Chapter 65: Chakra Unbound

"All right!"

"Aah, so much easier this way!" Minato, Kushina, and the others beamed with satisfaction.

Compared to hunting for specific Devil Fruits, this method—purifying the original chakra—was far more efficient. Hunting down fruit users always came with risk. You had to be strong enough to defeat them… and if not, you needed backup.

Luckily, they had Hikari.

Even in the Pirate World, Hikari's strength was on par with an Admiral Candidate—possibly even an Admiral. She wasn't at the level of a Yonkō yet, but close enough to make most hesitate.

She could hunt most Devil Fruit users solo, but…

"Don't celebrate too early," Hikari cautioned, her tone firm. "Hunting users is easier than chasing fruits, sure. But there's a catch."

Everyone turned serious.

"A rare case might go unnoticed," she continued. "But if people start disappearing too often—if powers begin vanishing from the world—someone will notice. They'll realize we have a method. And when that happens…"

"…the Pirate World will come for us," Gin finished quietly.

"Exactly," Hikari nodded. "Unless we have power overwhelming enough to silence their greed, we'll never know peace. So I don't recommend going public—not until you've grown stronger."

A heavy silence followed.

She was right. In this world of brutal ambition and untamed seas, power was everything.

"That's what happened in the original timeline too," Gin added. "Blackbeard used the Yami Yami no Mi to extract powers. But he only got away with it because he was a Yonkō—one of the world's strongest."

"We're not at that level," Minato agreed. "So stealth is our ally."

"Exactly," Gin said. "We can still hunt for abilities, but carefully. Quietly. As individuals—not a group."

"And no open use of ninjutsu," Minato added. "It's too distinct. Too traceable."

Mikoto and Kushina both nodded.

That meant a compromise. Less chakra-based combat, more physical prowess, swordsmanship, and adaptability.

"Ughhh," Kushina groaned. "So much to learn…"

She'd been training daily, dozens of shadow clones hammering away at various disciplines. Still, she wasn't one to back down.

"You're already amazing," Mikoto teased, pinching her cheek. "With your chakra pool and mental resilience, you can train faster than any of us. You're a clone machine!"

"Hah! You're just jealous," Kushina smirked. "Not my fault I got the Uzumaki genetics."

"Yeah, yeah," Minato chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "We can't all be born with a battery the size of a mountain."

Gin smiled. "Don't worry. In time, you can match her—at least close. Physical cultivation, the meat of Sea Kings, chakra purification… all of it builds over time. Talent helps, but persistence wins. The technique I developed to purify original chakra doesn't just increase control, it expands capacity. Slowly, steadily, you'll catch up."

"That's…" Mikoto blinked. "Incredible."

"You mean it?" Minato's eyes lit up.

Gin nodded. "I do."

A quiet warmth spread through the group. Even if they couldn't match Kushina's natural reserves, they could still grow beyond their limits.

"Of course, not every skill is equal," Gin added. "Fencing, for example, still needs talent. Pure training can't fix poor intuition."

"Well, good thing I've got sword talent," Mikoto smirked.

Gin laughed. "That reminds me—once Kuro unlocks the map to Shimotsuki Village in East Blue, I plan to train at the Isshin Dōjō. Anyone who wants to learn from Shimotsuki Kōshirō is welcome."

Mikoto's eyes lit up. "The great swordsman? Count me in!"

"As a Uchiha, you've got the reflexes and perception to be a natural," Gin agreed.

Minato nodded as well. "Learning from a legend? I wouldn't miss that."

"Oh, so everyone's going now?" Kushina crossed her arms. "Uzumaki never had a sword style, but fine—I'll go too. I'll just add another Shadow Clone!"

"For fencing, better use your main body," Gin advised. "You need to temper the muscles and bones directly. That kind of control doesn't transfer well from a clone."

"Tch… fine," Kushina muttered. "Still going."

"Good," Gin said. "And we'll meet Kuinā—Kōshirō's daughter—while she's still young. She's about four now. If we gain her trust and form a pact, we might be able to change her fate."

Kushina frowned. "Wasn't she the girl who died from… falling on a training rock?"

Gin's expression tightened. "Yeah. It always felt too convenient. Just a story to motivate Zoro. This time—we're rewriting that story."

"We'll help too," Minato added.

"We all will," Mikoto echoed. "No more senseless tragedy."

"Not just Kuina," Gin said softly. "I'll save Nami too. And anyone else I can. I want to make both worlds better… kinder."

His words struck deep. Everyone nodded.

They weren't just chasing power—they were chasing change.

"Pa!"

Hikari reappeared, her footsteps silent on the beach sand.

"All right, let's wrap this up," she said casually. "I handled the pirate."

"What about the body?" Gin asked.

"Disposed of," she replied. "Took him to the beach. Incinerated him with a Fireball Jutsu, then buried the ashes using Earth Release. Clean. No evidence."

Her tone was emotionless—clinical. Like describing laundry.

She had no intention of letting blood stain the hands of the younger ones.

Gin said nothing. He understood.

In this fragile stage, appearances mattered. Morality had to be balanced with necessity.

Even the Ninja World had changed. The era of their youth was gone. Now, every step forward had to be taken with thought and restraint.

They had saved the Whirlpool Kingdom, but suspicions remained. Some secrets were still out there.

Three villages had stolen fragments of Uzumaki Fūinjutsu. Hikari suspected that Kumogakure had even abducted surviving clan members—especially after Gin's future stories about red-haired shinobi in the Raikage's ranks.

Maybe they were hybrids—born of kidnapped Uzumaki and Kumogakure's dark experiments.

But that was just a theory.

In the end, not every redhead was Uzumaki.

Still… suspicion lingered.