Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 327 Confirms Goals and Interests in the Ninja World!

Bane sat up abruptly from the makeshift wooden bed and asked, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Not long, less than a day," Nami replied.

"Is it because the flow of time is different, or is there something wrong with my perception in the Pure Land? I feel like quite a long time has passed," Bane pondered for a moment.

"Pure Land? What does that mean?" Fubuki asked.

"That's right. If none of you were summoned, then it must be a problem with my abilities. Previously, my soul was summoned to the death side of this world. According to your understanding, it can be regarded as the underworld, which is called 'Pure Land.' It is an endless desert, as if there is nothing there. It is the place where the souls of the dead return." Bane began to recount his strange experience.

"In the end, I felt as if I had established a connection with the Pure Land, or as if I had communicated with Death. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I felt that Death was empty and had no self-awareness. If I could merge with him, my consciousness might become the god of the Pure Land who governs souls and death," Bane said somewhat uncertainly.

The others felt a sense of unreality as they listened to his description.

After a long silence, Zoro spoke up: "Not necessarily. Perhaps you too will lose consciousness, lose yourself, and become an 'empty' god?"

"You're right, that's a possibility," Bane nodded.

"That would be a huge problem," Weber said, looking at Bane. "You might become part of the world's rules governing life and death, with no freedom or will left."

"That makes sense, but how should I put it? While there is a crisis, it is indeed a good direction. While maintaining this sense of crisis, we should also try our best to find opportunities in this area, shouldn't we?" Bane said with a bit of greed.

However, these things are all somewhat vague and uncertain, and there are no traces of them for the time being.

After everyone discussed for a while, Robin said, "Let's not talk about that for now. We're still in the mountains. Our top priority is to find out what's going on outside and then search for valuable technology, knowledge, and clues about interdimensional portals."

"Don't you usually receive some kind of 'premonition' when you travel through worlds?" Zoro asked Bane. "Did you this time?"

"Yes," Bane nodded, then quickly added, "As far as I know, this is a world with magical powers; let's call it the 'Ninja World' for now. Through training, people can master an energy called chakra, thus becoming ninjas and wielding the magical power of 'ninjutsu'."

As Bane introduced himself, everyone's attention was quickly drawn to him.

In general, Bane tells the story of ninja villages, the attributes of ninjutsu, tailed beasts, and the conflicts between various countries and villages.

"But I'm not entirely sure what region the current timeline is in yet; we'll need to go outside and confirm that later," Bane concluded.

"Ninjutsu... that sounds quite interesting," Waver said with a hint of anticipation.

"Based on what you just said, the ninjutsu here also includes the concept of 'space-time,' which might be helpful to Dr. Genus's research on the Transcendental Gate. We need to find a way to obtain the relevant technology and knowledge," Robin analyzed earnestly.

"Just like the inexhaustible energy of Logia-type beings, the Tailed Beasts you just described also possess almost inexhaustible energy. Could that be used as an energy reserve to open the Gate of Transcendence?" Fubuki raised an eyebrow and asked with some anticipation.

"There's no point in just imagining things." Zoro's expression turned serious, and he said in a very crisp and decisive tone, "We need to collect the Tailed Beasts as well."

"According to what Bane just said, the Tailed Beasts are the violent organizations of this world, that is, the ninja villages. It should be said that the strategic weapons of the major ninja villages are not something that they will hand over to us in a friendly manner just because we need them. From this point of view, we should be prepared to be hostile in terms of our stance," Waver analyzed.

"The knowledge of those ninjutsu must be extremely valuable. If we want to obtain it, we must also be prepared to plunder it by force," Robin said in a deep voice.

"Why does it feel like we've suddenly become villains since leaving the Navy? We were supposed to be allies of justice before," Nami said, somewhat helplessly and amusedly.

"There's no way around it. It's obviously impossible to obtain knowledge, technology, and power from these other worlds in a friendly manner. Our natural stance is that of plunderers," Bane nodded.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious after a moment. Robin then said, "Since everyone is aware of this, there's no need for further explanation. Based on the information Bane just provided, our main mission in this world is roughly to acquire knowledge of a completely new ninjutsu system, try to utilize this power, collect tailed beasts that might serve as energy sources, and gather rare space-time technology, knowledge, and ninjutsu. Finally, there's the unexpected gain Bane made in the world of the dead, right?"

Ain, who was standing to the side, wrote all of these down in his notebook, and then looked at Bane to see if he had anything to add.

