*Chapter 276: Packing All the Women Together*

"Don't worry, you and I are brothers. Would I ever shortchange you?"

"When the time comes, I'll apply to Lord Raijin, and we'll develop the ancestor demon serum. You'll be the first to use it."

"Doesn't that sound good? Just don't forget how I helped you."

Kakashi generously said.

Their original plan was to create the serum to build their reputation.

Without a famous person endorsing it, how would they even sell the serum?

The Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates would make excellent advertisements.

Once Jack stirred up a little trouble at sea, they'd start making a fortune.

The key now was eliminating the side effects of the serum.

After all, when they put it on the market, it had to be free of side effects.

Changing one's appearance didn't matter. Everyone at sea was focused on gaining power.

Even if they ended up looking like demons, no one would care.

As long as they made the offer, the underground world and pirate factions would jump at it.

Even the Five Elders would eagerly seek them out.

"Hahaha, you really are a great brother! I'll treat you to a feast when we get back!"

Jack was overjoyed, not expecting Kakashi to truly treat him as a brother.

He had assumed it would take a lot more effort to get what he wanted from Kakashi.

He even thought he'd have to offer up a Devil Fruit or something else valuable in exchange.

But surprisingly, Kakashi didn't ask for anything!

He just gave it to him outright!

"No problem, wait there for a bit. I'll track your location!"

"I'll send someone over soon to bring back the Upper Moon demon."

Kakashi smiled.

It seemed Jack was still as simple as ever.

"We also caught an Upper Moon demon! They say we can trade it in Dressrosa for the method to become a demon?"

Smoothie had also captured one.

In the eyes of the Demon Slayer Corps, these demons were terrifyingly powerful.

But to the big pirate crews, they weren't much of a threat.

In fact, these demons couldn't even compare to some of the pirate squad captains.

Smoothie had initially planned to take the demon back as a gift for her mother.

But after talking with Minato Namikaze and learning some insider information, she reconsidered.

"That's right! Once our research is complete, you'll get a free dose!"

Kakashi, answering a call, didn't deny it.

Giving each pirate crew one dose was manageable.

But only one!

If they wanted more, they'd have to pay or trade a Devil Fruit.

However, Dressrosa hadn't yet set a price.

They needed to see how much effort it would take Orochimaru to develop the serum.

"Send someone over to pick it up then!"

Smoothie nodded.

Looking at the broken demon pot in front of her, she thought it seemed quite abstract.

But the quick restoration ability was impressive.

If they truly acquired it, it would significantly enhance their fighting strength.

The Charlotte Pirates would become even more powerful.

"Hold on a moment!"

Kakashi nodded and hung up the call.

"Half of the Upper Moon demons have been captured, and all of the Lower Moon demons are in custody."

"The demons in the surrounding area have also been wiped out. The ancestor demon must be getting anxious by now."

Kakashi turned to Raijin.

In just over half a month, they'd nearly accomplished what the Demon Slayer Corps had been trying to do for a thousand years.

Yet, Kakashi still felt things were moving too slowly. If they could speed things up, all the better.

"He must be going mad by now! We've shattered his thousand-year plan. His forces are on the verge of collapse."

"The next step is to track down the remaining demons. When we find them, we shouldn't attack right away—just follow them."

"The ancestor demon will likely gather all the demons together, and that's how we'll find him."

Raijin hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.

It was easier than they'd imagined.

This was probably due to the overwhelming difference in power.

While the demons were strong, their own strength was far greater.

"I agree, which is why I already gave the order!"

"Next, we just need to follow the trail. It's a pity the demons can't speak, or we'd have the ancestor's location by now."

"If they could, things would go even smoother. But as it stands, we're doing well."

Kakashi smiled. He had already anticipated this outcome.

Even without Raijin saying it, Kakashi had planned to do exactly that.

"What about Minato's mission?"

Raijin asked.

"Minato-sensei has already replaced their leader and is collecting all valuable minerals and metals."

"If all goes well, we'll soon have enough metal for Sasori to use."

Kakashi grinned. The next phase of their plans would consume a lot of metal.

That's why they had gone to such great lengths to gather these resources.

"Then tell Minato to keep up the pace! By the way, how many people are living in the aerial fortress now?"

Raijin glanced at the city below the aerial fortress.

About a fifth of the population had moved in already.

Though small, they had built many houses.

Even the food Raijin had brought along would be enough to feed the residents for now.

Enough for ten thousand people for half a month.

"Probably around two thousand by now!"

Kakashi estimated and was equally astonished.

He hadn't expected to gather so many girls in such a short time.

In just over half a month, nearly every trip had brought back one or two girls.

The aerial fortress was filling up fast, meaning the nearby villages and towns had nearly been emptied.

Kakashi felt a bit strange about this. Was the country going to collapse?

No!

There would still be new births.

There would always be new children.

However, this era might have a generational gap.

Not that anyone would care.

After all, one less mouth to feed at home was something to celebrate!

"Well then! Tell Minato and the others to continue their efforts. Let's bring more in!"

"If we're going to do this, let's do it big. Go all out!"

"Let's fill up the aerial fortress!"

Raijin thought for a moment, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

Leaving without at least ten thousand people wasn't worthy of the Uchiha name.

The Uchiha clan had to dominate!

That was the only way to quickly expand Dressrosa's population.

"The Uchiha clan doesn't have many people! The current numbers should be sufficient."

"There's no need to keep capturing more girls."

Kakashi thought for a moment and gently advised.

At this point, each Uchiha youth would have more than enough wives—ten each was more than enough.

