Chapter 170: Tsugami and the Torii

Red Shoal Island

Walking down the main street with Ryuichi, Sakura felt a strange, fleeting sense of familiarity, almost like being back in Konoha. Breakfast stalls were bustling with people coming and going. Ryuichi led Sakura and her team into a restaurant that looked a bit more upscale than the others.

"Wow, this place is packed," Kiba remarked, looking around at the crowded interior. "Doesn't feel much like an isolated island overseas."

"A large portion of these people are outsiders," Ryuichi explained. "Mostly merchants. There are very few native islanders left. It's not usually this crowded, but the recent monster troubles have stranded many people here."

"Finish eating, then go with Ryuichi-san to get some rest," Sakura instructed her team, hastily shoveling rice from her bowl.

"Do you require me to show you the way, Captain Haruno?" Ryuichi asked.

"No need, I know the way," Sakura replied, taking the last bite and putting down her chopsticks. "Just get my teammates settled so they're ready to deal with the monster if it appears tonight. I'm heading out now, take your time eating."

Instead of going directly to the village head's house, Sakura made her way back to the old torii gate she had seen upon entering Red Shoal town.

She circled the weathered structure twice, then pulled out the small bottle of insects she'd gotten from Shino. Holding the bottle close to the torii's wooden pillar, she watched the insects inside begin to crawl frantically back and forth.

Seeing their agitated state, Sakura looked up, studying the ancient gate more closely. Before leaving the beach earlier, she'd asked Shino for some of his kikaichū and gotten a quick lesson on how to recognize their 'excited' state. She had decided to do some investigating on her own, and the seemingly ancient, decaying torii – clearly older than even the centenarian village head – felt like the most logical place to start.

The insects' reaction confirmed her suspicion: the torii was emitting something. Could this gate be the source of the strange energy pervading the island?

Once again, she channeled her chakra into the wood, trying to sense anything unusual. After a long moment, disappointment settled in. It still felt like ordinary wood, dense but mundane. No hidden seals, no unusual energy signatures within the material itself. So why are the insects reacting so strongly?

With a lithe movement, Sakura leaped onto the top beam of the torii, gazing out over Red Shoal town, lost in thought.

She could no longer dismiss this island as ordinary. Before, her suspicions were based solely on piecing together fragments of information and her own intuition. But last night, Shino's insects had provided concrete evidence. The locals might hold the answers, but she doubted Headman Soga would willingly reveal any profound secrets.

Wait, hold on. Why am I getting so obsessed with this island's secrets? she chided herself abruptly. I'm just here to do a job. What's with all this damned curiosity?

Sakura froze for a second, then leaped down from the gate.

Screw the secrets! she decided firmly, striding purposefully towards Headman Soga's residence. I'll deal with their monster problem, and then I'm out of here. Whatever weirdness is going on, can it really be a bigger deal than Kaguya?

Her new resolve hardened. If I have questions, I'll ask directly. If they won't answer, fine. They can deal with their own mess.

With this mindset, Sakura arrived at Headman Soga's house. She found the old man seated, looking at her with an air of expectation. Sakura cleared her throat twice.

"Captain Haruno," Soga greeted her. "Has the monster been dealt with?"

"No, there was no sign of any monsters last night," Sakura shook her head. "However, I do have a few more questions I'd like clarification on."

"Is that so?" Soga poured her a cup of tea. "What questions might those be? Please, ask."

"It's about that torii gate," Sakura began, fixing her eyes on Soga's ancient face. "The one at the entrance to town. When was it built? What is its origin?"

"You mean the gate near the town entrance?"

"Yes."

"Does this pertain to the monster?" Soga inquired.

"It might," Sakura bluffed, unsure herself but needing answers. "So please, tell me truthfully what you know."

"That torii... it looked just as it does now when I was merely a child," Soga stated slowly. "That would be roughly... ninety years ago. It was already ancient then, in the same state of decay."

"Wait," Sakura interrupted, stunned. "Ninety years ago?! How old are you, Headman Soga?!"

A faint, dry chuckle escaped the old man. "Heh. This old one is one hundred and one years of age this year."

"O-One hundred and one?!" Sakura stammered, gaping at his deeply wrinkled face. Her mind whirled. Ninety years ago... that was the Warring States Period on the mainland. This man was contemporary to the First Hokage! She'd assumed he was maybe just a bit older than the Third, but over a century...

"My apologies, Headman Soga," Sakura said, unconsciously slipping into more formal language. She'd never met anyone, ninja or civilian, who had lived so long. "Please, continue."

"It is quite alright. The people from Ise Town had much the same reaction," Soga waved a frail hand. "Regarding the torii, I fear I do not know much more. It has simply always been thus, as far back as my memory reaches. Before the outsiders arrived, we possessed no written language here, so all history was passed down orally. There are bound to be inaccuracies over time."

