Chapter 6

As for the exact differences, she would have to study them carefully before drawing any conclusions.

"It's probably the environment," Uchiha Xunjing chimed in. "The seas in this world even have super Sea Kings several thousand meters long. Sea beasts dozens or hundreds of meters long are everywhere."

"Even on land, Fierce Beasts dozens of meters long roam all over the place."

"So I think we should regularly hunt some Sea Kings and large wild beasts for their meat."

"Combined with the Life-Nourishing Art and Taijutsu training, it might not just help our bodies recover faster and grow much stronger, but also restore some of our vitality. What do you think, Mom?"

"Sounds good." After hearing him out, Uchiha Chisato nodded without hesitation. "Even if you hadn't brought it up, that was what I'd planned to do."

"We can't let something this good for strengthening our bodies go to waste."

Uchiha Chisato continued, "Later on, we can give some Sea King meat to the trustworthy, loyal members of our clan, too, so they can grow stronger."

"After all, the Uchiha Clan will be yours sooner or later. The stronger they are, the better it'll be for your future."

"It's a shame not everyone can complete a contract. Otherwise, I would've sent people over to establish a permanent base and hunt Sea Kings and Fierce Beasts every day."

"Then I wouldn't have to do it myself."

At that point, she paused and looked at Xunjing. "Once your body has recovered and your strength starts improving, I'll help you build up your standing in the clan, little by little."

"I'll arrange for the clan's children to follow you, so you can get to know them, win them over, and gather them around you."

"We'll get them to like you as soon as possible, making it easier for you to form contracts. What do you think?"

From the moment she learned about Xunjing's innate ability, Uchiha Chisato had already been planning all of this.

She had everything clearly laid out. Xunjing didn't need to worry about a thing.

Originally, knowing that she didn't have much time left and that Xunjing's health was poor, she had planned to support the Third Elder's son, Fugaku, as the next clan head.

But now, she had changed her mind.

Her son was the best choice.

Fugaku was too indecisive. He fell a little short as a clan head.

Of course, Uchiha Xunjing wouldn't refuse. "Sure. I'll leave it to you, Mom."

Having a mother like her saved him so much trouble.

Xunjing was glad he had formed a contract with his mother right at the start.

"Oh, right."

Uchiha Chisato asked another question. "Do you think a Shadow Clone would hold up across worlds if I left one over there after going back, or left one here?"

"If it works, things will be much easier from now on."

Otherwise, all that traveling back and forth would seriously interfere with matters in the Ninja World.

She couldn't be in two places at once.

This trip had originally been meant as a scouting visit. She hadn't intended to stay long.

She hadn't expected to arrive on a pirate ship out at sea and end up rescuing the Kuja Pirates along the way, forcing her to change her plans.

"Hmm... We can try. Maybe... it should... work?"

Xunjing wasn't quite sure either.

"Then let's try."

The two tested it on the spot.

The result spoke for itself-it worked.

If they left a Shadow Clone in either the Ninja World or the Pirate World and sent the original body to the other world, the clone wouldn't disappear.

Xunjing also discovered that he could set coordinates anywhere he had been, then teleport straight there.

That included on people, ships, or other objects.

Now that was impressive.

It meant he could freely travel back and forth between any places he had visited.

The more Uchiha Xunjing thought about it, the more he felt this approach wouldn't just work in the Pirate World. It would probably work on the Hokage side, too.

If he weren't too weak at the moment, and if the timing were right, he would have gone straight off to explore new territory.

"Sis, do you think we could do this-come back here and rest for a few days along the way, then send our real bodies over once they're almost at the Sabaody Archipelago?"

He turned toward Uchiha Chisato, his tone a little tentative.

Jiri considered it for a moment before answering, "It would be better to keep at least one of our real bodies there, in case someone notices something off or something goes wrong along the way."

"After all, we still don't know whether that Observation Haki can see through Shadow Clones."

With that, she reached out and pinched Xunjing's cheek, smiling rather helplessly.

"Have you forgotten? You've only just extracted a tiny bit of chakra. You haven't learned the Shadow Clone technique at all."

"Besides, with your body in its current condition, how could you keep working on chakra? Never mind practicing Shadow Clones."

Xunjing froze, his expression collapsing in an instant.

"...I forgot."

He scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I need to get my body healthy as soon as possible. Otherwise, I can't do anything."

Seeing his dejected look, Jiri couldn't help laughing and reached out to pat his head.

"Don't rush. Take it slowly. You'll get better."

Xunjing took a deep breath and waved a hand. "Enough talking. Let's practice the Life-Nourishing Art first. I don't think I've reached my limit for today."

As he spoke, he stood up and began practicing again.

He also wanted to find out how many times he could practice in a single day.

"Sure. I'll practice with you. Let's get both our bodies back into shape as soon as we can."

Jiri smiled, stood up as well, and began practicing alongside him.

After two rounds, Xunjing couldn't keep going.

Panting heavily, he plopped down on the floor and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face.

He was exhausted, his whole body aching and sore.

His stomach was growling fiercely, too-he was starving.

His body was clearly telling him to stop. It couldn't take any more.

No matter how good the Life-Nourishing Art was, it still needed energy to sustain it.

Jiri, on the other hand, was still nowhere near her limit.

She continued practicing while reassuring him. "Since you've reached your limit, rest for now. I still need to keep going. I have to regain my peak strength as soon as possible."

Over the years, her strength had declined badly because of her health.

This world was too dangerous. She had to recover quickly.

Xunjing nodded. "All right. Then I'll work on some prescriptions to help us recover."

"I'll also copy out a few medical books while I'm at it, so we can use them to pay Dr. Kureha later."

The Sea King meat had been stewed until tender. With the aid of the Life-Nourishing Art, its effect on restoring their life origin was exceptionally pronounced.

"If we don't offer enough in payment, she won't be easy to satisfy."

Her title of Witch hadn't come out of nowhere.

"You've thought this through very well. Let's do as you suggest!"

Uchiha Chisato naturally had no objections. Instead, she felt deeply gratified.

This child really had matured overnight.

It seems that inheritance truly is extraordinary. It's filled Xunjing's head with so much knowledge.

And information about the Ninja World and the Pirate World, too?

It probably isn't limited to the past and present. It might even include the future.

Once we have some free time, I'll have to ask Xunjing about it properly, so we can prepare in advance.

Uchiha Chisato pondered this as she practiced.

She could sense that ever since her son had awakened his innate ability and received the Sage Inheritance, a certain urgency had taken hold of him.

It wasn't just because of her lifespan or his own.

She could feel Xunjing's desperate desire to grow stronger, along with his intense sense of impending danger.

It seems the future of our family-and even the Uchiha Clan-is looking very grim.

Otherwise, Xunjing wouldn't have seemed so anxious.

Xunjing had no idea that his mother had already deduced so much from the subtle shifts in his emotions.

First, he flashed back to the Ninja World and fetched a stack of blank paper from home. Then he began copying out medical books while drafting separate prescriptions to restore their health and treat their injuries, based on his own physical condition and the problems he had discovered when examining Uchiha Chisato earlier.

More than an hour passed in a flash.

After practicing the Life-Nourishing Art dozens of times, Uchiha Chisato also stopped for the moment.

Knock, knock, knock!