Upon hearing of Kyoshiro arrival, the samurai present immediately went on high alert, readying themselves to face the enemy at a moment notice.
However, under Hantaro persistent questioning, the reporting samurai added a new piece of information—
Kyoshiro and that unknown woman had not arrived alone they were followed by Orochi Oniwabanshu, and it appeared they were being hunted.
"This must be a trap!"
One samurai stated with absolute conviction.
Ever since Issho attacked Wano Country weapons factory, Orochi had gone into hiding with his subordinates, including Kyoshiro and the Oniwabanshu. For them to suddenly turn on each other now was inexplicable...
If Sherwin hadn't read the manga, he wouldn't have believed it either.
Though setting up such a trap at this point in time would indeed be quite strange.
Hantaro happened to share this skepticism, so he instead proposed sending a few people out to rescue Kyoshiro first. They could find out what was happening and then decide whether or not to compromise the secret base based on the situation.
But because of his previous actions in forcing Kawamatsu to take a stand, a portion of the samurai voiced their opposition without a second thought.
It wasn't that they were ignoring right and wrong just to be contrary, but as personal ties shifted, everyone perspective on the matter changed as well.
However, the arguments among the samurai were entirely meaningless, because...
"Wow—! It ninjas Meow!"
(=＞＜=)
After figuring out that the so-called Oniwabanshu were actually ninjas, Klee Meow immediately began to urge Sherwin impatiently.
"Brother Sherwin! Let go out and take a look, meow!"
Sherwin, who had already planned to get Enma from Hiko hands, naturally had no reason to refuse. He directly ignored the samurai who were still arguing and stepped outside.
"I don't even know what you're afraid of, meow? With us here, shouldn't Orochi be the one worried about us looking for trouble, meow?"
Jinx, who had just exchanged blows with the samurai earlier, rolled her eyes and cut them off before they could speak up to stop them.
With Shermie Meow, who had the widest range of Observation Haki, pointing the way, Sherwin and the others soon saw Kyoshiro and Hiko fleeing in disarray. Behind them were about a dozen strangely shaped members of the Orochi Oniwabanshu.
"Yahoo—!"
With a forceful kick from the small paws resting on Sherwin shoulder, Klee Meow lunged toward the group of ninjas.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, meow!"
In mid-air, the little Ragdoll cat fired fist-sized fireballs at the Orochi Oniwabanshu, intercepting all of them.
"Who goes there?!"
Fukurokuju, whose head and earlobes were exceptionally long, shouted sternly after blocking the fireball aimed at him.
"Klee is the First Hokage of the Explosion Village, meow!"
The little puppet, landing lightly between the two parties, answered with its head held high in triumph.
Furthermore, she had specifically changed into the Akatsuki uniform that Sherwin had previously custom-made for her, complete with the exclusive Bakukage bamboo hat...
Sherwin and Huamei Meow both pressed their hands to their foreheads simultaneously this little one still hadn't forgotten that persona of hers.
"Bakunin Village? Is there such a place in Wano Country?"
Whether it was the Orochi Oniwabanshu, Denjiro, or Kozuki Hiyori, everyone looked utterly bewildered.
"Idiots! She clearly a member of the Mink Tribe! What 'Bakunin Village' nonsense! Don't be fooled!"
Fukurokuju was the first to react, raising the index and middle fingers of both hands and interlocking them vertically.
"Ohhhhh—!"
(=ω=)
Seeing the opponent actually start forming hand seals like the ninjas in stories, Klee Meow eyes immediately lit up, filled with anticipation for the opponent ninjutsu.
"Ninja Art: Earlobe Artillery!"
Fukurokuju long earlobes instantly "came to life," like two flexible whips or a pair of slithering snakes, lashing out wildly toward Klee Meow.
"Is this... Orochimaru ninjutsu meow?"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow scratched her head in confusion, feeling a bit disappointed.
Compared to the Orochimaru in "Naruto Meow," Fukurokuju—who could only make his earlobes act like snakes—was a bit underwhelming.
However, since this was a "ninjutsu" duel after all, the little ragdoll cat followed the rules and unleashed her own "ninjutsu"...
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique meow!" (=`3=)
After putting on a show of weaving hand signs, Klee Meow pursed her small mouth and spat out a fireball much larger than the previous ones at Fukurokuju.
The surrounding snow melted almost instantly, and Fukurokuju quickly retracted his earlobes.
"The opponent uses sorcery! Everyone, attack together!"
