"The air is warping—it's just like when I slice through things with my sword!" The difference was that the distortion created by that guy was far greater since he was twisting a person's body. Naruto's spatial distortion was much smaller, which was why no one else had noticed it. "So you're saying..."
"You finally understand. Looks like you've found your answer."
"Next time I see him, I'll tear him apart piece by piece."
"He killed your parents, forcing you to grow up filled with hatred; he sealed me inside you, turning you into everyone's target; and he used me to fuel his twisted ambitions... You must kill him for me!"
"I think being sliced apart by this blade would be the worst way for him to die."
Naruto said as he partially drew the sword from its sheath, carefully examining the sealing marks on its surface.
"Just what exactly is this sword made of? Why would the First Hokage have given this to Itachi?" This was obviously no ordinary gift, because no normal present would possess such terrifying power.
Those damnable ancestors were always obsessed with hiding secrets. While Nine-Tails understood sealing techniques quite well, he knew very little about Itachi Uchiha. He wished those people were still alive—he'd love to confront them face to face.
******
Karin suddenly pivoted upon sensing a chakra presence. The mere thought of the person behind that signal ignited a surge of rage—what that bastard had done to her beloved Sasuke was unforgivable.
"Naruto..." She growled furiously, grabbing Pirate Captain Kataro who was steering the ship and pointing in the direction of her hated enemy. "Go there... Right now!"
"That's not even heading toward our base." Kataro snapped back impatiently. "Do you want to break through the blockade? People like you are exactly why keeping the blockade intact is such a pain."
"I don't care!" Karin didn't give a damn about any blockade line. Although "Madara Uchiha" had ordered them to keep Mizukage occupied and promised Suigetsu the Cleaver Sword afterward, none of that mattered to her at all.
Nothing mattered more to her than seeing Naruto dead.
"Faster!"
Kataro wanted nothing more than to slap the disrespectful woman across the face, but ultimately held himself back—he knew better than to mess with Karin.
"What's going on?"
A voice came from behind Kataro, startling him. He hadn't sensed the other's approach at all—which sent a chill racing down his spine.
It was a small-statured boy with silver-white hair and a strange-looking blade in hand.
"What's happening, Kataro?"
While Kataro feared practically nothing, he'd witnessed firsthand how effortlessly Suigetsu carved through enemies like slicing tofu. What unsettled him most was how much this guy seemed to *enjoy* killing.
"N-Nothing much..." Kataro quickly explained. "That woman wants to break through the blockade and head northwest."
"That's all?" Suigetsu asked casually, shrugging.
He didn't care where they went—as long as he could swing his blade to his heart's content.
"Then let's go. Why do you care so much about the blockade? You're pirates, aren't you? And you've already taken that masked bastard's money. Why bother asking questions?"
The reason Kataro cared was because "Madara Uchiha" had left a lasting psychological trauma in him.
Back then, Madara had gone out of his way to visit their hideout, killed many of Kataro's men, and nearly scared him to death.
So, he absolutely didn't want to defy that man's wishes—especially now that he knew that man could kill him anytime he pleased.
"He'll kill us."
"I'll kill you too." Suigetsu said with a smirk, mimicking the motion of a gun with his finger pointed at Kataro's head. "And I'll make damn sure it hurts." He shot Karin a glance. "Hey, what's wrong with you anyway?"
Karin narrowed her eyes, her voice icy.
"What? Do you actually want to go after Naruto right now? I can't wait either. 'Madara Uchiha' won't let us go—he's just keeping us busy."
"So you're saying Naruto's quite the opponent?" Suigetsu immediately became interested. "Plus, he crashed our little family reunion. We can't just let that slide."
"Then let's go. I'm sure Kakuzu is getting impatient too. If we don't let him vent soon, he might decide to clean house and wipe out all these pirates himself."
Besides, he'd never intended to follow that masked man's orders anyway. The only reason he'd stuck with him was to get Samehada.
Now that he'd obtained both Samehada and Hiramekarei, there was naturally no reason for him to listen to that man anymore.
As for the Land of Water's blockade or B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki? He couldn't care less.
"That way," Karin pointed in Naruto's direction and said to Kataro. "Did you hear me? Hurry up and go!"
Kataro knew he had no choice. He changed course and steered the ship toward the direction Karin indicated.
He truly wished he'd never gotten dragged into this war—staying safely in his own territory and ruling like a petty king would've been far better.
But now, here he was, stuck on this ship with two bloodthirsty lunatics and an unpredictable woman.
******
"Achoo!" Naruto couldn't help but sneeze, then shook his head in resignation.
"Man…" he muttered under his breath while continuing to speak to the Nine-Tails. "Do you think Lady Tsunade'll give me another mission when I get back?"
"Hey there, Naruto!"
"Huh? How come you're here, B?"
Naruto instinctively answered before quickly turning around, shock written across his face as he looked at the tall, imposing figure dressed in black standing behind him.
"How did you get here?"
The Kumogakure ninja aboard the ship also showed expressions of surprise, though none of them acted recklessly—they were well aware they were sailing far from the territory of Kumogakure.
"My brother got on my nerves… So I figured I'd tag along for a bit!"
"Tell you what, Naruto," B said, throwing an arm around the other's shoulders. "What's more fun than going on vacation with friends from different countries?"
"We're in the middle of a war," Naruto replied helplessly. He really liked B—he was such a good guy—but the problem was that he was in the middle of a mission. "Big Bro B, you really should head back."
B completely ignored Naruto's words. As he paced back and forth across the deck, he exclaimed:
"No way, I'm not going back! If I go back now, my older brother will definitely kill me. I'm not ready to die yet—I wanna live it up while I still can!"
Looks like this was going to be a long journey.
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