Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 214: Let's Make a Promise, Nami!

Nami's crying didn't stop for a long time. Even when Nojiko and the other villagers arrived by boat, she still couldn't shake off the guilt weighing on her heart.

She could never forgive herself for being weak. Because of her powerlessness, her big brother figure, Uchiha Yi, had lost an arm.

She couldn't go on like this.

She had to become stronger—no matter what.

---

"Yi, your arm…!"

As they reached the shore, Nojiko finally noticed Yi's missing limb, her face filled with horror.

"Haha!"

"It's nothing!" Yi laughed carefreely.

"A single arm is a small price to pay."

"What's more important is that Nami is safe."

He smiled, as if his loss didn't matter at all.

But the empty space where his arm used to be weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Nami couldn't say a word.

She felt completely useless.

She had promised herself to protect her village, her people—yet she couldn't protect anyone.

Not even the person who protected her.

---

After returning to the village, Yi's wound was treated, and he rested for a few days.

Then, he made his decision.

It was time to leave.

---

"Nami, Nojiko," Yi called them over, his expression serious.

"It's time for me to go."

"I wanted to call you here to say goodbye."

Both girls froze.

"Why?!" Nami asked in shock.

"Why do you have to leave so suddenly?!"

"Where will you go?!"

Yi smiled gently.

"I've been planning to leave for a long time now."

"But now, seeing how you've grown up, I finally feel at ease."

Nami bit her lip.

She couldn't accept this.

She didn't want him to go.

---

"Then… when can we see you again…?"

Her voice was soft, carrying an unspoken fear of being left behind.

Yi looked at her and grinned mischievously.

"The world is vast, Nami."

"If you want to see me again…"

"Then defeat the Four Emperors, the three Admirals of the Navy, and the ruler of the Celestial Dragons—Imu."

Nami's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"Yi, you're too cruel!"

"I can't even beat Don Krieg!"

"How am I supposed to fight the Four Emperors and the Navy Admirals?!"

"Not to mention this Imu person—I don't even know who that is!"

---

Unlike Luffy, Nami knew the vastness of the world.

She understood just how impossible this task was.

Yi sighed inwardly.

This was the biggest problem with his mission.

Nami was too rational.

Unlike Luffy, who would charge forward blindly, she would analyze and hesitate.

If she thought something was impossible, she wouldn't even try.

Yi had to change that.

He needed to make her believe.

---

"Hmm… so, you're already giving up?"

His expression turned cold.

"Do you really have no confidence in yourself?"

Nami panicked.

"No! That's not it, I just—"

But she couldn't find the words to explain herself.

Because deep down, she knew…

She really didn't believe in herself.

---

Yi cut her off.

"Listen, Nami."

"Not everything in this world waits for you to be ready before it happens."

"Did you have a plan when you rushed into the village to stop Don Krieg?"

Nami froze.

"No…"

She really hadn't thought about it.

She had just acted.

"Were you not afraid of dying?"

She shook her head.

"That's because you knew—if you didn't do something, you would lose everything."

---

"So tell me, Nami—"

"Do you truly lack the belief that you can defeat the Four Emperors?"

"Or is it that you just don't have a reason to fight them yet?"

Nami's mind went blank.

"... I…"

She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't.

---

"Fine," Yi said.

"I understand now."

"From this moment on, I am an evil pirate."

"I am a man so vile and monstrous, that the world will curse my name."

His lips curled into a wicked grin.

"And as my first act of evil…"

"I'm going to kidnap Nojiko."

---

"WHAT?!"

Both Nami and Nojiko shouted in unison.

Yi ignored them and effortlessly lifted Nojiko onto his shoulder.

"If you want your sister back…"

"Then defeat the Four Emperors. Defeat the Navy Admirals. And defeat Imu."

"Find me, and take Nojiko back yourself."

He grinned.

"What do you say, Nami?"

"Let's make a promise."

"If you fail, then you'll never see Nojiko again."

Nami froze in place.

Her mind completely shut down.

---

By the time she snapped out of it, Yi was already on the ship, sailing away.

"W-WAIT!!"

She ran after the ship, but it was too late.

His figure grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the horizon.

"DAMN YOU, YI!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs, shaking with rage and frustration.

"YOU'RE TOO EVIL!"

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

Her fists clenched, her eyes burning with determination.

---

Meanwhile, on the departing ship, Nojiko sighed.

"Yi… are you sure about this?"

She trusted him, but… this plan seemed a little extreme.

Yi smirked.

"She'll figure it out."

"She's smart—too smart for her own good."

"I had to give her a reason to fight."

"She has no excuse now."

"If she wants Nojiko back, she must become stronger."

Nojiko fell silent.

Then, she sighed again.

"You really planned this out, huh?"

Yi grinned mischievously.

"For the mission, of course."

"Do you think Red-Haired Shanks gave his arm to Luffy just because he wanted to?"

"The strongest people never raise their successors directly."

"They let them struggle, fight, and grow on their own."

His gaze turned serious.

"She'll hate me at first."

"She'll curse my name."

"But in the end…"

"She'll become the strongest woman this world has ever seen."

He chuckled.

"Man… this mission is such a pain."

---

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