Love Hurricane

Over the next few days, the Empress habitually came to this secluded bay to practice.

And Shisui arrived at a fixed time to guide her.

It was not because he had any special intentions.

Rather, Shisui had more or less seen through that little bit of tsundere pride in her personality, and he did not think it was much of a problem.

Women, after all, were supposed to be a little strange in one way or another.

Born into the Uchiha clan, Shisui had long grown accustomed to dealing with eccentric people.

So at the same time every day, the Empress would appear there, and Shisui would always happen to pass by before beginning his instruction.

At first, the Empress still maintained her proud bearing.

She would usually respond to Shisui's pointers with a cold snort.

Even their conversations mostly consisted of things like, "I already knew that," or, "Mind your own business," to conceal her discomfort.

Shisui remained completely unaffected, patiently repeating the key points every time.

For the past few months, Shisui had been primarily responsible for teaching the Kuja Tribe about Chakra.

He had gained ample experience teaching these people, who were used to relying on Haki directly, how to make proper use of the energy within their bodies.

Just as he did with the other Kuja warriors, Shisui treated the Empress with sincerity and gentleness.

That pure sincerity made the Empress, who was used to receiving either reverent, greedy, or infatuated looks from outsiders—

Feel an unprecedented sense of... ease.

She did not have to worry that her beauty would bring unnecessary trouble, nor did she have to maintain the air of an Empress at all times.

She could even secretly rejoice over a tiny bit of progress now and then, such as standing steadily on the water for a few tenths of a second longer.

Without worrying that anyone would look down on her.

Gradually, the Empress's attitude improved considerably.

At least when she faced Shisui alone, she no longer wore such a hostile expression and instead listened attentively.

Under Shisui's guidance, the Empress's control over her weak Chakra improved at an astonishing rate.

Finally, at dusk on the fourth day, as the setting sun dyed the sea a magnificent orange-red—

The Empress focused her mind and precisely, continuously covered the soles of her feet with the trickling stream of Chakra within her body.

One step, two steps...

She stood steadily atop the sea!

Though her body still swayed slightly, this time, she did not fall in!

She had succeeded!

An indescribable joy instantly shattered the frost on the Empress's face, and an involuntary smile as brilliant as the morning glow bloomed across her stunning features.

In that moment, the Empress forgot her status and forgot the earlier embarrassment. Like a little girl who had finally learned how to use her favorite toy—

She kept walking back and forth across the sea.

Standing not far away, Shisui watched the Empress successfully walk on water and smiled happily as he praised her sincerely.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. You succeeded in only a few days. That's incredible!"

After spending several days together, Shisui had unconsciously begun speaking to the Empress in the same coaxing tone one might use with a child.

In truth, learning Water Walking in four days was not particularly impressive.

At least, Shisui seemed to recall that he had mastered the technique in less than a day.

It could only be said that this kind of precise Chakra control was indeed rather difficult for people of this world.

Even a renowned powerhouse like the Empress needed a long time to adapt to it.

"Of course. I am the most beautiful woman in the world. How could something like this possibly be difficult for me?"

The Empress proudly raised her head and accepted Shisui's praise without the slightest hint of modesty.

"Now that Your Majesty has grasped the trick, all that remains is to improve your proficiency. With your talent, you will soon be able to use it freely. In that case, my task is complete, and I will no longer disturb Your Majesty's training."

Shisui gave a slight bow, his tone as gentle and polite as ever.

Then he turned and, after a few leaps, vanished into the deepening twilight.

Watching Shisui leave so decisively, the Empress opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she could not bring herself to speak.

She stood alone upon the shimmering sea, gazing in the direction where Shisui had disappeared.

For some reason, a faint—

Sense of emptiness arose within her heart.

After returning to her luxurious yet slightly empty bedchamber, the Empress felt that something was off.

Her body seemed a little warm, and her heartbeat was faster than usual.

From time to time, the image of that one-eyed man patiently explaining things would flash through her mind, along with the smile he had worn when he left.

"How disgraceful. Did learning that little trick really leave me excited even now?"

The Empress believed she was still excited because she had learned Water Walking.

But she quickly realized that something was not right.

Because when she returned to the same place the next day to practice Water Walking—

She was clearly more skilled than before and could even slowly walk into deeper waters. Her progress was immense.

Yet as she stood atop the sea—

Why could she not shake off that inexplicable irritability and restless unease?

The Empress blankly raised her head and looked toward the shore.

Normally, someone should have been standing there. But today, it was empty.

A few days later, the experienced Granny Niu noticed something strange about the Empress.

She watched as the Empress occasionally stared blankly out the window, sometimes unconsciously stroking the ankle that had once been soaked by seawater.

Her cheeks bore an unusual flush, and, for once, she had not flown into a rage over some trivial matter.

Granny Niu narrowed her eyes and carefully studied the restless Empress. Then, as though she had discovered some shocking secret, she suddenly asked.

"Snake Princess, you... don't tell me you've fallen lovesick?"

"What?! How could I possibly like that one-eyed brat? Nonsense!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, the Empress instantly bristled.

Then she sprang from her throne, planted her left hand on her hip, pointed at Granny Niu with her right hand, and dramatically leaned backward.

"What do you take me for?! I am Boa Hancock, the most beautiful woman in the world! How could I possibly, because of some mere man... because of..."

