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Kaoru sat on a log by the seaside, its insides hollowed out and turned into a nest for various insects, beetles, and worms. The log hadn't been detached for long, as its roots were still intact, though its core was completely rotten, and the wood trunk itself was soft enough to crumble at the slightest show of force. Without thinking, Kaoru idly picked at the decaying wood with his fingers, though his eyes never left the sea.
The setting sun had begun its slow descent, casting streaks of red and gold across the waves. Its last rays danced across the surface of the water, fading with each passing moment as the moon crept into place. But Kaoru wasn't watching the sunlight.
He was watching the waves.
His eyes glowed faintly cyan, a clear sign that his Suijingan was active. Lately, he had taken a pleasure in watching the flow of water through that lens. Something about the way the currents moved, the way the sea pulsed with energy, felt… grounding. But today, in this moment, it was different. He wasn't just observing. He was lost in it.
That was, until the gruff bark of a familiar voice snapped him back to reality.
"Hey, kid. I'm all ready to go," the fisherman called out, carrying several large nets on his back and dragging them carefully as he tried to minimize their impact on the ground.
Kaoru's Suijingan dimmed. The glow in his eyes vanished as he turned to face him.
"Have you already given up, or are you still set on wasting my time?" the fisherman smirked, tossing the nets into the boat with exaggerated pride.
Kaoru didn't respond with a grin or a comeback. Now that he had what he needed, there was no point keeping up the spoiled brat act. Besides… the ocean had stirred memories. Good memories, but the person in them filled him with sadness and a heavy heart.
"Let's go," Kaoru said, jumping into the boat. "I'll tell you where to go and where to throw the net. It won't take us more than an hour." He moved closer to the edge of the boat, wanting to enjoy the view a little longer, but the fisherman's laughter snapped him out of it again.
"Haha! You serious? You want me to drag the boat while you're already in it?" The fisherman laughed heartily, his demeanor completely different from his earlier grumpiness.
'Why is he in such a good mood?' Kaoru wondered as he disembarked, embarrassed. "Sorry, I was lost in thought," he apologized, causing the fisherman's laughter to freeze.
'He's not half as bad as I thought,' the older man admitted to himself. But the thought irritated him, and he quickly shoved it aside. 'One apology means nothing. He was mocking us, fishermen! I'll still make him gut the fish…'
With a grunt, he pushed the boat forward, its weight carving a smooth trail through the wet sand. A few startled crabs scurried out from beneath, only to vanish again beneath the surface as the wooden hull slipped into the sea.
Kaoru watched the waves catch the boat and rock it gently, the rhythm slow and… playful. He exhaled quietly, letting the view settle in again until the fisherman climbed in, muttering under his breath.
"Let's go, kid. The sun's already setting. Soon, it'll be so dark we won't even be able to see the fish," the fisherman was resolved not to spend more than thirty minutes on the water. It would be easy to prove that Kaoru was just an arrogant brat.
"Don't worry. We won't need more than an hour," Kaoru said simply, his tone so calm it bordered on confidence. 'So beautiful…' He marveled at the sight of the last golden beams clinging to the water's surface. But he wasn't here to enjoy the view. Soon, his eyes began to glow cyan again, looking mesmerizing in the fading light.
"Kid, your eyes…" The fisherman's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen anything like that. "Are you, perhaps, one of those ninjas? With… special eyes?" He was oblivious to what the shinobi world called dojutsu, or perhaps, in that moment of surprise, he simply couldn't remember. But one thing was certain - his confidence had vanished.
"Yes, I can see things others can't," Kaoru answered simply, pointing toward a spot in the water. "Sail there. We'll catch the first batch of fish there." The salty wind, carrying the freshness of the sea, was slowly clearing his heavy heart and hazy mind.
The fisherman didn't say a word. He simply followed Kaoru's instructions, this time paying much closer attention. As they drifted into deeper waters, he kept stealing glances at the boy sitting beside him. The way Kaoru's gaze stayed locked on the sea, mesmerized, like he could see something the rest of the world couldn't.
