Naruto: From Konoha to One Piece

The night had arrived.

"So, why is it that of the three of us, Yamato seems like the most typical guy?" Shin remarked, eyeing Yamato, who was a bit tipsy, her face and neck marked with lipstick prints. Then he looked over at Ace, who hadn't bothered inviting any women to their table, while Yamato was surrounded by a group of charming companions adorned with makeup. Shin couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Heh heh," Yamato chuckled, slinging an arm around Shin's shoulder. Given her height, the armor on her chest weighed down on Shin's head, causing him a bit of discomfort. "Shin, you're so serious! We've come all the way here, so we should have some fun!"

With a roll of his eyes, Shin infused his hands with dark mist, drawing all the alcohol out of Yamato's system. Yamato shivered, snapping back to sobriety, and, noticing Shin's pointed gaze, let out a sheepish laugh.

"Whoops! Guess I overdid it a bit. Wano's sake is something else."

"Alright. Tama must have recognized us today. I left her a code, so I expect she'll come to us soon."

As Shin spoke, his Mind's Eye of the Kagura had already detected Tama's chakra heading their way, accompanied by a powerful life force not much weaker than Ace's—likely the strength of a captain.

Although his perception couldn't reveal identity through life force alone, and Shin's own range of observation was limited, there weren't exactly many strong fighters in the capital. The presence was almost certainly Denjiro.

"Teacher! Brother Ace!" Before long, Tama leaped down from a nearby rooftop, her landing graceful and agile—a perfect ninja's jump. She appeared before the group, her face lit with excitement.

Beside her stood a man disguised as Ushimitsu Kozo, wearing a peculiar wig. His eyes were slightly squinted, and a scarf covered part of his face.

"You're finally here! I've been training hard, and now I'm a skilled kunoichi!" Tama exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with pride.

Denjiro, masked in his role as Ushimitsu Kozo, merely smiled, watching the three without a word, keeping his intentions well-concealed.

"Yes, Tama, we're here to drive out Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi," Ace said resolutely. "We're going to help Wano reopen its borders and fulfill our promise."

"Kaido and the Kurozumi Orochi aren't foes to be taken lightly," Denjiro warned, his gaze sharp. "If the renowned Whitebeard had come, I'd believe it, but as for the three of you—even if you're famous rising stars, your strength is likely on par with the Three Calamities under Kaido."

"And as for the Kurozumi Orochi, with his barrier-barrier fruit user still alive, I can't see any straightforward way to take him down."

"A barrier-barrier fruit user?" Shin echoed, his interest piqued.

The barrier fruit's abilities lingered strongly in Shin's memory—an infamous Devil Fruit with an unbreakable defensive ability, notorious for how irksome its user had been in past encounters.

Upon hearing Denjiro's words, memories flooded Shin's mind. He recalled that the Kurozumi Orochi had indeed surrounded himself with two formidable aides: one with the imitation fruit and another with the barrier fruit.

'I thought Kaido disposed of both of them… Or is my memory failing?' he pondered internally.

'That guy—Luffy's fanboy—planned to become a pirate after Luffy set sail. It's been over a year since he left, so within this period, the previous barrier fruit user must have perished somehow…' he reasoned silently.

"Yes," Denjiro confirmed, "Kurozumi Semimaru, the barrier-barrier fruit user, has blocked every samurai's assassination attempt against Orochi over the years. Even the former Shogun, Oden, couldn't breach his barrier!"

Denjiro's expression turned grim as he spoke.

"No matter the fruit, I have a way to handle it. Leave it to me when the time comes," Shin assured him.

Denjiro's squinted eyes narrowed further as he retorted, "Did you even listen to what I said? This is a barrier that even Kozuki Oden couldn't penetrate. And Semimaru never strays far from the Kurozumi Orochi. They're even close when they sleep, so you won't have any opportunity to strike. We need a carefully laid plan."

"Don't worry, leave that to me," Shin replied, unfazed by Denjiro's concerns. He had no intention of delaying. Who knew how long the barrier-barrier fruit user would last? Better to seize the opportunity before it slips away.

After all, the barrier-barrier fruit was a treasure among devil fruits. There was no way Shin would let it go to waste.

"You don't understand, do you? That barrier is an impenetrable defense!" Denjiro said, exasperated.

"An 'impenetrable defense'?" Yamato gripped the iron club in his hand, a look of eagerness in his eyes.

Ace flexed his gloved hands, a spark of excitement flashing in his gaze. "I'd like to see what this so-called 'impenetrable defense' is like! Since I got these gloves, I haven't had the chance to push them to their limit."

Warriors of the One Piece world were infamous for their boldness, and Denjiro's words only fueled their fighting spirit.

"Alright, then, let's—" Shin began.

"Wait!" Denjiro, reaching the end of his patience, interjected. "At least make a workable plan! You can't just barge in like this!"

"And why not?" Shin turned to Denjiro, unfazed. Though he often commented on the Pirate World's rashness, he himself was hardly any different. In the world of shinobi, careful planning had never been his style.

Shin's so-called logic was often sidelined when his interests were at stake. Now that he knew about the barrier-barrier fruit, his first instinct was to act swiftly rather than risk losing the opportunity.

"Fine," Denjiro sighed, resigned. "I'll come up with a way. I can arrange for the Kurozumi Orochi to visit here, making it easier for you to carry out your mission."

"Thank you, Ushimitsu Kozo," Shin said, nodding after a moment's thought. This plan might indeed prove advantageous.

While a frontal assault on the palace was simple enough, the Kurozumi Orochi might escape in the chaos. Though the idea of retreat was unpalatable, it was well within the Orochi's nature to flee. Given that, Denjiro's plan offered a safer route.

The real advantage was discreetly eliminating Orochi, allowing Shin to employ various strategies to secure the barrier fruit.

After all, executing the plan would only take a single night. Shin thought, 'It's not like the barrier-barrier fruit user will suddenly drop dead before morning.'

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