!"
"Forget her! Let's focus our strength for one last attack. Everyone use the Water Wall Technique to hold these beasts off!"
"Alright! Let's do it!"
The Kirigakure ninjas quickly performed the same hand signs, shouting in unison.
"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu—!"
Before the water wall could form, a giant spider summoning beast shot several webs from its abdomen, wrapping the ninjas up.
The webs were incredibly sticky, and no matter how much the ninjas tried to cut through them with kunai, they couldn't break free.
Fortunately, the red-haired girl was at the back of the group and wasn't caught in the webs.
Seeing her comrades ensnared, the girl collapsed in despair.
The giant spider began retracting its webs, opening its massive jaws to devour the trapped ninjas.
A nearby giant centipede, angered at being left out, attacked the spider.
While the two monstrous beasts fought, a giant snake noticed the red-haired girl still standing. It coiled up and lunged at her, mouth wide open.
Simultaneously, a giant bear and a giant mantis also targeted the girl.
Natsuhane, observing everything, recognized the girl as the Uzumaki clan member he was looking for.
With the distractions cleared, it was time to act.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from Natsuhane's mouth, raising the temperature around him instantly. The summoning beasts, having never seen such a huge fireball, scattered in fear.
The forest returned to a brief calm.
With the danger momentarily gone, Natsuhane approached the girl.
"Miss, are you alright?"
The girl, seemingly unaware of his presence, hugged her knees and muttered, "Don't eat me! Don't eat me..."
"It's okay now. They're gone."
"...?" The girl looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. She glanced around and then focused on Natsuhane. "Who... who are you?"
"I'm a traveler, and right now... I'm the one who saved you."
"You... you saved me?" The girl looked skeptical.
The man before her didn't look much older than she was. How could he be so powerful?
"You need to leave this place! There are all kinds of man-eating summoning beasts here. It's too dangerous for you to be sightseeing; you'll die!"
Natsuhane chuckled. "If it's so dangerous, why is a young girl like you wandering around here?"
"I'm not weak," the girl said, lowering her head in shame. "I just... can't control my power. Those people died because of me. I failed them. I... I deserve to die!"
Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened in terror as she looked into the distance. "Oh no!"
The ground began to shake violently.
The summoning beasts that had been hiding seemed to sense the tremors and scattered in panic.
Natsuhane frowned. "What's going on?"
The girl stood up quickly, grabbing Natsuhane's hand. "We have to go! That monster has awakened!"
"Monster? Aren't we already surrounded by monsters? There's no need to run. I can handle it."
"Don't be foolish! Those summoning beasts are nothing compared to it. It has already killed hundreds of elite ninjas!"
"Oh?" Natsuhane's eyes sparkled. "Interesting. Sounds like a challenge. I could use a new summoning beast."
"Stop joking! We need to run!"
Natsuhane found himself being dragged along by the girl. This was the first time a woman had ever led him by the hand.
Despite her delicate appearance, she had a surprising amount of strength.
They ran for about ten minutes before the girl pulled Natsuhane into a hidden wooden hut.
Panting heavily, she collapsed onto a chair, gulping down a cup of water from the table.
"We're safe... I set up a powerful barrier around this hut. That monster won't come in."
Natsuhane looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure about that? You couldn't even handle the ordinary summoning beasts earlier."
The girl protested, "I am strong! I just can't control my power. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
Natsuhane sighed. "Alright, if you say so."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"I believe you."
"No, you don't! That 'alright' was too dismissive. You don't trust me."
"Fine, fine. I believe you."
Natsuhane shook his head with a smile. This girl was certainly unique. He poured himself a glass of water and sat down.
After a moment of silence, the girl blushed slightly and spoke softly. "Thank you for saving me. My name is Honoka. What's yours?"
"Only now you remember to thank me?" Natsuhane teased.
"I... I was just too anxious earlier."
"Alright, alright. I won't hold it against you. My name is Natsuhane. Now, tell me more about this monster. If it's really that strong, I might want to tame it."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Well..." Seeing his determination, Honoka began to tell the story of the monster.
"One day, our peaceful village was attacked by an unknown creature..."
"And then, the mist came..."
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