*Chapter 175: Pirates Aren't a Good Profession*

When Whitebeard arrived in Konoha Village, Raijin was the first to receive the news. The fact that Whitebeard was somehow connected to Naruto Uzumaki only suggested that Whitebeard was rather unlucky.

After all, Naruto Uzumaki was treated like a treasure by both the Third Hokage and Danzo in Konoha Village. They were extremely cautious about anyone getting close to Naruto, fearing that Naruto forming bonds with others might interfere with their plans.

However, if Whitebeard managed to form a bond with Naruto, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to stop it, it would be in vain. In that case, a single Emperor of the Sea could launch a devastating attack on Konoha.

Raijin wasn't too concerned about Whitebeard's life or death. Currently, there was no force in the ninja world that could surpass the Kage level. With the power they had now, it would be difficult to even scratch these guys, let alone pose a real threat.

In Raijin's view, Whitebeard's survival was irrelevant. He was merely a tool to attract the attention of the Sage of Six Paths. Raijin didn't care about what would happen afterward.

When Raijin inquired about Kaido and Shanks, Nara Shikaku's expression became somewhat strange.

"Well, Red-Haired Shanks seems to have gone to the Land of Iron. By now, he's probably already there."

"It seems their goal is clear—they're targeting neutral nations."

"They're not recklessly attacking the Five Great Ninja Villages and haven't shown much interest in them."

"However, along the way, Red-Haired Shanks seems to be searching for the history of the ninja world, trying to uncover something from it."

"But the history of the ninja world is so fragmented that only clans that have survived for thousands of years, such as the Senju, Hyuga, or Uchiha clans, might have some records."

"Shanks might be disappointed, though. Both the Senju and Uchiha clans have nearly disappeared from the ninja world, leaving only the Hyuga clan. But even if Shanks wanted to explore their history, the clan's rules wouldn't allow outsiders to access it. So, finding that history would be difficult."

Nara Shikaku chuckled. Shanks indeed had a sharp mind, much more so than the average brute. It seemed he had sensed something unusual and was trying to uncover traces of it through history.

But Shanks was bound to be disappointed. If he wanted to search for the history of the ninja world, he'd have to go to Konoha Village. But with Whitebeard already there, adding Shanks to the mix would only throw the village into chaos.

The resulting turmoil wouldn't be minor.

"Heh, let him search. There are too few people in the ninja world who know the true history."

"Even if Shanks continues his search, it won't yield much. Just keep monitoring him."

"And what about Kaido? Has he gone to the Hidden Cloud Village? Why has he been so quiet?"

Raijin asked with some suspicion. After Kaido arrived, he seemed to have vanished into thin air. Could this guy really sit still for so long? Raijin didn't believe it; this wasn't Kaido's style at all. What was he up to?

"Kaido is currently holed up in a small country, seemingly controlling its daimyo. He's just been enjoying life and hasn't done anything else."

Nara Shikaku scratched his head as he spoke. Kaido's laid-back demeanor was indeed strange. While others were making significant moves in the ninja world—Big Mom had already invaded the Hidden Stone Village, and Whitebeard was playing around with Konoha's weapons—Kaido was the exception.

He seemed to have no desires, just finding a place to enjoy life.

"Let him enjoy it, then. He probably won't be able to sit still for long."

"Since that's the case, have Kakashi go to Konoha and gather his people. You'll take over Kakashi's duties for a while."

Raijin nodded. Kaido wasn't reckless; he might seem crazy like Charlotte Linlin, but he still used his brain. He wasn't a complete lunatic; he thought things through.

Charlotte Linlin—that's a true maniac!

By the way, did that woman escape, or did she manage to kill Onoki and take over the Hidden Stone Village?

Raijin hadn't seen the end of it, so he wasn't sure what had happened in the Hidden Stone Village.

"Understood!"

Nara Shikaku nodded and left. Afterward, Raijin called out for White Zetsu.

"Master Raijin, I didn't expect Onoki to be so strong. He managed to leave Charlotte Linlin, that monster, with only one arm."

"This time, the Big Mom Pirates have suffered greatly. Should we try to take over the Big Mom Pirates when we return to the sea?"

White Zetsu emerged from the ground with a smile on his face. The White Zetsu who had been observing the Hidden Stone Village had been keeping a close eye on things, even without Raijin's orders.

"Oh? Onoki hasn't lost his edge; he's still capable of something like that."

"But it's a shame he didn't manage to kill Linlin; that would have been interesting."

"As for taking over her territory, we'll deal with that when we return to the sea."

Raijin smiled. Charlotte Linlin must be furious after suffering such a huge loss. But she had no subordinates here. It would be interesting to see what she does next.

"White Zetsu, will your clone be detected by the Black Zetsu near Obito?"

Raijin asked White Zetsu. The White Zetsu here was a unique entity, just like the Black Zetsu.

"Uh, probably. Since returning to the ninja world, I've felt a faint connection."

"It seems that White Zetsu has sensed my presence and is calling out to me!"

White Zetsu scratched his head, a bit unsure. Their existence was special, and there might have been something left behind in their original settings by Black Zetsu. Or maybe that White Zetsu was even more unique and could summon them.

"I see. Try to make contact with that White Zetsu using your clone!"

"Try to extract some information about Obito's recent activities, as well as the Akatsuki members."

Raijin pondered for a moment. He hadn't expected there to be any connection with his White Zetsu. This White Zetsu had been verified with Kotoamatsukami, so unless there was an eye technique stronger than Kotoamatsukami, Obito wouldn't be able to dispel it.

