Chapter 68: The Dragon Who Slept Through Time

The Thousand-Year Dragon called out to Jin with a low rumble. Kureha quickly stepped in, gently pulling him back and warning the others:

"He's fulfilling his mission. Once it's done, he will give you his remains, Jin. We need to clear the area."

"Understood. Everyone fall back!" commanded Hikari.

The group obeyed without hesitation, following Kureha out of the cave to a safe distance.

"Doooom... Dooooom..."

Heavy, thunderous footsteps echoed from deep within the cavern. Moments later, the massive dragon emerged, his body now ten years younger and more vital than before. After just a few powerful beats of his wings, he took to the skies, soaring upward.

"PRRRAAA!!!"

A celestial roar shook the skies—deep, haunting, and resonant. The entire island of Gunkan and the surrounding sea trembled under its frequency. Moments later, distant roars responded.

From beyond the horizon, an entire pack of ancient dragons came hurtling toward the sound, encircling their elder in a majestic, spiraling formation. The sky thundered with their cries, and the very ground of Gunkan began to quake.

"The island… it's moving!" Kushina gasped.

"It's rising!" added Naruto, wide-eyed.

"Calm down," Jin said. "This is the dragons' doing. Everything is under control."

Kureha's eyes widened as she extended her Haki, sweeping over the land and sea.

"Incredible… There are ancient dragon bones and eggs buried beneath the seabed. This was a nesting ground! Jin… you knew, didn't you?"

"I suspected," he replied calmly. "That's why I sought the elder."

As the land rose, a vast reef appeared, revealing hundreds of ancient dragon corpses scattered across it.

"Can we use these remains for longevity medicine?" Jin asked, eyes fixed on the dragon bones.

"They should still hold their essence," Kureha nodded, her Haki confirming the presence of life energy. "They won't be as effective as the fresh or recently deceased… but they'll do. You'll need more material to extract the essence, but with this many bones…"

"…I'll have more than enough." Jin grinned.

"RRRRRAAA!"

The rumbling ceased. Gunkan stabilized. Dragons descended from the sky, tending to unhatched eggs and newly awakened younglings that had emerged with the ritual.

The elder, having completed his mission, now visibly weakened, slowly made his way toward Jin. With a final, low roar, he laid down before him.

Kureha stepped forward, interpreting the meaning behind the dragon's voice:

"He says he's grateful for helping him remember his duty. His time has come… and he's ready to give you his body."

Jin's heart stirred. "Is there any way to save you?" he asked the dragon directly.

But the dragon only shook his head slowly.

Jin hesitated, then checked the bond he had formed through their pact. Affinity: 88. That was enough.

He suddenly remembered the Gates of Space-Time—one of his most mysterious techniques.

"I might have one last way. Come with me."

He placed his hand on the dragon's head and teleported them to a quiet, uninhabited island between Gunkan and Loguetown. There, on a windswept cliff, he carved a glowing rune into the stone and turned to the dragon.

"This is a gate—one of the few that bends time itself. Touch it, and I can place you in suspended stasis. But in return, you'll be partially bound to me."

The dragon nodded solemnly and touched the rune with his snout.

Instantly, his consciousness was enveloped in a warm, glowing pact—a mental contract that offered hope of survival in exchange for loyalty.

Jin's thoughts flooded the dragon's mind: history, chakra theory, future visions, and a special technique—the Original Chakra Purification Method.

It was a technique capable of creating chakra in beings who lacked it, or restoring it in those who had lost it. If it worked, even creatures of the Pirate World could one day wield chakra—no longer limited to their world's abilities.

Jin's goal wasn't merely preservation. He intended to transform the dragon into a sage beast, maybe even take him to Mount Myōboku or Shikkotsu Forest, where Sages had lived for millennia.

If that failed, he would use the gate as a cryogenic chamber.

Then, unexpectedly, a voice entered Jin's mind.

"Yes," the dragon said telepathically, "by our pact, I can speak to you like this now. I didn't expect you to be so... extraordinary. But I'm honored."

"You don't have to do this, you know," Jin replied.

"I want to try," the dragon said. "If it fails, don't mourn me. I've lived a long life. But if I can serve you—and continue living—it would be a greater honor."

Jin swallowed hard, then smiled.

"All right… I'll begin. Don't resist. I'll place your soul into deep sleep and stop your time."

The dragon closed his eyes and relaxed. With a few seals and one final breath, Jin activated the gate.

A shimmering light wrapped around the dragon's body as his time was sealed. His breathing halted. His life energy stilled.

Jin reached out and touched the dragon's brow.

"It worked."

Time had frozen. The dragon now lay in a suspended pocket of space-time, his body perfectly preserved, his fate awaiting revival.

"One day," Jin whispered, "you'll soar again."