Once they reached the spot Kaoru had indicated, the fisherman stood and picked up the net, offering it to Kaoru.
"I don't know how to use it," Kaoru said, shaking his head. "I'll just guide you to where the fish are. When you throw the net, I promise it'll come back full."
He could've used his chakra to gather the fish himself in an instant. But there was no reason to reveal that much information about his powers.
"Fine… but that means I'm the one doing half the work," the fisherman grumbled, hoisting the net. His voice carried the usual edge, but Kaoru caught the faint energy beneath it. Excitement. The kind a man felt when something broke the monotony of his daily life.
The fisherman twisted his torso, muscles straining, and flung the net wide across the water. It spread beautifully, slicing through the air before splashing down and sinking, the attached weights dragging it deeper as sunlight faded into dusk.
The glow of Kaoru's eyes intensified as he started controlling the water.
He subtly coaxed the water, guiding a massive school of fish toward the net like a shepherd. He didn't need to force them. Just a slight shift in the current, a flick in the flow and they swam right in.
"Now," Kaoru said with a smile, "pull it up."
The fisherman gave the rope a sharp tug and then grunted in surprise.
"Woah, it's heavy!"
Even with the water easing some of the strain, the weight was unmistakable. He pulled harder, and the net began to surface. As it breached the water, thrashing and glittering with movement, the fisherman's eyes widened.
Dozens of fish flailed inside, silvery bodies crashing against one another. He dragged the haul into the boat with effort, disbelief painted all over his face.
"You weren't kidding…" he muttered, staring at the net like it had performed some kind of miracle.
'With just one throw, he caught more than I would do all day. Luckily, I used the biggest net I had, or I would've missed out on such a good catch.' The reason he had used the biggest net was to avoid feeling guilty or being blamed if Kaoru failed. But the result was completely different from what he had expected.
'It must be his weird eyes. No wonder he was so confident,' the fisherman realized that Kaoru had tricked him, but he didn't mind. 'Serves me right for underestimating the brat,' he chuckled inwardly, looking at the boy. This time, there was no anger in his eyes.
"This is enough, kid. You won. We can head back," the man said, sitting down to turn the boat around. "What's your name?"
"I'm Kaoru. Kaoru Takime," Kaoru answered, sitting across from him as the glow of his Suijingan faded.
"I'm Sango," the fisherman replied with a smile, though the darkness of the night and his tanned skin made it difficult for Kaoru to see. "Kid, even if you won, your attitude and actions were rude and disrespectful to us. And technically, I was the one who caught the fish…"
"Are you going back on your word?" Kaoru interrupted, disappointed.
"No, I'm not," Sango quickly answered, feeling uneasy. For some reason, Kaoru's words stung deeply. 'Why do I even care what this brat thinks of me?'
"I'm just saying that since you tricked me and also used my strength to pull the fish out, it's only fair that we modify your reward, right?" Sango didn't know what Kaoru's questions would be about, but he could guess they wouldn't be trivial. "I'll answer three of your questions. How about that?"
"Fine," Kaoru said after a brief pause. Three questions were more than enough. "What's causing this weird condition in the village?" he asked right away, unwilling to waste any time.
"Kid, like I told you, I just got back. When I left, the village was fine. Whatever's going on now must've started in the past month," Sango replied, picking his words with care.
'He's hiding something,' Kaoru thought, watching him closely. 'I need to ask my questions carefully.'
"What exactly is the village trading with Kiri? What's the product?" Kaoru asked, activating his Suijingan. He knew it wouldn't help him read lies, but Sango didn't know that. All the fisherman saw were glowing cyan eyes, eyes known for revealing things others couldn't see.
It was a gamble, but one with nothing to lose. At worst, the fisherman simply wouldn't be deceived.
Sango narrowed his gaze, noticing the glow. "You think I'm lying to you?" he muttered, voice low with forced irritation.
