Raidou frowned. “Not sure how much I like the idea of you playing chakra-tag with an unknown demon spawn. How’s your chakra doing?”

“It's been stronger,” Genma said, with a one-shouldered shrug. “But I'm okay. I'm being careful with it.” He glanced at the family, and then drew quietly outside the door. Raidou followed him. “I was hoping to limit that thing's growth until we could get her to Konoha. I'm worried about how active it seems to be, and we have no idea how long these things gestate.”

This part of the hallway was narrow and empty. Raidou rumpled a hand through his hair, wishing for coffee and the ability to think without brain-fog crowding in. His whole body felt like a collection of hot nerve-endings.

“You and Hound were both down in the caves,” he said. “I know there were still-breathing people you couldn’t bring back. You have the list; Hound has the memory. Figure out who was there, when they were taken, how far gone they were, and you’ll know how long these things take to pop.”

“I can try, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to match faces to names. The ones we found still breathing couldn't speak, and we didn't get great looks at their faces since it was dark.” Genma fumbled for a belt-pouch, unearthing his coded notepad with fingers that were still a little stiff and awkward. “I suppose I could ask the parents for descriptions of the missing from their village.”

Raidou nodded. “Better than nothing. I’ll send Hound in. If he used his Sharingan at all, he might have gotten a better look.”

Well, in theory. Raidou wasn’t exactly flush with knowledge on how the mirror-wheel eye actually worked.

“Alright.” Behind the tanuki mask, yellow-brown eyes gave Raidou an assessing look. “First I want to get a look at your injuries. You're the only one I haven't been able to get sitting still. How are you doing?”

The hallway was still empty, and a lieutenant couldn’t do his job without good information.

“I’m tired,” Raidou said. “Finish up with Hisa-san, and I’ll let you do all the medic-ing you want.” He turned, planning to get Kakashi, then paused and turned back. “Don’t put your chakra in that thing. I don’t want to find out it can swap to a stronger body, or something worse. We only just got you moving again.”

“No risk, got it,” Genma said, with a flickering salute. “Although it didn't seem to react strongly to the healing chakra I used on Hisa-san. I wasn't doing anything more than pain management for her, though.”

Raidou nodded, and left him to it.

Back on deck, Ryouma was asleep, mask wisping slowly away against the press of soft sheepskin. Katsuko was a mostly-hidden curl of limbs and chakra against his back, wrapped around a purring orange tabby. Kakashi was upright, alert, and engaged in a stare-down with a rangy black tom.

Raidou gave up on understanding his team, and sent Kakashi to Genma.

The clones were done lashing the queen’s head to the deck. They were perched around the ship now, like a flock of strange nesting birds.

“Casting off!” Granny Kawase ordered.