Sarutobi Toru sat in a small boat by the shore, his head slightly lowered, a long fishing rod in his hand. The line disappeared into the sea as though he were fishing.
In truth, however, Sarutobi Toru had pushed his sensory abilities to their limit. Facing the sea, he continuously scanned the waters.
His powerful spiritual perception blended with Natural Energy. His sensory ability was in no way inferior to the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, and his control was even more refined.
He condensed his spiritual sense into a line and swept across the sea like radar. Everything within a radius of nearly a hundred kilometers lay within Sarutobi Toru's scanning range.
"Hmm?" Sarutobi Toru, who had looked half-asleep with his eyes narrowed, suddenly raised his head. "They really came. I only came to investigate myself on a whim. I didn't expect the fish to take the bait so quickly."
He casually tossed the fishing rod and tackle into the sea, then leaped from the boat and stepped across the water back to shore.
Then his figure flashed and vanished from the coastline, leaving only the empty boat drifting on the sea.
On the sea nearly a hundred kilometers away from Uzushio Village, more than a dozen steamships were advancing in this direction.
"These new steamships are much faster than the old wooden sailboats. In just three days, we're nearly at the Land of Whirlpools."
Sitting on the foremost deck, Jinin Akebino placed Kabutowari on either side of himself. Basking in the sun, he spoke lazily.
Kisame Hoshigaki, with Samehada strapped to his back and a solemn expression on his face, was looking out into the distance.
Beside him stood two other Kirigakure prodigies, three or four years younger than him: Utakata and Mei Terumi.
Though Utakata