Chapter 71: Aftermath
Half an hour later, all six of Baishi's Wood Clones returned, bringing back a total of twenty corpses. Including the fourteen Mist ninjas slain nearby and the unconscious Yumura Ki, the count came to thirty-five—a perfect match to the number of enemies.
After tallying the bodies, Baishi turned to the Wood Clone that had been tasked with handling the Aoki and Yosuke squads. "Did anyone manage to send a signal?"
The clone shook its head. "No, why do you ask?"
With those words, the last of Baishi's concerns eased. He smiled and replied, "It's nothing. That Aoki... yes, him."
He pointed at one of the Mist ninja corpses. "He had a flying summoning beast and served as the messenger for this group."
The Wood Clone glanced at Aoki's lifeless body, then at the unconscious Yumura Ki, and realization dawned on its face.
After recalling the earlier battle, the clone commented, "That guy wasn't very lucky—he was the first one I dealt with. His skills were mediocre."
"Hmm." Baishi nodded in acknowledgment. As silence fell between them, an awkward tension lingered. The clones looked at one another, their expressions unreadable.
Baishi cleared his throat to break the uncomfortable quiet. "Alright, toss all these bodies into the magma river."
The six Wood Clones shrugged, grabbed the corpses, and vanished using Flying Thunder God Technique, heading to the lava-filled cavern.
Once they were gone, Baishi muttered under his breath, "Talking to myself like this is a bit strange."
Just as he finished speaking, six streams of memories surged into his mind—each recounting the clones' battles.
After processing the memories in a brief moment of distraction, Baishi concluded that there were no notable incidents.
"Looks like I can enjoy some peace for a while," he murmured before picking up the unconscious Yumura Ki and heading toward Kamimura Takashi.
The man's luck was remarkable. Despite the chaos, he was unscathed, restrained by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and unable to flee like the other pirates.
Logic dictated that his odds of survival were the slimmest. But since Baishi had ended the fight so decisively, Yumura Ki had no opportunity to harm him. Ironically, many of the pirates who fled ended up caught in the crossfire between the Mist ninja and Baishi's Wood Clones, meeting untimely deaths.
Standing before Kamimura Takashi, Baishi released the seal restraining him.
The moment his body was freed, Kamimura Takashi gasped for air, breathing heavily as he regained control.
Baishi waited patiently for a few moments before speaking. "The enemy has been dealt with. Gather the survivors and resume operations as usual."
"Yes, my lord!" Kamimura Takashi answered immediately, his tone filled with deference.
If he had harbored any thoughts of fleeing earlier, they had been thoroughly quashed after witnessing Baishi's overwhelming strength. Even without seeing the entire battle, Kamimura Takashi could deduce its outcome: Baishi stood unscathed, with the leader of the Mist ninja captured.
Most people gravitate toward strength, and Kamimura Takashi was no exception. His newfound loyalty stemmed not only from fear but also from admiration.
Satisfied with the response, Baishi didn't linger. Locking onto his training chamber at the peak of the central mountain, he disappeared with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
---
The Next Day
Moonlight Island returned to its usual tranquility. Were it not for the few missing pirates, the events of the previous day might have felt like nothing more than a bad dream.
But it was no dream.
The pirates, having endured the ordeal, became noticeably more vigilant. They set up watch posts along the coastline, laid traps near their camp, and even organized patrols.
Though such measures would have little effect on shinobi, Baishi still appreciated their efforts and decided to support them.
---
A Week Later
At the central mountain's summit, within an isolated laboratory, Baishi removed his hand from Yumura Ki's forehead, sighing heavily. "Failed again."
Before his words fully faded, Yumura Ki's eyes fluttered open. Disoriented at first, his gaze soon sharpened with awareness.
He instinctively tried to move but, as had been the case for the past week, found his body paralyzed and unresponsive.
Giving up the futile struggle, Yumura Ki fixed his eyes on Baishi and sneered. "Save your energy. I'll never submit."
He closed his eyes, ignoring Baishi's reaction entirely.
Unfazed, Baishi delivered a swift chop to Yumura Ki's neck, rendering him unconscious once more.
Though Yumura Ki was already restrained by both the Curse Seal: Paralysis Binding and the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, Baishi preferred to be on the side of caution by keeping him unconscious.
Over the past week, Baishi had repeatedly attempted to imprint his will into Yumura Ki's mind, hoping to create a "mental brand" akin to a thought-seal. This would allow him to exert complete control over the captive.
Unfortunately, his efforts yielded little success.
Though Baishi's spiritual energy far surpassed Yumura Ki's, granting him easy access to the latter's mental space, he lacked the means to exert prolonged influence over his will.
In the shinobi world, the only known technique capable of rewriting someone's will in an instant was Uchiha Shisui's legendary Kotoamatsukami.
As for the psychological conditioning seals used by the Root organization...
They required extensive conditioning during childhood, before one's worldview was fully developed. Even then, their effectiveness fell short of Baishi's expectations.
After all, didn't Sai eventually defect with just a bit of persuasion? Baishi had no intention of risking betrayal. He demanded absolute, foolproof loyalty.
In essence, achieving his goal required replicating the effects of Kotoamatsukami, a daunting challenge.
"Fine. I'll take my time," Baishi muttered, glancing out the window.
---
Outside, a small group of anxious pirates waited. Kamimura Takashi stood at the forefront, accompanied by four others.
"Hey, old man," one pirate whispered, "what do you think the boss wants from us?"
"How should I know?" Kamimura Takashi snapped, clearly agitated. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Come on, you're always delivering meals to him. You must know something. We've barely seen him ourselves," another pirate chimed in.
Kamimura Takashi's irritation boiled over. "I told you, I don't know anything! Stop asking me!"
"You—"
The pirate's retort died in his throat as the laboratory door opened, and Baishi stepped out.
(End of Chapter)
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