Chapter 164: The Ninja — Raizo of the Mist
The procession wound through the Whale Forest toward the great tree that dominated Zou's skyline. Nekomamushi and Inuarashi led the way, their earlier hostility shelved for the moment—though they still refused to walk within arm's reach of each other. Behind them came the Straw Hats, Kin'emon carrying Momonosuke on his back, and a contingent of minks who had insisted on accompanying their benefactors.
"Finally! We get to meet another ninja!" Luffy was practically vibrating.
"Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!" Chopper chanted, bouncing on his hooves.
Usopp had been practicing hand seals the entire walk, his fingers contorting into shapes that vaguely resembled Itachi's techniques. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet! Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
Even Itachi, walking at the rear of the group, felt a flicker of anticipation. Could it be someone from his world? He had never heard of a shinobi named Raizo, but the Naruto world was vast. There were villages beyond the Five Great Nations. Smaller clans. Wandering shinobi who had never worn a headband. The possibility, however remote, existed.
And if Raizo was not from the shinobi world... well. At least he would be a genuine practitioner of this world's ninja arts.
The group ascended the massive branches of the Whale Tree, climbing higher and higher until they reached the tree's tail—a sweeping curve of ancient wood that hung over the forest like a frozen wave. Cat Viper pressed a hidden mechanism, and a doorway swung open in the bark.
"It's down there? That's really well hidden." Luffy was already jumping in before anyone could warn him about the stairs.
"There are steps. Very long steps. Be careful—"
Chopper and Usopp rushed past him. Franky and Brook followed close behind. The image in their minds had been building for days: a figure cloaked in black, moving with lethal silence, wreathed in the same mysterious power that made Itachi the most dangerous man they had ever met.
"Will he be as strong as Itachi?!"
"I don't know! But he's definitely going to be cool!"
More shuriken. More fire techniques. Maybe even another Susanoo—a different color, a different form. The possibilities were endless.
"The more I think about it, the more excited I get!" Usopp was practically flying down the stairs.
Itachi followed at a measured pace, Robin beside him. Law walked at his other side.
"Itachi-ya. I have to admit, I'm curious now." Law's voice was dry, but his eyes betrayed genuine interest. "Are all ninjas capable of such varied techniques as yours?"
"Not necessarily. Each shinobi has natural affinities. I specialize in fire, but I've trained in other elements as well."
A cry echoed up the stairwell.
"Huh? What was that?" Chopper's ears swiveled.
"That's Raizo's voice," Cat Viper said.
More shouts. The voice was... not what anyone had expected. High-pitched. Emotional. Verge-of-tears emotional.
"CAT VIPER! IS THAT YOU?! WHY WON'T YOU HAND ME OVER TO THE ENEMY?! EVERYONE WHO BRINGS ME FOOD IS WOUNDED! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU ALL?! YOU SAID THE COUNTRY WAS FINE—WAS THAT A LIE?! IF YOU LIED TO ME, I, RAIZO, WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"
"Such... deep friendship!" Luffy's eyes sparkled.
Usopp rounded the final corner, ready to meet the mysterious warrior—
And froze.
Chopper froze. Franky froze. Brook froze.
Robin and Nami, descending behind them, froze.
Zoro, Itachi, and Law, bringing up the rear, descended the last steps and stopped dead.
Law's hand rose tremblingly. He looked at the figure before them. He looked at Itachi. He looked back at the figure. "What... IS that?"
Every expectation they had built—every image of a dark-cloaked warrior, every hope of a second Itachi, every fantasy of dual Susanoo fighting side by side—shattered simultaneously.
The man before them was short. Extremely short. His body was compact and stocky, with limbs that seemed slightly too small for his torso. His head, by contrast, was enormous—a great round sphere with wild, spidery hair exploding in every direction. Purple pipes protruded from a harness on his back. His face was a landscape of exaggerated features: bulging eyes, a broad nose, a mouth that seemed perpetually on the verge of either laughter or tears.
"WAHHH! CAT VIPER!" Raizo wailed.
"WHAAAA!" Luffy and the others screamed back in perfect unison.
Itachi's left eye twitched. Once. Twice. A muscle in his jaw tightened.
This. This is a ninja.
"Is he really a ninja?!" Usopp's voice cracked.
"Shouldn't WE be asking YOU that?!" Zoro pointed at Itachi. "Itachi, you're the ninja expert here! Is this what ninjas are supposed to look like?!"
"Kin'emon never said—"
"THERE IS NO WAY THIS IS CORRECT!" Itachi's composure cracked. Just slightly. Just enough to send Zoro stumbling backward in shock.
The Cat Viper unfastened Raizo's chains, and the ninja—the ninja—stretched his cramped limbs with a series of pops and cracks. "Cat Viper. Who are all these people?"
"Raizo!" Kin'emon descended the last steps, Momonosuke still on his back. "You're safe!"
"Kin'emon! Kanjuro! And—" Raizo's enormous eyes went even wider. "Momonosuke-sama! You're all alive!"
Before the tearful reunion could commence, Luffy's face contorted into an expression of profound, soul-deep disappointment. His cheeks puffed out. His lips pursed. It was the face of a child who had asked for a pony and received a very ugly dog.
Usopp made the same face. Franky made the same face.
Chopper kept looking back and forth between Itachi and Raizo—relief flooding his features when he saw Itachi, despair reclaiming them when he turned to Raizo.
"Anyway," Zoro muttered, "this doesn't feel right."
Law had turned away entirely. "I can't look at this anymore."
"Are you REALLY a ninja?!" Luffy finally burst out.
"How RUDE!" Raizo struck a pose that was probably meant to be intimidating. "Who are you people?!"
"They're the Straw Hat Pirates," Kin'emon explained. "They've been helping us."
"Pirates?" Raizo squinted at the crew.
"If you're a real ninja, throw a shuriken!" Luffy demanded.
"Brother Itachi is a ninja too!" Chopper jumped up. "A REAL one! We've seen him use Fire Release! And Water Release!"
"Nani?! Another ninja?!" Raizo scanned the crowd. His eyes landed on Itachi—the dark cloak, the shinobi sandals, the forehead protector hidden beneath his hair. "You. You claim to be a ninja?"
"We want to see Fire Release!" Chopper bounced.
"Water Release!" Usopp added. "We want to see if yours is as strong as Big Brother Itachi's!"
"Earth Release!" Luffy shouted.
"What does your clone technique look like?" Law asked, his scientific curiosity overcoming his aesthetic despair.
"I want to see what happens when you get stabbed by a ceiling spear," Zoro said.
"I want to see you fly on a bundle!"
"I want to see if you can summon a giant frog!"
"ENOUGH! ENOUGH!"
Raizo's roar silenced the stairwell. He drew himself up to his full, unimpressive height.
"You said..." He pointed a stubby finger at Itachi. "That THIS man is also a ninja?"
Every Straw Hat pointed at Itachi in perfect synchronization.
"That's him."
A long pause.
"Don't compare me to him," Itachi said flatly.
Raizo's enormous eyes widened to truly astonishing proportions. "YOU! Are you truly a ninja?!"
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