Chapter 5

Uchiha Chisato glanced around the room and nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "By the way, how much longer will it take to reach the Sabaody Archipelago from here?"

Hancock paused, thought for a moment, and answered, "Hmm... probably another day or two? Why? Are you in a hurry?"

She had a good impression of this mother and son. If they hadn't stepped in earlier, everyone aboard her ship would have been captured and enslaved. They certainly wouldn't be standing here talking.

"No, it's nothing. I was just asking. Go take care of things. The wounded aboard the ship are waiting for you. We can talk once you're done."

Uchiha Chisato waved a hand, signaling that she didn't need to stay and keep them company.

Hancock didn't insist. She nodded and said, "All right, I'll go check on them. I'll have someone bring you something to eat in a little while."

With that, she turned and quickly left.

Uchiha Chisato led her son into the room and closed the door behind them before asking, "Xiao Qing, you seem to know quite a bit about that girl and her pirate crew. Want to tell your mom about them?"

"Sure."

Without hesitation, Uchiha Xunjing told her everything he knew.

After listening, Uchiha Chisato raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The Kuja Warriors are all women? Most of them know Armament Haki, and some know Observation Haki too? So they're a faction with a Two-Color Haki legacy?"

Interest showed on her face. "They're pretty capable."

"They remind me of a place in the Ninja World called Nadeshiko Village. It's quite similar to Kuja Island-nothing but women."

At the mention of Nadeshiko Village, Jiraiya's face immediately flashed through Uchiha Xunjing's mind. That guy seemed to have gotten himself pretty deeply involved with that village later on, and had even landed Naruto in trouble over it.

Uchiha Chisato changed the subject and asked tentatively, "What do you think about asking them for their Two-Color Haki cultivation methods as our reward?"

She was quite curious about this world's power system and wanted to get her hands on it for study. From Xunjing's description and what she'd witnessed in the earlier battle, both Observation Haki and Armament Haki were valuable.

"We'd better not ask."

Xunjing shook his head without a second thought. "That's Kuja Island's foundational legacy. If we ask for it outright, we won't just risk being turned down-we could sour our relationship with them. It's not worth it."

"Besides, they're about to pick up their previous captain, Shakuyaku, who was also Kuja Island's empress two generations ago. That old lady is, at the very least, a master of Two-Color Haki."

"The intelligence network she controls is practically as dense as a spider's web!"

"And the man beside her is Rayleigh-the former right-hand man of the King of the Pirates. A genuine Iron Fist!"

"Rayleigh has mastered all Three-Color Haki. His strength puts him well above Kage Level fighters."

"Even if he can't match monsters like the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha, the gap wouldn't be all that big."

"We could ask for Rayleigh's or Shakuyaku's Three-Color Haki cultivation methods instead, along with their insights into the Six Powers and Life Return."

"That's a much cleaner approach than going straight for Kuja Island's legacy. It won't make them think we're coveting their ancestral secrets either. What do you think, Mom?"

Matters involving a people's closely guarded secrets were the easiest way to invite unnecessary trouble and suspicion.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Chisato raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Someone strong enough to challenge Madara Uchiha? Wouldn't the cultivation insights of someone at that level be more valuable than anything else? Would they really agree to give them to us?"

If it really could work, she naturally preferred Xunjing's proposal.

At the same time, something else dawned on her-this world had far more top-tier powerhouses than the Ninja World, and they were much stronger too!

But on second thought, given this world's population, she felt it made perfect sense.

Its territory was who knew how many times larger than the Ninja World's.

"That shouldn't be a problem!"

Uchiha Xunjing nodded confidently. "Neither Shakuyaku nor Rayleigh is petty, and they're certainly not ungrateful!"

"If that doesn't work, I'll trade them a piece of information they absolutely won't be able to refuse!"

"Whether it's insights into Three-Color Haki, the Six Powers, or Life Return, I won't leave out a single word. I'm getting all of it!"

If I let this chance slip away, it'll be gone for good!

He'd originally thought it would take some effort to get his hands on these treasures.

Now that heaven had laid a path right at his feet, why wouldn't he take it?

"As long as you know what you're doing. We'll do it your way, then!"

After hearing him out, Uchiha Chisato offered no further objections, then asked curiously, "But what exactly are these Six Powers and Life Return you mentioned? What makes them worth all this attention? Do they have something to do with this world's navy?"

"Yes!"

Uchiha Xunjing nodded firmly. "They're connected to the navy. To be more direct, they're inseparable from the World **!"

"Basically, they're secret superhuman taijutsu techniques that push human potential to its limits and temper the body to an absurd degree."

"And you could call them a prerequisite for systematically cultivating Two-Color Haki."

"Once you've properly mastered the Six Powers, you're only one step away from awakening Armament Haki and Observation Haki."

"Of course, none of that is the main point. The real prize is that once you've fully mastered the Six Powers, you have a chance to reach an even higher level of superhuman taijutsu: Life Return."

"This technique might accelerate our physical recovery and even strengthen our physical foundations. It might even help us replenish our depleted life origin."

Even setting aside the ability to extend one's will into every cell of the body, the mere fact that it could boost digestion and recovery to outrageous levels, making the body furiously absorb food and convert it into vitality, was enough to make it irresistible to Xunjing.

Xunjing gave a rough explanation of the key points of the Six Powers and Life Return, and Uchiha Chisato finally understood.

"So, in other words, you can thoroughly strengthen your digestive system and recovery abilities, and gain complete control over every muscle and bit of flesh in your body?"

"That really is an impressive set of superhuman taijutsu techniques."

"If we mastered this technique, wouldn't it also help us replenish cellular energy faster?"

"In other words, wouldn't it be a huge help in rapidly recovering chakra too?"

If she mastered this move, her ability to stay alive would surely double.

"Exactly." Uchiha Xunjing nodded firmly after hearing her out. "It should help with all of that. That's why I said it was so important."

"Of course, learning Life Return is frighteningly difficult too."

"Supposedly, only a tiny handful of top geniuses in the entire Pirate World can comprehend it."

Even though every member of CP9 had mastered the Six Powers, wasn't Rob Lucci apparently the only one who had ultimately reached the level of Life Return?

That alone showed how high the threshold for this technique was.

"A little difficulty is nothing. As long as the cultivation method is correct, I'm sure I can learn it," Uchiha Chisato said, confidence shining in her eyes.

Wasn't I a genius too?

"Heh, you're right." Seeing his mother's reaction, Uchiha Xunjing smiled along with her, then changed the subject. "By the way, Mom, you've probably noticed too, right? People in this world generally have ridiculously strong bodies. They're more than just one notch above the people in the Ninja World."

"Yes." Uchiha Chisato nodded without hesitation. "I noticed that a while ago. It probably has a lot to do with the natural environment here."

"I've sensed it too-the oceans of this world are teeming with enormous creatures possessing immense life energy."

"And that's only near the surface. If we explored deeper, we'd most likely find even bigger, stronger sea beasts."

"Of course, the human constitution in this world might also be fundamentally different from that of people in the Ninja World."