Fleeing to the Sea

"You... said... what...?"

The Empress's voice came as if from an ice cavern, every word carrying a bone-chilling cold.

The blush on her face had long been replaced by raging fury, her beautiful features even twisting slightly from the extreme anger.

The killing intent radiating from her nearly solidified into substance, the temperature in the bedchamber plummeting abruptly!

"You want to... harm Shisui?! And take his eyes?!"

She could hardly believe her ears!

This skulking rat, hiding its head and tail, dared to set its sights on the only man who made her feel at ease, made her heart race!

"I will reduce you to ashes!!!"

Without any warning, the Empress's fury erupted like a volcano!

She couldn't even be bothered to strike her iconic pose, her jade finger thrusting sharply toward Obito.

"Slave Arrow!!"

A pink heart-shaped beam, thicker and more condensed than ever before, imbued with all the Empress's rage and murderous intent.

At a speed too fast for the naked eye to track, it blasted toward Obito in an instant!

Obito never expected the Empress to attack so suddenly!

He had assumed she would at least weigh the pros and cons!

This unexpected strike was so absurdly fast that he couldn't even fully phase through it in time!

"What?!"

In his haste, Obito only managed to partially intangibilize his body, but his right shoulder and arm were solidly grazed by the pink beam!

"Crack... crack..."

A grating sound rang out as Obito's right side, from shoulder to arm, instantly turned into gray-white stone!

A heavy, stiff, numbing sensation spread through him!

"Ugh!"

Obito let out a pained grunt, his face twisting beneath the mask from agony and shock.

He stared in disbelief at his petrified right arm, horror surging in his heart:

This woman's ability is this overbearing?! Even space-time ninjutsu can't fully resist it?!

"Rat! Die!"

The Empress, emboldened by her successful strike, her killing intent even fiercer, gave Obito no chance to catch his breath.

Her long, shapely leg coated in Armament Haki, like a black lightning bolt, kicked straight at Obito's face!

She would utterly crush this bastard who dared to covet Shisui!

The shadow of death loomed down!

Obito's soul nearly fled in terror. He abandoned all plans, all thoughts of the Sharingan! Survival came first!

"Kamui!"

Just as the Empress's toes were about to touch the mask, the space around Obito twisted violently again.

His figure vanished on the spot, as if sucked into a vortex.

The Empress's sure-kill kick landed on empty air, the fierce blast sending the bedchamber's curtains whipping wildly.

"Escaped?"

The Empress landed on the ground, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury as she scanned the empty room, her anger unquenched.

That bastard, he ran that fast!

But that eye of his—he's from the Uchiha clan too, isn't he?!

With that thought, the Empress rose and stormed off toward the Uchiha Compound.

She was going to find the Uchiha clan head, Yoru, and demand an accounting.

How do you manage your clan? Your own people have set their sights on my Shisui!

Fleeing into the Kamui dimension, Obito clutched his still-petrified right arm, shaken and filled with lingering fear and venomous resentment.

This woman... is insane! Completely unreasonable!

Fortunately, the Kamui dimension still had spare White Zetsu parts to replace.

Obito smashed his petrified right arm to pieces and replaced it with a fresh White Zetsu to fill the gap.

But the danger was far from over.

What he feared now was that the Empress would tell Uchiha Yoru about his appearance.

If that Uchiha Yoru—who possessed a Mangekyo capable of countering his ability and was immensely powerful—set his sights on him...

In this unfamiliar world, he would truly be in danger!

Not daring to linger any longer, Obito endured the discomfort in his right arm and used the ability of Kamui.

He fled wildly in the direction opposite Kuja Island, plunging straight into the vast, boundless sea.

Through his observations over this period, he had long since learned that this world was far more than just Kuja Island.

It was astonishingly vast, filled with all kinds of miraculous powers and powerful beings.

He absolutely could not rush things. He would gather enough strength out on the sea before returning to settle accounts with Uchiha Yoru.

He had to—alive—make it back to his own world!

Empress Hancock, burning with fury, stormed straight toward the Uchiha Clan's compound.

But before she could find Uchiha Yoru, she was stopped by an Uchiha ninja patrol on the outer perimeter.

"Halt. This is Uchiha territory ahead. Unauthorized entry is not permitted!"

The leader was Uchiha Inabi, a typical radical member of the Uchiha Clan.

Even facing the absolute ruler of this world, Inabi showed no fear, blocking the Empress with an expressionless face.

"I am the Emperor of this island. The entire island belongs to me. Where can I not go?"

The Empress lifted her chin, waiting for the men before her to bow down to her beauty.

But hearing her words, Uchiha Inabi's expression shifted instantly. He drew a Kunai coated in Haki, pointed it at the Empress, and barked:

"How dare you! This area is now under Uchiha jurisdiction!"

"Do you want to die?" The Empress's face darkened.

"Prepare for battle!"

Inabi shouted, and several Uchiha moved to attack.

"Stop!"

At the critical moment, Shisui appeared between the two sides with a Body Flicker, halting the conflict just in time.

He first looked at Uchiha Inabi and the others, his tone gentle yet carrying undeniable authority:

"Inabi, put away your weapons. Her Majesty the Empress is our guest and ally. Do not be rude."

Though Inabi and his men looked displeased, they held considerable respect for Shisui.

Hearing this, they complied and sheathed their Kunai, though the vigilance in their eyes did not fade.

Only then did Shisui turn to the Empress, his face bearing his trademark gentle smile:

"Your Majesty, you've come suddenly. Is something urgent? You seem... not in the best mood?"

The Empress, who had arrived blazing with anger and ready to demand an accounting, found her fury inexplicably deflating like a punctured balloon the moment Shisui appeared.

Especially hearing his gentle inquiry, the urgency and grievance born from her worry for him surged up, diluting her anger.

The harsh words she had prepared to hurl at Uchiha Yoru circled in her mind several times, but when they finally left her lips, they came out as a reproach tinged—

with a hint of coquettishness she herself didn't notice:

"And you ask me what's wrong! How does your clan head manage his people?!"

The Empress stamped her foot slightly, her stunning face flushed with anger.

"Just now, some guy wearing an Orange Spiral Mask barged right into my bedchamber!

Not only was he disrespectful to me, he also spouted nonsense about taking your eyes! His right eye is just like yours—he must be one of your clansmen!"

The Empress didn't mention anything about the other's plan to control Uchiha Yoru. Why would she care about that?

All she remembered was that the man wanted to harm Shisui and take his eyes.

That was what mattered most to her.