Chapter 177: Kaido Takes Control of the Hidden Waterfall Village**

Whitebeard's direct words caused Hiruzen Sarutobi's face to darken slightly. The leader of Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations, was being criticized so harshly by this guy standing before him.

If he wasn't maintaining his image in front of others, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have exploded with rage by now.

This guy probably hasn't seen any other villages! If he had, he wouldn't be talking like this.

After all, their village is the most peaceful, the most advanced, and the most talented among the Five Great Nations.

Take Kirigakure, for instance—it's been closed off recently, and who knows what's going on there.

After the events of the Blood Mist, Kirigakure has fallen to about the same level as Sunagakure.

To him, these two villages aren't much different.

"Hahaha, Konoha is the leader of the Five Great Nations!"

"Even if you don't like Konoha, as the Third Hokage, I won't allow you to speak like that."

"Edward Whitebeard, you should leave Konoha as soon as possible. We do not welcome someone who harbors ill will toward the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sternly addressed Whitebeard.

Although there was a considerable height difference between the two, with Hiruzen Sarutobi having to look up just to see Whitebeard's expression, it didn't matter.

Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to drive Edward Whitebeard out, now that Naruto had returned to his senses.

As long as these two leave, Naruto might forget about them, and Konoha can return to peace!

"Gurararara, I stay where I want!"

"Let me tell you, since Naruto calls me 'Old Man,' if he faces any fear or harm, the Whitebeard Pirates won't just sit by, even if you are the leader of the Five Great Nations or the strongest Hokage."

"No matter who you are, if Naruto suffers any injustice, I'll come for you no matter where you are."

Whitebeard's face twisted into a menacing expression as he stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This guy in front of him wasn't what he appeared to be. He had a kind, benevolent facade, but Whitebeard had seen through it.

This guy was a power-hungry schemer, a true ambitious manipulator.

Sometimes, pirates on the sea aren't the scariest ones. The scariest ones are those whose sense of justice within the Navy becomes corrupted.

Whitebeard had encountered quite a few of these types on the seas.

Pirates, after all, usually leave something behind after plundering. But this lot, driven by greed, sometimes don't even leave a single root.

Whitebeard felt that this guy in front of him was just like that.

"Hahaha, Naruto is from our village. I won't let him suffer any injustice."

"You all should leave Konoha Village quickly, before you cause trouble."

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled lightly as he stood up.

"Oh, by the way! Do you know someone named Charlotte Linlin, who has strange creatures like a sun and a cloud with her?"

"She caused quite a stir in Iwagakure. I hear she's also a pirate captain, but the Third Tsuchikage drove her out and even cut off one of her arms."

"I don't know why you pirates have come to shore, but the Five Great Shinobi Villages are not to be trifled with!"

"Don't even think about causing trouble in Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes glinted coldly as he spoke to Whitebeard.

He was laying down the law, trying to intimidate these guys right from the start.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure disappeared from view, complex emotions appeared in Whitebeard's eyes.

Originally, he had just wanted to experience the local customs, treating this as another adventure.

But unexpectedly, he ended up gaining a son here, and now that son was in deep trouble.

Moreover, he hadn’t anticipated that Linlin would also run into trouble here.

He had thought that there wouldn't be anyone formidable enough to pose a threat to them, but it seemed that Linlin had already taken a hit!

Whitebeard sighed slightly. Dealing with someone who plays mind games was the worst.

If Naruto continued to live here, Whitebeard couldn't rest easy.

"Old Man! If you're worried about Naruto, you could just take him with us."

"You seem like you're afraid of causing trouble for Naruto."

"This isn't the Old Man I know. The Old Man I know would stand up for his son the moment he sensed any trouble."

At this moment, Marco spoke up slowly, noticing that Whitebeard was deep in thought.

But how could pirates like them compete with people who had such dirty minds?

They had always believed in brute force, smashing through any obstacle.

But since coming to the shinobi world, their way of thinking had changed quite a bit, making Marco feel a little unfamiliar with it.

"Gurararara, Marco, you're right!"

"If Naruto's in trouble, I'll just overturn this whole Konoha Village."

Whitebeard immediately realized what needed to be done, and a wild smile spread across his face.

A fierce wind swept through the surrounding forest, causing the flames of the campfire to flicker wildly.

The animals resting in the woods instinctively began to flee, as if sensing that a powerful beast had awakened in their territory.

"Marco, go contact Uchiha Raijin. Even though he's our enemy, there's clearly a reason he brought us to this world, probably to use us as a distraction."

"If that's the case, it's only right that he provides us with information. If he doesn't want to, we'll trade for it."

"I want to know everything about this Konoha Village and Naruto. I have a feeling there's something significant about Naruto."

Whitebeard said, looking at Marco.

Whatever they were planning to do, it had to be carefully set up first.

---

Although they are pirates, Whitebeard often reads the news to keep up with what's happening in the world.

He understands the importance of intelligence, so when they arrived here, they brought Marco along.

Marco isn't the type to gather intelligence, so they probably need to find Uchiha Raijin for information.

Whatever schemes that guy has, we'll worry about them later.

The first priority is to rescue Naruto from the Hidden Leaf Village.

“Understood!”

Marco immediately smiled and pulled out a Den Den Mushi, using Observation Haki to find a secluded spot to contact Uchiha Raijin.

He’d long since disliked this village, and if they could destroy it, that would be ideal.

