Enticement

At 6:30 the next morning, Kamizuki strapped on his massive scroll, tucked the little black dog that only knew how to roll around and act cute into his arms, and headed out toward the gates of Konoha.

At 7:00 sharp, all members of Genma Team gathered at the Konoha gates and set off on the road to the Land of Rivers.

The Land of Rivers is a small nation located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind; it is named for the numerous rivers, both large and small, that crisscross its territory.

The members of Genma Team walked for a full day along winding roads before finally arriving at Heyuan City, the capital of the Land of Rivers.

The moment they entered Heyuan City, the three members of Genma Team—excluding Genma Shiranui—were stunned by the scenery.

The three fourteen or fifteen-year-old brats were like country bumpkins entering the big city, curiously looking left and right, taking in every sight Heyuan City had to offer.

It wasn't that Heyuan City was particularly prosperous or beautiful that left the three of them so shocked.

Kamizuki and the others were simply captivated by the city's uniqueness; they had never seen a city with countless rivers flowing through it.

Looking at the layout of Heyuan City, three words popped into Kamizuki's mind: "Venice." Yes, the appearance of Heyuan City was remarkably similar to the water city of Venice he had seen in newspapers or on television back on Earth.

After spending half an hour admiring the scenery and asking for directions to the Daimyo Mansion, the Genma Team finally arrived at their destination.

After meeting with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, they didn't gain much more information regarding the mission. The Daimyo simply repeated the intelligence provided to Konoha, noting again that the missing residents had all vanished along the banks of the Qiyulong River.

The Qiyulong River is the largest main river in the Land of Rivers, flowing through almost the entire country before emptying into the sea.

It is also the largest river running through Heyuan City, and many residents live along its banks within the city limits.

After leaving the Daimyo Mansion, the four members of Genma Team split into two groups: Genma Shiranui and Sakura Mangetsu in one, and Hyuga Kamizuki and Mai Shiranui in the other.

Once separated, they headed to the banks of the Qiyulong River within Heyuan City to begin gathering intelligence.

After spending the afternoon collecting information, the team grabbed a casual dinner before returning to the temporary lodging arranged for them by the Daimyo.

Back at their quarters, the group compiled the information gathered that afternoon, but after analysis, there still wasn't much useful intelligence.

However, Kamizuki—a veteran who had been baptized by countless television shows, movies, anime, and novels back on Earth—listened to the summary and drew his own conclusions.

He identified several common characteristics among the missing persons.

First, all the missing individuals were young, beautiful women under the age of twenty.

Second, they were all virgins.

Third, they all disappeared while alone in the middle of the night.

After hearing Kamizuki's analysis, the others nodded in succession, feeling that his reasoning made perfect sense. They remained silent, simply looking at Kamizuki, waiting for him to continue.

Kamizuki didn't play coy and followed the standard tropes:

Since we can't gather any more useful information, we have no choice but to act based on these commonalities.

"And how exactly are we supposed to use these points to lure them out?" Sakura Mangetsu asked like a curious child.

Kamizuki glanced at the two women before continuing:

Since the missing people are all beautiful young women, we can disguise ourselves as ordinary civilians to bait the enemy into appearing.

Everyone thought it over and agreed that there didn't seem to be a better plan. Genma finally made the call: let's try this method first. If it doesn't work, we can rethink our strategy.

On the second morning, the team prepared everything they might need for the night's operation and discussed the specific details of the plan.

Ultimately, they decided that Mai Shiranui would serve as the bait, appearing in the open, while Genma, Kamizuki, and Mangetsu would observe from the shadows to protect her.

That afternoon, the team returned to the banks of the Qiyulong River, scouting the area several times before selecting a less-trafficked stretch of the riverbank for the operation.

After dinner, night fell quickly. Mai Shiranui changed into ordinary civilian clothes and headed out alone toward the spot they had chosen.

Kamizuki, Genma, and Mangetsu dispersed into the shadows, following quietly behind Mai Shiranui at a distance that wasn't too close.

Mai Shiranui swayed her waist—which was as slim as an A4 sheet of paper—as she walked toward the river.

Watching her walk like that from behind, Kamizuki was truly speechless; her acting was really something else.

And so, Mai Shiranui began to walk slowly along the pre-selected stretch of the riverbank.