Leaving and Lying Low

Kisame looked up and saw Suikazan Fuguki, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. When Suikazan Fuguki had first been captured, Kisame had harbored some suspicions. But after even Zabuza had been caught, he abandoned that line of thought.

The possibility of one Jonin being compromised was already slim. The possibility of two Jonin both being compromised was practically nonexistent.

"Lord Suigetsu, you've returned!" Kisame lowered his head and spoke respectfully. Though he had only stolen a glance, he felt that Suikazan Fuguki's presence seemed far stronger than it had been three days ago.

At his side stood a tall, black-haired woman in a mask, along with a blond boy wearing a similar mask. Could they be his lordship's hidden operatives in Sea Country?

Before Kisame could think further, pain appeared on Suikazan Fuguki's tightly drawn face, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Only then did Kisame belatedly notice that the great sword Samehada was gone from Suikazan Fuguki's back.

"My lord, Samehada..."

"It was taken!" Suikazan Fuguki clutched his chest and caught his breath before saying coldly, "Come back with me, Kisame! I obtained an extremely important piece of information in Sea Ninja Village. I must report it to Lord Mizukage personally!"

"Understood, my lord!"

Kisame paused slightly. Although he felt that something was off about Suikazan Fuguki's tone, as a top-tier tool, he had no other thoughts. As for the other Chunin, they naturally did not dare raise any objections.

Thus, after the Kirigakure hastily packed up their base and recalled all the Ninja who had gone out to gather intelligence, they boarded their departing ship again two hours later.

The Kirigakure ship had already become a tiny speck on the horizon. On the shore, however, two figures stood watching it sail away.

"The doctor really is confident! He actually infiltrated Kirigakure alone with just one other person..."

"The boss has always had his own ideas. Besides, with Sister Hancock protecting him, it should be those Kirigakure who need to worry!"

The one who spoke first was Orochimaru, with his long black hair and slightly ashen face. The one who answered beside him was Vegapunk's former assistant and Sea Ninja Village's current "Village Head," Nico Robin.

Sea Ninja Village currently had only four high-ranking members. Although Orochimaru and Vegapunk both possessed management skills, neither could stand mundane affairs, and both were obsessed with research. In the original story, if not for more experimental subjects and research funding, Orochimaru would never have bothered playing at running a Ninja village.

As for Hancock, if she were put in charge of governing a Ninja village, it would probably turn out like the Pirate World's Amazon Lily—another mess of ruling by beauty and fan politics.

Under such circumstances, the versatile Nico Robin was naturally the best choice to lead the Ninja village.

Nico Robin might lack experience, but with her intelligence and emotional awareness, running a Ninja village would not be difficult for her.

As for her strength, although she did not rank among the top in the Pirate World, in the Ninja World, even without counting the nearly unfair Flower-Flower Fruit, she was already an expert capable of contending with an ordinary Kage.

After all, the Ninja World's standard combat power was a full tier below that of the Pirate World. If not for those Otsutsuki gods raising the world's overall level, Ninja still could not compare to those great Pirates and Marine Admirals who could casually destroy entire islands and nations.

"Is that so? To be praised so highly by Miss Robin and become Dr. Vegapunk's personal guard... it seems that Hancock is not someone to be underestimated!"

Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth and glanced at Nico Robin. When Nico Robin had captured and brought back Zabuza, Orochimaru had been extremely curious about the Flower-Flower Fruit ability she displayed.

In the past, he would certainly have found a way to obtain some of Nico Robin's blood for research. After all, she had once been Vegapunk's assistant, so she probably would not have cared about such things.

But now, he had more research projects than he could handle. Even if he wanted to study Nico Robin's "Kekkei Genkai," he would probably have to schedule it years from now.

At that thought, Orochimaru could not help showing a somewhat gloomy expression. It seemed he still needed to quickly find a way to solve his lifespan problem!

Although, after obtaining Vegapunk's data on soul transfer experiments, Orochimaru had completely perfected his Living Corpse Reincarnation, compared to reincarnation, he felt that researching how to extend one's life through Natural Energy and become a sage would be better.

Orochimaru had previously had no clue at all about Natural Energy. But after working with Vegapunk, he was already confident that he could unravel the mysteries of Natural Energy and sages within ten years. Naturally, he was no longer so eager to reincarnate.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru no longer wanted to waste time and turned to leave the shore.

"I need to make Vegapunk learn the Shadow Clone Technique as soon as possible! Otherwise, how badly is that guy going to slow down his research?! Everyone else can learn it after seeing it once. Why is he taking so long to learn such a simple Ninjutsu as the Shadow Clone Technique?!"

"Achoo!"

The blond boy sneezed, his face darkening. "It must be Orochimaru badmouthing me behind my back again!"

"Damn it! Projecting a Quantum Chip into the Shadow Clone structure is far too difficult! It's much harder than any S-Rank Ninjutsu!"

"Mm, darling, if you're tired, you can rest first. I made some delicious grilled meat for you! Would you like me to give you a massage?"

A gentle, syrupy voice sounded beside him. Hancock, wearing a mask, entered the cabin carrying a plate of grilled meat and tried to persuade the troubled Vegapunk.

"Uh, don't worry, I'm not tired!" Vegapunk, the blond boy, shook his head. Looking at Hancock, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

It was fortunate that Suikazan Fuguki was simply on their side. Otherwise, with Hancock's high-profile personality, there was no way she could have remained hidden aboard this ship.

After all, Hancock was an absurdly narcissistic woman who disdained even learning the Transformation Technique. In Hancock's own words, How could my beauty be concealed by such crude Ninjutsu?

So in the end, they could only make Hancock wear a mask. Though a woman with such a tall figure and such a good body was still conspicuous even in a mask, it was ultimately far better than letting Hancock reveal her true face.

After declining Hancock's grilled meat and massage, Vegapunk turned his attention back to analyzing the Shadow Clone structure. With the Quantum Chip, Vegapunk's learning ability and Chakra control surpassed everyone in the Ninja World. He could basically learn any Ninjutsu at a glance, yet he had run into a major obstacle with the Shadow Clone Technique.