"It not sorcery meow! Klee is using authentic ninjutsu meow!" (=`н=)
These words thoroughly infuriated the little ragdoll.
Her "ninjutsu" was entirely developed based on the stories told by her brother Sherwin, making them as authentic as could be. On the other hand, this so-called Oniwabanshu standing before her...
Aside from throwing some shuriken and forming hand signs, they didn't act like "ninjas" at all!
So...
"The ninjutsu you use is the one that isn't authentic meow!"
To vindicate her own ninjutsu, Klee Meow decided to no longer hold back...
"Meow-sanoo!"
(=`Д=)
A massive amount of flames erupted from Klee Meow body, forming a colossal fiery feline frame over ten meters tall. It enveloped the little ragdoll, shielding her while simultaneously blocking all the attacks from Fukurokuju and the others.
Then, the Meow-sanoo raised its paw...
Following a flurry of fiery feline punches, the Orochi Oniwabanshu couldn't even put up an effective resistance they didn't even leave behind any remains, as the angry Klee Meow reduced them all to ashes.
"Brother Sherwin! Klee won meow!"
(=`=)
Retracting the "Meow-sano'o," Klee Meow ignored the stunned Denjiro and Hiyori, scurrying back onto Sherwin shoulder. She pouted unhappily and grumbled, "These ninjas are just like that Uncle Binz—not authentic at all, meow!"
(=`へ=)
Further away, Kawamatsu and the others, who had followed Sherwin out and witnessed Klee Meow overwhelming display of power, swallowed hard.
Fortunately, it was the blue Felyne they had clashed with earlier. If it had been this one, who looked the most harmless...
The samurai who had attacked first suddenly felt a pang of regret for provoking Sherwin.
It wasn't that they feared death no matter how thick-headed these samurai were, few among them were cowards.
The reason they regretted it was simply because they realized Sherwin and his "Felyne Mink Tribe" possessed strength even greater than Fujitora. They were powerful allies who could help them repel Kaido and reclaim Wano Country.
Of course, in their minds, "reclaiming" it had to be done with the Kozuki Clan as the rightful leaders.
As for Sherwin attitude toward Kozuki Oden...
These outsiders must simply have some misunderstandings about Lord Oden. They didn't understand Lord Oden charismatic personality and greatness. We should properly explain Lord Oden great achievements to him instead of mindlessly coming into conflict.
Those few samurai silently reflected on their behavior in their hearts.
While those confused samurai were lost in their delusions, Denjiro and Hiyori, having regained their composure, also spotted Kawamatsu and the others following behind.
"Kawamatsu!"
Kozuki Hiyori lifted the hood of her cloak, revealing her beautiful emerald hair and the stunning face known as Wano Country number one beauty, then lunged into Kawamatsu embrace.
"H-Hiyori-sama!"
Looking at the girl in his arms crying like rain on pear blossoms, Kawamatsu was so pleasantly surprised that he dropped his beloved sword to the side.
However, his surprises were not over yet. Denjiro, having changed his appearance, also walked over and revealed his identity.
Sherwin did not step forward to disturb them. After all, no matter how much he disliked the Akazaya Nine, he wasn't going to go over and spoil the mood at a time like this.
During the conversation between the group, Sherwin also figured out the reason why the two of them had appeared here.
The matter was not complicated. Initially, when Kurozumi Orochi fled, he took the oiran Komurasaki with him.
At that time, Denjiro, who didn't have time to take Hiyori and escape, chose not to join Kawamatsu and the others in order to protect her and track Orochi location.
After hiding for a while, Orochi noticed that the Beasts Pirates had been unable to deal with the fleeing samurai and Issho.
Worried that something else might go wrong, he decided to head to Itamaru Port in neighboring Hakumai to take a ship to Onigashima and seek refuge with Kaido...
Then, he saw Sherwin Heartfire Spirit Helm Breaker descending from the sky.
Orochi, who had long since become a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, finally saw his stress explode.
He began to indiscriminately beat and even massacre the attendants around him. Hiyori choice was no different from the manga she stood up and denounced Orochi behavior.
Except this time, Denjiro did not have Hiyori fake her death. Instead, he rescued her directly and began their escape, intending to find the other Akazaya Nine.
They fled toward Ringo not only because it was relatively close, but also because the other two adjacent areas, the Flower Capital and Udon, were unlikely to have allies. Furthermore, they had heard reports of samurai fighting members of the Beasts Pirates here.
After finishing their exchange with Kawamatsu and the others, Denjiro and Hiyori gaze finally landed on Sherwin and his group.
"And these people are...?"