After Sakura entered the room, Naruto instinctively squinted his eyes and glanced up and down the narrow corridor. After confirming no one was watching, he shut the door.
With a click, Naruto locked the door.
When he turned around, he saw Sakura sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him with her big eyes, making him feel a bit awkward as he explained.
"The door lock is broken. If I don't lock it, the door will swing open when the ship tilts."
"Alright." Sakura smiled.
'What does 'alright' mean?' Naruto wondered, feeling a bit uneasy. He walked over to the table and sat down on a chair bolted to the floor.
The food is relatively simple, consisting of air-dried meat chunks. After a little steaming and adding some seasonings, it can be eaten directly, which is very convenient to stave off hunger at sea.
But the food from a few days ago wasn't this tough and dry meat. It was proper meals with both meat and vegetables, which is clearly signaled that they were in trouble at sea.
Naruto divided some of the meat, then pushed the remaining portion back in front of Sakura.
"Anko-sensei said there's something wrong with this ship, and we should be careful." Sakura said after taking the food, "There might be a storm soon."
"Whatever. It is what it is. Let's eat first." Naruto said.
"Aren't you scared?" Sakura asked.
"Scared of what?"
"The storm." Sakura smiled, "If a storm comes, everyone on this ship might die. It's dangerous even for us."
"I don't really care about it. The three of us just need to protect Princess Fuun." Naruto said nonchalantly, "As for everyone else, their lives aren't our responsibility."
"That being said…" Sakura said, taking a bite of the meat and swallowed it with difficulty, "Even if we can walk on water, we are in the sea right now, so we would have no idea where to go."
"Without a ship and food, drifting at sea isn't a viable plan."
"We'll see when the time comes." Naruto put down the piece of meat, thought carefully and said, "Talking about it now is pointless and just adds unnecessary stress."
Naruto was not in a hurry at all. After all, there was still a large amount of food and drinks in his seal space. He had stockpiled them when he was free, just in case of missions that might require them.
He was prepared for the worst, like those harsh missions where he'd have to survive on wild fruits or hunting. So he figured it was better to stockpile food ahead of time.
As for the ship Sakura mentioned, he didn't have one, but he did have a small raft. He couldn't remember when he bought it, but it was probably for rafting in the river downstream of the waterfall.
Later, he'd forgotten about it, and it had just been collecting dust in the corner of his seal space.
With such sufficient preparations, Naruto is confident that even if they ended up in the storm and the ship sank or got destroyed, the three of them could still get Koyuki out safely.
Besides, at this point, worrying wouldn't help. All they could do was hope the ship avoided the storm or held up through it.
"Yeah." Sakura nodded and didn't say anything else.
…
The next day.
A sudden fog blanketed the sea, and even worse, the magnetic fields in the surrounding waters were in chaos.
Fortunately, the sea surface that could be seen clearly with the naked eye was still calm, the ship was sailing relatively steadily, and the kitchen even prepared a sumptuous lunch at noon.
On the deck, Naruto carried two meals, scanning around until he spotted Sakura in the mist.
Anko has been protecting Koyuki closely, while Naruto is responsible for patrolling the perimeter. They usually relied on Sakura for communication between the two, and occasionally, Anko would personally check on Naruto during her shifts with Sakura.
"We suddenly got extra food." Naruto chuckled, raising the two meals in his hands, "The crew thought we've almost reached the Land of Snow, so they're all excited."
"This seems more like a last meal than a celebration feast."
Hearing this, Sakura chuckled and said, "We are indeed approaching the waters of the Land of Snow. We should be there in about two days."
Afternoon.
The mist cleared, and the originally clear sky suddenly became gloomy.
A storm was gathering not far away, and the sight of towering waves surging toward the ship left everyone on board staring at the enormous waves and the nearly black-purple sky.
Their ship was heading straight for the massive waves. A sense of helplessness and fear washed over them, throwing the ship into chaos.