If they took on ten thousand people, the Uchiha men would likely be exhausted before long.

Although Kakashi didn't care much...

Fine, it seemed Raijin didn't either. His goal was to see the Uchiha clan flourish.

With Raijin still alive, the clan would thrive for another fifty years.

Fifty years was enough time for two generations to grow.

By then, the Uchiha numbers would be unimaginable.

However, if they kept going like this, there might be internal complaints within the Uchiha clan.

After all, they were human, not livestock. They couldn't keep reproducing endlessly.

"Are you worried I can't support them? I can easily take care of them!"

"Aren't there other clans besides the Uchiha? Even adding them up, there must be at least three or four thousand people."

"When the time comes and the Uchiha can’t take everything, we’ll see what’s left for the other clans."

"Kakashi, you need to understand, ninjas are our foundation! As for the physical techniques that Zephyr and the others rely on, they aren’t our core strength."

"While their physical techniques are decent, without combining them with our ninjutsu, they will look much more limited."

"So, I need to build a solid foundation for the Uchiha, at the very least making sure the Uchiha clan sits on the throne for a thousand years, just like the Celestial Dragons."

"I want to develop this sea into another Ninja World, but one without war—only peace."

Raijin calmly placed a large map in front of Kakashi as he spoke.

Raijin knew that ninjas were the most crucial resource he had.

If he lost the support of the ninjas, his rule would become unstable.

After all, relying solely on the Uchiha would not be enough to achieve complete unification.

Moreover, the Uchiha’s power was still weak.

If it weren't for Raijin’s support, look at the other clans in Konoha—none of them respect the Uchiha.

In fact, they'd likely think about splitting the Uchiha among themselves first.

That’s why Raijin planned to continue strengthening the Uchiha, building them into an eternal clan.

After all, he was still in the Pure Land.

In the future, if the Uchiha’s geniuses died, he could just bring them back to life and put them to work again.

And with the Second Hokage’s Reanimation Jutsu, as long as he kept the Uchiha’s foundation secure, there wouldn’t be any major problems in the future.

"You’re right! I’ll inform Lord Minato about this."

"But won’t this cause a devastating blow to this country?"

"After all, their population must be pretty small. If we take away that many girls..."

"The ratio of men to women..."

Kakashi hesitated before asking.

"Are you really concerned about that? Haha, who cares!"

"What does their survival have to do with me? My priority is strengthening the Uchiha."

"If the Uchiha become powerful enough, and if there’s something in this country worth controlling, I won’t mind taking it over."

Raijin said indifferently, showing no concern for the fate of that nation.

In fact, he planned to return twelve years later to harvest another batch.

He basically intended to turn this place into a center for Uchiha wives.

After all, they spoke the same language, so there wouldn't be any communication barriers.

It was the most convenient option.

"Yeah! I was overthinking things!"

Kakashi nodded, his eyes regaining their cold, indifferent look.

Exactly!

What did the lives of these people have to do with them?

They had come here as invaders.

Moreover, these girls wouldn’t have enough to eat or wear if they stayed here.

Taking them away was practically an act of kindness.

"They captured three Upper Moons, and even six Lower Moons were caught?"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki was stunned. He hadn’t expected that in such a short time, after sharing intelligence, they had already accomplished what hadn't been done in a thousand years.

After all, despite all these years, they hadn’t been able to deal with even one Upper Moon.

The only demons they had taken down were a few Lower Moons!

He didn’t expect them to move so quickly.

"That’s right! Members of the Demon Slayer Corps have already confirmed it: Upper Moon One, Upper Moon Three, and Upper Moon Five."

"They’re incredibly strong, even much more powerful than us Hashira."

"Basically, once we send them the information, they go after the demons immediately."

"Not a single Lower Moon managed to escape; they were all captured."

Shinobu Kocho smiled and nodded, though she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

There was still no news about Upper Moon Two, Doma—the demon who had eaten her sister.

What a shame!

The Demon Slayer Corps still couldn’t find his location.

Otherwise, she would have already led them to him.

"What are their conditions?"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked with a gentle smile.

So far, Raijin and his people hadn’t made any demands.

But Ubuyashiki didn’t believe they were simply being kind-hearted.

After all, they were only capturing demons, not killing them outright.

If they decided to release the demons later, the world would fall into chaos.

"They want to take ten thousand girls, and they must be virgins."

"They also want to select some members of the Demon Slayer Corps to take with them."

Shinobu Kocho hesitated for a moment before speaking quietly.

She and Kanao were both on that list.

Shinobu had no objections. As long as she could avenge her sister, that would be enough.

Once she had her revenge, it wouldn’t matter if they took her away.

"Fine. These girls wouldn’t have much of a future if they stayed here anyway."

"In these times, they barely have enough to eat. At least if they go with them, they’ll be well-fed and clothed."

"They don’t seem to have any ill intentions toward the girls. They’ll probably find good homes for them."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki chuckled softly.

He had seen what happened in Dressrosa, and it seemed these people weren’t planning anything malicious.

If the girls stayed here, they would likely be treated as tools, either sold off or married to unsuitable men, continuing their miserable lives.

So maybe leaving with them was a good thing.

But as for the Demon Slayer Corps members...

Kagaya Ubuyashiki fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"As for the Demon Slayer Corps members, we’ll see what they want. If they choose to leave, let them go."

"But don’t force them. Once Muzan Kibutsuji is dead, we still need to clean up the remnants hiding in the shadows."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki said softly.

(End of chapter)