Red Shoal Island Beach
Seeing the Sea Wolves retreat, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino cautiously approached Sakura from a distance.
"Are you alright, Sakura? Why did they all just leave?" Kiba asked, glancing at the dead Kaiyuki leader. "Was that their boss?"
"Something like that," Sakura replied curtly. She looked at her teammates. "Who brought sealing scrolls?"
"Not me. Hinata, did you bring any?" Kiba asked, surveying the gruesome scene littered with Sea Wolf corpses. "Are you thinking of taking some bodies back for research?"
"Mm, yeah. Shino, how about you?" Sakura asked, turning to him after Hinata shook her head.
"I only brought three," Shino stated, retrieving three scrolls from his pack and handing them to Sakura.
"That'll do. Kiba, Hinata, find some relatively intact corpses and seal them up," Sakura instructed, tossing them each a scroll. She then turned back to Shino. "How much of your chakra have you recovered?"
"Approximately half," Shino replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Okay, good. Then could you please use your insects to move that torii piece back where it belongs?" Sakura requested. "Figure out some way to reinforce it; it just needs to stay standing until we leave the island."
"Understood," Shino acknowledged and headed off to deal with the structure.
They had needed all four of them to carry it earlier to conserve chakra for the anticipated battle. Now that the fight was over, Shino could manage it alone, albeit more slowly.
Once the others had moved away, Sakura unrolled the last sealing scroll and carefully sealed the body of the Kaiyuki leader within it. This creature might hold more information, she mused, but I didn't know how to ask, and perhaps it couldn't properly express complex ideas anyway. It's still fundamentally a beast.
The Yamanaka Clan's techniques can directly extract intelligence from an enemy's mind. Since it couldn't articulate clearly, I'll just have to find the answers myself. She made a mental note. I'll have to check if those techniques are in the Scroll of Seals when I get a chance. If not... well, I might have to resort to a little thievery.
Securing the scroll, Sakura looked up to see Ryuichi arriving on the beach.
"This... this is the monster?" Ryuichi asked, his voice filled with shock as he took in the widespread carnage.
"Yes. This is the creature that's been plaguing Red Shoal Island. They're called Kaiyuki," Sakura explained.
"Kaiyuki?" Ryuichi knelt, prodding one of the dismembered corpses. "These things look truly terrifying. Does this mean... the monsters have been eliminated? They won't come back?"
"Mm... well, let's observe for a few more days just to be sure," Sakura replied thoughtfully. "A number of them escaped, but I dealt with their leader. Based on typical pack behavior, they shouldn't return now that their leader is gone."
"Is that so? Ah..." Ryuichi sounded slightly disappointed, perhaps at the prospect of the ninja staying longer. "Well, that's troublesome, but thank you."
"It's fine. Can you have the people from Red Shoal Town come over and start cleaning up these Kaiyuki corpses?" Sakura suggested, seeing Kiba and Hinata walking back with their now-sealed scrolls.
"Right away."
Ryuichi turned and headed towards the town. Even though it was incredibly late, Sakura suspected the news would be more than enough to rouse the inhabitants.
"Sakura, are we heading back soon?" Hinata asked, clearly exhausted. Kiba looked equally drained; the night's battle had taken a significant toll on them.
"Not just yet. We'll stay here for a few more days," Sakura said. "Quite a few Kaiyuki escaped earlier. We need to stay and make absolutely sure they're truly gone before we officially close the mission."
After the team did one more sweep of the area, the residents of Red Shoal Town began to arrive. Seeing the beach covered in monster corpses, the crowd erupted in cheers. When they spotted the three Konoha ninja, villagers rushed over, showering them with gratitude.
However, one person stormed furiously through the crowd, stopping directly in front of Sakura and pointing an accusing finger. "You little brat!" Headman Soga roared, his face red with anger. "So that's why you wanted me to gather everyone! It was all a trick so you could cut down the torii! Do you have any idea what that structure means to Red Shoal Town?!"
Before Sakura could even respond, a young man spoke up from the crowd. "Come on, Headman, let it go! They helped us get rid of the monsters. So what if they cut it down?"
