Dark clouds covered the sky.
Only a few rays of moonlight broke through the layers of clouds and shone down onto the surface of the sea.
On the deck, Pirate Yujin stood in the sea breeze.
Again and again, he precisely released Conqueror's Haki, knocking out a nearby okama crew member wearing fishnet stockings.
The practical value of Conqueror's Haki far exceeded what Yujin and the others had originally believed.
If a large-scale war were to break out, then on a battlefield, Conqueror's Haki would be nothing less than a harvesting weapon.
It was even more effective than Uchiha Madara's arrival with Tengai Shinsei.
Thinking of this, Pirate Yujin casually unleashed Conqueror's Haki toward Inazuma and Ivankov as well.
The two, who had been discussing the Revolutionary Army's plans, were instantly struck as if by lightning.
They instinctively looked around in alarm.
When they saw the smile on Yujin's face— Ivankov's oversized mouth, painted with exaggerated lipstick, dropped open wide enough to fit a fist inside.
Its eyes bulged as it shouted in its highly recognizable, sharp, and high-pitched voice,
"Oh my, oh my! The love-struck boy has awakened Conqueror's Haki! In the raging waves of the New World, possessing this power is like holding a ticket to the peak! Your childhood sweetheart can definitely be rescued from the hands of the Celestial Dragons now!"
As she spoke, Ivankov waved her arms excitedly.
The purple feather cloak on its body fluttered wildly, spinning like a top on the deck.
Several okama crew members were sent flying as a result.
Inazuma, who was usually calm and composed, was now just as shocked.
Her narrow eyes widened instantly, and her lips parted slightly.
It took her several seconds to recover before she spoke again, her voice gentle as always but filled with disbelief.
"Unbelievable… Conqueror's Haki is something possessed by only one in ten thousand. Once this power awakens, your path forward is completely rewritten. Even the future course of your journey will be redrawn because of this strength…"
Yujin replied casually, "Is it really that exaggerated? It's just Conqueror's Haki. Doesn't everyone have it?"
Inazuma took a sip of red wine and gently swirled the glass in her hand.
Then she calmly revealed a number.
"The number of Conqueror's Haki users I know of does not exceed ten."
At first, Conqueror's Haki suddenly sounded quite common.
But in reality, the pirate world was more than ten times larger than Earth.
If the population were roughly calculated as ten times that of Earth as well, then this ability truly could be considered exceedingly rare.
"Heh heh."
Pirate Yujin scratched his forehead and walked aside, quietly enjoying himself.
When he thought about the future path of Conqueror's Haki infusion, his mood grew even brighter.
At the same time, while the pirate Yujin was rushing toward the Sabaody Archipelago, the fake Team Seven was also running without stopping.
——————
Uchiha Yujin glanced back at Kakashi's pale face, who was being held in Kurama Yuzuki's arms, and the anxiety in his heart grew heavier.
He ran while checking the map, and after half an hour, they finally arrived at a famous bridge in the ninja world.
The Land of Grass — Tenchi Bridge.
This bridge was a place where Sasori and Kabuto often exchanged intelligence.
It was also the battlefield where Yamato once led Team Seven against Orochimaru.
Hyuga Neji looked around nervously.
"Is there a medical ninja here?!"
Kurama Yuzuki also looked worried.
"If there isn't a medical ninja, then—"
"Enough."
Uchiha Yujin cut them off.
He walked to an open area, roughly measured the distance, and bit his thumb.
"Summoning Technique — Rashomon!"
A massive gate over a hundred meters tall rose from the ground beside Tenchi Bridge.
The sudden appearance of this terrifying structure frightened the animals in the forest, sending them fleeing in all directions.
Hyuga Neji stared at the enormous gate, completely speechless in shock.
Uchiha Yujin turned his head at that moment.
"This technique was originally prepared for you."
Hyuga Neji swallowed hard.
"Let's… not do that."
After using Rashomon, the members of Team Seven could only wait in silence.
Uchiha Yujin himself was not fully confident either, but this was already the best he could do.
A light breeze swept across Tenchi Bridge.
Suddenly, a group of masked ninjas appeared.
Seeing them, Uchiha Yujin finally let out a sigh of relief.
He exposed the Cursed Seal of Heaven on his shoulder.
"I am Orochimaru's vessel."
"I'm requesting your help to prepare an antidote for him."
"Please."
The ninjas exchanged glances with each other, then bowed slightly toward Uchiha Yujin.
"The location of the base cannot be revealed."
"Please hand this person over to us."
At this point, Uchiha Yujin did not hesitate any further.
He gestured for Kurama Yakumo to comply.
Watching the group vanish in a flash of movement, Uchiha Yujin took a deep breath.
"Now…"
"All we can do is wait."
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Uchiha Yujin sat crouched on Tenchi Bridge while the other members of Team Seven went to fetch water and supplies.
But Uchiha Yujin had no appetite at all.
When he thought about how Kakashi, Konoha's ace jonin and a crucial figure in the story, was now on the verge of death, his heart ached deeply.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Kakashi had gone through life and death with him twice and had taught him many ninjutsu.
"Bang!"
A burst of white smoke appeared on the Tenchi Bridge.
Uchiha Yujin hurriedly turned his head.
A team of medical ninjas slowly approached Team Seven while pushing a wheelchair.
The leading ninja explained, "The surgery was a success. By replacing his blood with fresh blood, we removed most of the poison. His life has been saved, but if he wants to recover his ability to move, a special antidote must be made based on the poison."
The ninja hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Lord Orochimaru's base can prepare it. This place cannot."
Kakashi, sitting in the wheelchair, was numb all over, but he was not stupid.
He spoke with a trembling voice, "Orochimaru is a rogue ninja."
The meaning was obvious.
Why would a traitor save a ninja from the village?
Uchiha Yujin, however, directly bowed deeply to the medical ninjas.
"Thank you. I'll go find Orochimaru."
Kakashi hurriedly interrupted, "No! Go… go back to Konoha. Find… Lady Tsunade."
When they heard that name, Orochimaru's subordinates exchanged glances.
If not for this "vessel-sama" acting as a middleman, Konoha ninjas and them would have started killing each other on sight.
There was no way things would be as peaceful as they were now.
Of course, what truly made this possible was Orochimaru himself, whose eyes were fixed only on eternal life.
In the forest, Uchiha Yujin personally pushed Kakashi's wheelchair forward.
Kakashi's body trembled weakly.
Sasori's poison had completely robbed him of his fighting strength.
"Yujin…" Kakashi said faintly. "No matter what, don't get too close to Orochimaru. He's far more complicated than you think."
Uchiha Yujin secretly rolled his eyes.
He thought to himself that as someone who had read the manga, did Kakashi really understand "the snake" better than he did?
He quickly changed the subject.
****
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