Chapter 183: Certainly Capable of Bearing Sons**

Mihawk’s current state wasn’t something Raijin cared to know about.

Mihawk was now part of the Uchiha clan, after all. Perhaps he felt uncomfortable knowing that Uchiha Mikoto was already a married woman. His plan might be to turn Mikoto into a widow, completely severing any lingering attachment.

As for whether he planned to deliver Uchiha Fugaku's eyes to Sasuke, Raijin didn’t intend to intervene. Initially, he merely wanted to give Uchiha Sasuke the opportunity to fight his father, the man responsible for bringing the Uchiha clan to its knees. If Fugaku wasn’t shown any harsh consequences, he would never realize his mistakes. Therefore, Raijin kept Fugaku alive, leaving him to face Sasuke so that father and son could confront each other.

Those who were kidnapped by the Uchiha clan were mostly labeled as rogue ninjas. It seemed as if nothing had ever happened between Raijin and Mikoto. Raijin planned to let Mihawk handle the situation on his own. He had no reason to think any further about Mihawk.

Raijin chuckled to himself, feeling that Mihawk had already ingrained himself deeply into the Uchiha’s affairs.

He mused, "Who would've thought you'd dare stay here so openly? I thought you would have left by now."

After a few more words with Raijin, Kakashi hung up the phone. It turned out that even the mermaid princess, who hadn’t yet matured, was in Raijin’s grasp. Raijin couldn’t possibly be interested in her. Once he arrived at Konoha, he learned of the Uchiha clan's notorious reputation.

"I’ve heard of your clan's infamous deeds. I originally thought you wouldn’t dare set foot here easily."

Even Fishman Island had already been brought under Raijin’s control.

"Mikoto has given birth to two sons, so the next one will definitely be a boy. When that happens, his swordsmanship will have an heir."

"Well! My Observation Haki keeps tabs on Konoha’s situation at all times. Since the leader of Root isn’t in Konoha right now, it’s safe for me to show up."

The world’s most beautiful woman, Hancock, had also submitted to Raijin. However, he would not allow himself to be the bad guy for Raijin this time.

"Ahem... I'll go back and try to persuade him," Marco said.

Mikoto’s charm hadn’t reached that level yet. After seeing Nara Shikaku’s miserable state last time, Kakashi knew that matchmaking in this village never ends well. But now, with Mihawk interfering, the plan was likely to fail.

Kakashi had never put down his beloved "Icha Icha Paradise," engrossed in studying the book. He cleared his throat, avoiding the ridiculous discussion of Mihawk’s “assets.”

This guy always wanted to lure powerful warriors from the sea to bear children for the clan, but there wasn’t a woman out there they couldn’t get. "If he dies at sea, who will inherit his swordsmanship? He should go back and have a child with Mikoto."

Both of the most beautiful women at sea were under Raijin’s control. Even if he wanted to leave now, there was no way out. Mikoto was just a worn-out sandal, after all, and even Tsunade couldn’t compare.

"Forget it, try to persuade Mihawk. After all, he’s quite old and still hasn’t married or had kids."

Though the "married woman" status added some points, Kakashi found it odd that he hadn’t noticed anything off with Mihawk earlier. As for Mikoto, Kakashi noted that people in Konoha and the underground market were still searching for him.

Standing under a massive tree, Marco addressed Kakashi, "I suggest you take action soon. As far as I know, the leader of Root will return to Konoha soon."

Kakashi, still engrossed in his book, didn’t even look up, simply flipping a page. He had spent this time gathering information and recruiting followers in Konoha. The current chaos in Konoha gave him many opportunities. Even the secret codes and passages hadn’t been changed or repaired, allowing him to move freely.

"Root?" Marco was hearing about this organization for the first time. He had gathered plenty of intel in Konoha but wasn’t aware of such an organization.

"It’s called the root of Konoha, the darkest organization here."

"Of course, if you believe you can force your way out, go ahead and try. Right now, Konoha’s at its weakest, so you might get out smoothly."

Kakashi’s tone was tinged with uncertainty. Despite Konoha’s weakened state, something still felt off. He wasn’t sure if even someone as powerful as Whitebeard could escape unscathed. The sea’s inhabitants relied on brute strength, unlike the Shinobi world with its diverse array of jutsu. Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations, had been home to powerful figures like Tobirama Senju, the King of Forbidden Techniques.

With the right forbidden jutsu, Kakashi thought even someone like Whitebeard might not escape unscathed. Konoha’s forbidden techniques were bizarre and varied, even making Raijin extremely cautious.

"Heh, I doubt Konoha can stop the old man. After all, our old man is the strongest man in the world. Even your so-called Hokage is nothing special."

Marco chuckled confidently at Kakashi, firmly believing in Whitebeard’s power.

---

*Continuation*

Sarutobi Hiruzen frequently visited, and by now, Marco had a clear understanding of his strength. The fact that such a frail body could be called the strongest was laughable.

"Well, I hope you have good luck. Now, let's get down to business," Kakashi said as he closed "Icha Icha Paradise," no longer trying to persuade Marco. This guy was completely fooled by appearances. If Konoha were truly weak, Raijin, who once possessed the Uchiha clan's strongest power, Susanoo, wouldn’t have left Konoha. After all, who would willingly abandon such a large domain?