"That's understandable. Please, tell me what you do recall," Sakura urged, leaning forward intently.

"Mm. That torii... we call it 'The Sun'," Soga stated.

"The Sun?" Sakura echoed, bewildered. It was clearly a torii gate. How could it possibly relate to the sun? It wasn't even round; it bore no resemblance.

"Yes. To us, it symbolizes the sun," Soga affirmed, taking a sip of tea. "The very light and warmth we enjoy on this island, we believe, are thanks to that torii."

"But... that doesn't seem connected to the sun at all," Sakura pressed gently. "And torii gates are typically entrances to Shinto shrines. You don't have any shrines here now, so why would a torii stand alone like that?"

"Is that so? An entrance to a shrine..." Soga tilted his head, looking genuinely curious. "That is the first I have heard of such a thing."

Sakura felt a headache coming on. Arguing semantics with a centenarian about architectural symbolism wasn't productive. She abruptly changed the subject. "What is 'Tsugami'?"

"Ah, Tsugami!" A nostalgic expression softened Soga's features. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Ryuichi-san mentioned it," Sakura replied.

"Ryuichi... yes, one of the very first outsiders to come here. It has been many years," Soga mused.

"Could you tell me more about Tsugami?"

"Truthfully, I know little," Soga admitted with a sigh. "There used to be an altar dedicated to Tsugami. However, after your people arrived, they dismantled it to build houses on the land." He shook his head with a hint of regret.

"But why would you allow them to tear it down?" Sakura found this baffling. "Wasn't it a place where you worshipped your god?"

"It was because of the disaster decades ago... the same monster attacks we face now," Soga explained, his gaze distant. "Tsugami was the deity we had always worshipped here, praying for protection from natural calamities. When I was young, rituals were common, and life was generally peaceful, the weather fair. But after that terrible disaster struck... the people of the village lost their faith in Tsugami's protection. Gradually, fewer and fewer people visited the altar. By the time the outsiders came and wanted the space... well, no one truly cared enough to stop them from tearing it down."

Sakura was speechless for a moment. Their faith seems incredibly pragmatic... or perhaps just fickle. If people back on Earth abandoned religion so readily after one unanswered prayer, most faiths would have vanished long ago.

"Then why didn't you tear down the torii gate as well?" she asked logically.

"What do you understand?!" Soga suddenly snapped, his reaction startlingly fierce, his voice trembling with unexpected anger. "Without the torii, there would be no sun! This island would be plunged into total darkness!!" He glared at Sakura, breathing heavily.

"Okay, okay! Don't tear down the torii..." Sakura quickly backpedaled, taken aback by the intensity of the 101-year-old's outburst. She hastily shifted the topic again. "Ryuichi-san also mentioned that some say Tsugami wasn't a god, but a person? What's that about?"

"Tsugami..." Soga said, still visibly annoyed but calming slightly. "There are two legends passed down here. One holds that Tsugami is a god. The other says Tsugami was the name of a mortal man who performed deeds of great contribution and was later venerated, essentially worshipped as a god."

"So, either way, a figure of legend?" Sakura summarized.

"Yes, precisely," Soga nodded curtly. "Whether god or man, it did not affect our reverence in the past. But it matters little now. Aside from elders like myself, the young people in the village today... they do not even know the name of the deity we once worshipped." A wistful, sad look crossed his face as he finished.

"Thank you, Headman Soga. I should probably get going now," Sakura said, sensing she had likely gleaned all the information he possessed, or was willing to share.

Just as she stood up, Soga spoke again, his voice suddenly grave and solemn. "Tsugami... Those who believe he was a god consider us, the people of this island, to be his subjects. Those who believe he was a great man consider him our ancestor. That is all I truly know."

"Hm? I understand. Thank you again," Sakura replied, pausing briefly before turning to leave.

"I hope," Soga said, his voice regaining its formality, "that having satisfied your curiosity, you will now resolve Red Shoal Island's troubles for us. We implore you." To Sakura's shock, the ancient man lowered his head in a deep, formal bow, his forehead nearly touching the floor mats.

Sakura gasped, instinctively dodging to the side. "Headman, please! You don't need to do that!" she exclaimed, flustered. "My questions really were to help understand the monster situation, truly, not just personal curiosity! Please rest assured, as ninja, we are bound to complete the missions we accept!"

"On behalf of the hundreds of souls on Red Shoal Island, I offer my deepest gratitude," Soga stated, remaining in the bow.

Sakura felt her face flush. She practically fled the reception hall. Are you kidding me?! she thought frantically as she hurried away. Making a 101-year-old man bow to me like that... that's gotta shorten my lifespan!

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