There was no denying it—after becoming Chunin, Zobei and Kotarou's combat strength had gone up by at least one level.
Even though they were still at the bottom ranks of Chunin, the combined Konohagakure Taijutsu they executed at this moment was far beyond what they had ever been capable of before.
Scenes from the past flashed through their minds.
From surviving the brutal battles in Orochimaru's base, relying only on their own strength—
To standing at the dawn of a new era on Naruto Bridge, fearlessly facing the captain of the Blade-less Pirates and living to tell the tale.
Then, after breaking through countless obstacles, they had finally earned the right to enter Konohagakure.
And during the chaos of the Konohagakure Collapse Plan, they had survived once again.
The Third Hokage of Konohagakure had fallen. The leader of the Root had defected. In this era where countless powerful figures had perished, Zobei and Kotarou had quietly risen to the rank of Chunin.
The fall of the old generation had paved the way for the rise of the new.
Today, they were Konohagakure's Chunin.
Tomorrow, they could become its Kage—perhaps even surpass Orochimaru himself.
That was the belief Zobei and Kotarou held—the belief of the strong.
This was their era.
At that moment, they saw Shanks enter the room wearing a chef's hat, with Shisui standing beside him. Their fighting spirit burned even stronger.
One of them was a scrawny chef, thinner than even the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. The other was a young blind man.
Zobei grinned, and Kotarou also flashed a confident smile. Their eyes met, and they could see the same confidence in each other.
Two against three? So what? They were Chunin of Konohagakure!
"Konohagakure's Ultimate Secret: Triple Whirlwind!"
Zobei and Kotarou twisted in midair, changing their attack pattern. Their legs struck together as they launched a combined assault toward Shanks and Shisui.
They moved so fast that even they could barely keep up with their own speed.
The S-rank forbidden jutsu they had spent so much effort creating would unleash uncontrollable power, wiping out everything in front of them.
"Whoosh!"
Shanks and Shisui tilted their heads slightly as a gust of wind swept past them, followed by two dark figures rushing forward.
"Boom!!"
The sound of a wall collapsing came from behind. Zobei and Kotarou's "forbidden jutsu" was indeed powerful—it had just kicked down the outer wall.
A cloud of dust rose into the air as Kabuto looked at the two men standing at the entrance.
One of them had a laid-back posture and dressed casually, wearing a rather out-of-place "chef's hat" that covered his messy red hair.
But his gaze was full of dominance, and the four scars over his left eye only made him look even more imposing and commanding.
"…Shanks!!"
For a moment, Kabuto even felt his mouth go dry.
Standing before this man, even someone as calculating as Kabuto couldn't keep his heart steady.
Shanks wasn't doing anything—just standing there quietly—yet Kabuto felt an overwhelming pressure. At this moment, he could almost hear his own heartbeat.
And the man standing beside Shanks was someone Kabuto knew just as well.
"Uchiha Shisui?"
"Kabuto?"
Hearing Kabuto's voice, an image of him appeared in Shisui's mind.
Shisui remembered every shinobi from Konohagakure—every single one of them.
And that included Kabuto, someone who stood out in his own way. He participated in the Chunin Exams every year, only to forfeit every time. How could that not be noticed?
Kabuto had been working for Danzo back then, so no one had ever questioned him. But that didn't mean he had gone unnoticed.
"You're still alive."
"That's not surprising, is it, Kabuto?"
Shisui's right hand had been holding a hand sign the entire time. The moment he entered, his jutsu was already prepared.
"Hand over what you're holding."
"Sorry, even though I can't beat the two of you, this thing is something Orochimaru-sama needs. There's no way I'm just going to hand it over so easily."
Kabuto smiled slightly.
It was obvious—whatever he was holding was just as important to Shisui and Shanks.
So which was more valuable—Kabuto's life or the item in his hands? The answer was clear. Kabuto's life wasn't that important.
But just as Kabuto smiled, his expression suddenly froze.
The next second, his consciousness was pulled into a dark space.
A blood-red moon hung in the night sky, while countless crows flew across the desolate land.
Kabuto's body felt like a lifeless corpse lying on the barren ground, completely helpless as the crows pecked at him.
The crows approached from the distance, and from within them, Shisui's figure emerged.
"Uchiha Genjutsu—Pure Land."
Shisui raised two fingers in front of his chest, his scarred eyes opening.
Though his eye sockets should have been pitch black and empty, the Mangekyou Sharingan spun quietly within them, locking onto Kabuto, who was bound to the ground like a corpse.
"H-How is this possible? You clearly lost your eyes…"
Kabuto was utterly shocked.
As a medical ninja, he could see it clearly—Shisui's eyes had lost their pupils long ago.
How could he still use Sharingan Genjutsu?
