It was that time of the year again; the Fisherman's Port was bustling with life and festivities in celebration of their annual fishing event. A grand competition such as this one came with a substantial prize for the winners as well. It is for that reason that competitors often hired outside help in order to stack the odds in their favor. Not only did this make the competition more exciting, it also drew in more people to witness the epic struggle to see who would become victorious. With that said, Kumogakure no Sato is often sent multiple requests for their "assistance", one of the more prominent clients being Fumou. The man had his fair share of success in the competition and often donated a good portion of his winnings back to the town that he grew up in. His accomplishments also drew in more competitors as well, each with high hopes of dethroning the man from his pedestal. But Fujiwara was not going to let that happen.  

Despite the fact that the Genin had never touched a fishing rod in his life before, he had been assigned the task of helping Fumou secure his win. And so here he was standing on the boat with his client, making sure that nothing was missing from their extensive fishing arsenal.

"How do you still have this small boat after winning so much?" said the teenager as he examined the harpoon in his hand. The weapon was cumbersome, but its weight meant that it packed a punch when fired with the launcher that was mounted on the front. He inserted the projectile into the opening and made sure that it was in place.

"It isn't the size of the boat that matters kid, it's the motion in the ocean. This boat has never let me down before and it won't this time!" said the man as he continued to boast about his seafaring expeditions. Sōsuke zoned out the man as he repeated in his mind the fundamental knowledge needed to operate the boat and fish. He looked out across the sea and saw multiple boats floating about. The child had heard that during the last competition, one of the people helping Fumou had been injured. There was without a single shred of doubt in Fujiwara's mind that the opposition was planning on pulling a fast one on them this time around as well.

The announcer was still going over the rules of the event as Sōsuke continued to monitor the movements of the other boats. The competition prohibited the usage of jutsu, but the Genin had no qualms with that, believing that his techniques would end the event in one fell swoop. His lips formed a grin as he heard the announcer countdown. He was eager to see what the competitors had in stored for them.

"BEGIN!" The sails on each boat came down and guided their vessels to their destination. The strong winds gave Fumou's boat a jolt of speed behind its movement, allowing it to maneuver past some of the slower sailboats.

"The trick is finding the right spot." said Fumou as he continued to steer the wheel, navigating past the other boats blocking his path. Some of the other competitors had stopped their ship and were about to cast their net into the ocean. But his client wasn't like the others, he was observant, waiting for the right moment to tell the Genin to cast his net.

"NOW!" yelled the captain and Fujiwara tossed the net out into the sea with a rope attached to the corners of the boat. The goal of the event was to see who caught the most fish. The fishing technique known as trawling was ideal for this situation, which involed a boat moving about and dragging a net along the ocean floor, collecting the fish as the net passed through. The boat moved at a slow pace, the weight of their catch was beginning to slow them down but the winds continued to move them along. The shinobi kept watch over their progress until he heard a couple of splashes in their vicinity.  Sōsuke turned his head to see where the sound was coming from. A couple of the other boats had stopped in their tracks and a couple of their men seemed to have gone into the water. One of them was holding a knife with him, jumping in after taking a huge breath of air.

"What are those fishermen doing?" There was no chance of them being able to out-fish them without using a net. But then the sudden realization of the truth hit the child in the face like a sack of bricks. The fishermen were not planning on hunting fish with their weapons, they were planning on cutting their net and sabotaging their shot at winning. He chuckled before walking over to Fumou and tapping him on the shoulder.

"I'll be back in a second."

"Alright...wait what?! Where are you going?" But before the man could stop the shinobi, the teenager had leaped off their barge.

"I'll be gone fishin'." He dove into the water with a small splash, leaving Fumou alone aboard the vessel, confused as to what had just happened.  

The world around him got darker and a cold sensation was washing over him. It had been a long time since Sōsuke had gone for a swim. But his natural instincts took control over his motion while submerged and began to guide him in his mission. He could see the bottom hull of Fumou's boat from his position and the net that was hanging behind it. There was a considerable amount of fish trapped within the boundaries of the trap, an amount that would secure his client the win if nothing were to happen. And Fujiwara was going to make sure nothing did happen as he swam past the net to intercept the fishermen. There were five of the looks of it, all of them were experienced swimmers and possessed more experience than the Genin in hunting underwater. But no amount of experience in fishing was going to allow these sailors to slip past Fujiwara.

"You five aren't going to get past me." One of the fishermen got close enough to take a swipe at the shinobi with his weapon. The knife came at him so slow that the teenager didn't even have to dodge the incoming attack. He reached out and caught the man by his wrist, twisting it hard enough to dislocate the joint. The fisherman cried out in pain, dropping his knife down to the dark sea floor. Bubbles came out from his mouth and nose as he screamed, struggling to break free from the shinobi's iron grip on him. The shinobi kicked him across the face with enough force to send him sprawling back to the surface.

With one down, the Genin had four more people to deal with. The next two were smarter with their approach, opting to circle around him to prevent him from moving while the other two pursued the net. It was a good tactic, but even a blind man could see that trapping a person in the water was different from caging in someone while fighting on land. With a surge of chakra, he swam up and over one of them obstructing his path, kneeing him in the face, knocking him out in the process. The fisherman began to sink down, but his friend went to his aid and carried him back above the water. This allowed the shinobi to g go back and deal with the remaining two men. He saw from a distance that one of them was getting closer to the net while the other was guarding him with a trident.

"These people aren't fucking around when it comes to this event." thought Fujiwara as he placed his hand on his katana. The fisherman charged in with his trident pointing at the Genin but Fujiwara intercepted the thrust with his blade. Pushing back the man's advance, Sōsuke could see the man about to reach the net but he couldn't make the man budge despite using all his strength. He let out a cough, wasting what little air he had left.

"Damn it, I can't be messing around now." Twisting his form, the shinobi redirected the force behind the trident, causing the man to stumble forward and within range for Fujiwara to kick him in the nuts and knock him in the head with the hilt of his katana. His vision began to blur and darkness crept along the edge of his sight.

The last fisherman had reached the net and was about to swing his knife down on it. Fujiwara was too far to stop him even with chakra, he watched in shock as the man's knife came down. Yet it never made contact with its mark as the man dropped his knife as well and blood began to flow out from the saboteur. A thin harpoon had struck him dead in the shoulder and the teenager noticed a familiar face floating at the far end of the net. It was Fumou and he was carrying a harpoon gun with him, waving at Sōsuke and motioning him to get back up for some air. The shinobi nodded as he sheathed his weapon and went up for his well-deserved reward. He was also eager to see the look of disbelief on their opposition's faces after realizing that their plans had been foiled by a thirteen year old child.

After hauling their catch back to the dock and weighing in their loot, the announcer once again took the stage and asked for everyone's attention.

"LADIES AND FISHERMEN, I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE TO YOU THAT THE WINNER IS.....OUR REIGNING CHAMPION, FUMOU! THE MAN HAS OVERCOME ALL ODDS AND HAS MANAGED TO COME OUT ON TOP ONCE AGAIN! LET'S ALL GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE!" yelled the announcer as Fumou made his way onto the podium and began to recite his speech to the audience. Sōsuke stood at the back of the crowd for a while listening to the man speak about his trials and tribulations once more. He smiled and turned his back to the man on the stage. He walked and walked until he could hear Fumou no more and soon the town also disappeared below the horizon as well. It was time for him to go home.

[MISSION COMPLETE]