Her words abruptly stopped, because that familiar heart-pounding sensation struck again.

It left her dizzy and weak, and she nearly failed to maintain that signature backward lean.

Watching the Empress's futile attempt to hide the truth, along with her obviously abnormal condition, Granny Niu understood everything.

She sighed and shook her head.

"So that's how it is. Is it that one-eyed kid? His character is certainly not bad, but his strength is a little lacking."

"Shut up! Don't mention him again!"

The Empress cut Granny Niu off, her face bright red with embarrassment and anger. "I... I merely... merely..."

She said "merely" for ages, yet still could not find a reasonable explanation.

That unfamiliar, uncontrollable emotion spread through her heart, filling her with unprecedented panic.

But there was also a tiny, secret sweetness.

She did not understand why she felt this way. Was it because that person was immune to her power?

Because he had seriously taught her for several days?

Or because the way he looked at her was so clean, so pure?

The Empress covered her burning cheeks and fell into utter confusion.

"Seriously, Empress? Why aren't you staying in your palace? What are you doing at the beach, catching the breeze?"

Uchiha Yoru looked at the strangely acting Empress beside him with a bewildered expression.

He himself had no desire to come to the beach, but with this great Buddha standing here, Yoru had no choice but to accompany her.

Otherwise, who knew whether this unpredictable Empress might suddenly lose her mind and fire off a few Slave Arrows at the crowd?

Do not doubt it. The Empress was absolutely capable of doing something like that!

There were quite a few Uchiha clan members by the shore right now. As the clan head, he did not dare gamble on the Empress's character.

At Yoru's words, a trace of barely noticeable panic flashed across Empress Hancock's beautiful face.

But she immediately concealed it beneath even greater arrogance.

She lifted her chin slightly, shot Yoru a sidelong glance, and snorted.

"Hmph! I can go wherever I please! Every blade of grass and tree on Kuja Island belongs to me. Do I need to report to you just because I wish to stroll by the sea? On the other hand, you Uchiha have gathered here. Could it be that you have some improper intentions?"

Yoru was both annoyed and amused by her turning the tables on him. Just as he was about to retort, he caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.

Uchiha Shisui was walking over from the training ground, seemingly preparing to return to the camp.

Almost at the same moment, the Empress saw Shisui as well.

Her body stiffened almost imperceptibly. The aggressive air she had directed at Yoru instantly vanished, her gaze became unfocused, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

She quickly adjusted her posture and casually smoothed her hair, ensuring that she was presented from her most perfect angle.

Shisui saw them as well. As he passed, he nodded to Yoru in greeting.

"Clan head." Then he looked at the Empress and greeted her warmly as well. "Your Majesty."

"Mm."

The Empress lightly hummed through her nose, trying hard to maintain her indifference, but the slight flicker in her eyes exposed the turmoil within her heart.

She spoke as though casually, though there was a trace of deliberateness in her tone.

"As I was taking a walk earlier, I found the scenery here passable. Do you Uchiha usually train here?"

Shisui nodded and answered truthfully.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The clan head said that this world is surrounded by the sea, so the Uchiha clan must become accustomed to fighting at sea. That is why we moved the training grounds to the shore."

"What do you usually train?"

The Empress asked casually, but her body unconsciously moved a little closer to Shisui.

"Mostly Haki training."

After thinking about it, Shisui felt there was nothing that could not be said.

Armament Haki truly provided them with tremendous enhancement.

A ninja's body could not exactly be called frail. Their physical qualities were certainly far superior to those of ordinary people.

But compared to their attacks, their physical capabilities were much weaker.

Take the Space-Time ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage of Konoha, Senju Tobirama—the Flying Thunder God Slash.

Tobirama had used that move to defeat Madara's younger brother, Izuna, achieving great merit.

The difficult part of the technique was using Space-Time movement to appear in an enemy's blind spot where a Flying Thunder God formula had been placed, then striking the opponent's vital point at lightning speed.

The final attack, in truth, was simply a slash.

A plain and unadorned strike.

So could you imagine the Second Hokage Tobirama fighting Vergo?

What did it matter if you kept flashing around? As long as I covered my entire body in Armament Haki, leaving no vital points anywhere, how could you slash me?

Even if the Uchiha elites could not achieve full-body Armament Haki in a short period of time—

Simply covering the vital areas of their bodies with Armament Haki would bring earthshaking changes to their ability to withstand attacks.

Not to mention that Haki offered an even greater boost to attack power. A casual strike with it coating a weapon could rival the power of an Explosive Tag.

For low- and mid-level ninja, Explosive Tags were a luxury that only high-level ninja could afford.

Now an ordinary attack could reach that level.

How could Uchiha ninja not become addicted to such power?!

"Something's wrong. You two are very wrong. When did you become so close?"

Seeing the Empress chatting so familiarly with Shisui, and seeing the lovestruck expression practically written across her face, Yoru immediately noticed that something was amiss.

"Uh, it's... not really like that."

Shisui smiled, scratching the back of his head as he tried to laugh it off.

Since the Empress had chosen to practice Water Walking alone in that secluded bay, she clearly did not want more people knowing that she had been secretly training.

Though he did not know why, Shisui instinctively chose to help the Empress keep that little secret.

"Ah~ Shisui... he's so gentle with me~"

When she saw that Shisui had not revealed her secret training, the Empress's cheeks instantly turned red.

He must care about me, right?