*Chapter 263: Unexpected Encounter with a Supernova*

The Uchiha clan's good looks were universally acknowledged in the ninja world; no woman could resist them.

Hmm!

Kushina Uzumaki thought of an Uchiha—Obito Uchiha, who was the only one who didn’t quite fit the usual image of an Uchiha.

Not that handsome! Plus, he was full of clumsiness and foolishness.

If any woman claimed not to like an Uchiha, she was definitely lying.

Back when she was in school, Kushina was also drawn to the cool and handsome aura of the Uchiha boys.

But most Uchiha boys were aloof and arrogant, which quickly dampened Kushina's interest.

However, Uchiha Raijin...

This boy seemed to have a touch of gentleness!

“If you go back and tell him you're willing to have his child, he’d surely accept you.”

“I observed Dressrosa, and I’ve noticed Uchiha Raijin only seems interested in expanding the Uchiha clan.”

“He's so focused on it, he's willing to go to extreme measures! If you use your charm, there's no doubt it would work.”

Mito Uzumaki whispered into Kushina’s ear.

In Mito’s eyes, this boy from the Uchiha clan was truly impressive.

His abilities in all areas spoke for themselves!

To come to this vast sea and establish such an empire…

It was essentially built from nothing.

How many people in Konoha could match this boy's capabilities?

Hashirama created Konoha, but that was only because he had many allies standing by his side.

If it weren’t for Tobirama’s help in advocating for the village’s establishment, or Madara’s efforts in intimidating rival villages…

Konoha would have been devoured in no time.

Hashirama might have ended up working for another village.

After all, Hashirama's political instincts were close to zero.

You could even say his ideals were too naïve.

If he weren't so naïve, how could he have believed that love and peace would create a world without war?

But Uchiha Raijin didn’t believe in such things.

He only believed that strength and control were the ultimate powers.

And under Uchiha Raijin's rule, no one had revolted.

Because he was willing to share power and even give up some benefits to allow others to grow.

At the same time, he instilled enough fear to ensure they willingly followed the Uchiha clan and picked up the scraps left behind.

Mito recalled how, back in Konoha, the various clans had grown slowly because of the village's structure.

But Uchiha Raijin didn’t restrict them. He even encouraged them to grow their families.

He wasn’t afraid they’d rebel!

That’s just the Uchiha nature—bold and unconcerned with cowardly thoughts.

“Grandma Mito! You're joking again!”

Kushina turned her head quickly, embarrassed, trying to hide her face from Mito.

But her attitude already gave away her feelings—she clearly had thoughts about Uchiha Raijin.

“What a pity, I was wrong about Minato Namikaze!”

“I thought he was someone who could heal the emotional scars you carry as a Jinchuriki.”

“I understand the struggles of being a Jinchuriki better than anyone—the pressure is immense.”

“Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya spoke highly of Minato, so I entrusted you to him.”

“But…”

Thinking about it, Mito sighed. Minato had never openly expressed his feelings for Kushina.

Yet, after school, Minato would often follow her, observing her every move.

Even though he said nothing, it was clear to everyone what his intentions were. The Hokage and others were already aware of Minato’s feelings for Kushina.

After all, Kushina was to be the next Jinchuriki. Since she entered school, she had always been under the watch of several members of the Anbu.

Everything that happened in the school was under the Hokage’s control. If Minato had been a regular person, he probably would’ve been chased away.

But Minato excelled in ninja school and was incredibly gifted, which led to Jiraiya taking him as a student.

Jiraiya’s decision to take Minato as a disciple was partly due to Kushina.

But no one could have predicted!

Minato’s love for the village ran so deep.

Perhaps…

He trusted Sarutobi Hiruzen too much.

Mito couldn't fully explain this.

The situation in Konoha was complicated.

“Enough! Grandma Mito, that’s in the past now. After all, I’ve already died once.”

“I’ve cut all ties with Konoha and Minato. The only thing I care about now is Naruto.”