"Boss Kaido, an emissary from the Hidden Cloud Village is here."

A ninja cautiously entered a room.

Inside was a massive beast, pouring alcohol from a gourd down its throat.

Kaido's face was flushed red from drinking, and he looked completely inebriated.

In reality, Kaido was still somewhat sober.

He felt that the alcohol here was weak, only giving him a slight buzz.

“The Hidden Cloud Village? I didn’t expect them to actually send someone.”

“What are you all standing around for? Bring me more booze! I’m not stopping until I’m wasted today.”

Kaido laughed and scolded the ninjas. He was surprised they lacked such basic awareness.

They weren't even as sharp as his subordinate, Jack.

He wondered how Jack was doing. He was probably living it up at some fancy club, enjoying himself so much that he didn't want to leave.

Kaido decided he’d cut off Jack's funds when he got back. No more wasting money in Dressrosa.

From now on, Jack would be by Yamato's side, trying to plant some spies in Dressrosa.

“No need for more alcohol! I’m not here to drink.”

A deep voice rang out.

A figure with dark skin and pale yellow hair stood there with a stern expression on his face.

He had a massive, muscular build, making him look like a true muscle-bound monster.

He was accompanied by several ninjas, all with slightly dark skin.

One of them wore sunglasses and gave off an odd vibe.

This one was probably the Jinchuriki.

But there was another who seemed out of place.

With fair skin and...what was that on her chest?

Those are practically two giant burdens!

“Oh? You look a lot like the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village.”

“And you, young lady, you don’t seem to be from the Hidden Cloud Village, given how pale your skin is.”

Kaido teased as he looked at Samui.

He’d heard that the Hidden Cloud Village was high up in the mountains, so most people there had darker skin.

Samui looked a bit out of place.

“Hmph! I’m the Fourth Raikage, A!”

A’s face darkened; he couldn’t believe someone actually said he looked similar.

This guy must really be drunk, or he wouldn’t say something so ridiculous.

The identities of the Kage from each village weren't exactly secret, and word of them had spread far and wide.

Had this guy even bothered to learn about the Hidden Cloud Village’s intelligence?

“Oh? The Fourth Raikage? I didn’t expect such an esteemed guest.“

“Hurry, take a seat!”

Kaido quickly sobered up and took a closer look at the Fourth Raikage.

The muscular build looked strong, but it seemed to be missing something.

This guy wasn’t what you’d call a monster.

But Kaido didn’t dwell on it.

“Hmph! No need to sit. You sent word that you could help us wage war against the Hidden Leaf Village? And that you want to ally with the Hidden Cloud Village?”

“Do you really think you can manage that with just Takigakure under your control? With those small fries of yours?”

A glanced around, his eyes lingering on King for a moment.

King had some strength, but the rest of the Takigakure ninjas didn’t impress him.

After all, small villages like this one couldn’t produce any real power.

That’s right!

After arriving in the Shinobi World, Kaido took over a village.

And the village he occupied was Takigakure, one of the more unique villages in the Shinobi World.

Takigakure's previous leader had already been slain by Kaido, and the entire village had submitted to his overwhelming power.

This gave Kaido a small foundation, allowing him to gain a clearer understanding of the Shinobi World’s situation.

The first thing he did after learning about it was to start a war. Only through war could he profit.

He didn’t care what happened to the Shinobi World afterward; he just wanted to see if there was anything worth his attention.

“We definitely have the strength! King and I are already as strong as two Kage-level fighters!”

“When the time comes, I’ll bring a thousand ninjas into battle.”

Kaido laughed and took a swig of alcohol.

Although the village was poor, it still had the basics.

Even if they couldn't be the main force in a battle, Kaido’s strength alone would add to the chaos.

“Not enough! If that’s all, you don’t qualify to ally with the Hidden Cloud Village.”

To be honest, A was already tempted!

After all, two Kage-level fighters were enough to tie up a portion of the Hidden Leaf Village’s forces.

If they could prolong the battle, the Hidden Leaf might lose.

But A wanted to squeeze more out of Kaido and see if he could reveal any more of his cards.

“Of course, that's not all. Our village also has a Jinchuriki, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, who will be on the battlefield.”

“That gives us the equivalent of three Kage-level fighters. But I have more to offer.”

Kaido looked at A, understanding what he was after.

But Kaido had always planned to use everything Takigakure had to wage this war.

“What more?”

A asked, intrigued.

Killer B leaned in closer, too.

Kaido waved his hand, and someone brought over a cup of liquid.

“This is our village's secret weapon. Drinking it will increase your chakra by tenfold.”

“With this, Takigakure should definitely be able to join the Hidden Cloud Village in waging war against the Hidden Leaf Village.”

Kaido grinned wickedly as he spoke to A.

He had learned about this stuff from the previous village leader.

The former leader drank this and explained its effects in detail before Kaido killed him with a single blow, making it his own.

Kaido also knew about the side effects, but what did that have to do with him?

Neither he nor King would drink it; only the ninjas would fall for its temptation.

“Didn’t expect something like that? Well, if that’s the case...”

“I have no objections!”

A’s face showed surprise, and without much thought, he agreed.

Kaido also smiled, and the two immediately began drinking together.

Despite their ulterior motives, they got along quite well, as their goals aligned.

As for what Takigakure planned to do, A didn’t care.

He figured the new leader of Takigakure wanted to break free from the Hidden Leaf’s control and establish independence in the Shinobi World.

(End of Chapter)