Kaoru didn't respond.
The silence stretched until Sango finally sighed.
"Fine. About a year ago, we found a deposit in one of the underground caves," he admitted. "A red liquid. Denser than water. We didn't know what it was at first, but turns out it's called A-Akagan, used in alchemy."
Kaoru stayed silent, letting the man continue.
"After it's processed, it turns into Kurogan, a black crystal. I don't know how the process works. Mizukage sent some masked guy who brought alchemists with him, and they've been here ever since. Living in a small settlement just outside the village, making the stuff."
Sango paused, scratching the back of his neck, his eyes drifting to the sea.
"That's all I know. Our people just go into the caves, bring the stuff up, and hand it over. We're paid well, ridiculously well, for doing barely anything. I don't know what they use it for, and frankly, I don't want to."
He stood slowly, squinting toward the lighthouse to better gauge the distance to the shore.
"My vision is getting worse…," he muttered.
Kaoru remained silent. He was already turning the name over in his mind.
'Akagan... Kurogan… Why would Kiri pay this village instead of simply taking over the island and silencing all the witnesses if this material is so valuable?'
"Where is that alchemist settlement?" Kaoru asked, already making up his mind. He was going to pay them a visit. Without shinobi guarding them, there was a good chance he'd be able to learn a lot of information from them.
"It's in the southeast part of the island," Sango answered. 'I have a hunch that those bastards are the reason why people are suffering from this weird condition. If this kid is truly as strong as I think he is, he might be able to solve the problem,' the fisherman thought, hoping to get rid of alchemists through Kaoru. Unlike the rest of the villagers, he had been against mining the cave. He believed the village should stick to their customs and keep fishing for a living. But since mining Akagan paid much more than fishing ever could, the villagers hadn't listened to him.
'I was hoping that if I managed to catch that creature, I'd be able to convince them to return to our old ways. But I failed.' Sango shook his head in regret, but then he looked at Kaoru, excitement returning to his gaze.
"Kid, can you see other things in the water too? Other than fish?" If he could use Kaoru's unique ability, he might be able to find the creature he'd been searching for.
"Yes, I can. Why?" Kaoru asked halfheartedly, already turning over other plans in his mind. He was weighing how far he could go without breaking the current truce between Kiri and Takimura.
'Well, if they're the reason this village is suffering, I can just kill them all. No one will ever know.'
Kaoru was already used to killing, and if his targets were people who didn't mind tormenting defenseless civilians, he definitely wouldn't feel guilty.
"I could use your help," Sango said. "There's a creature I've been tracking for a long time. If you help me find it… I'll tell you something you'll want to hear."
Kaoru narrowed his eyes, not rejecting the offer, but waiting.
"I know the first thing those alchemists made," Sango continued. "Ten rings. It was a special order from the Mizukage."
Kaoru's eyes widened, every other thought dropping from his mind.
"I know that because the first few attempts failed," Sango added, "and they asked us to bury the failures far from the settlement."
He had planned to make that piece of intel his bargaining chip. What he didn't know was how crucial that small detail really was.
'Ten rings… a direct order from the Mizukage… No way. Could it be… Obito? The Akatsuki rings?'
Kaoru's heartbeat quickened.
That single detail changed everything.
**
AN -
Ugh, I hope you enjoyed the twist at the end. I've been working on ways to introduce the new "mineral" and connect it to canon in a meaningful way.
I figured the idea of Akatsuki's 10 rings - the ones that should've been important but ended up being totally useless - finally gaining depth and significance would be a good thing.
But if you disagree, let me know xD
Character Notes:
Sango - Grumpa turned conspirator - "First, I tried to humble the brat. Now I'm hitching my anti-capitalist dreams to his glowing eyeballs."
Suijingan - MVP - "I am a divine GPS for fish, lies, and morally ambiguous black-market secrets."
The Ten Rings - Finally relevant - "We went from fashion accessories to plot devices. It's our glow-up arc."
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