The outcome of the transaction was, naturally, to everyone's satisfaction.
Orochimaru departed, content with the materials for eternal life. As for the two living humans he'd provided as sacrifices, Uchiha Nagi certainly wasn't about to have a sudden attack of conscience, demanding Orochimaru release them only to then go find a couple of guilty bandits himself. That would just be making things unnecessarily complicated…
Orochimaru had obtained the materials for longevity he craved, and Uchiha Nagi had acquired the Edo Tensei 2.0. Nagi wasn't particularly concerned about the issue of the reincarnated being too powerful to control; the immortal body granted by the reincarnation was itself an incredibly potent bug in the system, more than making up for that drawback.
In other words, if Uchiha Nagi were to reincarnate a Kage-level individual, he'd either have to do as Orochimaru did and use a talisman to erase the subject's consciousness, turning them into a puppet driven solely by instinct, or allow them to retain their consciousness and attempt to control them in battle while they were fully aware. However, if the individual was as powerful in life as the Third Kazekage, their intense resistance could allow them to break free from the Edo Tensei.
After handing over the experimental material sealed in the scroll to Orochimaru, they concluded their deal. Orochimaru even gave Uchiha Nagi an address in the Land of Grass, saying that if Nagi wished to trade again in the future, he could find him there.
"I have a feeling, Nagi-kun, that we'll be conducting our second transaction very soon." Orochimaru was exceedingly pleased, his eyes showing a feverish excitement—a first, beyond their usual serpentine glint.
Before leaving, Orochimaru's raspy voice lingered in Uchiha Nagi's mind. At the same time, he cast a lingering, thoughtful glance at Kimimaro.
Ultimately, though, he didn't make a move on Kimimaro. The Kaguya clan hadn't been wiped out yet, and Kimimaro wasn't the only child among them. Since he couldn't get the one with the most potential, he could just abduct a couple more. If quality was lacking, quantity would have to suffice…
With the transaction complete, Uchiha Nagi planned to leave the Land of Water. This place was still under Obito's control. What if Obito returned from the Land of Rain and, on a whim, had the Fourth Mizukage launch a dozen Tailed Beast Bombs at him…
Shaking his head, Uchiha Nagi knew he couldn't take that many Tailed Beast Bombs. His Susanoo could perhaps withstand a small one, but several was unrealistic. Moreover, when a Jinchuriki transformed fully into their Tailed Beast, the Tailed Beast Bombs they fired were even larger. Not even Orochimaru's Triple Rashomon could necessarily block one; a fourth gate might be required.
As the nuclear weapons of the shinobi world, Tailed Beast Bombs were cost-effective and devastatingly powerful.
"Kimimaro, pack up. It's time to go."
"Oh, okay, Sensei."
Kimimaro deftly packed their belongings and stored them in a storage scroll. Possessing chakra, he could use such scrolls.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Nagi took out a vial of a pungent, foul-smelling potion, mixed it with water, and sprayed it around their campsite. He did this, of course, to prevent pursuit. Besides the Inuzuka Clan, other nations had their own ninja hounds. After all, no matter how well a ninja concealed themselves, they were still living beings, and living beings could be tracked by scent. Uchiha Nagi used this acrid potion to eliminate the scent left by himself and Kimimaro. Kirigakure undoubtedly had its own methods for tracking enemies by smell; he couldn't afford to be careless.
Once they were on a ship out on the open sea, scent tracking would naturally become useless. However, sensory ninjas were a problem. Some sensory ninjas in the shinobi world could detect targets up to a thousand meters away, while more powerful ones could sense things several kilometers out.
Uchiha Nagi had his own methods as well. Using the Beast Breathing's Spatial Awareness, he had successfully evaded several pursuit teams. Of course, the main reason the pursuit wasn't more intense was that the Kaguya clan was planning to rebel in a few days, so the Fourth Mizukage had stationed most of the Anbu in the village, waiting for the Kaguyas to walk into their trap…
Within half a day, Uchiha Nagi, with Kimimaro in tow, quickly reached a port. The Land of Water, being an island nation, was surrounded by islands of various sizes, with ports in every direction. Building a harbor, a difficult task for ordinary people, was a matter of a few ninjutsu for shinobi. Thus, if the Land of Water had one thing in abundance, it was ports and ships.
As Uchiha Nagi and Kimimaro approached the docks, Nagi frowned. Even if it was a quiet time, there should at least be a small squad of ninjas on patrol. The current laxity felt wrong.
Those with strong spiritual energy were often more sensitive. Since he sensed something amiss, he decided to investigate.
"Beast Breathing, Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness!"
Closing his eyes to extend his senses, his beast-like intuition immediately pinpointed the source of danger.
"Come out, you lot hiding under the ship," Uchiha Nagi said coolly, addressing a three-masted sailboat.
After a moment of silence, several dark figures suddenly leaped out from beneath the water.
The surrounding civilians, laborers, and merchants, seeing the ninjas facing off, immediately scrambled in terror, some even abandoning their goods in their haste to flee.
"It's ninja-sama! Run!"
"The ninja-samas are going to fight! Everyone, run for your lives…!"
Ninjas from the Bloody Mist rarely showed any concern for civilians during their battles. Those who ran too slowly might very well end up as an appetizer…
"Heh heh, didn't expect this, did you? We were waiting for you at the docks. The Land of Water is different from other countries; if you want to leave, you must go through a port. So, we didn't need to search for you everywhere. All we had to do was set up an ambush at a nearby port in advance," a ninja with sharp teeth sneered.
"Uchiha, if you're willing to surrender without a fight and return with us, you can join our Hidden Mist Village. We would warmly welcome a Sharingan clan member into Kirigakure…"
The hidden meaning in his words was clear: once Uchiha Nagi joined Kirigakure, he'd be expected to work like an ox, day and night, to single-handedly sire a new clan…
The leader of the group was a burly man, carrying a large blade on his shoulder. The sword was very conspicuous, with a circular hole in its blade.
The Kubikiribocho—the Executioner's Blade. Among the Seven Swords of the Mist, it was arguably the most underwhelming…
Uchiha Nagi frowned slightly. Hadn't the previous wielder of this sword used it to block a Tailed Beast Bomb, causing it to break, and then the flying fragments killed the owner? Its retrieval was to be expected.
However, in Uchiha Nagi's memory, Zabuza was supposed to have taken it. How was it still in Kirigakure? It should have disappeared with Zabuza after his failed assassination attempt. Could Zabuza be dead?
Moreover, this sword also seemed to be the only one among the Seven Swords not included in the summoning contract. In the final battle, Mangetsu Hozuki had summoned all the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's blades, yet this one remained in Kakashi's hands, unsummoned. It was probably considered too useless to be included in the summoning jutsu.
Aside from its ability to regenerate by absorbing blood after being broken, it didn't seem much different from an ordinary sword…
Uchiha Nagi slowly drew his Nichirin Blade. This sword would drink blood again today.