Kushina said helplessly. Only Mito seemed to still be holding onto these matters in her heart.

As for Kushina, she had already come to terms with things when she was revived and learned about Naruto’s struggles.

Konoha’s treacherous nature wasn’t something that escaped her notice even before.

But back then, Minato was on the verge of becoming Hokage!

Kushina believed that Minato’s personality would change the village.

Yet, the village didn’t change, and both of them died young.

“I’ve said too much! Haha!”

Mito chuckled.

The two wandered around the island, casually chatting about Konoha.

Mostly, they talked about Hashirama Senju. Despite his naïve dreams, there was still something endearing about his optimistic nature.

The only other topic was Tsunade.

Mito had recently learned more about Tsunade.

According to reports from Dressrosa, Tsunade had plans to come and find her.

But Mito still hadn’t seen any sign of Tsunade.

“Excuse me, ladies.”

A voice called from behind.

Suddenly, several figures appeared next to Mito, their expressions wary as they looked at the man who had approached.

“Stand down!”

Mito waved them away.

They were there to protect her and Kushina.

Raijin valued the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques.

So he had placed some bodyguards with them.

This was only part of the security; the rest were on the ship, guarding Karin.

Karin was still learning sealing techniques and hadn’t come ashore with them.

“Who are you?”

Mito asked coldly, looking at the young man before her.

“Just a nameless person from the North Sea! May I ask if you’re from Dressrosa?”

The blonde youth calmly asked, a deck of tarot cards appearing in his hand.

Out of nowhere, straw extended, causing the tarot cards to float in the air.

The youth’s gaze stayed fixed on the cards, not giving much attention to the two women before him.

“A nameless person, huh? Yes, we are from Dressrosa. It seems you’ve come to find us for a reason.”

Mito smiled, eyeing the straw that supported the cards.

She instantly recognized that the youth was a Devil Fruit user.

Devil Fruits were similar to the kekkei genkai of ninjas, though they varied widely in type and abilities.

Mito became more cautious.

“My fate told me to come here and find two important people from Dressrosa who could help me join the nation.”

“Once I join Dressrosa, my power will increase greatly, and I will gain something that many on the seas could only dream of.”

The blonde youth spoke calmly while watching his tarot cards!

He had come because fate guided him.

“Fate told you?”

Kushina’s eyes widened, surprised by the intriguing concept.

Could this be the power of a Devil Fruit?

“That’s right! My fruit is the Straw Straw Fruit, which allows me to manifest giant straw beings and various other abilities through my weapons.”

“I’m currently living in the North Sea, twenty years old, and I don’t yet have a bounty.”

Hawkins spoke slowly, explaining his Devil Fruit powers and personal details.

He didn’t know what benefits he would gain from joining Dressrosa.

But Hawkins believed in his fortune-telling and was certain it would be something worthwhile.

“Sounds interesting! If you plan to join Dressrosa, then come with us!”

“You’re a Devil Fruit user, so Raijin definitely won’t reject you.”

Whirlpool Mito pondered for a moment and didn’t reject Hawkins.

Since the other party was speaking so mysteriously, she didn’t have any reason to refuse.

With all the strange things happening at sea recently, nothing really surprised her anymore.

"Master Whirlpool Mito, please inform Lord Raijin. He has instructed us not to let any strangers near you!"

"If Lord Raijin permits, we can escort him to you!"

At that moment, a ninja spoke up.

If this unknown person caused any harm to Whirlpool Mito, they would bear responsibility as well.

"Alright."

Whirlpool Mito took out the Den Den Mushi (transponder snail).

"Whirlpool Mito? Are you in trouble?" Raijin’s voice came from the snail, sounding somewhat surprised that they were calling.

"No! We just came across an interesting person."

Whirlpool Mito explained the identity of the person in front of her to Raijin.

Raijin immediately understood. He didn’t expect it to be one of the Supernovas.

