Chapter Two: Clinging to a Powerful Ally, But Unfortunately a Bit Premature

“The Senju Clan! You’ve really hit the jackpot!” Pirate Chuyang said with envy, amazed at how different their fates were despite being the same person.

“Big brother, this is the Warring States period, not the first year of the Ninja era. We’re practically spilling brains with the neighboring Uchiha clan; do you know how dangerous that is?” Hokage Chuyang replied helplessly, shrugging his hands.

“Well, that’s still better than me,” Pirate Chuyang said curiously. “Who is the current head of the Senju Clan? Have you met the First Hokage?”

Hokage Chuyang smiled proudly. “The First just took office recently and accepted some of the younger clan members as disciples to teach them his original Wood Release technique. I’m one of them.”

Hearing this, Pirate Chuyang’s eyes brimmed with admiration, but he knew Wood Release was a bloodline limit technique with a very slim chance of mastery.

Wood Release is a rare fusion of earth and water chakra natures.

It sounds simple but is incredibly difficult to execute.

More importantly, merging different chakra natures carries immense risk; failure results in a terrible backlash.

As a member of the Senju Clan, sharing similar genetic traits helps them better resist such backlash.

Hokage Chuyang continued, “Among those disciples, I’m the only one who has mastered Wood Release. Interestingly, right after I learned it, my consciousness entered this palace.”

“Can I see it?” Pirate Chuyang asked eagerly.

Some bloodline limit ninjutsu requires no hand seals. Hokage Chuyang simply clapped his hands, and a special energy surged from his body, with thick branches and vines spreading across his upper body.

“How’s that?” Hokage Chuyang said proudly.

“Awesome...” Pirate Chuyang was about to compliment him when suddenly he felt a strange change in his own body.

Instinctively, he mimicked the hand gesture, joining his palms together—and then an astonishing sight unfolded!

Branches erupted wildly from Pirate Chuyang’s body!

He was using Wood Release!

Hokage Chuyang stared in disbelief.

“My power—you can use it. Then conversely, I should be able to use yours,” Hokage Chuyang said in surprise.

Pirate Chuyang nodded, “That should be the case, but unfortunately, I don’t know how to use anything yet.”

“No,” Hokage Chuyang said, feeling the change within himself. His shock deepened. “My chakra is more active than usual—almost doubled.”

Pirate Chuyang guessed, “The more of ourselves we gather, the faster our strength grows?”

Hokage Chuyang nodded excitedly. “Exactly! If we could retrieve all versions of ourselves, wouldn’t that be a leap to the top?”

The two were still eagerly imagining the future when suddenly thick mist filled the palace, and both sensed they were about to leave.

“I don’t know when we’ll meet again. You must hurry and improve your strength!” Hokage Chuyang urged earnestly.

Chuyang had just nodded when his consciousness snapped back to his body, pain jolting him awake. The jailer had just removed the branding iron.

Though he had spent a long time in the palace, only a moment had passed in the pirate world.

Seeing Chuyang awake so quickly, the jailer sneered and raised the branding iron again. “You’re waking up fast—let’s see how you like this.”

The jailer did not notice that the brand on Chuyang’s chest was rapidly healing—a self-healing ability beyond normal humans.

Chakra flowed steadily through his body.

Filled with power, Chuyang roared and broke free from his chains.

The jailer’s eyes widened in terror as countless vines spread from Chuyang’s body, swiftly wrapping around him.

Crack, crack.

As the vines tightened, the jailer’s bones audibly fractured.

“An... ability user,” the jailer gasped in disbelief.

Regret filled his face before he soon lost all breath.

“It’s time to leave!”

Killing the Dragon God’s servants under his nose was a grave insult to the Celestial Dragons’ dignity.

Chuyang certainly could not remain in Mary Geoise any longer—staying even a moment longer only increased the danger.

“But escaping without a plan—our chances of success are slim.”

To protect the Celestial Dragons, a Navy Admiral was permanently stationed in the Holy Land, with countless elite warriors in the base, not to mention an organization like CP0.

Chuyang knew that with his current strength, he couldn’t evade their pursuit.

“We need to create a commotion and cause as much chaos as possible.”

Chuyang recalled Fisher Tiger’s fiery rebellion in the Holy Land and decided to follow suit—no half measures.

Exiting the dim prison room, Chuyang ran back by memory until he reached the slave cells, where he finally stopped.

The three sisters looked at him with joy at first, then quickly turned to fear.

Chuyang hadn’t been dragged back by jailers; he had returned on his own.

There was only one explanation for this.

Sandasonia, the second sister, shouted in terror, “You!!! Did you... kill the jailer?”

Chuyang nodded.

The youngest, Marigold, trembled in fright.

They had been imprisoned here for years, often fantasizing about killing the jailers but never daring to act.

Meanwhile, the eldest sister, Hancock, stared at the boy in shock.

From the moment she saw him, she sensed he was different.

Yet she never imagined Chuyang would dare to do something so audacious.

Fear gripped her, but at the same time, she felt an unmatched exhilaration—because Chuyang had done what she had always wanted but never dared.

Hancock hurriedly warned, “Before anyone notices, you must escape quickly. If the Celestial Dragons catch you, your fate will be worse than death.”

Chuyang nodded. “I know. But before I leave, I want to save everyone.”

“What?” Sandasonia and Marigold exclaimed in surprise. They hadn’t expected Chuyang to think of the others in the dungeon at such a critical moment.

“Don’t be a hero. You have no idea how many slaves are imprisoned here. How long do you think you can save them all one by one?”

Though moved, Hancock scolded Chuyang loudly, urging him to leave quickly.

The Celestial Dragons had ruled for so many years without a disaster this severe. Chuyang’s fate was foreseeable.

But she didn’t know that Chuyang’s real purpose in saving others was to divert the Navy’s attention, increasing his own chances of escaping Mary Geoise.

Chuyang had no intention of leaving just yet. Squatting down amid the sisters’ confused gazes, he placed his hands firmly on the ground.