"Just think of it as collecting a toll."
With that one sentence, Sen settled the nature of their newly upgraded mission.
Kakashi's mouth twitched, and he finally let out a helpless sigh.
"All right, since you've all decided."
He looked at the three fired-up kids before him, along with the big shot preparing to go "collect rent."
"Then we'll keep going. But stay on your toes! The enemies ahead won't be anything like those two Chunin small fry!"
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto and the other two answered in unison, brimming with fighting spirit.
Only Sen yawned and put his flashy sunglasses back on.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You sure talk a lot."
With everyone in agreement, Team 7 set off again.
Tazuna followed in the middle of the group, overwhelmed with gratitude, feeling as though he had been given a second chance at life.
To avoid the lookouts Gato had stationed along the main road, they abandoned the overland route.
With help from a boatman friend of Tazuna's, they switched to an inconspicuous little fishing boat and entered the Land of Waves by water.
The little boat glided slowly across the calm lake.
Thick white mist gradually rose around them.
The mist grew denser and denser, and soon visibility dropped to less than five meters.
Even the sun overhead was completely obscured, leaving only a hazy outline.
"Tch, cloudy now, huh?"
Sitting at the bow, Sen curled his lip in annoyance.
He could feel the efficiency of his [Photosynthesis] instantly drop by well over half.
Still, it didn't matter.
With his current ocean-sized chakra reserves, even without replenishing any of it, he had more than enough to turn the entire Land of Waves upside down.
The boatman worked his oar, carefully navigating through the thick mist.
The atmosphere grew oppressive