Luring Them Out

At six-thirty the next morning, Kamizuki set out toward Konoha Gate, carrying his enormous scroll on his back and the little black puppy in his arms. All it could do was roll over and act cute.

At seven sharp, everyone in Genma Team had gathered at Konoha Gate, and they set off for the Land of Rivers.

The Land of Rivers was a small country between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. It was named for the many rivers of all sizes that ran through it.

Genma Team spent a full day traveling along winding roads before they finally reached Heyuan City, the capital of the Land of Rivers.

As soon as they entered Heyuan City, the three members of Genma Team other than Genma Shiranui were stunned by the city's sights.

The three fourteen- or fifteen-year-old kids looked like country bumpkins visiting the big city. They gazed around curiously, taking in everything Heyuan City had to offer.

It wasn't that Heyuan City was especially prosperous or beautiful. That wasn't what had stunned them.

The three of them were simply captivated by how unique the city was. They had never seen a city with countless rivers running through it.

Looking at Heyuan City, Kamizuki thought of one word: "Venice." That was right—the city really did look a lot like Venice, the city on the water that Kamizuki had seen in newspapers and on television back on Earth.

The members of Genma Team admired Heyuan City's scenery as they asked for directions to the Land of Rivers' daimyo's residence. After another half hour, they finally arrived.

After meeting with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, Genma's team learned nothing more about the mission. The daimyo merely repeated the information he had provided to Konoha, adding that the missing residents had all disappeared along the banks of the Qiyulong River.

The Qiyulong River was the largest river in the Land of Rivers. It ran through almost the entire country before finally emptying into the sea.

It was also the largest river running through Heyuan City. Countless residents lived along the banks of the Qiyulong River as it passed through the city.

After leaving the daimyo's residence, the four members of Genma Team split into two groups. Genma Shiranui and Sakura Mangetsu formed one, while Hyuga Kamizuki and Mai Shiranui made up the other.

The two groups went to the banks of the Qiyulong River in Heyuan City to gather information.

After spending the afternoon gathering information, the team grabbed a quick dinner outside before returning to the temporary lodgings the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers had arranged for them.

Once they were back, they pooled the information they had gathered that afternoon. Even after analyzing it, they still had little useful information.

But after hearing the gathered reports, Kamizuki, a veteran who had been through countless TV shows, movies, anime, and novels back on Earth, drew several conclusions about the missing people.

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

Second, they were all virgins.

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

After hearing Kamizuki's analysis, everyone nodded. His reasoning made a lot of sense, so they said nothing and simply looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Kamizuki didn't hold back. He continued with his usual approach:

"Since we can't gather any more useful information, we'll have to use these common traits to our advantage."

"How do we use those common traits?" 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 and lure the enemy out."

Everyone thought it over and agreed that they didn't seem to have any better options. Genma finally made the call: "Let's try this method first. If it doesn't work, we'll figure out another plan."

The next morning, Genma Team prepared everything they might need for the operation that night, then discussed the details.

After their discussion, they decided that Mai Shiranui would serve as bait. She would lure the enemy out in the open, while Genma, Kamizuki, and Mangetsu watched and protected her from the shadows.

That afternoon, Genma Team returned to the banks of the Qiyulong River. After scouting around for a while, they settled on a quiet stretch of riverbank where they would carry out the plan that night.

After dinner, night soon fell. Mai Shiranui changed into ordinary civilian clothes and headed out alone, making her way to the spot they had chosen for the trap.

Kamizuki, Genma, and Mangetsu spread out in three different directions and quietly followed Mai from the shadows, keeping a moderate distance.

Mai Shiranui swayed her tiny waist, no wider than a sheet of A4 paper, as she walked toward the river.

Watching Mai walk from behind, Kamizuki was at a loss for words. Her acting was just too much.

And so Mai slowly walked along the stretch of riverbank they had picked out in advance.