Speaking of which, it was quite eerie.
Not long after "Fishball" left the boat, the sky cleared up again.
The small boat carrying Naruto and Karin gradually stabilized as well.
However, after that previous storm, their course had already drifted off to who knows where.
It wasn't until the next day when Naruto and Karin woke up to see land, disembarked, and heard locals say, "Welcome to the Land of Hot Water," that they understood.
They had drifted in the opposite direction. The Land of Whirlpools was even further south.
The Land of Hot Water was a country located on an island northeast of the Land of Fire, with not much of a presence in the ninja world.
This country's only official armed force was currently Yugakure Village.
But ever since the country's decline in power and being influenced by pacifist ideology, Yugakure had transformed from its original "combat ninja village" into a "tourist destination."
With the daimyo further cutting military expenses, the Land of Hot Water's defensive capabilities kept declining.
However, they weren't too worried about it.
After all, since this country had shed its fangs, it had gradually distanced itself from war. The friction between the major ninja villages basically didn't affect them, so they simply focused on developing their tourism industry.
The hot springs here were unparalleled in the entire ninja world, and quite a few ninja from different countries had vacationed here.
This could be seen from how, shortly after Naruto and Karin landed on the island, they were led by a friendly guide to experience various novel services.
Of course, with Karin, a minor, present, the guide was very sensible and didn't introduce certain popular entertainment activities.
By evening, the guide had long since gone off duty, and Karin and Naruto, now dressed in yukatas, walked leisurely down the street.
Judging by their silhouettes alone, they didn't look like siblings but rather like father and daughter.
Whether it was the Land of Hot Water's hot springs or cuisine, these were all first-time experiences for Karin.
Unconsciously, she began smiling more often.
And Naruto?
Since they were already here, they might as well rest here for a day or two before setting off again.
The Land of Whirlpools would stay put and wouldn't grow legs to run away.
As for the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident that Minato had mentioned...
Honestly, aside from knowing the opponent also possessed Sharingan, Naruto knew nothing else.
He couldn't even confirm whether the opponent was a surviving member of the Uchiha clan.
After all, that old bastard Danzo had transplanted quite a few Sharingan. Who knew if others might do the same.
Perhaps Itachi Uchiha would know some clues?
Silently adding Itachi's name to his mental notebook, Naruto brought Karin, who had finished touring an entire street, into the inn they had booked.
Of course, they had reserved two rooms.
Although the technological level on the ninja world side was obviously lower than the pirate world, the service industry was not inferior by much.
At least the inn Naruto had booked had excellent service, and each room came with a small hot spring pool.
After drifting at sea for a day and night, then wandering around the streets of the Land of Hot Water for quite a while, what could be more enjoyable than a relaxing soak in a hot spring?
When the hot spring water reached Naruto's chest, he almost fell asleep from comfort.
"Ah!"
At this moment, Karin's scream suddenly came from the other side of the wall.
"What's wrong, Karin?"
Naruto was quite gentlemanly. He didn't rashly extend his Observation Haki to watch the little girl bathe.
Of course, if this question went unanswered, he would immediately climb over the wall.
"It's... it's nothing... Naruto-san, I just twisted my ankle..."
Karin's voice came from the other side, sounding fine at least.
Naruto thought for a moment and turned down his Observation Haki's sensing precision to the minimum.
After confirming that there was indeed only Karin in the adjacent room and she wasn't being held by anyone, he relaxed.
"Okay, be careful. Don't slip when entering the hot spring pool."
Next door, Karin looked somewhat melancholically at the hot spring before her, then at the clothes she had just changed out of, and let out a long sigh.
It seemed she wouldn't be able to enjoy the hot spring today.
It could only be said that the little girl had entered adolescence, and there were many troubles that the rough old man next door couldn't empathize with.
"Naruto-san, I need to go outside to buy something. Please continue soaking."
The supplies they had prepared earlier didn't include the relevant items, so Karin had to go out and purchase them.
The ninja world already had vending machines, so products for that aspect were naturally available.
This could only be blamed on Naruto having been a lone wolf most of the time over the years, lacking experience traveling with females.
"Oh, okay, be careful."
On the other side, Karin put her clothes back on and then left the inn.
This inn wasn't very close to the night market, as they tried to minimize noise affecting guests' rest.
The shopping process went normally, but when Karin was walking back, she sensed something was wrong.
Although she hadn't truly mastered Kagura Mind's Eye yet, Karin's natural sensitivity to chakra and malice had greatly improved.
Therefore, she could now clearly sense that several figures hiding in the shadows were emanating malicious chakra fluctuations.
More guys chasing bounties again?
This was Karin's first reaction.
Actually, before going to sea, she and Naruto had already experienced many assassination attempts.
Although many of them were rabble like those initial guys, there were indeed several skilled individuals.
At least when facing them, having been taught by Naruto-san for only a few days, she had no power to resist.
However, Karin remembered every word Naruto had said.
When encountering danger she couldn't handle, the first thing to do was make a big commotion. This would not only make the opponent wary but also signal companions.
Although this place was quite far from the inn.
Karin remained composed but gradually slowed her pace.
The several malicious sources in the darkness seemed to notice this and began slowly approaching.
This scene was also observed by Karin, making her somewhat nervous.
Although Naruto had been teaching her various self-protection methods these past days, this was her first time independently facing danger.
Karin walked slowly while using her yukata's wide sleeves to quietly reach into her ninja tool pouch.
As soon as the figures entered her range, she flung the hidden weapons with desperate force.
Swish, swish, swish!
Several kunai sliced through the air.
However, Karin's poor training showed immediately. Her throws went wide, embedding themselves in the dirt well short of their targets.
"Act quickly! She's discovered us! Don't let the sacrifice escape!"
The leader, who had been somewhat nervous seeing Karin's sudden movement, realized it was just this and immediately showed a sinister smile.
A pure girl, perfect for sacrificing to the evil god!
But before they could make any other moves, sizzling sounds came from beneath their feet.
When they looked down, they saw explosive tags tied to the ends of the kunai.