Still, Raijin remained cautious and decided to use White Zetsu to probe Obito's movements and gather more information about his recent actions.

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“Alright, let him sneak into the organization and steal from them.”

“At least let him kidnap two scientists.”

“Using these two scientists as combat personnel in the ninja world is a real waste, to be honest.”

“At least in Raijin’s opinion, this guy is completely wasting their potential.”

“If they were placed at sea with sufficient conditions, people like Sasori or Orochimaru could even surpass Vegapunk. But now, in Amegakure, their talents are simply underutilized.”

“I understand!” White Zetsu immediately caught on to Raijin’s meaning, giving a thumbs-up.

“Before, they didn’t have the chance to showcase their acting skills, but now they do.”

“Now he can infiltrate White Zetsu’s side to gather information for them.”

“Even though they are both White Zetsu, they’re not part of the same organization.”

“Gurarararara, Naruto, look at the fish I caught!” Newgate sat by the small stream in Konoha, holding a fishing rod with a fish pierced through its body by the hook.

“This isn’t fishing; this is clearly just finding where the fish are and casting the line directly.”

“Wow, that’s huge!” Naruto excitedly moved closer to Whitebeard, marveling at the fish he had caught.

But after roughly comparing their body sizes, Naruto realized that if he ate this fish, he’d probably be full. However, for Whitebeard, it might not even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

“Dad, let me help you!” Naruto thought for a moment, then jumped into the stream without even taking off his clothes, trying to catch fish for Whitebeard.

But as soon as he touched the fish, they slipped away, and Naruto couldn’t catch a single one.

“Gurarararara, better leave it to me. Hurry up and get out before you catch a cold.”

“You’re not as tough as Marco and the others; staying in the water too long might make you sick.”

Whitebeard frowned as he watched Naruto’s actions and said, “Naruto’s physical condition is too weak, nowhere near Marco’s level. If he catches a breeze when he gets out of the water, he might be sick for two days.”

“Huh? I don’t think I’ve ever caught a cold before,” Naruto scratched his head after climbing out of the river, following Whitebeard’s advice.

He didn’t know why, but his body always healed the next day whenever he got hurt. Though it was a bit unusual, Naruto didn’t think much of it. He felt like he was just like everyone else.

“Is that so? But you should still warm up by the fire. Tonight, we’ll have a feast of fish. I’ll make sure you’re full.”

Newgate gave Naruto a curious look. If he wasn’t lying, then this kid probably had some special abilities. No wonder that old man came by the other night to interrogate him, always speaking with hidden meanings.

This kid is pretty important in Konoha.

“Yes!” Naruto grinned, took off his wet clothes, and started warming himself by the fire. He felt the warmth of family from Whitebeard and started to enjoy calling him “Dad” more and more.

Meanwhile, Whitebeard fully activated his Observation Haki, and almost every big fish that swam by ended up on his hook. In no time, there were dozens of fish in front of them!

But that still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Whitebeard, so they’d need Marco to bring more food later.

As for Marco, he was still in the forest hunting wild beasts. Although they had money, it didn’t stop them from feasting every day.

Newgate also planned to explore the ninja world thoroughly.

“Hey, so many fish for dinner? Mind if an old man like me takes one?” At this moment, an old voice came from behind. Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a pipe in his mouth, slowly walked over to the fire and patted Naruto on the head.

He was surprised, not knowing how this guy managed to catch so many fish. And it seemed these fish were all killed with a single blow, their bodies directly pierced.

“Grandpa Hokage!” Naruto’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly ran over. He didn’t expect that the Third Hokage would also come. Now, the two people in Konoha who treated him the best were both here.

Naruto felt a deep sense of happiness.

“Old man? Who’s older than me?” Newgate chuckled, casting his line again. The hook pierced through another fish’s body and pulled it up.

After pulling up the fish, Newgate stopped fishing and started preparing the fish meat with a small knife. Later, he planned to grill some over the fire and make soup with others to fill their stomachs.

“Hahaha, you don’t look as old as you are!”

“Naruto, why have you been skipping class lately? You haven’t even been to the ninja school.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and looked at Naruto, asking seriously.

“The people at school don’t like me, so why should I go?” Naruto pouted and poked the wood in the fire with his head down.

He felt no joy at school, where he was always ostracized. Everyone else had happy families and was picked up after school, while he was always alone.

Now that he finally had a family, Naruto felt it didn’t matter if he didn’t go to school. All he wanted was to be with his family. At least no one would laugh at him.

“That’s not right. If you want to become Hokage, you must graduate from the ninja school. Then, you can become a Genin and eventually be recognized as the Hokage of Konoha,” Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly and patted Naruto’s blond head.

He was aware of the ostracism Naruto faced at school, but he didn’t see it as a big deal. In his eyes, as Konoha’s weapon of war, Naruto had to learn to control the power of the Nine-Tails. If he continued to slack off, it would become a real headache for Hiruzen.

“Grandpa Hokage, becoming Hokage isn’t my dream anymore.”

“I want to be like Whitebeard Dad and become a pirate—no, the most free Pirate King.”

“Then I’ll find the One Piece and amaze everyone.”

After hearing Whitebeard’s stories, Naruto no longer felt anything for the Hokage title. He wanted to be a pirate, a member of Whitebeard’s crew, and see his brothers in the Whitebeard Pirates.

A family was waiting for him.

“Pirate? Being a pirate isn’t a good job,” Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, glanced at Whitebeard, and said.

(End of Chapter)

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