"I remember too, and… there's been a lot of news lately about ships running aground. Everyone's been saying it's divine punishment for all the evil Gato has done. But looking at it now... the truth might not be that simple."
Hinata's pale eyes shimmered slightly as she seamlessly followed Kakashi's analysis. As someone who knew the truth, she understood all too well that this was due to Kakuzu and the others gradually completing the chain of underwater reefs. Judging by the increased shark activity, Kisame was working hard as well. The Land of Waves had truly become an isolated island at sea.
"Whatever the case, we need to wait and hear what Tazuna has to say. For now, no one wander off. I've got a bad feeling about this."
Frowning, Kakashi clearly felt uneasy. The last time he had a feeling this bad was a long time ago.
Around sunset, Tazuna returned to the house with a grave expression. From his face alone, it was obvious the news he brought wasn't good.
"What's the situation? Something bad happened? Any conclusions on why those ships keep running aground lately?"
Kakashi asked bluntly—he needed confirmation for his growing suspicion.
"Ah… that's what I came to tell you. It seems… recently, reefs have been continuously appearing beneath the surrounding waters of this country..."
Tazuna struggled with his words, clearly finding the explanation embarrassing and hard to believe himself.
"Huh? Reefs are growing out of the ocean? What are they, carrots or something?"
Naruto blinked in confusion, this kind of thing sounding like something out of a fairy tale to him.
"I know it sounds weird, but… it's the conclusion people have reached after observing for days now..."
Tazuna nervously put down his teacup. What he had confirmed was not only unbelievable—it terrified him.
"The truth is, strange reefs are emerging from the sea all around the Land of Waves. This afternoon, someone tried to sail out, but they were forced back. They said the reefs formed a kind of ring around the entire country... We..."
"...may already be trapped here."
————————
"What?! That ship sank too?!"
Gato voice cracked into a sharp, duck-like screech of disbelief. The contrast between the past week and now felt like a fall from heaven into hell.
Once ambitious and already in control of the Land of Waves, Gato now found himself facing an old man bent on building a bridge and a mysterious blockade of reefs that had sealed off the seas.
Add to that the recent killings by what seemed like demons—Gato was now desperate to flee this cursed place.
"There's no doubt, Zabuza-san. I don't know who's behind it, but I secretly circled the surrounding sea today—it's completely sealed off by reefs."
Haku's voice carried a trace of anxiety. This feeling of being trapped like rats was any ninja's worst nightmare.
"To encircle an entire country with reefs would require an earth-style user of Kage-level power. But... we haven't picked up the slightest sign of such a person or any chakra signals. Clearly, they don't want their plans uncovered."
Zabuza also felt a creeping sense of danger. As a Jōnin, he knew well what a Kage-level shinobi was capable of. Among rogue ninja, only those with Kage-tier strength could be classified as S-rank. The clearest definition of such strength? The ability to wipe out a small country alone.
"What the hell are you two whispering about?! Can't you just find them and kill them?! The Land of Waves is mine!"
Enraged, Gato hobbled over with his cane, his desperation turning into wild flailing. He had no options left and could only pin his hopes on this rogue member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"You should be thankful. If that old man Tazuna hadn't started building that bridge, you might never leave this country. So, what now? Want me to kill him? Or maybe change the job—like escorting your pathetic ass out of here?"
Zabuza looked at Gato with open contempt. As a rogue ninja who fled Kirigakure after a failed coup, he and Haku had few places left to turn. The Mist Village's hunter-nin were notorious for their ruthlessness—even someone like Zabuza wasn't eager to face them repeatedly.
This was why most rogue ninjas didn't go on wild killing sprees. Any chaos would draw the attention of other shinobi, who would follow the clues and find the culprit.
Sure, Zabuza could easily cut Gato down. But back when the waters were still open, killing Gato might have attracted unwanted attention from Kirigakure. Keeping his head down and quietly taking jobs was the best way to avoid being found.
