High-rise buildings, busy traffic, and people in suits and leather collars passing by—most of them carried briefcases at their sides, yet there was a faint numbness on their faces.
Looking around, Uzumaki Naruto asked with slight surprise, "Hey, this place looks even better than the buildings in the capital. Dad, where are we?"
"I don't know. Or do you want me to prepare everything for you?" Kain replied, patting Naruto's fluffy blond hair. "I'm counting on you to collect detailed information for me."
This idiot son of his always managed to ask the dumbest questions, which made Kain deeply sympathize with Kushina's past frustrations.
"I have two tasks for you," Kain continued. "First, keep an eye on this place—you'll find a projection of the World's Holy Grail here. Second, grow and develop. I hope you'll surprise me the next time I visit."
With that, Kain gave a brief smile to the group before vanishing from the world.
"Alright! Let's get started!" Naruto shouted energetically, rolling up his sleeves. But before he could finish, Yoko locked his throat with an arm and smiled sweetly.
"Big Brother Naruto, I'm the team leader now. If you act without authorization, I have the right to punish you~"
"I-I got it, Little Sister Yoko!" Naruto replied, breaking into a cold sweat.
He'd been bullied by this devilish little sister since childhood—robbed of money, beaten regularly, and not allowed to fight back. What was worse, Yoko always used her cute appearance to win over the rest of the family. Except for Aunt Tsunade, everyone sided with her.
Sasuke hadn't escaped her tyranny either. There were only a few prominent ninja academies, and Yoko had bested almost all of their top students. So when Naruto was being scolded, Sasuke instinctively distanced himself to avoid being dragged into the chaos.
"Alright, get moving," Yoko ordered. "Sasuke, take a few people and collect information about this world. Organize it and bring it back. Big Brother Naruto, stay with the Holy Grail and clear any threats nearby. No one is allowed to approach this place. I'll buy the area and use it as a temporary base."
After giving instructions, Yoko adjusted the communicator on her wristwatch. Their father had said that these watches could transmit signals even across multiple Earths, so she wasn't worried about anyone getting lost.
"Disband!"
With that, the ten-person team split into three squads. Naruto remained behind, as he was the strongest among them and the best choice to guard the Holy Grail.
For now, the modern city posed no threat. Ordinary people much weaker than them went about their daily lives on the streets. Uchiha Sasuke instructed his subordinates to split up and gather intel, sending their findings to the Red Queen for compilation and classification.
Basic data could be easily accessed online. After several reforms, ninja academy graduates could use computers, so gathering surface-level information wasn't a challenge.
However, highly classified intel wouldn't be stored on public networks. So instead of relying solely on the internet, Sasuke wandered the streets, casually observing.
"It looks peaceful… but where's the danger the daimyo mentioned?" he wondered.
The roads bustled with activity, and the shops were even more prosperous than those in the capital of the Fire Federation. Was the danger outside the city? Or hidden in some special location?
As Sasuke walked, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from up ahead, followed by the blaring of nearby sirens.
"Alert! Alert! A monster disaster has occurred in Z-City. Threat level: Tiger. Location: [XXXXXX]. All civilians, please evacuate immediately. Repeat, a monster disaster—"
Hearing the sirens and the nearby blast, Sasuke's eyes lit up. He sprinted toward the explosion—he was likely close to the incident site. If he was right, these "monsters" were exactly what the daimyo had warned about.
Sasuke had considered the risks, of course. But a tiger-level threat shouldn't pose much danger to someone of his caliber, especially with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Rounding a corner, Sasuke finally caught sight of the commotion. A massive humanoid tiger—easily four to five meters tall—was clashing with what looked like a security force. The officers all wore identical uniforms and wielded standard firearms and grenades. Clearly part of the same organization.
But their weapons barely scratched the creature. Even an exploding grenade only scorched its fur slightly—and it healed rapidly.
"Strong resilience and physical power… Speed unknown. Special abilities: unknown. So far, strength is comparable to a Chūnin," Sasuke assessed, eyes narrowing. "These civilians daring to confront such a creature are brave… but ultimately powerless."
Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke analyzed the monster carefully. Once he confirmed it had no hidden tricks, he readied himself to strike.
Having just arrived in this world, it was better to remain cautious—but Uchiha Sasuke suddenly thought of Naruto. If it had been him, that tiger-level monster would've already been defeated.
Crackle!
A faint flash of lightning flickered across his body, and in the next instant, Sasuke vanished from the building wall. He reappeared behind the tiger-level monster.
Using Lightning Style chakra to enhance his Body Flicker Technique, Sasuke moved far faster than any ordinary ninja. In a single motion, he jumped up and delivered a punch—tripling his physical strength and doubling his speed. His fist struck the creature's spine with pinpoint precision.
Crack! Crack!
The impact released a devastating burst of force, followed by a surge of lightning. The tiger-level monster didn't even have time to scream. A sharp pain exploded through its waist, then its entire body seized as electricity paralyzed it. The hulking beast collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.
The police, who had been caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the monster, were stunned. But seeing Sasuke standing next to the fallen creature, arcs of lightning still flickering around him, they quickly guessed he was the one who had taken it down.
"Hold your fire!"
The police captain shouted, signaling his men to stop shooting. He cautiously approached, gun in hand.
Sasuke watched him silently as the captain inspected the monster. Confirming that it was dead, the officer sighed in relief and turned to Sasuke.
"Thank you for your assistance. Are you a registered hero with the Hero Association? If so, please give us your hero name so we can file a report."
"No," Sasuke replied. "I'm not the kind of hero you're talking about. I just happened to pass by."
He pulled out a sealing scroll and added, "This monster should belong to me, right?"
