Out of caution, Kurama refrained from rashly 'meeting' Naruto's consciousness this time. Instead, he silently observed this unfamiliar world through Naruto's senses.
Kurama was also amazed at Naruto's sudden 'transformation' into an adult.
He had sensed something off before.
Even though he had been imprisoned inside Naruto for decades, when he first 'came out of prison' and met him, Naruto still appeared to be twelve years old.
At the time, their interaction had been too rushed, and the exhaustion from hastily ejecting Naruto from his consciousness had made Kurama forget about it.
But now that he thought about it, it was yet another inexplicable phenomenon.
'This kid seemed even stranger than Minato.'
And so, the trio, human, fox, and sea cow, moved away from Cocoyasi Village under the setting sun, heading in the opposite direction of Luffy and his crew.
The next day, they arrived at Baratie once again.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Marines hadn't yet caught on, Naruto managed to snag another meal.
Zeff tried to hand over the bounty money from the Krieg Pirates to Naruto, but the latter refused, saying, 'Just put it on my tab… I'll be back for more.'
After restocking on fresh water, food, and fine sake, Naruto mounted Momoo the sea cow and set off for Shimotsuki Village.
Momoo's speed wasn't any slower than an ordinary ship, and it could maintain high speeds even in windless conditions.
But the disadvantage is that it still needs to rest. When night fell, Naruto would find an island, let Momoo rest by the shore, and even catch a few large fish to feed it.
This place was nothing like the fishless waters of the Land of Waves… at least, Naruto insisted on believing so.
Using his Observation Haki to precisely detect deep-sea fish, he dove into the sea bare-chested and caught them with his bare hands.
Never mind the method… the point was, he caught the fish, didn't he?
With the supply of fresh meat, there is no need to eat the preserved rations he brought with him for the time being.
And so, aside from resting on islands at night, Naruto didn't stop at any other locations during the day. It took him roughly ten days to finally reach Shimotsuki Village.
…
In Shimotsuki Village, Isshin Dojo.
The sounds of children training echoed through the dojo… young disciples of Koushirou practicing their swordsmanship.
The Isshin Dojo did have adult students, but most were villagers from Shimotsuki Village who came for short-term training.
Today, aside from Koushirou himself, there were no other adults present.
Just as Koushirou was instructing the children in training with a smile on his face, the dojo's doors suddenly burst open, and a young boy rushed in in a panic.
"Bad news! Bad news, Koushirou-sensei! Pirates! Pirates are here!"
The child who broke in was also one of Koushirou's disciples. He was wondering why the other party did not come to the dojo for training today, but he unexpectedly heard the news of a pirate attack.
Without hesitation, Koushirou strapped on his sword, told the children to hide, and hurried toward the village entrance alone.
When he arrived, he saw two groups facing off against each other.
One of the groups was the villagers from Shimotsuki Village. There were many of them, and most of them had long swords in their hands. While their swords were not famous swords, it was clear they weren't completely defenseless.
The other group was a group of vicious-looking pirates. The weapons in their hands were varied, but most of them had pistols, and their faces were full of ill intentions.
The captain looked at Koushirou, who had rushed over, with an amusement on his face, as if he didn't take the other party seriously at all.
"Oh? So you're the 'Master' they were talking about?"
Seeing Koushirou's completely unintimidating appearance, the pirate captain immediately spoke out with disdain, and the other pirates beside him also laughed.
"Hand over all your treasures, now!"
"Hahaha! A bunch of villagers waving swords around… do you even know how to use them?"
"That's right! From now on, this place belongs to the Black Rope Pirates."
Ignoring the pirates' jeers, Koushirou subtly exchanged glances with a few villagers, which are the secret agents Revolutionary Army stationed here.
One of them gave a slight shake of his head.
Koushirou immediately understood that this pirate attack was just a coincidence, and it's not a targeted assault on the Revolutionary Army.
With that in mind, Koushirou saw no reason to waste time on these small-time crooks and prepared to signal the villagers to attack.
