Chapter 84 – Picnic Interrupted by a One-Eyed Ghost
"A Susanoo almost on par with Lord Madara."
"That eye has clearly reached the eternal stage."
Beside him, White Zetsu's raspy voice offered its analysis.
"Eternal Mangekyou… that man's work, no doubt."
Obito's tone dripped with hatred.
But hatred came second. Fear came first.
Every time he thought of Aike, the half of his body patched together by White Zetsu burned like it remembered the beating.
Zetsu caught the terror flickering in that single Sharingan eye.
Curious about the mystery group, yes. But also quietly updating his mental file: Obito = massive coward who got traumatized in one fight and still cosplays as Madara.
Zetsu kept the thought to himself and maintained perfect loyal-subordinate posture.
Obito quickly changed the subject.
"Forget them. Focus on intelligence gathering. Top priority is still the Nine-Tails' location."
"And Uchiha Sasuke. Itachi's seat is open. Find the kid and drag him into Akatsuki."
Zetsu had zero objections.
He didn't want another unpredictable monster faction either.
Under their direction, Akatsuki's plans didn't shift an inch despite Itachi's death.
Tailed-beast hunting remained priority one.
.........
Konoha side.
Aike had no idea he had scarred Obito so deeply that the guy refused to even peek.
After working hard all night for the future of humanity, he looked at the clear morning sky and felt the urge for something new.
In the One Piece world they were always at sea. Even on islands it was just shopping runs.
In the Naruto world they'd been stuck inside the village.
A proper picnic? Never happened.
The only time that came close was tricking Naruto into catching fish for them.
With that in mind, he turned to the sleepy-eyed girls sprawled around the room.
"We're leaving tomorrow. Weather's perfect today. How about a picnic outside the village?"
Nami and Carina both rolled their eyes in perfect sync.
Unlike the suspiciously energetic Aike, they had been absolutely wrecked last night.
Contract-enhanced bodies or not, their hips still ached.
"Yes! Yes!"
"I've never been on a real picnic!"
Kaya was bouncing with energy—Wood Style recovery is broken.
Izumi, now free of her chains, also voted yes.
She just wanted to enjoy normal days with Aike and the girls.
Final tally: 3 yes, 2 "my spine is broken" → motion passed.
A quiet meadow on the outskirts.
Aike, Nami, Carina, Kaya, and Izumi finished prepping food and picked the perfect spot.
A grassy hill with a clear view of Konoha's bustling streets and the Hokage Tower in the distance.
"This is it!"
Carina swept an arm. A gust of wind cleared the grass instantly.
Picnic zone complete.
Aike pulled ingredients from storage.
They sat in a circle, eating, laughing, and admiring the view.
"If only Nojiko, Hikari, and Kuina were here…"
Just a few minutes in, Nami already felt the tension melt away.
Carina, Kaya, and Izumi nodded.
Five days apart and they missed the rest of the crew.
"And Tom! Five days without his cooking. When we get back I'm eating for three days straight."
Everyone laughed and agreed.
Then—
A strange ripple pulsed behind them, spreading in every direction at blinding speed.
"Hm?"
Aike raised an eyebrow.
Izumi shot to her feet, Eternal Mangekyou spinning as she glared toward the source.
"Who's there?!"
Her icy shout snapped Nami, Carina, and Kaya into combat readiness in an instant.
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