Yosuke fell into deep thought.
The main problem right now was the lack of a boat—without one, there was no way to reach the island where Orochimaru's base was located.
The scavenger old man noticed that Yosuke and Pakura wanted to go out to sea and earnestly tried to dissuade them.
"Young people, listen to an old man's advice—don't go out to sea. Even if you must, choose another port. Otherwise, if you lose your lives, it won't be worth it."
However, the nearest port was several days' journey away. It would waste too much time. Yosuke asked,
"Sir, do you know where we can find a boat? We still want to depart from here."
The old man sighed.
"Young man, why won't you listen? Haven't you heard the old saying—those who don't listen to the elderly—"
Before he could finish, Yōsuke took out a few more banknotes. The old man instantly changed his tune.
"Not listening is absolutely right! What do old geezers like us know of the world? Young people need a spirit of adventure!"
Yosuke and Pakura exchanged glances and smiled helplessly. Yosuke cut him off and asked again,
"Sir, about the boat?"
"Follow me," the scavenger said.
Yosuke and Pakura followed him to the entrance of a cave. The cave wasn't large, but something in the middle was covered with canvas.
The old man gently stroked the object beneath the canvas, his face filled with reluctance.
"Back then, I was just a trainee sailor on a merchant ship. I once heard a legend—that somewhere on an island across the sea lay the treasure of the Pirate King. Ever since, I dreamed of going out to sea. I hoped that once I mastered navigation, I could sail out and search for that legendary treasure.
"But a few years ago, after that incident… my companions were buried at sea. I became afraid of the ocean and no longer dared to sail again. Still, I built a ship. I kept waiting for the day I might once again enter the sea and chase that distant, unreachable dream."
The old man lifted the canvas, revealing a ship that looked "completely intact."
It was a sailboat—extremely old, its hull covered in patches, making one seriously doubt whether it could even survive the open sea.
"Um… are you really planning to use this ship for exploration?" Pakura asked skeptically.
"Don't judge it by appearances," the old man said, patting his chest. "All the materials are top-notch. It can definitely sail!"
Yosuke sighed.
"There's no room to be picky. As long as it can sail. Let's go, Pakura."
Just as Yosuke started dragging the sailboat away, the old man stopped him again.
"This ship carries all my dreams… Maybe with this ship, I could find that treasure—maybe even become the Pirate King. I can't bear to part with it…"
He clung to the ship and burst into heart-wrenching sobs.
Helpless, Yosuke asked,
"So what do you want before you'll let us take it?"
The old man rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
"You'll have to pay more."
Yosuke dragged the sailboat with Pakura toward the harbor.
As for the scavenger old man, he repeatedly counted the two banknotes in his hands.
"One thousand… nine thousand… ten thousand! I'm rich!"
Yosuke chuckled.
"The genjutsu Itachi taught me is pretty useful. Two thousand-ryō bills, and he counted them up to ten thousand."
Pakura complained,
"That old man was way too greedy. He dared to ask five thousand ryō for a broken ship. In my opinion, we shouldn't have even given him the two thousand."
"Forget it. It's not worth worrying about," Yosuke said.
He pushed the sailboat into the water and found that, although it looked shabby, at least it didn't leak.
Yosuke and Pakura jumped aboard and began rowing toward their destination.
After rowing for an entire day, they finally arrived at an island.
This island was one of Orochimaru's bases—the Northern Outpost.
The moment they stepped onto the island, an eerie, sinister atmosphere enveloped them.
Stone pillars stood everywhere across the island, forming what looked like a natural fortress.
As Yosuke and Pakura ventured deeper, they could occasionally hear human screams.
At the rocky mountain in the center of the island, they discovered a passageway.
Just as they were about to enter, dozens of grotesque, humanoid creatures emerged from within and surrounded them.
Without saying a word, the creatures launched an attack.
Pakura was about to use her Scorch Release to deal with them when Yang Jie stopped her.
"They were once human."
Pakura's pupils shrank violently. She stared at the creatures in disbelief. Aside from walking upright, they bore almost no resemblance to humans.
If these creatures truly had been human, then what had happened to them to twist them into such monstrous forms?
Yosuke's expression grew heavy as well. It reminded him of the humans in his former world who had been turned into demons by Kibutsuji Muzan.
"I'll handle this," he said.
Yosuke drew his katana and held it level with his chest.
"Blood Breathing — Vessel Form: Scarlet Rot."
Crimson flower buds bloomed as a shockwave laced with scarlet petals swept across the battlefield.
Most of the humanoid creatures were instantly killed. Only a small number survived.
However, as their minds were corroded by the Scarlet Rot toxin, the survivors began attacking one another.
As Yosuke and Pakura were about to enter the base, one creature, its body ravaged by the toxin, lunged at Yang Jie with its claws.
A flash of blade light streaked past.
The creature's arms were severed instantly, blood spraying everywhere. It collapsed to the ground screaming—and then its form began to change.
The monstrous body receded, replaced by black circular markings covering its skin, until finally it reverted completely to a human form.
And astonishingly, this person regained consciousness from the Scarlet Rot's corruption.
"Y-You… were you sent by Orochimaru to eliminate us?" he asked weakly.
Yosuke shook his head.
"No. We're here to find Orochimaru. Is he in this base?"
"No… Orochimaru hasn't come here for a long time. This place is a human experimentation site dedicated to Curse Mark research. We're all failed products—those who couldn't withstand the Curse Mark. I've told you everything I know. Please… give me a quick death. I don't want to keep living in that ugly form…"
Yosuke silently nodded and ended his life with a single stroke, granting him a nearly painless death.
"Yosuke , since Orochimaru isn't here, should we leave now?" Pakura asked.
"A base for human experimentation like this should never exist," Yosuke replied.
"I'll destroy it myself."
He sheathed his katana, his gaze ice-cold, and stepped into the base.
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL
Please drop some power stones support me at my Patreon