Ch 361 : Revenge

After more than a month, Kakashi finally returned.

This time, he brought a lot of useful information for Makoto.

Initially, he had traveled to the Water Province to deal with pirate disturbances in the area, but later, he voluntarily wrote back, stating his intention to thoroughly investigate the seas of this world.

In this world, only the mainland and the Water Province were under the empire's jurisdiction.

The vast ocean still had many islands, which the empire had largely ignored when it was first established.

Most of these islands were inhabited by fishermen.

After a month-long cleansing operation, the pirates no longer dared to recklessly invade the empire's borders.

During this time, Kakashi had also completely mapped out the pirate forces scattered across the seas.

While reporting to Makoto, he mentioned some names that Makoto found familiar—such as Whitebeard, Red-Haired, Straw Hat, Kuja Pirates, and the so-called "One Piece" treasure that all pirates were pursuing.

"Did you fight any of them?" Makoto asked.

"I encountered the Whitebeard Pirates."

"How strong are they?"

"Very strong."

"Did you lose?"

"No, the fight wasn't finished."

Makoto's expression remained unchanged.

With Kakashi's current strength, he was already at the pinnacle of Kage-level combat power.

If he had lost easily, that would have been truly surprising.

Kakashi also mentioned the Devil Fruits, saying that they were rare but incredibly powerful abilities possessed by only a select few among the pirates.

"From what I've gathered, Devil Fruit users seemed to have a fatal weakness, but now, that weakness has suddenly disappeared."

As he spoke, Kakashi took out a strangely shaped fruit from his cloak.

Makoto's expression shifted slightly as he observed the bizarre fruit in Kakashi's hand.

"I obtained this from a pirate crew."

Makoto pondered over the meaning behind Kakashi's words.

The known weakness of Devil Fruit users had always been their fear of the sea, but if that weakness was now gone… Did that mean Devil Fruit users were no longer affected by the seas of the Naruto world?

This piqued Makoto's interest.

If these fruits could be mass-produced, they would be a tremendous asset to the empire.

Taking the Devil Fruit from Kakashi's hand, Makoto examined it closely, even probing it with chakra, but he couldn't glean any useful information.

It seemed this would have to be handed over to Kabuto for further research.

"For these pirates at sea, what do you think would be the best course of action?" Makoto asked.

Kakashi considered for a moment before replying, "Among them, there are indeed strong individuals, but they are nothing more than a scattered and disorganized force. However, if we act too aggressively, we may push them to unite against the empire, which could cause unnecessary trouble."

Makoto chuckled, "You're absolutely right."

Makoto had more or less made up his mind on the policy for dealing with these pirates—he planned to start with the Whitebeard Pirates.

However, communication at sea was far less efficient than on land, so this plan couldn't be rushed.

For now, all he needed to do was reinforce the empire's coastal defenses.

Once the pirates floating at sea realized that the world had changed, that would be the perfect time to make his move.

For the time being, Makoto set the pirate issue aside and focused on another matter—his earlier proposal to hold a friendly sparring event between ninjas and Shinigami.

Soul Society had already agreed to this.

Currently, Soul Society's Shinigami Outpost was stationed within Konoha, and Rukia was the primary officer working there.

She was originally from the 13th Division, which had always been responsible for handling matters in the living world.

However, after Captain Jushiro Ukitake suddenly disappeared, his duties were temporarily taken over by Head Captain Yamamoto.

Rukia relayed the empire's proposal to Soul Society.

Seireitei held a Captains' Meeting to discuss it, and the majority approved the idea.

Makoto could already guess the key supporters of this decision—Aizen, without a doubt, was behind it.

Aizen had Ichimaru Gin and Tosen Kaname under his command, meaning Tosen's support likely swayed Komamura Sajin as well.

Kenpachi would naturally be interested in a fight, and with Kurotsuchi Mayuri now working for Makoto, it meant the "villains" had already secured the majority vote.

Back at the previous banquet, Makoto had already sensed Aizen's true intentions.

Aizen was probably planning to use this ninja vs. Shinigami event as an opportunity to publicly demonstrate Kyoka Suigetsu's power.

Kyoka Suigetsu—while a terrifying ability within Soul Society—was not something Makoto found particularly threatening.

After all, the world of ninja had no shortage of powerful genjutsu techniques.

And like all jutsu, the effectiveness of an ability ultimately depended on the strength of its user.

No matter how powerful Kyoka Suigetsu was, Makoto refused to believe it could have any meaningful effect on him at his current level.

