Chapter 15: Kado and His Minions

"Sir, here is your Miso Chashu Ramen. This Daifuku and Tempura are on the house! Please enjoy!" The young waiter respectfully held the tray with both hands, placing the steaming food one by one onto the table.

"Mm." Menma withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at the food on the table, feeling somewhat surprised.

The waiter's attentive service was quite heartwarming.

He had even provided two extra snacks as a gesture of thanks for Menma's tip.

"By the way, sir, if you want to go to the Land of Lightning via a Gato Company merchant ship, you can go to the next street; there is a ticket office for the shipping lines," the waiter added.

In addition to transporting goods, these merchant ships sold passenger tickets to pick up travelers and increase their revenue.

"Thanks," Menma replied briefly, picking up his chopsticks and beginning to eat.

Seeing that the customer was so cold, the waiter did not find it strange and took his leave of his own accord.

Perhaps because it wasn't a professional ramen shop, the flavor of the ramen was quite mediocre, but the complimentary tempura was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the daifuku was sweet and delicious, leaving him quite satisfied.

After a hearty meal to replenish his strength, Menma walked out of the small restaurant and headed toward the pier to find his target.

From a distance, he saw a merchant ship flying the flag of the Gato Company preparing to set sail. The crew members on deck were shouting loudly through megaphones, and the sides of the ship were crowded with passengers scrambling to board.

With a light leap, Menma arrived on the ship in an instant.

"Hmm?" A ronin samurai patrolling the deck felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head slightly.

The moment the white three-eyed fox mask entered his vision, the ronin was controlled by a genjutsu, and his eyes became vacant.

"Where is Gato?" Menma asked in a low voice.

"Lord Gato will board the ship later," the ronin answered mechanically, his eyes glazed over.

"Take me to his room," Menma commanded.

At the same time, his hands formed seals, and he instantly transformed into a swordsman.

"Yes, my lord," the ronin replied, leading the way.

The two walked one after the other, passing through the cabins as naturally as if they were on a routine patrol, without anyone suspecting a thing.

"This is Lord Gato's room." The ronin stopped in front of a carved wooden door.

"Guard here. When Gato arrives, let him in." Menma pushed the door open and entered.

"Yes." The ronin stood at the door like a statue.

Upon entering the room, Menma found that while there were no gold or silver treasures, it was decorated with various leather ornaments, expensive liquors, and some incomprehensible collections.

Sitting down at the desk, Menma pulled open a drawer and took out several account books to begin flipping through them.

*In [Year/Month], the fleet departed from a port in the Land of Fire carrying [Amount] of supplies, heading to the Land of Water.*

*In [Year/Month], the fleet returned from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire carrying [Amount] of supplies.*

...

These were all recent accounts. Even during the Third Shinobi World War, Gato's fleet traveled between the ports of various nations. Although they occasionally encountered ninjas or pirates and lost some cargo, the fleet's overall profits were extremely aggressive.

When a great war breaks out in the shinobi world, it is the perfect time for merchants like Gato to reap massive profits.

Although Menma was not a professional accountant, he could discern from these records that there were significant expenditures. The fleet's profits had diminished considerably; it seemed they were being paid as tribute to the nobles and even the Daimyo of the various nations.

This was likely how Gato ensured his company's ships could pass through various territories unimpeded.

Currently, the Gato Company was only moderately sized, not yet reaching the level of wealth it would possess nine years later, when it would be among the world's wealthiest entities.

"I seem to remember reading in a fanfiction once that robbing Gato became a major source of funding," Menma leaned back in the leather chair, resting his chin on one hand, flipping through the accounts listlessly.

Just then, the ship jolted, signaling the start of the voyage.

Before long, a commotion erupted from outside.

*Bang!*

The door was kicked open violently.

A short man dressed in a suit and wearing round-rimmed sunglasses burst in aggressively.

Following behind him were several fierce-looking ronin samurai and rogue ninjas.

The ronin samurai who had been controlled by Menma's genjutsu had already been subdued by them.

"I'd like to see which blind fool thinks they can do this!" The short Gato snarled as he entered the room.

When he saw that someone actually dared to sit in the leather chair he had purchased at a high price from the Land of Bears, his face instantly turned ashen. His mouth twitched slightly as he said, "It seems this journey will be quite entertaining."

Grinning maliciously, he ordered his subordinates: "Teach this arrogant brat a lesson! Remember, don't damage my collectibles! Afterward, you can do whatever you want with him on the ship."

As Gato finished speaking, the group of ronin and rogue ninjas behind him walked in with menacing sneers.

It was as if the boy before them was already their plaything.

"Not even a decent ninja?" Menma sensed the chakra within these people and found that only two were at the Genin level, causing him to shake his head.

He didn't even have the interest to stand up and fight; he simply sat in the chair and formed a seal with one hand.

"Kyumen Sobako: Tama!"

In an instant, a spatial fluctuation occurred around Menma, and a dark red magic circle inscribed with the character "Tama" (Sphere/Jewel) emerged beside him.

The Nine-Faced Beast: Celestial Maiden of the Sphere burst forth from the summoning array, floating in mid-air.

"What is that?" Before the samurai could react, the maiden floating from the array had already swung her ribbons.

Two ribbons pierced through the first few ronin like sharp swords.

Blood splattered everywhere. The pungent smell of blood caused the ronin and rogue ninjas to snap out of their stupor; they froze in place, paralyzed with terror.

The maiden continued to wave her ribbons, extending them to knock down all the obstructing ronin and ninjas in her path.

Screams rang out one after another, and severed limbs flew through the air as the cabin was turned upside down.

Seeing this, Gato turned and ran toward the door in terror without looking back.

But as soon as he reached the cabin corridor, the two ribbons caught up and bound him.

"Aaaaaah!" Gato screamed as he was dragged back into the room.

Only this time, the room was filled with the corpses of the ronin and ninjas lying scattered about.

"My... my... my... Lord... I beg... I beg you... please don't... don't kill me..." The once arrogant Gato was now trembling so violently that he could barely speak.

His small, round sunglasses had slipped halfway down his face, revealing eyes filled with terror as he stared at the mysterious figure before him.

Menma stood up from the chair and floated toward Gato, looking down at the wretched merchant from above.

He knew that mere slaughter would not be enough to make Gato loyally serve him.

Therefore, Menma formed a seal with one hand and said coldly

"Naraku-mi no Jutsu!"