"I hope you can send Naruto away. We and the old man will pave the way for you," Marco said seriously, looking at Kakashi.

"Naruto has suffered enough as Konoha’s Jinchuriki. We don’t want him to stay here any longer!"

Marco had already learned the truth about Naruto from Kakashi in the past few days. Understanding it made him and Whitebeard realize why Naruto was shunned in Konoha. Despite being the son of the Fourth Hokage, he was treated as worthless.

For Marco and Whitebeard, this was incomprehensible, and they didn’t intend to try to understand it either. This village was a mistake. If Naruto stayed, he would only become a sacrificial pawn. These filthy politicians had treated the child of their hero so horribly. Both Whitebeard and Marco were furious, their anger burning intensely. They were ready to take Naruto away, not wanting him to live here any longer.

"I’m afraid I can’t help you with that," Kakashi shrugged. "Lord Raijin has no intention of revealing himself now. Helping you would only let you gain a Jinchuriki, while we gain nothing... Well, except maybe watching Konoha engulfed in flames."

"Of course, I couldn’t care less about Konoha’s fate. It doesn’t matter to me."

Kakashi spread his hands as he spoke. It wasn’t time for them to expose themselves yet. This was their fight, not ours, and they weren’t going to let themselves be used as pawns.

"It seems we can’t reach an agreement," Marco frowned, glancing at Kakashi a few more times. These Uchiha bastards were trying to use them as shields while scheming from the shadows.

Marco didn’t say more and turned to leave. If negotiations failed, he believed they could handle the situation on their own.

"Just a word of caution: watch out for Hiruzen and that Root organization I mentioned!" Kakashi called out to Marco’s retreating figure. "Konoha’s hidden power is terrifying. Even you might run into trouble."

"Oh, and I forgot to mention, Charlotte Linlin recently lost an arm in battle. The ninja world isn’t as simple as it looks, though I do believe in your strength. After all, you are one of the strongest pirate crews."

Marco remained polite, waving at Kakashi as he left. He had a good impression of Kakashi and thought they could have been friends if they weren’t on opposite sides.

Kakashi squinted as he watched Marco leave, feeling that Konoha was planning a major operation soon. The night in Konoha seemed unusually calm, with some shops still lit up late into the night.

Jiraiya, too, sat in a hospital room, gazing out the window, longing to leave. His body seemed to have mostly recovered, and he was itching to see the ladies outside, especially wanting to return to Amegakure to find a certain woman. But for now, he had no way to leave Konoha. Several Anbu were watching him, preventing him from leaving the village.

He knew this was the work of the old man, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Konoha needed powerful ninjas to stabilize morale, and Jiraiya was one of them. Though his body was fit to be discharged, the doctors recommended another week of observation.

Jiraiya could only temporarily stay in the hospital, thinking about how to start his new book. As for those blasted Hokage documents, they could go to hell. After days of dealing with those things, he was about to lose his mind.

A member of the Anbu silently left the hospital building, delivering a report on Jiraiya's recent behavior and words to the Hokage's office. To better understand Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi had him under constant surveillance.

"You may go," Hiruzen said with a wave of his hand, dismissing the Anbu member.

After the Anbu left, Hiruzen flipped through the report, noting that nothing had changed from the previous days. This guy had only lasted a few days before tossing the documents aside—clearly, he had no patience for such matters.

But that was exactly what Hiruzen needed from Jiraiya: someone who didn’t care about the Hokage's responsibilities. It took all the pressure off Hiruzen, allowing him to avoid even the pretense of doing his job. Choosing Jiraiya as Hokage might have been the wisest decision he ever made. There was no one else Hiruzen would approve of for the role.

Just then, the sliding door of the tatami room where Hiruzen was resting opened. An elderly man with a dark demeanor and an arm in a sling walked in, his face showing signs of exhaustion. It seemed that even Danzo was worn out from the long journey he had just undertaken.

"Quite the ordeal, wasn’t it?" Hiruzen said, glancing at Danzo. But without much courtesy, he took the intelligence report from Danzo and began to read.

The more he read, the worse Hiruzen’s mood became. His hands began to tremble, and he nearly dropped the report. Hiruzen couldn’t help but question the authenticity of the information, suspecting that Danzo might be deceiving him with some fabricated tale.

"Stop reading. I didn't expect it either—a single person capable of toppling the entire Land of Earth."

"The Land of Earth has suffered massive casualties; even their villages have been half-destroyed. Now, the entire nation is severely weakened and has withdrawn from the battlefield."

"And that woman, who claims to be a pirate, possesses a body like a monster. Her strength is beyond doubt—she has truly surpassed human limits."

Danzo coldly explained to Hiruzen. Yes, during his absence from the village, Danzo had been investigating the events surrounding the Land of Earth and Charlotte Linlin. The events in the Land of Earth were too significant to escape Konoha’s attention. The scale of the battle was hard for both Hiruzen and Danzo to believe, so Danzo had personally gone to investigate, only to find the results chilling.

To make matters worse, Konoha also harbored such a monster within its own borders. If she could destroy the Land of Earth, who knew if this monster within Konoha might possess similar power?

However, Danzo couldn’t help but feel a twisted satisfaction. After all, he wasn’t the one who had let this monster in—it was Hiruzen. If anything went wrong, it would be Hiruzen’s burden to bear, and he might even be forced to step down as Hokage.