"Yes, Sister."
Sandersonia covered her mouth, but she did not expose the Empress's thoughts.
She obediently relayed everything she knew, including the Chakra extraction method Uchiha had taught them and the sensation of energy flowing.
She also described the key points of controlling Chakra beneath the feet during Water Walking as thoroughly as possible.
And so, the Empress began her secret training.
However, things were far from as simple as she had imagined.
Starting too late was one problem. More importantly, Chakra cultivation and application were entirely different from the Haki system she knew.
Haki placed greater emphasis on explosive willpower and bodily instinct.
Chakra, especially a technique like Water Walking, required meticulous control.
The Empress's talent was beyond doubt. Under her half-baked younger sister's retelling, she had actually succeeded in extracting Chakra within a single month!
Such aptitude was downright terrifying.
But... the amount was far too little!
The Empress had started too late, and her training time was far shorter than that of the other clan members.
The Chakra within her now was not even worth comparing to Uchiha's. Even many Kuja Warriors who had only just begun training possessed more than she did.
This meager Chakra was like a trickling stream. Trying to sustain a continuously draining technique like Water Walking made the difficulty multiply.
At that moment, the Empress had secretly come to a secluded bay behind the palace.
She took a deep breath, recalled the points Sandersonia had described, and tried to gather the pitiful amount of Chakra in her body beneath the soles of her delicate shoes.
Once, twice...
The Chakra flickered on and off. Either it could not stably cover the bottoms of her feet at all, or it dispersed the instant it touched the water because she lacked the strength to maintain it.
Splash!
With a soft sound, the Empress's jade-like feet sank into the seawater again without suspense. The chilly water soaked her shoes, stockings, and skirt hem.
"Dammit!!!"
The Empress stomped angrily in the shallow water, embarrassment flushing across her peerlessly beautiful face.
Though the seawater in the shallows could not seriously affect her yet.
Seeing herself soaked and bedraggled, then thinking of the ordinary warriors' excited expressions as they ran across the sea, an enormous sense of frustration welled up in her heart.
She, the great Empress Boa Hancock.
Had failed at such a basic technique!
And she had failed in secret, where no one knew!
If word got out...
"Hmph! Sandersonia must not have explained it clearly! Such a crude technique is not worth learning anyway!"
The Empress tried to conceal her embarrassment with anger.
"Your method is wrong."
Just then, a man's voice suddenly rang out.
"Who?!"
Empress Hancock bristled like a startled cat!
She whirled around, and when she saw who had come, her fury shot straight to her head.
It was that Uchiha Shisui!
When had he arrived? How much had he seen?!
Overwhelmed by shame and anger, the Empress reacted almost without thinking, following her body's instinct.
Her slender fingers formed a heart before her chest, instantly creating an enormous pink heart!
"Insolent wretch! How dare you peep on me! Slave Arrow!"
Whoosh—!
The pink heart-shaped beam, carrying a palpitating fluctuation, shot toward Shisui in an instant with astonishing speed!
At such close range, and with no warning at all, Shisui had no time to make any effective evasive move.
He could only watch helplessly as the light swallowed him.
When the pink radiance faded.
The expected petrification did not occur.
Uchiha Shisui was still standing there perfectly unharmed.
He even remained in the posture of having been about to speak, though a trace of startled confusion showed on his face from being interrupted.
He lowered his head to inspect his uninjured body, then looked up at the utterly incredulous Empress. Somewhat embarrassed, he scratched his head.
"Uh... Your Majesty, were you testing me? Thank you for showing mercy."
Shisui thought the Empress had deliberately restrained the attack's power. Her sudden warning had not truly activated her ability.
After all, he had personally witnessed the power of that move a few months ago.
With a single strike, more than ten clan members had been petrified without any ability to resist!
There had even been elite Three Tomoe Uchiha among them, and they had not had the slightest chance to fight back.
"Showing... mercy?!"
The Empress's beautiful eyes widened, and she was completely stunned.
She had absolutely used her full strength just now. How could she possibly have held back?!
Why was this guy unharmed?!
Could it be that he was immune to her petrification even without that green skeleton?
Seeing Shisui's sincere gaze, the Empress nearly choked on the breath caught in her chest.
Was this bastard doing it on purpose?! Was he mocking me?!
However, before she could fly into another rage, Shisui had already adjusted himself, as though the attack just now had merely been a minor interruption.
His gentle, earnest expression returned as he pointed to the Empress's feet, which were still standing in the seawater, and said warmly,
"Your Majesty, the main reason you failed at Water Walking just now was not the amount of Chakra, but your continuity.
"You need to think of Chakra as flowing water. You cannot release it all at once. Instead, like breathing, you need to let it cover the soles of your feet evenly and continuously. Then, with the rise and fall of the water, keep making subtle adjustments to form a dynamic balance..."
Shisui began explaining the core principles of Water Walking in detail.
His tone was sincere, his eyes clear, without the slightest trace of mockery or impatience.
It was as though he were merely guiding an ordinary beginner who had encountered some difficulty.
The rebuke already on the Empress's lips was blocked by his string of earnest explanations.
She stared blankly at Shisui, sensing the undisguised sincerity in his words. It was as if someone had poured a basin of warm water over the anger in her heart.
She still felt stifled and embarrassed, but that murderous intent and extreme humiliation somehow dissipated by more than half.
This guy... was serious?
Did he really think I had held back just now, and was he sincerely teaching me now?
The Empress looked at Shisui's one remaining clear eye.
Slave Arrow failed. Could it be because he simply was not attracted to me?
If he was not attracted to me, why was he teaching me so seriously?
The Empress's thoughts were in turmoil.
She only felt that the one-eyed blind man before her was not quite so detestable anymore.
"...Hmph!"
In the end, the Empress merely snorted and awkwardly turned her head away.
Yet her ears perked up slightly. She did not interrupt Shisui's explanation, nor did she attack again.
Did that... count as permission?
Seeing this, Shisui smiled helplessly.
Though the person before him possessed an immensely terrifying ability.
Compared to her tremendous strength, many of her actions seemed like those of a little girl who had never grown up, at least in Shisui's eyes.
Judging by the Kuja Tribe's attitude toward her.
She was actually a gentle person at heart, wasn't she?
Thus, an odd yet harmonious scene appeared in this secluded bay.
A genius ninja of the Uchiha Clan was patiently instructing the Empress of the Kuja Tribe.
And though the Empress still wore an arrogant, unwilling expression.
Her body honestly followed Shisui's instructions as she tried once more.
Before you continue