Naruto took a sharp breath, thinking to himself that taking this mission was a huge loss.
The crew on the ship had gone mad. What they initially thought was just a job had turned into a near-death experience, or so they feared, it would be their funeral.
Naruto kicked open the door with one swift move, drawing his Kusanagi Sword immediately.
Looking down the corridor at the chaotic mob, everyone seemed like headless chickens, screaming and crashing into each other, swaying wildly. Some couldn't accept the reality and sat on the ground, muttering to themselves with vacant eyes.
Angry roars echoed through the corridors as people began to lose their sanity. Screams, shrieks, and roars filled the air. Naruto paid them no mind, giving only a quick glance before quickly averting his gaze.
He sprinted diagonally along the walls of the cabin, clutching his razor-sharp Kusanagi Sword with a fierce look in his eyes.
The storm hadn't hit yet, but massive waves were already battering the ship.
"Shinobi? You're a Shinobi, right?! Quick, think of something!" Someone in the corridor spotted Naruto running along the wall and shouted out.
"Stop that kid! He's a Shinobi, he must have a plan!"
"Please don't abandon us!"
"I can pay, I have money!"
The people in the corridor, desperate for any hope of survival, reached out frantically towards Naruto. But he ignored them completely, not even glancing back. He was a Shinobi, yes, but not a savior.
In the face of those towering waves, who could possibly play the savior?
Right now, Naruto wasn't concerned with anyone else's survival. His priority was finding Anko, Sakura, and getting them all together. If possible, he would also bring along their protection target, Koyuki. In this situation, venturing outside was a death sentence.
They needed to hide, and as long as they could weather the giant wave without being swept away, they would be fine.
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It didn't take long for Naruto to find the three women. Anko and Sakura were leading the panicked Koyuki towards the lower decks. But with the crowd ahead and time running out, it was clear they wouldn't make it.
Naruto sheathed his sword and dropped down from the wall, landing right beside them. He kicked open a door and shouted to Anko and Sakura.
"Quick! The giant wave is about to hit, it's too late to reach the bottom of the ship! Get in here and hide!"
Anko was stunned for a moment, but before she could react, she had been pulled in by Sakura. Koyuki was also forcibly dragged into the room. With the four of them inside, the room felt cramped, but fortunately, there were straps fixed to the walls for securing their bodies.
During his two weeks at sea, Naruto had thoroughly explored all the rooms and their functions on the ship.
This was a... well, a 404 room he had discovered by chance during his patrols.
But at this moment, those straps nailed to the walls served a vital purpose. As the ship braced for impact, at least there was something they could grab onto to stabilize themselves.
"Just hold on to it, don't tie your body up, or you'll get strangled." Naruto warned, "If the ship gets pulled underwater and you can't undo the straps, you'll definitely die!"
Sakura wasn't familiar with these unusual straps, but Anko and Koyuki belatedly recognized them. Fortunately, now was a matter of life and death, and all conventional concerns were meaningless.
The most important thing is to survive.
Naruto pressed his face against the porthole, still muttering about something. Then, he stood beside Sakura and grabbed the straps on the walls. The three of them formed a protective triangle around Koyuki, determined to protect her no matter what.
Grabbing the straps wasn't just for themselves, and they also made sure Koyuki did the same.
Naruto, Sakura, and Anko are all Shinobi, and their Chakra allowed them to adhere firmly to the floor with just their feet. As long as they weren't directly hit by the massive wave, hiding here would be relatively safe. The main concern was for Koyuki, the only ordinary person among them.
The deafening sound of the approaching wave shook the air, and the entire ship trembled violently. The atmosphere in the small room was incredibly tense.
"Here it comes!" Anko called in a low voice, "The wave is coming! Hold on tight!"
With a thunderous crash, the ship's hull was split apart. In that instant, the sound was like lightning striking right next to their ears, like a car traveling at 180 miles per hour crashing into a solid concrete wall, smashing it to pieces like clay.