After all, a rogue ninja's head always carried a price. Raiding and slaughtering only increased that bounty and the number of people hunting you. Unless you were someone like Orochimaru, with enough power to wipe out a nation alone and leave no trace of your involvement, you'd always be watched.
Then again... even Orochimaru wouldn't be safe from someone like Kakuzu—Hell's own Bounty Hunter, always chasing high-value targets.
"Damn it!! Isn't there any other way?! I worked so hard to take control of this country!!"
Gato's body trembled with anguish, his fat quivering with grief. For a man like him, losing the shelter of his territory meant guaranteed retaliation and takeover from those he'd wronged.
"Unless you want to die like a rat trapped in a cage, I'm done babysitting you."
Even someone as duty-bound as Zabuza knew survival came first. He could take on Kakashi again—but if there was a hidden Kage-level earth user lurking, things could go south fast.
If he and Kakashi ended up in a stalemate, that hidden party might swoop in and win it all. No ninja wanted to fight while a third unknown power loomed nearby. That's just asking to die.
"Dammit! Even if you say that—if the sea's blocked, how do we escape?"
Between his wealth and his life, Gato finally chose the latter. He might be a crooked businessman, but he wasn't a suicidal one.
"That's not a problem. Like I said, you should be grateful Tazuna's building that bridge. If we can't use the sea, we'll take the bridge out."
That said, Zabuza clenched his fingers slightly. If someone really intended to seal off the Land of Waves by sea, there's no way they'd overlook the bridge. It'd be like sealing every exit to trap a rat—then placing a cage at the only remaining opening. Even knowing it's a trap, you've got no choice but to walk in.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, a black crow watched Zabuza's house from afar. Its eyes were not the usual black—but blood-red.
————————
"Earth Style: Pillar Prison Technique!"
At Kakuzu's command, chakra turned into solid rock under his hand seals, rising from the ocean floor and stopping just over a meter from the surface. The tip had been shaped into a sharp blade—more than enough to tear through any ship's hull.
"Ahh~ looks like it's just about finished~"
Standing nearby, Hidan lazily cracked his neck. "So this should be the last sea route, right?"
"No. There's still the waterway beneath the big bridge, and it looks like they've already noticed what we're up to."
Scanning the water, Kisame bit his finger and formed hand seals: "Summoning! Reef Sharks!"
With a bang, several grey-and-white reef sharks appeared and quickly dove into the water around the designated area. Bound by summoning contracts, they'd claim this region as their territory and hunt as needed. It was the ocean after all—plenty of food.
The only downside? Humans wouldn't be able to operate here anymore. Fishermen might want to steer clear if they didn't want to end up as lunch.
"But the remaining problem is... that Seven Ninja Swordsman, Zabuza, seems to be planning an escape with his employer—via the bridge."
Sitting atop a rock, Itachi slowly opened his eyes and coldly reported the intelligence he'd gathered. Zabuza might not be capable of spying on Akatsuki, but the reverse was not true. Kado and Zabuza, as the final bosses of the Land of Waves arc, were under close surveillance.
"What? Isn't that a problem? Didn't Suigin Tou say she wanted to deal with those two herself? Tch, I say we just cut them down and be done with it."
Hidan waved lazily. Kakuzu looked up slightly. "Fine... we'll see what she does. If she doesn't make it in time, we'll clean them up for her."
"After all, whether it's the head of a Seven Ninja Swordsman or that merchant Kado—they're both worth a lot. No matter what..."
"They won't be leaving this cage Akatsuki has built."
---
(Hinata PoV)
Yeah, she'd originally wanted to play it low-key, but clearly there'd been some slip-ups. At first, the appearance of reefs wouldn't have drawn attention, but as more and more emerged—disrupting even the safe shipping lanes—it was only natural that investigations would follow.
Hinata, eyes closed, felt a strange sort of excitement. After all, this was her first time encountering a "world-level" event in the Naruto universe. Though she had cleverly used Kakuzu's earth-style to artificially create reef blockades, her lack of experience had still led to mistakes.