Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Fisherman's Eyewitness
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Off the coast of Uzushio Village, some twenty kilometers out in the waters near the Land of Waves, a small fishing boat bobbed like a single leaf amid the waves.
The old fisherman aboard cast his net into the sea, then sat cross-legged at the bow. He pulled out a pipe and quietly waited.
He'd wait for passing fish to blunder into the net and get tangled beyond escape. When enough time had passed, he'd haul it back in. Repeat the process a few times, and if luck was on his side, he'd snag some rare species to fetch a good price at the fish market—enough to add a little padding to his threadbare life.
But most of the time, it was just ordinary fish. Sometimes not even enough to feed the family.
He lived entirely at the mercy of the heavens and the sea.
Few ventured into these waters. Rumor had it the small island in the distance had once been a ninja village. No one knew why it was wiped out, but it had since become a pirate haven.
The old fisherman only dared fish the fringes, never venturing too deep.
He stuffed some cheap scrap tobacco into his pipe, lit it, and began puffing out clouds of smoke.
Suddenly, a gust of sea wind blew in, sending his straw hat flying.
"Strange. The weather doesn't look like it's turning," the little old man muttered. He peered toward the horizon where sea met sky. No prelude to a storm—the sky was sunny and clear, the waves calm, a flock of seagulls wheeling in the distance.
But then, the old man saw the seagulls panic as if beholding something horrifying. They scattered in all directions.
Sensing trouble, the old man shot to his feet on the deck, scanning his surroundings.
The next moment!
Two colossal beasts locked in savage combat on a distant island burst into view. The sight shocked the old man—who'd never left the Land of Waves in his life—his pipe tumbling from his hand.
Whoosh—
A surging wave roared in from the direction of the monsters' clash. The old man clutched the gunwale desperately with one hand while yanking in his net with the other.
Even as the boat teetered on the brink of capsizing in the tumult, he dared not let go.
After weathering the peril and finally limping back to the Land of Waves, the old man ranted like a lunatic, utterly lost in a daze. To anyone who'd listen, he babbled about witnessing a battle between gods and fox demons!
Some busybodies grinned and pressed him for details and the exact location. The old man panicked, insisting he couldn't reveal it, lest the gods punish him.
The onlookers burst into laughter.
The island that had once been home to Uzushio Village.
After the fierce battle, the entire island lay in ruins, shattered and crumbling.
Most of its forests were obliterated, the ground scarred with terrifying, jagged craters.
The ruins of old Uzushio Village had been utterly demolished in the clash.
On the beach bathed in the sunset's昏黄 glow, Uchiha Hikari sat hugging her knees beneath a large tree that had somehow survived upright. She stared blankly at the sun dipping below the horizon.
Beside her, Menma lay spread-eagled on the sand, limbs splayed, letting the twilight wash over him.
Uchiha Hikari brushed the sea wind-tousled strands of her long hair aside. The boy's silhouette reflected in her black pupils as curiosity filled her face.
"The power you wield far surpasses mine. It's enough to destroy the entire ninja world, isn't it? So why do you still need my power?"
The battle had raged all day long. Her body—bound by seals for centuries—finally had its joints stretched free. The suffocating frustration and dark emotions pent up over hundreds of years vented at last.
She felt utterly refreshed, body and soul.
"This power is still nowhere near enough to dominate the ninja world."
Menma laced his hands behind his head. He knew better than most just how many true powerhouses lurked in this world.