Just as Bane was about to say that was roughly the case, he suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Oh right, there's also 'natural energy,' similar to the environmental energy that the professor and teacher discussed back in the Empire. It's also like the feeling Zoro experienced before coming here. It's an ancient power, distinct from the 'ninjutsu' power born from the chakra energy system, called 'sage art.' By absorbing this natural energy, one can enhance oneself and even prolong life. These powers are currently held by mysterious lineage forces known as the three holy lands: Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest."

Bane quickly began telling Zoro and the others about the three holy lands, such as the Toad Sage, the Slug Sage, and the White Snake Sage.

"Sage Techniques? That sounds more interesting than Ninjutsu," Zoro said, looking quite intrigued.

Perhaps he has a great talent and ability in this area. Before, in the Empire, he sensed that kind of environmental energy through meditation, and that energy could even be called 'natural energy'.

Now that he has heard what Bane said about the world here, about the knowledge of cultivating this power, and even about sacred places that have been passed down for thousands of years, he is naturally very much looking forward to it.

"We should also include the use of this natural energy, that is, magic, in our goals this time," Bane said to Ain.

Ain nodded immediately and wrote it down in her notebook.

After arranging this matter, the original plan to set up camp was immediately disbanded as Bane regained consciousness. Everyone quickly packed their things and began to descend the mountain to investigate the time and situation outside.

More than three hours later, as dusk fell, Zoro was sitting in a shop on a street in a small village, eating grilled skewers.

Because of his terrible sense of direction, even though he emphasized that he hadn't gotten lost in a long time, everyone still didn't quite trust him. After arriving at the village at the foot of the mountain, they arranged for Zoro to wait there, while the rest of them dispersed to gather basic information.

"They all look down on me like this, damn it." Zoro muttered unhappily as he ate his roast beef.

But just as he was about to pick up a new skewer, he suddenly seemed to sense that someone was watching him and looked up at the other side of the street.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Judging from the storefront, it was a red-light district tavern. A white-haired man with strange face paint was currently embracing two beautiful women, looking at Zoro with a slightly drunken expression.

"What? Do you want to ask for directions?" Zoro wondered to himself, somewhat puzzled.

However, he also sensed a faint sense of wariness from the person opposite him. It was an instinct reminding him that, at least from his instincts, the guy opposite him should be someone with some skill.

However, Zoro felt that he had only just arrived in this world and was just sitting down to eat a couple of skewers. He had no reason to make enemies with anyone, so he wasn't too worried.

If Bane were here, he would naturally recognize the person opposite him as Jiraiya, the famous "Toad Sage" of the ninja world, one of the legendary Sannin and a symbol of Konoha Village.

Jiraiya, of course, had no hostility towards Zoro. After noticing Zoro's gaze, he smiled slightly awkwardly, then put his arms around two very voluptuous hostesses and left the street laughing and joking.

Zoro, seeing this, didn't pay much attention, and continued eating his skewers.

After dismissing the hostesses at the street corner, Jiraiya quickly sobered up from his drunken stupor. He traveled around the world, partly to find his friend Orochimaru, and partly to gather intelligence for the village.

"Judging from his attire and appearance, he should be a samurai, right? It's been a long time since I've encountered a samurai that gives me the creeps. He doesn't even seem hostile, yet he looks like a beast feeding on its prey." As Jiraiya spoke, he took out his notebook and drew a simple portrait of Zoro in it.

I must say, he does have some skill; the drawing is quite good.

The reason I drew this portrait is not because I have my eye on Zoro or anything like that, but to remember strong people so that I can be vigilant and mentally prepared if I encounter them somewhere in the future.

After quickly putting the sketchbook away, Jiraiya stretched and prepared to find a place to rest.

"Speaking of which, the Chunin Exams are just around the corner, and this old man is going to be in the limelight. We've been out for so long, why don't we go back and take a look?" Jiraiya thought to himself.

After Orochimaru defected from Konoha, Jiraiya spent many years tracking his friend. Although he would occasionally return to Konoha, he would only stop briefly to exchange information with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and rarely lingered in the village.

Jiraiya had been feeling quite tired lately, so he decided to go back to the village and get some rest.

Meanwhile, the Chunin Exams are about to be held in Konoha, and although Jiraiya hasn't obtained any substantial evidence in his pursuit of Orochimaru, he vaguely senses that Orochimaru might return to Konoha during this period.

There might be some kind of conspiracy involved!

Another chapter will be updated later~

(End of this chapter)