Though they might seem like ordinary villagers, they had all been trained by Koushirou. So in a strict sense, they were legitimate swordsmen.
With the help of the Revolutionary Army's secret agents, a low-tier pirate crew like this stood no chance against them.
Just as the battle was about to break out, a loud shout suddenly rang out from above.
The voice grew louder as it approached.
"…Get out of the way!"
Under everyone's gaze, a figure plummeted from the sky and landed squarely on the pirate captain.
The man didn't even make a sound before he went limp.
Meanwhile, the one who had fallen stood up casually, dusted himself off, and looked down at the unlucky guy he'd just crushed with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry about that... I didn't see you there. Uh... can he still be saved?"
His words seemed to snap everyone out of their daze. The villagers were the first to react.
Seeing their enemy's leader taken out, they seized the opportunity and rushed forward.
After being stunned for a second, the pirates immediately fell into chaos.
Without their captain's orders, some tried to fight while others scrambled to flee.
The disorganized rabble was quickly subdued by the villagers, who tied them up to be handed over to the nearest Marine branch.
Meanwhile, the man who had fallen from the sky walked over to Koushirou.
"You are... Naruto-sama?"
Koushirou looked at the familiar figure in front of him with some disbelief.
And Naruto smiled softly and greeted this old acquaintance.
"Yo, Koushirou. Long time no see."
…
"Come to think of it, it's been almost ten years since we last met. You really haven't changed at all."
In the tearoom next to the dojo, the two sat facing each other. Koushirou poured Naruto a cup of hot tea, his expression nostalgic.
He is already in his fifties and wrinkles have already appeared on his face, and even a few strands of his hair have turned white.
Hearing this, Naruto simply smiled and then suddenly asked, "Where's old man Kouzaburou? I was hoping he could help me maintain my sword…"
As he said this, he unhooked the katana at his waist and placed it in front of Koushirou.
Koushirou was stunned, then replied with slight embarrassment, "I'm really sorry, my father… he suddenly left Shimotsuki Village a few years ago, and we don't know where he is now."
After hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment. He had really wanted to see the old man again.
Seeing the change in Naruto's expression, Koushirou quickly added, "But please don't worry. We received a letter from him not too long ago. Though we don't know his exact whereabouts, we know he's still alive and well."
Then, he carefully picked up Naruto's katana and slowly drew it from its sheath.
The blade, which is transparent like glass, shimmered faintly even in the dim light of the tearoom, as if stars were embedded within it.
"So this is the Supreme Grade Blade [Mushoukou] forged by my father... What a breathtakingly beautiful sword. It truly lives up to its name… Light Unimagined."
Naruto smiled as he watched Koushirou admire his father's masterpiece with reverence.
[Mushoukou] is one of the Supreme Grade Blades crafted by Shimotsuki Kouzaburou after he arrived in the East Blue.
The crisis that Naruto had saved them from back then had also been caused by this very sword.
After the ordeal, realizing he could no longer protect such a legendary blade, Kouzaburou had chosen to gift Mushoukou to Naruto.
And since then, he had never forged another weapon with his own hands.
"Please leave it to me. If it's just maintenance, I'm confident I can handle it."
Re-sheathing Mushoukou, Koushirou spoke to Naruto with solemn sincerity.
"Of course! I trust you."
Naruto nodded, then took a sip of his tea before suddenly remembering something.
"Come to think of it, I think I saw that green-haired kid who used to train at your dojo… Zoro, right? He's changed so much I almost didn't recognize him."
"Oh? You've met Zoro? How is he doing?"
At the mention of his disciple, a smile immediately appeared on Koushirou's face.
It had been three years since the boy left the dojo, declaring his ambition to become the world's greatest swordsman. Koushirou was eager to hear how Zoro was doing.
"Him? He's doing great."
"He's found amazing nakama, witnessed the pinnacle of swordsmanship, and has the heart to keep growing stronger… I have high hopes for him."
"Is that so..."
Koushirou nodded, a look of quiet pride crossing his face.