He hadn’t anticipated that a Supernova would show up on their doorstep.

Now that he thought about it, he realized he already had several Supernovas under his command: Straw Hat Luffy, Zoro of the Three Swords, Trafalgar Law, and now this one, making four in total.

Raijin suddenly had the idea to recruit all of the Supernovas into his pirate crew.

Before, it had been like searching for a needle in a haystack, but now that he had established his network across the four seas, finding the right people was much easier.

These Supernovas were the future rising stars of the seas, each with considerable strength.

If he could recruit them all, Dressrosa’s power would expand significantly in the next ten years.

Many of these Supernova captains had the strength of a navy admiral, or even an emperor's deputy.

If Dressrosa wasn’t powerful then, there’d be no explanation for it.

"Let him stay with you for now. After Xuan Jian arrives, bring him to Dressrosa and hand him over to Zephyr."

"Zephyr will know how to train him. You don’t need to worry about it after that."

Raijin instructed Whirlpool Mito.

Once they grew stronger, they could compete, and the winner could set sail.

Raijin was beginning to find Dressrosa quite interesting.

"Understood!"

Whirlpool Mito nodded and hung up the Den Den Mushi.

"You heard him. Stay with us for now. Someone will come for you later."

Whirlpool Mito told Hawkins.

"Understood!"

Hawkins nodded.

"Is there a situation with Master Mito?"

Kakashi looked toward the distant island and asked.

"No trouble. Just found a promising talent."

"Kakashi, have you decided where to make the first move in the West Sea?"

Raijin asked.

Kakashi had already brought a team of more than twenty people, including Judge's three sons, Zabuza, Hidan, and others.

Their combined strength was enough to cause havoc in any country.

"I’ve investigated the situation in the West Sea. There’s a special force there known as the Happo Navy, a powerful pirate crew that’s been active for quite some time."

"They’ve been lying low recently because their leader suffered a head injury, which weakened their strength. They’re recuperating in the West Sea."

"They’ve also amassed a large amount of wealth, some hidden under the icebergs. Their strength makes them a suitable target for us to hone our blades."

Kakashi produced the wanted poster of Chinjao, the leader of the Happo Navy.

As soon as Raijin issued the order, Kakashi had conducted a detailed investigation of the West Sea.

He had thoroughly scouted the various factions there. If they wanted to establish a foothold, they needed to take down a powerful force.

After careful consideration, Kakashi decided to target the Happo Navy, a prominent and well-known faction in the West Sea.

If Dressrosa could defeat and subdue them, they would be able to gain control of the West Sea.

"The Happo Navy? Their leader, Chinjao, once had a bounty of five hundred million Berries!"

Nico Robin exclaimed in surprise.

She hadn’t expected Dressrosa to immediately clash with such a strong opponent.

"Is that the guy whose head was dented by Garp?"

Raijin suddenly remembered.

He hadn’t realized there was still someone like that hiding in the West Sea.

But that same person had lost not only his strength but also his pride after being beaten by Garp.

Back in the day, Chinjao had grown his power in the New World, proving his strength.

The Happo Navy was indeed formidable.

"That’s right! I asked Vice Admiral Garp about it. Apparently, Chinjao believed his head was invincible."

"For more than twenty years, he had a bounty of over five hundred million Berries in the New World. But clearly, Vice Admiral Garp’s fist was even harder."

Kakashi chuckled. One fought with his head, the other with his fist. Garp had been merciful enough not to cause permanent damage.

"Alright then, let’s deal with him! Though he might not be the brightest, it works to our advantage."

"We don’t need clever enemies for this."

Raijin nodded and patted Nico Robin’s head.

"The Happo Navy may be a big name in the West Sea, but even with their leader’s bounty, they’re still weak."

By the way, although updates will be delayed to the following morning this month...

I’ve managed to go a whole month without missing an update, without taking any leave!

Not bad, right?

(End of chapter)