As the sun rose and the snowstorm subsided, the four of them began to advance along the national border.
They passed through the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Grass, arriving deep within the Land of Rain that very evening.
Unlike the Land of Fire, where the Shinobi Village and the capital were separate, the city where the Rain Hidden Ninja resided was both the village and the capital.
This country seemed to be perpetually raining; the drizzling, gloomy weather made the sky dark and somber, casting a shadow over people's hearts.
The great river outside the village surged like the sea, flowing towards the River Country, the Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfall, the Land of Birds, and the Land of Iron, acting like a main artery connecting the entire Ninja World.
Encircled on three sides by the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire, it was like a pitiful little girl being watched by strong men.
Even the weather seemed to be cooperating with the crying.
"So many boats..." Miki and the other two, carrying their wooden clogs, walked barefoot along the riverbank, watching the endless stream of sailboats and wooden boats on the water.
"They live off the sea; with such a uniquely advantageous inland waterway connecting three Great Nations, prosperous river transport is inevitable," Miki stated.
"They must earn a lot of money, right?" Tong had never seen such a spectacular sight as thousands of boats traversing the river surface simultaneously.
"Quite a bit," Miki replied. "Much more than the meager service industry earnings Konoha makes."
"Is being a boatman better than being a Shinobi?" Chiri asked.
"But in this Ninja World, they have no security. When the wind picks up, they can vanish like duckweed."
As Miki spoke, she squatted down and moved aside a large rock by the river.
In the muddy cave exposed by the moonlight, a little creature charmingly made a 'V' sign towards Miki.
"Lucky~"
Miki let out a small cheer and reached out to grab the little creature.
It was a large river crab.
Although Konoha had them too, they were too small.
Some were too large, and their meat was tough, like sawdust.
"Is it tasty?" Tong fluttered her large eyes, ran up to Miki, and poked the crab with her finger.
"We'll know once we try it," Miki said. "Let's have this for dinner."
"How should we cook it?"
"Steamed," Miki replied.
The large river crab struggled fiercely in Miki's hand.
"There's only one," Chiri laughed. "Looks like it won't be easy to share."
"Byakugan!" Instantly, Tong activated her Byakugan.
"So many!" Xiaoxiao exclaimed softly and ran off on her little feet.
When Gekkō Hayate returned, this was the scene he saw.
The three of them were diligently moving crabs by the river, with a small mountain of crabs piled up nearby.
These three fellows!
They looked just like three adorable young women.
"Hey, you all, try to have some sense of urgency," Gekkō Hayate said weakly. "We are only forty kilometers away from the Hidden Rain Village now."
"This is tonight's dinner," Tong, busy moving crabs with her rear end stuck up, replied without turning her head. "We always eat bugs; it's time for a change of flavor."
"That's not the point!" Gekkō Hayate gritted his teeth. "I told you to maintain a perimeter watch, not play around!"
"This might be our last meal," Chiri stood up, holding two crabs in her hand, and smiled. "Eat something good before we go."
"But isn't this too many?" Gekkō Hayate asked.
"Shouldn't we bring back some local specialties to give as gifts?" Miki said. "It's rare to visit; it would be a shame if there's no next time."
"Stop cursing us to death!" Gekkō Hayate said weakly. "Is it tasty?"
"It's alright, I guess," Miki replied.
"It's very slippery," Tong said without lifting her head.
"Very moist," Chiri reached out to touch the crab, used a Chakra Scalpel to sever the muscle, and then tossed it casually onto the pile of crabs.
"You already taste-tested it," Gekkō Hayate scratched his head, one step too late!
Miki rinsed her hands with the cool river water and stood up, looking at Gekkō Hayate and asking,
"How are the conditions?"
"Loose on the outside, tight on the inside. It doesn't look easy to break through anywhere," Gekkō Hayate said. "What did you discover?"
Miki shook her head and said, "Too many people. I can't complete this amount of work in a short time. You aren't expecting me to work all night, are you?"
"Would you agree?" Gekkō Hayate looked at Miki expectantly.
Using insect swarms for reconnaissance was truly convenient and effective.
And he had just been scouting the paths that were feasible for infiltration on the ground.
"Dream on!" Miki said. "Absolutely no all-night overtime; that's my Nindō!"
Being a Shinobi is a job; researching insects is a hobby. They cannot be mixed.
"What kind of Nindō is that?" Gekkō Hayate scratched his head.
"In any case, let's infiltrate first," Miki said. "Find an inn or something to stay at and take a hot bath."
"Isn't that inappropriate?" Gekkō Hayate hesitated to speak.
"The mission time isn't tight anyway," Miki said.
"Fine," Gekkō Hayate said. "We'll break through through the main gate."
"The main gate...?" Miki looked at Chiri and said, "I'll leave the next part to you, Chiri."
"No problem." Chiri nodded and raised her hand to form a single-handed seal.
The next second, the four of them underwent a transformation, turning into ordinary travelers.
Gekkō Hayate looked at his own change and said, "There's no trace of the Transformation Jutsu; it's very realistic."
"It's just a small trick to deceive the five senses," Chiri laughed.
They had turned into three plain-looking young women and one middle-aged man.
It was a common scene of a father bringing three daughters, although he had a bit too many daughters.
Gekkō Hayate observed for a moment and noticed a small detail.
The faintly exposed skin of the three young women showed bluish-purple bruises from whipping.
So this is the role I'm playing.
A play within a play; truly meticulous.
Gekkō Hayate scratched his head and glanced at Chiri a few more times, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
Director, I want to be a good person.
But the words wouldn't come out.
Just then, Tong hammered her waist a few times, pulled out a scroll, clapped her hands together, and packed the pile of crabs into the scroll.
Gekkō Hayate blinked his eyes, only then realizing that this fellow was also a monster who could do things with a simple clap!
He had overlooked it because Tong didn't use the conventional Ninjutsu.
"Let's go, how are we going?"
As she spoke, Tong picked up the string of crabs tied together.
This was tonight's dinner.
"There's a ferry thirty kilometers ahead; we'll enter the village by water," Gekkō Hayate said.
"I've never been on a boat before!" Tong cheered excitedly like a child, looking less like someone going into a life-or-death situation and more like someone going on an outing.
How did a proper assassination mission turn into an excursion feeling?
Gekkō Hayate couldn't help but hold his forehead, wondering where he had gone wrong.
Weren't these three fellows afraid at all?
Although he himself didn't feel much tension either.
Miki looked at Chiri.
Without needing many words, Chiri understood and formed a single-handed seal. The next second, the figures of the four vanished from reality.
After ten minutes of concealed running, the four arrived at their destination.
Chiri canceled the jutsu, took a slight breath, and popped a high-energy, high-nutrition candy into her mouth.
Immediately after, the four arrived in front of the ferry.
A small sampan with a canopy.
"Hey you, going to the Hidden Rain Village," Gekkō Hayate stepped forward to negotiate with the old boatman, saying impatiently and fiercely, "Hurry up, don't delay this lord's business."
Gekkō Hayate was fully immersed in his role.
He played the part of a villain convincingly.
"Little one, do you want some?"
At this moment, Tong's youthful and energetic voice came from behind him.
This fellow Tong wasn't acting at all!
Or perhaps he had misinterpreted Chiri's meaning?
Was this fellow doing it on purpose?
It was too hard to guess! Girls!
Gekkō Hayate turned around and saw Tong talking to a little girl of about two years old.
The young girl nodded and then immediately shook her head, looking somewhat afraid at the three older sisters.
"Here you go." Tong shoved the string of crabs in her hand into the little girl's hand.
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