"Uh, yes… If you're a registered hero, the Hero Association would typically handle cleanup. But if you're not, then technically, the body is yours. We can't deal with something like this anyway. Want me to call you a vehicle?"
Before the officer could finish speaking, he watched in stunned silence as Sasuke sealed the massive, ten-ton corpse into a small scroll. His jaw nearly dropped.
Just as Sasuke completed the seal, two black cars pulled up nearby. From them stepped several men in black suits. In the second car, a mature, well-dressed woman led the group—clearly in charge.
"We're from the Hero Association's Disaster Countermeasures Department," one of the agents called out. "Where's the monster that was reported just now? Why is it gone?"
Though clearly annoyed, the police captain answered honestly, "That young man took the monster's body. He was the one who defeated it."
"Oh? You defeated a tiger-level monster by yourself?" the woman asked, her eyes narrowing in interest. "That puts you at least at B-rank."
The woman, Fubuki, studied Sasuke with growing interest. He was young—and clearly powerful. If she could recruit him into the Blizzard Group, he'd be a valuable asset.
She approached with folded arms and a polite smile. "You don't look like a registered hero. Want to become one? Why not join my team—the Blizzard Group?"
"Not interested. Don't bother me."
Sasuke cut her off coldly. He disliked people like her—overly familiar, clearly motivated by self-interest. It was obvious she'd only approached him because of his strength.
The tension between the Hero Association staff and the police was palpable. One group was strong and well-funded, the other increasingly sidelined.
Sasuke took mental note of this dynamic. He turned back to the police captain.
"I need a way to contact you. There are some questions I'd like to ask in private."
Before the captain could respond, a member of the Disaster Countermeasures team stepped forward and said sharply, "Young man, we need you to hand over the monster's body."
Sasuke frowned slightly. "Why? I was the one who killed it. Do you always claim the bodies of dead monsters?"
Unfamiliar with the world's rules, Sasuke looked to the police captain for clarification.
The captain nodded and explained, "Normally, after monsters are taken down by the military or police, we collect and sell the remains to biotech companies. It helps fund our operations. But in this case, we're not equipped to handle it, so it's up to whoever took it down."
"I see," Sasuke replied, nodding thoughtfully.
But the Association staff member interjected, voice raised, "That monster was originally contained by the Hero Association. It's our property. You need to return it immediately."
Sasuke's expression darkened slightly, but before he could answer, the police captain stepped in.
"Escaped from you? So you're admitting that your organization is responsible for the destruction it caused? And why was a living monster in your custody to begin with?"
"This doesn't concern you, officer. Stay out of it."
The captain's face turned red with anger. "This is my jurisdiction. I demand an explanation—or I'll report this directly to my superiors."
"Then go ahead," the staffer sneered. "Let your chief take it up with us."
The disrespect was blatant—and telling. As monster disasters increased, the Hero Association had grown more powerful, while the role of the police and military continued to decline.
Many police departments often have to beg the Hero Association for help when facing monster-related incidents.
If their relationship with the Association isn't good, the Hero Association might simply ignore the request—then release a statement afterward shifting the blame onto the police. The public lashes out at law enforcement, and in response, their superiors cut funding.
The police captain was so angry he couldn't even speak. Seeing this, a staff member from the Disaster Countermeasures Department stepped forward, preparing to demand that Uchiha Sasuke hand over the monster's body.
But just as he opened his mouth, he was caught in the gaze of blood-red, tomoe-spinning eyes. His mind instantly went blank. He stood there in a daze, unable to think, while questions echoed in his ears. As if compelled, he shared everything he knew.
Though it felt like a long time to him, only a second had passed in the real world.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
The sudden collapse of their team leader shocked and flustered the other members of the Hero Association. Meanwhile, Sasuke glanced at his watch and said to the police captain beside him, "I'm done here. I'll contact you later."
"Wait!"
Fubuki called out, wanting to stop Sasuke—but he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique before she could finish. She didn't even notice the moment he disappeared, only reacting after he was gone.
"That speed... And just now—was that mind control?"
Back in the ninja world, after Sasuke left, Kain, Tsunade, and Kushina discussed Yoko's situation. Not long after, Uchiha Mikoto brought Reina to live in the Daimyo's residence. Living alone outside had become dull, and Reina's older sister, Kira , also lived there.
Once matters in the ninja world were settled, Kain checked on Orochimaru's research progress. He reminded Tsunade and Kushina to contact him via the Holy Grail if they discovered any traces of the Ōtsutsuki.
Then, he traveled to the One Piece world.
Kain had never paid much attention to the One Piece world. Though he visited a few times, he usually stayed only a couple of days—just enough to gather supplies—then left again.
The more benefits he gained from other worlds, the less valuable this one became. For example, Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit serum had little effect on him now, and the other Zoan Devil Fruits were even less useful.
Paramecia-type fruits still held some value, but the Kain Chamber of Commerce hadn't collected many.
Still, the One Piece world had its merits—especially its cuisine, which was exceptionally rich in flavor. On his previous visits, Kain had mainly come for Poseidon meat.
He had no interest in the secrets of the One Piece world—unless they offered a way to surpass the realm of gods, which was clearly impossible.
That said, the specialty products of the Chamber of Commerce remained quite useful.
With the Holy Grail, Kain's Chambers of Commerce in different worlds could link together. But he hadn't enabled full inter-world awareness yet, keeping each realm unaware of the others. He suspected the consequences wouldn't be pleasant.
After all, he'd slept with over 30 women across these worlds.
Eventually, the various Chambers of Commerce would connect. But until then, Kain had been deliberately delaying the arrival of that... terrifying day.
…
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