During the Captains' Meeting, no one actually objected to the proposal from the Emperor of the Living World.

They had already witnessed the power of ninja, and to some, this event was an opportunity to showcase the strength of Shinigami to the outside world.

Soul Society suggested that the event be hosted in Seireitei, with the ninja acting as honored guests, upholding the spirit of mutual respect and diplomacy.

Makoto immediately agreed to this request—it saved him the trouble of organizing the venue himself.

The next step was to determine the participants and the rules of the match, which required discussion from both sides.

Makoto then said,

"Naturally, Head Captain Yamamoto need not personally participate... but aside from him, I would very much like to see what all of your Captains are capable of."

In the end, both sides finalized the details, naming this event the Two Worlds Exchange Conference.

The Empire and Seireitei each selected ten participants to engage in friendly sparring matches.

While there would be winners and losers, the focus was not on competition but on strengthening mutual understanding between Shinigami and Ninja, with the shared goal of maintaining world stability, or so the official statement claimed…

The event was set to take place in Seireitei, Soul Society, exactly one month from now.

Meanwhile, Konoha would broadcast the matches live, allowing people in major provincial cities to watch the battles at their local guild halls.

On Soul Society's side, the ten participants would all be captains.

Since there were eleven active captains (excluding the Head Captain), it meant one captain would have to sit out.

At first, Captain Unohana wished to withdraw—after all, as Squad Four's Captain, her role was primarily medical rather than combat-oriented.

Everyone would have understood if she opted out.

However, upon Makoto's subtle prompting, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was the first to step forward and excuse himself from participation, citing that he was currently developing a new device to facilitate Shinigami travel to the Living World.

As for Konoha's ten participants, Makoto already had eight members from his Crown Guards, and he had two more candidates in mind for the remaining spots.

............

Inside Tsunade's Residence.

Hokage Tsunade was currently training in the Yin Seal, the S-rank medical ninjutsu she had created.

The reason she had been able to maintain her youthful appearance all these years was precisely due to this jutsu.

However, because she now possessed a new body, she had to start everything from scratch.

That said, her chakra control remained as precise as ever, and she could still use all the ninjutsu from her memories with ease.

If she had to point out any drawbacks, it would be that this body had very little chakra and that its physical attributes were quite weak.

But there were also advantages—this brand-new body was young, and its potential far exceeded that of her previous one!

Tsunade had no idea how Makoto had created this body for her, but one thing was certain—if she trained at full capacity, she was confident that her future achievements would surpass those of her past self.

During this period, Hokage Tsunade had completely immersed herself in training.

Power was always a valuable asset, and the long-lost sensation of improving her strength made her feel a rare sense of satisfaction.

However, from time to time, Tsunade would ambush her, sometimes even using a camera to record humiliating footage to show Hyuga Makoto for his enjoyment.

At first, Hokage Tsunade felt nothing but rage and shame, resisting whenever she could—though her struggles were futile.

Over time, she had become somewhat numb to it all.

She knew that only by growing stronger could she change everything.

That evening, Hyuga Makoto unexpectedly arrived at her door, much to Hokage Tsunade's surprise.

Even more unexpected—he had come specifically for her.

"What do you want?" Hokage Tsunade asked coldly, her expression dark.

"I heard you've been training hard lately." Makoto's gaze fell upon her forehead, where a diamond-shaped seal had already begun to form—though its color was not as deep as the original Tsunade's.

"..."

Hokage Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with shadowed emotions.

Makoto smiled slightly. "What's wrong? You desire power, don't you?"

Hokage Tsunade no longer bothered to conceal her thoughts.

She knew he had already seen through her.

A cold smirk appeared on her lips.

"That's right, I want power—because that's the only way I can kill you with my own hands!"

Makoto's smile remained unchanged, but a gleam flashed through his eyes.

In the next instant, Hokage Tsunade's soul was forcibly separated from her body, floating in midair.

Shocked beyond belief, she looked down at her own physical form, then turned to stare at Makoto, who seemingly hadn't moved at all.

"Tell me, with the way you are now, just how many years of training would it take for you to kill me?"

Makoto's hand gently brushed against Tsunade's cheek.

Though she could no longer feel anything in her spiritual state, his actions still filled her with disgust and resistance.

Gritting her teeth, she snarled in her soul form, "I don't care! If ten years isn't enough, then I'll train for twenty! Fifty! A hundred! As long as you don't kill me, I will kill you one day!"

