“Tell you what,” Genma said, “Why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll handle the watch for now. There’s a few extra hammocks, you could nap in the cabin where Hisa-san is, and if anything happens, you can come get me. I’ll go keep an eye on the…” He gestured at the rear deck where Katsuko and Ryouma were still snuggling with the cargo. “Whatever that is, with the cats and the sheepskins. I’ll tell Hound to get some rest, too.”

Raidou looked pointedly at Genma’s bandaged abdomen, expressing a world of skepticism with a single eyebrow flick.

“You didn’t sleep last night,” Genma said. “And once Rat and Hound have rested a bit, they should be semi-functional. I’m not in great shape, but I at least have a clear head. If anything goes down, I’ve still got some chakra reserves, and Rat’s clones are in good shape.”

“Guess nagging the captain is your job,” Raidou muttered reluctantly, but he tipped his head in acquiescence. “Anything happens, you wake me up. We clear?”

“Crystal,” said Genma, tapping a salute. “Besides, I’m not the kind of guy to let my captain sleep through all the fun if there’s fun to be had.” He polished off the last of his own rat bar, groaned and stretched, and pushed himself to his feet. “And now I’m gonna make you walk back down again, unless you want to just sleep up here.”

Raidou glanced down at the roof, then out across the river. It churned a muddy and glittering ribbon through lush green farmland, with hills in the near distance a pink haze of early foliage and blossoming cherries. “Actually,” he said, “I might. Less kids underfoot.”

“Sounds good,” Genma said. He flipped his mask into place. “Rest well. If you’re not back down by supper time, I’ll send a clone to wake you.”

Getting back to the deck, he realized when he got to the roof’s edge, was going to be quick, but far from painless. Steeling himself, he jumped down, landing mostly gracefully, and swearing mostly inaudibly. He braced his belly with one arm as he made his way back over to the rest of Team Six. At least this time Kakashi was the only one watching him move and passing judgment—Granny Kawase was nowhere to be seen.

Two of Katsuko’s clones were sitting in the rigging playing cards. Katsuko had turned in her sleep, scissoring her legs out across the rope coils. Ryouma didn’t look like he’d moved at all, but his chakra, still worryingly low, felt steady. Genma left them where they were and carefully sat against the bulwark, close enough to Kakashi for quiet conversation. “Taichou’s sleeping, I’m taking the watch. You gonna get some rest?”