Two days later, Senya, Kurotsuchi, and Yugito Nii, who had decided to tag along with Senya to take a look around Iwagakure, disguised themselves and followed a merchant ship by sea from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Earth.
They estimated it would take another day to reach Iwagakure.
Along the way, Senya looked around at the roads beside them. They were uneven and narrow, unable to maintain even basic flatness. Rubble from collapsed mountainsides was often scattered across the paths.
From time to time, they could see rock goats climbing the cliffs in search of greenery, as well as commoners carefully gathering medicinal herbs along the mountainsides. Years of sun exposure had darkened their skin, and thick calluses had formed around their joints from constant friction. With bamboo baskets on their backs, they continuously searched for footholds on the cliffs.
That night, they settled down in a village, intending to rest there for the night.
What surprised Senya, however, was that he saw an old woman making Earth Cakes in the village.
Yellowish-brown soil was mixed half and half with water and flour, then tossed directly into a fire to bake at high heat.
Senya stepped forward and bent down to ask the white-haired old woman before him.
"Ma'am, are you selling those cakes? We're on our way to Iwagakure, and we haven't found dinner yet."
The old woman sat by the stone fire pit. She looked up at Senya, hesitated for a moment, then finally asked.
"You want to buy this?"
"Young man, you three are from elsewhere, aren't you? You might not be used to eating this. Forget it."
But Senya still stuffed a one-hundred-ryo note into the old woman's hand.
"Please take it, ma'am. I want to try it precisely because I've never had