At exactly seven in the morning, all the members of Genma Team gathered at Konoha's main gate. Once everyone had arrived, Genma led his three subordinates onto the road to the Land of Waves.
The weather was rather gloomy that day. Genma Team made its way along a mist-shrouded forest path.
Because of the fog, they couldn't move very quickly. The four formed a cross-shaped formation as they traveled through the dense forest that connected the Land of Fire to the Land of Waves.
Hyuga Kamizuki, who had already awakened the Byakugan, walked at the front. Kato Taichi and Sakura Mangetsu took the flanks, while their team leader, Genma Shiranui, brought up the rear.
In this formation, they continued through the misty forest.
It was nearly noon before the sun finally burned away the fog among the trees.
After walking all morning, the members of Genma Team finally emerged from the forest.
They stepped onto a broad stretch of grassland. Genma looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting late, so he told his subordinates to find an open spot where they could rest and eat.
They found a level patch of grass with a clear view and sat down to rest. As soon as Kato Taichi sat down, he pulled several grayish-brown Military Ration Pills from his ninja pouch, intending to have them for lunch.
Just as Taichi was about to pop one into his mouth, he stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he'd spotted Kamizuki beside him.
Kamizuki slowly unfastened the huge scroll from his back, laid it out on the grass, and unrolled a short section. Then he swiftly formed several hand seals and murmured, "Sealing Secret Art: Release!"
At his words, a loud poof rang out. Kamizuki slapped one palm against the scroll, and a cloud of smoke billowed from it. When the smoke cleared, trays of delicious pastries and fruit juice had appeared on the scroll.
The moment Taichi saw the treats, he put away his Military Ration Pills and hurried over to Kamizuki. Wearing an ingratiating expression, he rolled around and pleaded with him to share the food.
Kamizuki hadn't brought out the food intending to keep it all to himself. But seeing Taichi's fawning expression, he decided to tease him a little.
After making Taichi wait a bit, Kamizuki finally shared the food with everyone.
This was a good time to explain the huge scroll Kamizuki carried on his back, as well as the technique he'd just used.
The story went back to Kamizuki's previous life. When he'd watched the Naruto anime, he'd seen Naruto carrying a huge scroll on his back after learning Senjutsu Chakra and entering Sage Mode.
At the time, Kamizuki had thought Naruto's enormous scroll was just an accessory he wore to look cool.
Later, after successfully borrowing the Scroll of Seals from Naruto, Kamizuki found a technique in it that could seal weapons or other tools into a scroll. He decided to make a few changes so that the technique could store anything he wanted.
In the end, he succeeded. He'd turned it into something like the storage rings from the world of immortal heroes. In fact, Kamizuki had made a storage ring, too, but it couldn't hold much. He usually only wore it when he was in Konoha.
With this scroll, Kamizuki thought, he could carry it on his back and look cool. It was the perfect accessory for travel, showing off, and looking stylish!
After lunch, they packed up and continued toward the Land of Waves. Beyond the grasslands, they reached the shore. Crossing the sea would bring them to the Land of Waves.
After spending most of the day on a boat, Genma Team finally reached the Land of Waves. The moment Sakura Mangetsu stepped off the boat, her face turned deathly pale. She rushed to a rock near the shore and threw up.
Seeing how miserable Mangetsu looked, their leader, Genma, took two small pills from his ninja pouch and handed them to her. "These are for seasickness. You'll be fine after you take them."
Mangetsu accepted the pills. Hearing Genma's explanation, she swallowed them with obvious reluctance.
They were actually just ordinary cold medicine, not seasickness pills at all.
Perhaps Genma's words had worked as a bit of a placebo. After taking the cold medicine, Mangetsu really did start to feel better.
Once Mangetsu felt well enough, they set off again. The coast wasn't far from the Land of Waves' capital. At Genma Team's pace, they'd reach Hakodate City in no more than two hours.
An hour and a half later, Genma Team finally arrived at Hakodate City, the Land of Waves' capital near the sea.
The capital wasn't as magnificent or imposing as the Land of Fire's, but it had an exotic charm of its own.
Led by Genma, Kamizuki and the others finally entered the city, said to have the most beautiful nightscape in the world of Naruto.
Mount Hakodate was the only mountain in Hakodate City. It stood on the Sand Neck Cape in the city's western suburbs, rising 334 meters above sea level and spanning roughly nine kilometers. Its shape resembled a cow lying down, which was why people also called it Crouching Cow Mountain. The Feudal Lord of the Land of Waves had his residence at the summit.
Since Genma Team had arrived in Hakodate City just before nightfall, Genma found them an inn where they could rest for the night. They would climb the mountain and meet the Feudal Lord of the Land of Waves the next morning.
Though they were all skilled ninja, everyone was tired after a full day on the road. None of them felt like admiring Hakodate City, said to have the most beautiful night view, so they went to bed early.
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