Whew… it works?
"That's great!"
Uchiha Genkei let out a long breath of relief. A bright grin spread across his face.
"This means you and I can keep living, Mom!"
He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with determination.
"Also, didn't I say I inherited a lot of medical and herbal knowledge too?"
"Let me check your condition properly. I'll customize a treatment plan and prescribe some restorative formulas just for you."
"Of course, I need to do the same for myself."
If he could restore Chiri's health and extend her lifespan, everything ahead would become much easier.
"Oh?"
Chiri raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. "Even herbal knowledge? This Sage's inheritance is quite comprehensive."
"In that case, go ahead and take a good look at me."
"As for any medicinal herbs—we've got money. I'll take care of the rest."
"Mm!"
Genkei immediately began examining his mother.
But moments later, his expression turned grim. He slowly pulled his hand back from her wrist, brow furrowed.
"It's worse than I thought."
"Setting aside the internal injuries, your cells have suffered severe degradation over the years from constant chakra extraction. Their vitality and ability to divide are collapsing. That alone shortens your lifespan dramatically."
"But that's not the worst part…"
He looked up at her with visible concern, his eyes drifting to her right eye—clouded and lifeless.
"The real issue is when you used Izanami. It didn't just blind your eye… it also drained a large portion of your life force and soul essence."
"That's what's killing you."
He'd assumed the cost of the forbidden technique was only blindness—but reality was far crueler.
Chiri caught the flicker of thought on his face and gave him a gentle smile.
"Didn't think your inherited medical knowledge would be this sharp—able to read so deeply."
"And you even know about Izanami?"
"Sounds like your so-called 'knowledge of another world' is more than just a few random secrets."
"But you're not entirely right."
"The technique itself didn't directly harm my soul or life force."
"A properly mastered Izanami only costs an eye."
"But back then… I hadn't perfected it yet. I created it myself, to quell civil war within the clan."
"There were failures."
"And in the process, the backlash damaged my life essence."
A heavy silence followed.
It wasn't ideal—but considering the scale of what she had achieved, surviving the process was already a miracle.
"I see…"
Genkei nodded in understanding, then gave her a thumbs-up.
"You're incredible, Mom. You really created something that powerful on your own."
"But…"
His smile faded again.
"If we want to fix the damage to your life force and soul, basic treatment isn't enough."
"My own condition is also a form of innate deficiency—an issue rooted in life essence."
"And right now… I don't have the knowledge to fix that."
"Maybe… we need to go to the other world. The One Piece world."
With enough time, his Heaven Rewards Diligence trait might allow him to push his medical skills to mastery and find a solution. But time was a luxury he might not have.
He could afford to gamble. His mother couldn't.
And the shinobi world… was far too dangerous.
They needed strength—and time.
And both would come faster over there.
"Oh?"
Chiri looked at him curiously. "You think that world has doctors skilled enough to fix us?"
"If so, that would be amazing."
"Hopefully."
Genkei didn't sound confident. "But that world… is full of strange possibilities."
He gave her a quick rundown of the One Piece world—its layout, Devil Fruits, and key individuals.
"There are fruits like the Heal-Heal Fruit, the Hormone Fruit… with the right powers, we might be able to recover."
"But those are hard to find."
"So I was thinking—let's go to Drum Island and look for Dr. Kureha."
"She's a legendary doctor who supposedly knows the secrets of longevity."
"Even if she can't fully cure us, I'm sure she can help us recover—and buy us more time."
"Most importantly, she's relatively easy to locate."
Genkei looked at her seriously.
"So Mom, let's find time to travel to the One Piece world and have Dr. Kureha treat us."
"Very well."
Chiri thought for a moment, then nodded.
"But how long do you expect we'll be gone? I'll need to make arrangements with the clan."
"Uh…"
Genkei scratched his cheek.
"That… I'm not sure. It depends on where we end up."
"Actually, how about we do a quick test run? Go together, check our location, then come right back."
He also needed to verify the timeline over there.
Hopefully, the story hasn't started yet...
"Fine by me."
Chiri smiled. "I'm free today anyway. Let's go now. Do I need to bring anything?"
"Nope!"
Genkei shook his head.
"We can come back anytime. No need to prep."
"But I'm not sure if the landing point will be safe. So… keep your guard up."
Right now, he was still just a weakling.
If they dropped into enemy territory, they'd be finished before they could react.
"Leave that to me. Mommy's strong, remember?"
Chiri grinned and raised her fist playfully.
"Heh."
Genkei chuckled. Then he reached out and grabbed her hand.
With a focused thought, he activated the glowing rune in his spirit sea.
In the blink of an eye, both of them vanished from the room.
One Piece World – Grand Line, First Half
Somewhere between Water 7 and the Sabaody Archipelago...
Two pirate crews clashed in a fierce sea battle.
On one side, the fleet from Amazon Lily.
On the other, the brutal slave-trading group known as the Mad Shark Pirate Crew.
"Get the ships in close! Those warrior women from Amazon Lily fetch top prices—prime merchandise!"
"Gehahaha! Leave it to us, boss!"
"Kill!!!"
Boom!Crash!
The battle had raged for less than ten minutes, and already the Amazon Lily fleet was being overwhelmed. The enemy had boarded their ship.
"Sister! What do we do? We're in danger!"
Sandersonia clung to her elder sister, trembling.
"Yeah, Sis! Should we go help?"
Marigold's voice followed right behind, just as anxious.