Chapter 66: Chaos
A few minutes later, twenty-five pirates had gathered in Ichiro Kutsuki's room.
Without any preamble, Baishi approached each one, imprinting the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on them with a single touch.
None of the pirates dared to resist or speak up. Fear was evident in their eyes as they recalled the numerous experiments Baishi had conducted on them over the past year. Though no one had died, the suffering had been unavoidable.
As the dark, intricate markings spread across their skin, the pirates trembled uncontrollably.
Ignoring their reactions, Baishi spoke calmly. "This seal on your bodies is called the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. It won't kill you directly, but it will prevent you from leaking any information about me."
He activated the seal, and instantly, all twenty-five pirates collapsed to the ground. Their bodies froze in paralysis, unable to move or speak, as if they were experiencing sleep paralysis. The helplessness etched fear deep into their minds.
Baishi paced among them, his voice cold. "Remember this feeling. If you ever try to betray me, this is what awaits you. Whether you live or die after that will depend on your luck."
With a wave of his hand, Baishi deactivated the seals. The pirates gasped for air, their chests heaving as they recovered from the ordeal.
Once they had regained their composure, Baishi continued, "Soon, I will send you off Moon Island."
Hearing this, the pirates, including Ichiro Kutsuki, exchanged confused glances. But their confusion quickly turned to joy.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Baishi interrupted coldly. "Let me be clear: this region is about to descend into chaos. Not the usual skirmishes between pirates, but full-scale battles involving ninja."
The pirates' expressions darkened.
"Your task is simple: gather widely circulated information and report it to me. Of course," Baishi added, his eyes narrowing, "you're free to try escaping. Just don't let me catch you. Otherwise..."
He left the threat unfinished, but the icy tone in his voice made the consequences abundantly clear.
Turning to Ichiro, Baishi said, "From now on, you're their leader."
"Yes, my lord," Ichiro replied immediately, bowing low.
Baishi wasted no time. In groups, he transported them off Moon Island using the Flying Thunder God Technique, making brief stops in the sea to disorient anyone who might try to track their location. Although the pirates weren't particularly resilient, the short duration of their time in the water prevented any serious harm.
Standing on the shores of the Land of Spice, drenched and uneasy, the pirates looked to Baishi for further instructions.
"You don't need me to explain what to do next, do you?" Baishi asked.
"No, my lord!" Ichiro responded quickly.
Satisfied, Baishi nodded and disappeared in a flash.
These pirates were merely pawns, a stopgap measure to gather intelligence amidst the impending chaos. Baishi wasn't particularly invested in their long-term fate.
As he returned to Moon Island, he thought, The Flying Thunder God Technique's current range of fifty kilometers is still too short. I'll need to allocate time to improve it.
---
Baishi had anticipated that the region would soon become chaotic, but even he was surprised by how quickly events unfolded.
Half a month after his return to Moon Island, Konoha launched a surprise attack on Kumogakure's coastal defenses. Using amphibious ninja and clever tactics, they inflicted significant losses on the Cloud Village forces.
Before Kumogakure could recover, Konoha turned their attention to Kirigakure, employing the same strategies to harass the Mist Village.
However, Kirigakure's forces, well-versed in naval warfare, were better prepared. Konoha's amphibious units, though innovative, lacked combat experience and failed to cause substantial damage. But that wasn't the main objective.
Konoha's goal was to force Kumogakure and Kirigakure to divert resources and attention away from the main battlefield.
Faced with these new threats, Kumogakure was compelled to pull troops from the front lines to defend their coastal areas. Similarly, Kirigakure, which had been preparing for aggressive moves, scaled back its activities to secure its territory.
This gave Konoha much-needed breathing room in the war.
The situation escalated further when Kumogakure and Kirigakure both began investigating the mysterious amphibious ninja. Bounties were issued for sightings of 'half-fishman' creatures, with generous rewards offered.
As rumors spread, ninja activity in the region surged. Both Kumogakure and Kirigakure began patrolling the waters with greater frequency, convinced that Konoha's amphibious units were based in the area.
Another two weeks passed, and Konoha's amphibious forces launched targeted attacks on patrol ships from both villages.
While these attacks inflicted relatively few casualties thanks to heightened vigilance, they devastated the ships themselves.
For most ninja, maintaining prolonged combat on the open sea was unsustainable due to chakra limitations. Ships were essential for mobility and logistics. If Kumogakure and Kirigakure's fleets were sufficiently crippled, their ability to operate in the region would be severely constrained.
Such a scenario would leave Konoha's amphibious forces in control of the seas, dictating the terms of engagement.
This was unacceptable to Kirigakure. As an island nation, the Land of Water couldn't tolerate losing control of its surrounding waters. In response, Kirigakure committed even more forces to the maritime conflict. Under pressure, Kumogakure followed suit.
What had begun as a strategic harassment campaign quickly escalated into a brutal three-way battle.
Konoha, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure clashed constantly, with skirmishes breaking out every three days and major battles occurring every ten. The sea became a grinding warzone, where none of the villages could afford to back down.
For Konoha, the development was a windfall. The village's front-line forces had been stretched thin, but the amphibious
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