Meanwhile, on the other side.
Thanks to Inyo's tireless flight, after several hours, Natsuhane finally arrived in the skies above the Land of Water. Inyo looked down at the misty landscape below and complained, "What a lousy place, it's so foggy at night that it affects my vision!"
Natsuhane chuckled and replied, "This place is called the Land of Water. The thickest fog is where we're heading—Kirigakure."
"Master, why did you come to this place? The old place was much better, with a nice environment. This place feels so dead."
"Hehe, there's someone special here for me."
"Someone special?"
"Yes, it means my woman."
"Oh, so it's your mating partner, right?"
"Uh... you could say that." Natsuhane laughed awkwardly.
Inyo's lips curled into a grin, and she flapped her large wings more vigorously. "Hehe, not bad, not bad. No wonder you came here, Master, you're in for a treat. Master, how does your mate look? Is she tasty?"
"Hmm?" Natsuhane was taken aback. "Tasty? Do you mean fun?"
"Fun? What's fun about a mate? Aren't mates meant to be eaten?"
"..."
Natsuhane was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. After a moment of thought, he seriously replied, "Well, you could eat them, but not all the time. Your mouth would hurt, and your tongue would go numb..."
Inyo looked incredulous and shouted, "What? Master, how can your mouth hurt? Does your woman have spikes? You have some heavy tastes. I wouldn't dare eat spiky people. Wait, what do spiky people look like? I'm curious."
"Stop talking nonsense. Let me explain..." Natsuhane was almost exasperated. He didn't know why they were discussing this topic, but Inyo had somehow led the conversation astray.
"First, my woman—no, my mate—doesn't have spikes."
"Secondly, human mates are not for eating!"
Inyo was puzzled. "If they aren't for eating, are they just for mating?"
"Yes..." Natsuhane sighed and nodded.
"Tch! That's boring. Good thing I'm not human," Inyo scoffed. "Master, my instincts tell me mates are for eating. Once you mate, you eat them, leaving nothing behind!"
"Ahem..." Hearing this, Natsuhane couldn't help but tense up.
Looking at Inyo's stunningly beautiful face and the small fangs that occasionally appeared between her red lips, Natsuhane sat up straight and whispered a lesson, "Inyo, I'm your master, right?"
"Yes, Master~"
"Then you'll listen to what I say, won't you?"
"Of course~"
"Good, Inyo. You currently look exactly like a woman, except you're a hundred meters taller. That doesn't matter. So now you need to try to suppress your natural instincts and live more like a human. Don't worry, I'll teach you."
"Okay, Master. What should I change first?"
"Well... first, stop thinking about eating your mate. Everything else is fine for now," Natsuhane said, glancing downward.
The fog was getting thicker; they were nearing Kirigakure.
"Let's land, Inyo. This is where we're heading."