[Pokémon Breeder in One Piece] Chapter 318 (Patreon)

Although Dak had experienced three months in another time, for the ninja world, only three seconds had passed.

"Year 59 of Konoha... I'm back."

At this moment, Dak stood on the border of the Land of Fire, the same place he had departed from three months ago.

What was once a hellish blood-red forest had undergone a complete transformation. A straight, elegant road now stretched through its center, though it was unclear where it led.

Without a doubt, Dak's first destination was Akatsuki's base in the Land of Water.

Using his psychic abilities, it took him less than five minutes to arrive at the Water Curtain Cave.

"So many life energies... Akatsuki has this many high-ranking members now?"

Standing on the lake outside the Water Curtain Cave, Dak could sense the numerous sources of life energy within the cave.

He made no effort to conceal his own aura, confident that Yahiko's Rain Tiger at Will Technique would alert them to any unusual presence in the Land of Rain.

Of course, Dak was unsure whether Madara had recruited Yahiko into Akatsuki during the 38 years he had been away.

At this point, Dak only had a basic understanding of the characters from the original timeline. After so many years, who knew how much they had changed?

Swoosh.

Suddenly, dark crimson figures appeared in the sky, landing one by one on the lake's surface, surrounding Dak in the center.

The scene was almost identical to when Dak had destroyed Akatsuki before—except for a few key differences.

First, there were more people now.

Second, Akatsuki's uniforms had changed.

The black cloaks with red clouds had been replaced with white cloaks.

The red cloud emblem had also been replaced with a strange symbol that might seem eerie to the uninitiated ninja of this world.

But Dak recognized it instantly—it was Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, a symbol of the combined strength of Madara and Izuna.

However, the emblem's base color was no longer red; it had been replaced by a green shade that matched Dak's hair.

This symbolized the combined strength of Dak, Madara, and Izuna.

Seeing this emblem, Dak understood that Madara must have succeeded in his goals.

"This place is forbidden territory in the ninja world. Only Akatsuki officers and higher-ranking members are allowed entry. Since you dared to come here so openly, you must be prepared to spend some time in the ninja world's prison."

"Hahaha, it's been a long time since anyone dared to oppose Akatsuki—aside from that lunatic Hidan."

"Finally, a chance to warm up!"

"I've had enough of Growlithe beating me. Today, I'm going to crush this guy!"

The individuals surrounding Dak were all technically his juniors, given his equal standing with Madara. Even Izuna had to address him as "Brother Dak."

Ignoring their chatter, Dak focused on identifying their identities.

Among them, he recognized:

Shisui

Nagato

Yahiko

Konan

Might Duy

Might Guy

Orochimaru

Hiruko

Kisame

Zabuza

Kū

Haku

There were also a few individuals who were clearly members of the Uzumaki and Chinoike clans.

Due to their scattered formation, Dak couldn't tell who the leader was.

"Jiraiya and Sakumo are likely still in Konoha, and the younger generation like Deidara should still be kids," Dak mused, noticing several key figures from his list to Madara were missing.

The Akatsuki members, seeing Dak standing calmly and seemingly ignoring them, were visibly annoyed.

"Hey, this guy is underestimating us!"

Zabuza was the first to strike, using the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Dak, swinging his massive sword.

Before he could land the blow, Zabuza was frozen in place.

"What the...?!"

Zabuza began sweating profusely, unable to move a muscle.

"...?"

The others immediately noticed something was wrong with Zabuza.

"Everyone, attack together!"

The command came from Orochimaru.

Dak raised an eyebrow.

The one giving orders in a situation like this had to hold significant authority—possibly even Akatsuki's current leader. But Dak distinctly remembered warning Madara that Orochimaru was dangerous and should be used cautiously.

"Enough. Quiet down. I'm here to see Madara. Tell me where he is," Dak sighed, shaking his head.

With that, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in a dark crimson wave. The oppressive force pushed everyone onto the lake's surface.

Dak's Conqueror's Haki was strong enough to peel layers off the ground with sheer presence. The average ninja would struggle to endure it.

Worried about harming the younger members, Dak restrained his Haki to just a couple of seconds.

Even so, the Akatsuki members were unfazed, recovering quickly and discussing among themselves.

"Conqueror's Haki?"

"Wait, did you see that color? Dark red..."

"Come to think of it, my master once mentioned that Akatsuki was founded by Madara and another man with green hair."

"Yeah, my master said the same thing, but they never revealed who that person was."

"Actually, I've always wondered something: The Pokémon League opened its first branch in Konoha only two months ago, but our masters' Pokémon are nearly 40 years old. Where did they get them?"

"Now that you mention it, doesn't this guy look familiar?"

All eyes turned to Orochimaru, who smirked knowingly.

"Two months ago, the mysterious Pokémon League Champion made an appearance at the tournament. You all missed it, didn't you?"

"Of course we did! We were swamped with work after our masters retired!"

"I haven't even had time to train a Pokémon yet."

"This life is unbearable. Can I resign?"

The group's grumbling shifted toward their overwhelming workload, managing the entire ninja world.

Though Madara had promised reinforcements soon, no help had arrived in two months.

"Don't you all know? Akatsuki's founders included two people. Even the Uzumaki Clan leader once mentioned the other founder, who disappeared 38 years ago."

Orochimaru recalled how he and Hiruko were "invited" by Madara to join Akatsuki decades ago.

Though the invitation was forceful, both Orochimaru and Hiruko ultimately joined voluntarily, intrigued by Akatsuki's strength and secrets.

"By the way, I've always been curious—why is the base color of our Mangekyō emblem green?"

Shisui, one of the few Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan, finally voiced his confusion.

At this, everyone turned to look at Dak's green hair.

"Could it be? The Pokémon League Champion, Dak, hailed as the 'Creator God,' is actually Akatsuki's legendary co-founder?"

Orochimaru's eyes glowed with curiosity.

"...I left before there was any talk of Akatsuki Kages. So whether I'm the 'other first Akatsuki Kage,' I wouldn't know," Dak said with a smirk. "But yes, I'm the one who founded Akatsuki alongside Madara."

"Just as I thought! Lord Champion—no, Lord Founder—I have so many questions..."

"Hold on," Dak interrupted Orochimaru. "First, tell me, who are your masters?"

After some explanation, Dak understood.

Around ten years after his departure, Akatsuki's senior members began training successors.

Madara took in Nawaki, Nagato, and Might Guy.

Izuna trained Kū, Haku, and Shisui.

Hanzō mentored Yahiko, Kisame, and Zabuza.

Kakuzu, despite his busy schedule, trained Konan and Hiruko—though his teachings focused on finance for Konan and adapting Hiruko's Chimera Technique using Earth Grudge Fear.

Interestingly, Might Duy and Orochimaru never took on masters.

(End of Chapter)

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