Torifu closed the lid and put the box in his ring. "My disciple made it. If you want one, have your son make some for you!"
"Hmph! You're so stingy with one soldier pill! When I get back, I'll teach my son how to make soldier pills! I'll make you so jealous!"
Torifu made a face. "Who cares!"
Koharu and Naori watched from the side and felt like there was something wrong with these two.
"Maybe you should find someone else while you're still young? This kind of foolishness is hard to cure."
Naori sighed. "Forget it. Foolish people are blessed with good fortune. I'll see if I can get some of it."
Torifu and Hiruzen messed around for a while, and the guards on the side also watched the fun for a long time. But they didn't feel anything was amiss because they all thought Torifu was such a friendly person. He wasn't arrogant or serious, and he was very much like Hashirama-sama!
"Alright everyone, it's about time for us to get going, isn't it?"
Kagami smiled. "I've been waiting for you to say that. You've been talking about soldier pills non-stop. Anyone who didn't know would think you two were trying to sell them."
Torifu scratched his head a little awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry. Let's go."
He then smiled at the guard on the side, and the guard immediately opened the gate. The group officially set off on their journey to the Land of Whirlpools. First, they had to go to the fishing village of Gyokai Village in the Land of Fire and rent a boat to the Land of Whirlpools from there.
It had been more than a decade since Torifu had been to sea. The last time was with Tobirama when they went to the Land of Hot Water to capture the Six-Tails. He had also given a good sword to Mifune when they passed through the Land of Iron. He wondered how that kid was doing now, whether he had become a powerful samurai.
"By the way, Torifu, why aren't you wearing a forehead protector?"
As soon as Hiruzen asked this, Naori answered, "Look at Torifu's back."
Hiruzen looked closely and saw that it was an embroidered Hidden Leaf symbol. It had to be Torifu.
"Metal doesn't fit my style, so I had Madam Beni custom make this for me. Looks good, right?"
Hiruzen nodded. "It does. If I had your looks, I'd definitely dress even more stylishly than you!"
Danzō then jabbed. "Unfortunately, your Sarutobi Clan can only grow big beards. You can't grow a face like Torifu's."
Hiruzen immediately retorted angrily, "What are you talking about! Wasn't I handsome when I was in my twenties! Back then, even if I was found in the women's bathhouse, they wouldn't blame me!"
Everyone went silent. Koharu immediately flew up behind Hiruzen and gave him a kick, sending him several meters away!
"How dare you boast about such a shameful thing! I'll go tell Biwako when we get back!"
Hiruzen got up and brushed the dust off his body. "Hmph, I only said that because we're all close friends!"
"Besides, I don't even go to the women's bathhouse anymore! That was just my reckless youth!"
Hiruzen's words were loud and clear, but no one believed a word of it. But Torifu felt that Hiruzen's words had a double meaning. Had he perhaps already developed the Telescope Jutsu? The development of this jutsu was a bit difficult, and it would be perfect for use as a village-wide surveillance system. But the inventor always used their inventions in unexpected ways, such as for peeping...
The group joked around like this, and after about half a day, they finally arrived at Gyokai Village. It was around two or three in the afternoon, and the villagers had just finished their siestas, so it was a lively time. When they saw a group of outsiders, the guards at the village gate were naturally very vigilant, but when they saw the forehead protectors, they immediately went to greet them.
"Greetings, shinobi-sama. Is there something you need?"
Torifu waved his hand. "Don't be nervous. We're here to rent a boat to the Land of Whirlpools."
The guard was relieved to hear this. As long as it had nothing to do with their village, it was fine. After all, shinobi missions usually involved bloodshed.
"Alright. Please come in, shinobi-sama."
The guard then summoned someone to open the gate, and Torifu and the others entered the village. Since it was a port village, it often traded with the villages of the Land of Water, so it was naturally much more prosperous. Outside the village was a tall wall, but it was still far from being comparable to the Hidden Leaf Village.
After entering the village, the group went straight to the pier. They wanted to solve the boat problem first before thinking about eating. People on the street bowed and saluted them. In the Hidden Leaf Village, it was rare for villagers to do this. At most, they would just nod. If they didn't know the shinobi, they wouldn't even say anything. The people here were probably still quite afraid of shinobi.
When they arrived at the pier, a sea breeze blew in, and the air had a salty smell. Flocks of seagulls gathered on the pier, occasionally stealing a few fish that the fishermen had just brought ashore. The sunlight shone on the sea, sparkling and glistening. Everything was so beautiful. Every fisherman's face was filled with a smile as they bragged about their catch for the day.
This was Naori's first time at the beach, and the beautiful scenery made her a little overwhelmed. Everything was new to her.
"What do you think?"
"It's even more beautiful than I imagined. The people here are so lucky."
Torifu nodded. "It really is a nice place." He then walked to the shore and asked a boatman, "Sir, we need to rent a boat to the Land of Whirlpools. Do you have any recommendations?"
The boatman frowned. "The Land of Whirlpools... They seem to have closed their borders recently. Boats can't dock there."
"They closed their borders?"
The boatman nodded. "Yes. Even fishing boats can't go near. If you cross the line, you'll be warned."
"It's okay. We're shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, and we're going there to solve this problem. You can stop near the coast, and we'll go the rest of the way ourselves."
Hearing Torifu say this, the boatman couldn't refuse.
"Alright then. I won't recommend anyone else. Just take my boat. When do you plan to leave?"
Torifu smiled. He didn't expect this man to be so brave.
"We're going to get something to eat now. We'll probably leave around four or five. We'll pay double for a night trip."
The boatman immediately agreed. "Deal! You can go eat now. Just come find me when you're ready to go. I'll be here."
Torifu agreed and then turned to walk back to his friends.
"All set?"
"All set. That boatman will be waiting for us. Just find him when we're ready to go. I offered double the price for a night trip."
Everyone thought that was fine. He was just a boatman, and they were shinobi who could walk on water anyway. They were just renting a boat to save some energy. Since the matter was settled, the group decided to find a restaurant in the village to eat. Everyone was a little hungry from the long walk, except for Torifu and Naori, who had eaten the soldier pills.