Their eyes submerged in the lake, yet their vision felt completely unobstructed as they freely observed everything within its waters.
Across the brilliantly colored lakebed lay many irregular spheres, arranged in an orderly pattern that pointed them onward.
Surging undercurrents brushed against them. Delighted by the novelty, everyone waved their arms, experiencing the wondrous sensation of water flowing around them without touching their bodies.
Rikusei, already familiar with the route, hopped onto one of the spheres and slowed his pace to wait for the girls behind him.
Her vivid purple hair blended into the pale lake water, coated in the lake's phosphorescent glow as it slowly swayed behind her shoulders like aquatic weeds.
The joy in Naori's eyes finally allowed him to share a little of the experience he had kept bottled up inside. "This is a technique left behind by Hamura."
"For a technique to be passed down for a thousand years is truly quite remarkable."
Naori, who was catching bubbles in the lake, gave him a slight nod. Her crystalline feet, perfectly suited to her dark ninja shoes, stirred the undercurrents, sending ripples drifting around him.
Meeting her eyes, which reflected the lake's light, Rikusei looked ahead with bright spirits. "Once we pass through this bizarre tunnel of time, we'll see a world created by ninjutsu."
The currents stirred up by the floating crowd swept in from ahead, tugging at the strands of hair by Naori's ears. Her gaze toward the young man was full of anticipation.
"If we stay any longer, we'll fall behind."
Her eyes flickered as she raised an arm and pointed at the people leaping ahead.
Rikusei keenly caught the fighting spirit igniting in the girl beside him.
Their gazes met, and their fingers interlocked through the water as they chased after the crowd