Yet, no matter how much she struggled, Hokage Tsunade found herself unable to control her spirit freely—she couldn't return to her body, nor could she leave the area.

She knew she was entirely within his control.

The sheer divinity of Hyuga Makoto's power terrified her.

Though her words carried hatred, deep inside, she felt anxious and powerless.

Makoto calmly placed a fingertip on Hokage Tsunade's physical body, pressing against her spinal column.

A surge of blue chakra flowed into her, and soon, she noticed strange black markings beginning to spread across her physical form's face.

"Since you desire power so much, let me help you. Don't worry—it's free of charge."

With just a single Sage Mark, even an ordinary ninja could instantly rise to the ranks of the strongest.

Back when Makoto traveled to other worlds, the scrolls he left behind were an immense gift, allowing Konoha's power to soar to new heights.

As for the fact that engraving a Sage Mark requires removing clothes... that was Samui's claim, not Makoto's doing.

When Makoto first researched Sage Marks, it was indeed more convenient to apply them with clothes removed.

Hakumen had been his first test subject.

But now, with a mere thought, applying the mark was as easy for him as a regular ninja performing a Transformation Jutsu.

Having completed the process, Makoto then summoned Hokage Tsunade's soul back into her body.

"What did you do to me?!" Hokage Tsunade demanded through gritted teeth, filled with hatred.

She refused to believe that Makoto would so generously give her power for free.

Makoto answered calmly, "You should be familiar with Sage Mode. You now possess that power."

Sage Mode!

Hokage Tsunade's heart wavered with shock and suspicion.

She was, of course, well aware of this formidable power.

Her grandfather, the First Hokage, as well as Jiraiya and Naruto, had all wielded this strength.

But mastering Sage Mode wasn't something just anyone could do.

Despite her longstanding contract with the Shikkotsu Forest, and her close relationship with Slug Sage, she had long ago been told that she lacked the aptitude for it.

Makoto continued, "I just placed a jutsu on you. The marking is now located on your chest. All you need to do is channel chakra into that spot, and you'll be able to enter Sage Mode."

Hokage Tsunade's gaze flickered as she stared at Makoto, saying nothing.

Deep down, she was trying to figure out what exactly this bastard was plotting…

Was this yet another way to humiliate her?

She could indeed feel something different in her chest area.

When she had returned to her body, she had sensed a distinct cool sensation in that spot—yet just moments ago, Hyuga Makoto hadn't even touched her there.

After some thought, she decided to give it a try, guiding the chakra within her body to converge at her chest.

In an instant, an indescribable sense of enlightenment surged through her entire being!

Every pore on her body seemed to open at once, greedily absorbing natural energy from the air around her.

As this energy entered her body, it transformed into a violent, surging chakra!

This power… this power!

Hokage Tsunade was certain—even at her peak, she had never been this strong!

Makoto spoke: "This power is exclusive to the Crown Guards. From this moment on, you are one of them. Your body is unique, containing both the First Hokage's cells and the Uzumaki clan's bloodline. This Sage Mark will unlock your full potential. Once you push it to its limits, even Wood Release will be within your grasp."

Hearing his words, Hokage Tsunade had originally wanted to scoff at the so-called "Crown Guards", thinking it was all nonsense—she had no interest in joining.

But then she caught on to the last part of his sentence.

"Wood Release"…?!

Her attention was instantly seized.

Makoto said, "No need to rush. This power already belongs to you. You can take your time experimenting and getting used to it."

Hokage Tsunade fell silent for a moment before speaking coldly, "What exactly is your goal?"

Could such overwhelming power really come without a price?

She would never believe that this man was simply being generous.

After all the humiliation and manipulation she had suffered at his hands, Hyuga Makoto had long become an unforgivable enemy in her heart.

At this point, it no longer mattered what he did—she knew she wasn't his match.

But no matter what he tried, it wouldn't shake her resolve.

As long as she was still alive, she would find a way to take her revenge!

The Tsunade of this world had tried to persuade her multiple times, but every time, her other self only served as a harsher reminder.

If she really listened to the Tsunade of this world, wouldn't she ultimately end up just like her—a broken shell, stripped of everything that made her who she was?

Always claiming to act "for the sake of others"… But in the end, those words were nothing more than a fragile excuse to cover up their own disgrace.

Hokage Tsunade thought about it every single day—either she would die today, or she would live one more day to increase her chances of revenge.

Hyuga Makoto…

She clenched her fists tightly, her gaze locked onto him with unwavering intensity.

"What exactly… is your goal?!"

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