"Losing my eyes doesn't mean I can't see. As long as I can still see…
When I can't sense the world, I let the world sense me. It's a simple idea."
Shisui spoke calmly. This reverse-sensing method was something he had relied on after falling off a cliff to perceive his surroundings.
But after Ross and the others arrived, this method became his only option—the training of Observation Haki.
"Impossible… This technique… How can you use it without the Uchiha clan's eyes?"
"Kabuto…"
"This is the Uchiha clan's territory."
The smile on Shisui's face disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.
This was the Uchiha clan's land. As Konohagakure's once most powerful clan, did people really think they wouldn't have left some kind of safeguard?
"Do you know why the higher-ups of Konohagakure, despite knowing about the Uchiha clan's coup plans, didn't dare to directly wipe them out?"
"Because no one dares to fight the Uchiha clan on their own ground. The Uchiha only fall by their own hands."
"At least, that's how it is here."
The next moment, Kabuto's consciousness blurred. When he opened his eyes again, he was already lying on the ground. Though he had broken free from Shisui's Genjutsu, the feeling of his soul almost being pulled from his body was deeply unsettling.
"I… I couldn't do anything…"
Lying there, Kabuto's eyes were filled with helplessness. Against figures like Shisui and Shanks, did people like him not even have the right to be acknowledged?
This overwhelming sense of powerlessness made Kabuto…
"Damn it! I was just caught off guard! A mere cook? Like I'd ever take you seriously!"
Before Kabuto could even finish his sad internal monologue, a loud voice came from outside.
Zobei and Kotarou climbed over the broken courtyard wall, supporting each other, both looking badly injured.
"Heh… If you could take on our ultimate Taijutsu technique, then you're definitely not just some ordinary chef."
"But still…"
Kotarou lifted his head, brushing the dust off his forehead protector.
"But still… A mere cook? We're Chunin of Konohagakure!!"
"Taijutsu Ultimate Art: Great Collapse!"
The two of them roared and charged at Shanks, their fists coming together with such force that even Shanks could feel a slight chill from the pressure.
Inside the shrine, Kabuto watched Zobei and Kotarou's passionate display, then silently closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.
"For these two guys to have survived this long, they must have some sort of talent, right?"
Just as he finished speaking—
"Bang!"
Shanks, standing at the entrance, scratched his head with his left hand while casually punching both of them with his right. The next moment, Zobei and Kotarou lay peacefully on the steps, each with a large bump on their heads.
"Where did these idiots come from?"
Hearing Shanks' comment, not only did Kabuto fall silent, but even the two cats nearby seemed too embarrassed to respond.
Shisui, however, changed the subject.
"This is… Uchiha Izuna's Memory Sealing Seal."
Using his chakra, Shisui sensed the object he had taken from Kabuto's hands. It was a sealed memory.
Memory-sealing jutsu does exist in the ninja world, but its biggest drawback is that it requires the target's consent.
"However, only certain people can undo this seal.
One is Uchiha Madara, and the other is… Tobirama."
"Tobirama?"
Shanks looked toward Kabuto inside the shrine. Since Kabuto was here, where was Orochimaru?
Seeing their expressions, Kabuto immediately understood.
"The Second Hokage was sealed by the Third Hokage using the Reaper Death Seal. Even if Orochimaru-sama wanted to use Edo Tensei, it wouldn't work."
"Even for Orochimaru-sama, it's impossible to go back in time and summon the Second Hokage before he was sealed."
"Go back in time?"
Shanks was momentarily stunned. Thinking about it, going back to the past really did seem like the simplest solution.
But Shanks' reaction also left Kabuto and Shisui momentarily speechless.
"Don't look at me like that. There are mission records within Konohagakure about this. By using the power of the Dragon Vein, there is indeed a certain chance of traveling back in time."
"But that thing is too dangerous. Let's save it for later."
Shanks spread his hands as if to say, "Isn't the Dragon Vein a Konohagakure issue? Why are you all looking at me?"
Meanwhile, outside the village, Orochimaru, linked to Kabuto's senses, also heard what Shanks said about the Dragon Vein.
"Dragon?"
"Dragon Vein??"
Orochimaru's mind instantly locked onto the key words. He stared at his hands, lost in thought.
He won the gamble! The hands he bet in the New World—he won the bet!
This is what going all-in really means! Right now, he's like Chan Ho-nam at the gambling table… No, forget that. If the Four Emperors could go all-in with just one hand, then he, Orochimaru, was pushing both hands in at once!
Tell me—how can I lose? How?!
Going all-in isn't just luck; it's wisdom.
His chance to become a dragon had finally arrived. And the key to it… was inside Konohagakure!
At that moment, Orochimaru's eyes burned with excitement.
A dragon!!! Why stay a snake when he could become a dragon?
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