The Land of Whirlpools lay offshore, so the only way to reach it from the Land of Fire was by sea.
On the day of departure, Shingetsu wore nothing but the simplest clan robe, just as promised. Accompanying her were Madara, Hōkaku, Tōka, a large group of Uchiha and Senju, Hashirama-who had finally wheedled his way out of staying home-Tobirama's Shadow Clone, and the young Daimyō, who had been forcibly dragged along to serve as their mascot.
Leaving the Land of Fire for the first time, the youngsters the adults were taking along to broaden their horizons were beside themselves with excitement. They stuffed their pockets and bags with snacks. Shingetsu, in particular, pulled her old trick again, stuffing Kurama and Shukaku into her schoolbag to sneak her little pets along.
After leaving Konoha, the party headed cheerfully toward the nearest seaport, eating and drinking along the way. They looked more like they were going on a spring outing than a diplomatic visit to the Land of Whirlpools.
Shingetsu was intensely curious about what sort of ship would take them to the Land of Whirlpools. When she actually saw it, her eyes nearly popped out of her head-
A behemoth towered beside the harbor, wreathed in black smoke: an enormous steamship about to set sail.
That's a steamship! This... isn't this a bit much? How does the Shinobi World have everything?
Shingetsu stared at the absurdly large ship, feeling as though her entire understanding of the world had been rewritten. How had even giant steamships turned up here?
"This is the ship you asked me to build last time."
Tobirama had appeared behind Shingetsu without her noticing. Seeing her so stunned that she could not close her mouth gave him a subtle, secret thrill of satisfaction.
It had been worth