Chapter 353: Ch 353 : Enemies are coming from the sea
Seireitei, Captain's Meeting.
The captain of the Eighth Division, Shunsui Kyoraku, was giving a detailed report to the Head Captain and the other captains regarding the situation in the Living World and all the agreements reached with the Sun Empire.
Kyoraku had been authorized by the Head Captain and the Central 46 to negotiate with the Sun Empire, and all the demands made and the costs paid were within the acceptable limits for Soul Society.
"Captain Kyoraku, how strong are these ninjas exactly?" someone among the captains asked.
During this time, they had been investigating the situation in the Living World, but the structure of the ninja system was different from that of the Shinigami.
There were large numbers of so-called "rogue ninjas," whose abilities varied greatly.
Most of them weren't even as skilled as students from the Shin'o Academy.
This finding had caused some captains to develop a sense of contempt.
The one who had just spoken was a short-haired woman with a cold and sharp demeanor.
Kyoraku pondered for a moment before answering, "Regarding that, the Emperor of the Sun Empire will soon host a tournament called the Imperial Ninja Martial Arts Tournament. It will be a grand event featuring ninja combat, and we, the Shinigami, have been invited to attend as spectators."
"Could this be a trap?" asked a man with braided hair and protective goggles.
He was the captain of the Ninth Division, Tosen Kaname.
Kyoraku replied, "The Empire likely fears our strength as well. Given the current state of the world, I don't think they would be foolish enough to make enemies of us."
A hoarse voice suddenly interjected, "Ninja Martial Arts Tournament… is it a fight?"
The speaker was a burly man with a fierce, menacing face—Zaraki Kenpachi, captain of the Eleventh Division.
"In a way, yes. It's a competition between ninjas."
"Then can we join?"
"..."
When Kenpachi asked this question, several captains in the room showed expressions of speechlessness.
Kyoraku explained once again, "This is a tournament for ninjas. We Shinigami are merely invited as spectators."
But Kenpachi pressed on, "Ah… then why don't we Shinigami hold our own tournament too?"
"..."
Across from him, a white-haired youth nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it in.
In the end, the bald, white-bearded elder sitting at the head of the room tapped his cane against the floor, finally making Kenpachi quiet down.
Head Captain Yamamoto spoke, "Our top priority right now is to quickly restore the operations of the Soul Society and accelerate our investigation of the Living World. We have just arrived, and in many areas, we still need to rely on the assistance of the Sun Empire."
"What about the vacant captain position of the Thirteenth Division?"
The purification of Hollows in the Living World, as well as the entirety of the Konso (soul burial) process, was originally the responsibility of the Thirteenth Division.
However, with the upheaval in the Soul Society, its captain, Jushiro Ukitake, had vanished without a trace.
This even reminded many people of the soul disappearance case from long ago.
Upon hearing this, Yamamoto remained silent for a moment before calmly stating, "The vacancy will be filled soon… If you have any recommendations for a candidate, feel free to bring them forward."
With that, the meeting was adjourned.
.............
Water Province, a Certain Island.
The residents here primarily made their living through fishing, but not long ago, they were suddenly attacked by a group of pirates.
Being located in the vast ocean, the presence of pirates was not unusual.
Even before the era of the Empire, back in the time of the Land of Water, pirate troubles had been a frequent occurrence.
Some of the larger pirate crews were composed of rogue ninja and defectors, but due to the presence of Kirigakure, they never dared to act too recklessly.
After the establishment of the Empire, the formation of the Ninja Guild led many pirates to turn over a new leaf, opting to become regular workers.
However, for some unknown reason, piracy had recently surged once again.
Reports of raids and plundering had become more frequent.
The Governor of Water Province and the local branch leader of the Ninja Guild had discussed the matter together but could not uncover the root cause.
Their only recourse was to continuously dispatch ninja forces to suppress the threat.
They even issued bounties, encouraging rogue ninja to take up the task of hunting down the pirates.
The ninja of Kirigakure had always been adept at water combat and Water Release techniques.
The ocean was practically their domain—none of them feared these pirates.
The moment the bounty missions were posted by the guild, countless rogue ninja set out for the open sea.
The vast ocean stretched endlessly, its waves rising and falling without pause.
Hoshigaki Kisame sat on a reef by the shore, the sea breeze brushing against his face.
He listened to the crashing waves around him, yet his expression remained calm, as if waiting for something.
Beside him, an unusual weapon wrapped in white bandages stood upright in the sand.
"Kisame."
A voice suddenly called out from nearby.
It belonged to a man who wore his forehead protector at an angle and had his face partially wrapped in bandages.
Carrying a massive sword on his back, he stood there watching.
"Don't you think this is strange?"
"Strange in what way?"
"These new pirates that have been appearing... they don't seem to be ninja at all," Momochi Zabuza said.
"Why?" Kisame's expression remained unchanged as he responded.
Zabuza said, "Their way of fighting is strange, and there's no sign of chakra in them. You, of all people, should know this well with Samehada in your hands."
Among the Seven Swords of the Mist, Samehada had the ability to absorb others' chakra and transfer it to its wielder.
Yet, in the past few days of fighting these pirates, Kisame had discovered that these people had no chakra at all.
Without chakra, they weren't ninjas.
However, they still displayed extraordinary strength, which was baffling.
Even the most skilled taijutsu practitioners among ninjas still had chakra—it was an unavoidable necessity.
Zabuza continued, "I wonder if the higher-ups have noticed these guys."
Kisame replied, "That's not something we need to worry about."
After the ninja system was restructured, many of the former Kirigakure ninja formed small groups.
As successors of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kisame and Zabuza naturally garnered respect and admiration.
Many factions had tried to recruit them.
However, Zabuza turned them all down, instead choosing to form his own small guild called the "Demon Brigade".
He pulled Kisame into it as well.
With two of the Seven Swordsmen among their ranks, their influence quickly grew.
Zabuza had great ambition—he had always dreamed of becoming the Mizukage one day.
But the rapid changes of the times had far outpaced his expectations.
"Why don't you go ask that friend of yours for some information?"
Kisame turned to look at Zabuza.
"I'm talking about that genius young lady."
Kisame replied, "Mei and I aren't really friends."
Zabuza was about to say more, but Kisame suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on the ocean.
"They're here."
Zabuza followed his line of sight and looked toward the sea.
In the distance, where the sky met the ocean, a row of dark silhouettes appeared—it was a fleet of ships.
Numerous smaller vessels surrounded one massive central ship.
He narrowed his eyes. "Looks like a pretty big operation."
Kisame added, "So far, this is the largest pirate crew we've encountered."
Zabuza then said, "Kisame, you're also a member of the Demon Brigade. I hope you'll help me—I don't intend for the Demon Brigade to remain just a small-time group playing around in this region."
Kisame's eyes flickered. "Let's finish this battle first."
As they spoke, something suddenly flew through the sky, catching their attention.
At first, they thought it was some kind of bird, but as it got closer, they realized it was a person—with a pair of wings made of blue flames.
As he flew, he left a trail of glowing blue fire in his wake.
Zabuza murmured, "What... is that?"
The pirate flag also seemed strange.
The skull on it had an odd crescent-shaped marking that, upon closer inspection, somewhat resembled a man's mustache.
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