"Yeah, yeah! That thing was falling apart anyway. It was probably time for a new one," another young villager added.
"The monsters at sea are gone, the shipping route is safe again... who cares about one old torii? It's not like it actually protected us," chimed in a third.
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Sakura quickly grasped the situation. It seemed only the Headman and the older generation were fiercely attached to the torii; the younger villagers were largely indifferent.
"You... you lot know nothing!!" Headman Soga bellowed, silencing the crowd momentarily. "Do you think this place would be what it is today without that torii?! Damn it, what do you youngsters understand about anything?!"
The crowd quieted under his furious outburst, though whispers immediately started up again. Headman Soga clearly still held considerable authority here.
"Ahem," Sakura cleared her throat, stepping forward. "Look, I only did it to help you solve the monster problem. Based on my analysis, that torii was actually attracting the creatures. Without it here, they wouldn't have appeared in the first place. Even if they did return later, as long as the torii was gone, they wouldn't land. It wouldn't matter who you hired; the result would be the same if the torii remained."
She thought back to the Kaiyuki leader's uncanny dodging – likely an advanced form of danger perception. If we hadn't come, she theorized, it wouldn't have been long before they judged the island safe enough and launched a full-scale invasion.
Just then, another elderly man, his hair just as white as Soga's, stepped out from the crowd. "Let it go, Kazuo," he said calmly. "The torii is mostly sentiment now. The young people don't believe in it anymore. What's important is that these ninja came from far away and solved our problem. We should be thanking them, not blaming them."
"Hiroaki! You too?!" Soga looked at the other old man, clearly surprised.
"Let's just leave it for now, Kazuo. Have the villagers clean up these corpses. We can talk about this later," the man named Hiroaki insisted gently.
Headman Soga's lips moved as if to argue further, but finally, he let out a long sigh. "Alright. Later, then. Everyone, let's get these monster carcasses cleaned up!"
Hearing the order, the townsfolk cheered again and eagerly set to work.
As Hiroaki turned to leave, Sakura quickly moved to intercept him.
"Is there something you need, young lady?" Hiroaki asked kindly, looking at the pink-haired girl blocking his path. "You can speak with Kazuo. He's stubborn, but not entirely unreasonable."
"No, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to thank you for speaking up for me back there," Sakura said sincerely. "I actually did ask Headman Soga about moving the torii, but he refused. That's why I had to do it secretly. May I ask your name?"
Hiroaki chuckled warmly. "Haha, yes, he's always been like that about the torii. About anything else, he's usually quite agreeable. My name is Sorayama Hiroaki. I'm the same age as Kazuo."
Sakura's eyes widened. "You're also over a hundred years old?" Even though she'd suspected, hearing him confirm it was still startling.
"That's right," Hiroaki nodded with a gentle smile.
"Uh... are people on this island particularly long-lived?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Hmm... Not especially, I'd say," Hiroaki mused, stroking his beard. "Of everyone from Kazuo's and my generation, only the two of us are left now."
"Then you and Headman Soga must be quite close?" Sakura probed.
Hiroaki chuckled again, his eyes twinkling. "Ah, it seems you have some questions you wish to ask. Why don't we speak over there?" He gestured towards the now-empty pasture area. "And perhaps you can show this old man some of that ninja prowess the outsiders always talk about."
"Yes! Thank you, that would be wonderful! Sorry to impose," Sakura replied, her spirits lifting. Perhaps she could gain some different insights from this other centenarian.
Once they reached the pasture, Sakura used Earth Style to quickly craft two simple stone chairs.
"Remarkable! Just as the outsiders described," Hiroaki exclaimed, clearly impressed.
"Hehe, it's nothing special. Please, have a seat," Sakura said, gesturing to one of the chairs.
After Hiroaki sat down, he asked, "So, what is it you wish to know? I imagine Kazuo has already told you some things."
"Yes," Sakura nodded, gathering her thoughts. "I want to know about the history of this island."
"The island's history, hm?" Hiroaki murmured, looking out towards the sea. "Well... the truth is, this place wasn't always an island. A very long time ago, it was part of a vast continent. A continent just like the one you call the Shinobi World."
"A continent!!" Sakura was instantly, utterly stunned.