When the spatial swirl dissipated, the three had already arrived in the Land of Earth.
The sky here was very blue, and the distant mountains revealed dark brown rocks.
Zetsu stood on tiptoe, looking out. "Papa, why are all the mountains here bare?"
Shun smiled and nodded, then raised his hand to hand Zetsu a dust-proof cloak. "The Land of Earth has a higher altitude, so trees find it difficult to grow tall, and there are mostly short grasses. Let's explore first, see the local specialties, and then look for the Tailed Beast."
The three walked along the mountain path and soon saw a bustling small town.
This was a town at the border between the Land of Earth and the former Land of Waterfall. The houses on both sides of the street were half the unique rock architecture of the Land of Earth and half the wooden attic in the style of the Land of Waterfall.
Among the passersby, there were both soldiers in Iwagakure ninja uniforms and villagers in traditional Land of Waterfall attire. The atmosphere was not harmonious, and a hint of wariness could be seen in the villagers' eyes.
"Daddy! Look at that young miss in red."
Zetsu suddenly stopped, her eyes sparkling as she pointed to a spot not far away, her face full of surprise.
That figure stood out in the crowd, wearing a well-tailored red qipao. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with light gold cloud patterns, and the skirt hem reached just above her knees, revealing slender calves, paired with a pair of black short boots, making her appear both nimble and elegant.
Shun followed Zetsu's gaze. The girl was about 1.52 meters tall, with neat black short hair.
She had the Chakra of the Seven-Tails, so it was no wonder Zetsu noticed her.
Shun blinked and softly explained, "That's Kurotsuchi, Ōnoki's granddaughter. It seems that after Iwagakure subdued Seven-Tails, they chose her to become the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki."
Zetsu's gaze was fixed on Kurotsuchi's qipao. She tightly clutched Kaguya's clothes corner, and whispered, "Mommy, that older sister's red dress is so beautiful. Let's buy a few. It's much prettier than my pink dress."
Kaguya followed Zetsu's gaze and couldn't help but nod.
The qipao perfectly accentuated Kurotsuchi's nimble temperament.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard Zetsu softly muttering in Kurotsuchi's directio, "Sister, you look so good in red, like a little beauty. I wish I had clothes like that."
Although her words were soft, the sharp-eared Kurotsuchi heard them clearly. She suddenly turned her head, her gaze locking onto Zetsu, and saw Zetsu's eyes fixed on her qipao.
But when she heard Zetsu's next words, she was stunned.
"It's a pity older sister is too young. Otherwise, if daddy took you back as a concubine, I could see you every day."
Kurotsuchi quickly walked up to Zetsu, put her hands on her hips, and frowned as she scolded, "How can you talk like that, child? What concubine? If others hear you say such things, you could easily get beaten. But... do you like my qipao?"
She looked down at her qipao, and her tone softened. It was a happy thing to have her clothes liked by someone her age.
Zetsu didn't expect her words to be overheard. She looked up with a grinning face and said, "I super love your red dress. Do they sell it here? I want to buy a few too, no matter the price."
"Oh, by the way, sister, are there any other fun places here? We're here for a trip and want to hire you as a guide. How about 1 million a day? I can use the rest of the money to buy qipaos."
Kurotsuchi's eyes instantly lit up when she heard "1 million a day."
Although she was Ōnoki's granddaughter, she had never seen so much money. Moreover, patrol missions were inherently boring. Being able to earn money while playing with someone for a day and helping a little girl find a qipao shop was a good thing.
She tilted her head and thought for a few seconds, then looked at her patrol teammates waiting in the distance, and whispered, "Then I'll tell my teammates and spend a day with you all. I know a qipao shop, it's in the alley ahead. I'll take you there later."
Zetsu jumped up excitedly, reaching out to touch the hem of Kurotsuchi's qipao, but then, fearing she might dirty it, carefully withdrew her hand.
"Yay. Thank you, older sister. Shall we go to the qipao shop now?"
Kurotsuchi suggested with a smile, "Not so fast. I'll take you to eat something delicious, then to see the Water Flow Dance, and finally to the qipao shop. How about that?"
She had long wanted to find someone to share the town's interesting stories with.
Kaguya looked at the two becoming familiar with each other and smiled helplessly. "This child, she's more enthusiastic about clothes she likes than anything else."
Shun nodded with a smile. "With Kurotsuchi as a guide, we can learn about the Land of Earth, fulfill Zetsu's wish, and also investigate the situation in Iwagakure. It's hitting three birds with one stone."
Kurotsuchi quickly greeted her teammates and then took Zetsu, Shun, and Kaguya on a tour of the town.
She first took the three to the Land of Earth's most famous grilled rock fish stall. The vendor used volcanic rock as a grill, coating fresh fish with spices and grilling it until it was crispy outside and tender inside, with a faint rocky aroma.
Zetsu took a bite of the grilled fish, and her eyes immediately lit up. "So delicious! Even better than the barbecue in Kumogakure. But I still want to go to the qipao shop quickly."
Kurotsuchi was amused by Zetsu's eagerness and quickened her pace to take them to see the traditional Water Flow Dance of the former Land of Waterfall.
The dancers used Chakra to control the water flow, making it dance to the music, sometimes transforming into butterflies, other times into flowers.
Zetsu watched intently and whispered to Kaguya, "Mommy, the Water Flow Dance is beautiful, but I still want to wear a red dress."
Kaguya smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'll take you there in a bit, don't rush."
After enjoying the Water Flow Dance, Kurotsuchi finally took Zetsu to the qipao shop.
The shop was small, filled with various qipaos in red, pink, and light blue, with different patterns embroidered on the collars and cuffs.
Zetsu immediately rushed in, picked up a pink qipao embroidered with a small fox, and held it up against herself.
"Mommy, does this one look good? And this red one, it's just like older sister's."
The shop owner was a kind old grandmother who, seeing Zetsu's delight, smiled and said, "Little girl, you have excellent taste. Both of these are newly made and suit you very well."
Shun smiled and paid. Zetsu hugged her new qipaos, so happy she couldn't stop smiling, even skipping as she walked.
It wasn't until sunset that Kurotsuchi reluctantly bid Zetsu farewell.
"I have to patrol tomorrow, so I can't play with you. If you still want to explore, you can go to the volcanic observation deck on the east side. You can see a beautiful volcanic sunset there. Oh, and if your new qipao doesn't fit, you can come find me again. I know a tailor."
Zetsu waved her hand. "Okay. Goodbye, sister. I'm going to wear my new qipao tomorrow."
Watching Kurotsuchi's retreating figure, Shun said to Kaguya, "We're on our honeymoon. Let's go to the observation deck first, and then look for the Tailed Beast tonight."