Against the roaring deep sea, human strength and Ninjutsu were utterly powerless and insignificant, with all hope pinned on the ship.
The immense impact shattered the small room and the porthole burst out like a cannonball under the tremendous pressure. Naruto tilted his head with difficulty and barely avoided being hit by the flying glass.
The moment the porthole burst, seawater rushed in crazily. Anko grabbed Koyuki immediately, while Naruto and Sakura also rushed over instantly, protecting their target tightly.
It wasn't that they were fearless, it's just that this is part of the Shinobi's duty.
No matter what unexpected events occurred, as long as the mission continued and no orders to abort were given by the team leader, the life of the target was the top priority.
Sakura positioned herself in front of the target and tried to grab onto one of the straps on the wall, but a sudden surge of water slammed into her, like being struck by a hammer. Her arm instantly went numb and wouldn't respond.
Then, half her body went limp, and she began to lose consciousness.
Before she blacked out completely, she felt herself being grabbed. Through her fading vision, she saw a pair of deep blue eyes.
Things got worse as the entire ship was pulled underwater. The cabin filled with seawater, and the available air was dwindling.
At this moment, only Anko and Naruto remained conscious.
Sakura had been knocked unconscious, and there was no time to check if she had any injuries, so they could only carry her and escape first. There were only a couple of centimeters of air left at the top of the room, so Naruto and Anko floated to the surface to take a quick breath, exchanging a brief but understanding glance.
Without a word, they each grabbed one person and dove down. Exiting the room through the door, they quickly reached the flooded corridor, where some small spaces still held pockets of air.
In an upward-sloping triangular space, Anko and Naruto resurfaced, pulling the unconscious Sakura and Koyuki out of the water with them.
"Is she alive?" Naruto checked Sakura's breathing and pulse, then asked Anko.
"She's alive." Anko answered simply and concisely.
"Rest for ten seconds, don't die! Once we're out, you can do whatever you want!" Anko shouted loudly, "Head for the deck and follow me!"
These words sounded like the last word of dying person, and Naruto didn't know what to say. The ten seconds felt incredibly slow, with every heartbeat marked by a deep look exchanged between Naruto and Anko.
This has nothing to do with deep affection. If they really were going to die, everyone would prefer to see something alive before the end. Ideally, it would be a beautiful member of the opposite sex, as even if they die accidentally, they can still comfort themselves.
In the last second before diving, Naruto's pupils dilated slightly.
Together with Anko, he dove deeply, with Kyubi's Chakra slowly coursing through his body. A cabin door that wouldn't open underwater was kicked open by Naruto.
There were all kinds of bodies and camera equipment lying on the bottom of the water. Almost everyone was dead, smashed to pieces by the huge waves.
Naruto and Anko struggled in the chaotic underwater currents, each dragging a burden.
The storm on the surface wreaked havoc below, affecting the waters even ten meters deep. Feeling the pressure in his lungs, Naruto knew they were likely deeper than ten meters.
After finally escaping from the sunken ship, they found themselves in pitch-black water again. Seeing how Anko was struggling, Naruto gritted his teeth.
Diving deeper, he grabbed the unconscious Sakura with one hand and Princess Koyuki with the other. Anko was slightly stunned for a moment but, with her load lightened, easily caught up to Naruto.
At this point, carrying two was extremely exhausting. Naruto felt his body nearly reach its limit instantly. His chest felt like it was on fire, burning and stinging.
But carrying two was still better than three. If Anko fainted, things would truly become problematic.
If it really came to that, he would likely only bring Anko and Sakura to the surface. After all, professionally and personally, saving Anko had a higher priority than saving Koyuki.
Anko swam rapidly, her agile form moving like a sea serpent as she quickly reached Naruto's side.
Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, Anko grabbed Koyuki's other wrist, lightening Naruto's load as if in a relay.
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