*Chapter 169: Come, Be My Son*

Naruto had no friends in Konoha, nor was there anyone who looked at him kindly. Even his homeroom teacher, Iruka Umino, often looked at him with a face full of disgust. Recently, however, things had slightly changed; Iruka started to manage him a bit.

But what Naruto wanted was to gain the approval of others. As for Iruka’s scolding... Naruto could only feel disappointment from it. There wasn’t even a hint of happiness. Still, Iruka seemed to plan on taking him out for ramen, so he couldn’t badmouth Iruka just yet.

"No home?"

Whitebeard was slightly curious. What was going on? He took a closer look at Naruto Uzumaki and noticed his hair was dry, his body thin, and signs of malnutrition were evident. This kid really seemed to have it rough.

"The people in the village all call me the Fox Demon. I don’t have parents, and I don’t have any family either," Naruto hesitated for a moment before speaking to Whitebeard. He had initially planned to keep his identity a secret so he could talk more with this old man. But after thinking it over, he realized that in Konoha, it was impossible to hide the fact that he was called the Fox Demon. He might as well tell Whitebeard who he was.

"So that’s it, huh? What exactly is a Fox Demon?" Whitebeard asked, puzzled. He had never heard of such a thing. On his way here, he had heard that a few months ago, Konoha had suffered a great calamity related to the Uchiha clan, but the specifics were kept under wraps. It was rumored that a massive Nine-Tailed Fox had destroyed half of Konoha. Could it be that this kid in front of him was the so-called Nine-Tailed Fox? He didn’t quite look like one. Or was it some kind of Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit? But he remembered that someone had already eaten that fruit.

"Fox Demon... Fox Demon? I don't really know either!" Naruto thought for a moment, a confused expression on his face. The people in the village just called him the Fox Demon, but as for what a Fox Demon actually was, he didn’t have a clue. After the Nine-Tails was released, Naruto had already passed out. He didn’t know what happened during that time or what the true form of the Nine-Tails was.

"Gurararara, you don’t even know what a Fox Demon is, yet you call yourself one?" Whitebeard laughed. He hadn’t expected this kid to be so interesting.

"Hehe!" Naruto, seeing that Whitebeard had no negative reaction to the nickname, started rubbing his yellow hair and giggling. He hadn’t expected to meet someone who wasn’t afraid of him and was even willing to talk with him.

Suddenly, Naruto became very talkative! He began complaining nonstop about his dissatisfaction with the village, his schoolmates, the people he met on the street, and even the shop owners. None of these people had ever treated Naruto with any kindness. They always saw him as a monster. Naruto felt helpless, not understanding why he was labeled a Fox Demon.

Whitebeard chuckled and sat by the stream, listening to the kid talk. He could see that Naruto was very lonely; he probably didn’t have anyone to talk to in this village. Having finally found someone who would talk to him, Naruto just couldn’t stop talking.

Before long, the sky had darkened, with only a few stars visible, yet Naruto seemed to have an endless stream of things to say, never pausing for even a moment.

"Old man! I’ve brought back the goods!" Marco arrived, carrying two strong cows, some spices, and a couple of barrels of what passed for alcohol here. At the very least, this would be enough for one meal. Honestly, this wasn’t enough food for the two of them—it wasn’t even enough for Whitebeard alone. But Marco didn’t want to attract too much attention, so he bought a little less. Even with that, it was already enough to feed a restaurant for a day or two.

"Huh?" Marco came closer and saw a tuft of yellow hair sitting beside Whitebeard. The height difference was so great that Marco almost didn’t realize it was a person. After all, Naruto was barely a meter tall, looking like a little radish. This guy looked just like the Fox Demon he had gathered information on. What was he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to be heavily guarded?

"Old man, it’s best not to get too close," Marco quickly put down the goods and walked over to Whitebeard, whispering. He conveyed all the information he had gathered in Konoha to Whitebeard. Though he didn’t know what a Fox Demon was, this kid was clearly despised by everyone in Konoha and was heavily guarded by some ninja. He must be someone with an extraordinary background. It would be best not to get too close to him!

Naruto didn’t hear what Marco and Whitebeard were discussing, but when he saw Marco’s worried look toward him, he knew he was about to lose a friend he had just made—a friend who was particularly nice. Naruto’s eyes dimmed, preparing himself for the disdainful look he expected to see from Whitebeard. After all, he was just a Fox Demon.

"Gurararara, Marco, do you think I’m afraid of these things?" Whitebeard laughed after listening to Marco. His lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Marco. With all the people he had met on the sea, even monsters like Charlotte Linlin had become his comrades. And now, here was a so-called monster that people only talked about, and Marco was scared? Since coming to this place, Marco seemed overly cautious.

Marco was instantly speechless, unsure of how to respond to Whitebeard.

He was trying to avoid a conflict with the Hidden Leaf Village, especially since it’s a place that even managed to drive away someone like Uchiha Raijin.

This place is clearly not simple, likely hiding deep secrets.

It's best not to cause trouble here, especially since they were just passing through.

They hadn't planned to stay here long.

"Marco, don't you feel like we're missing something since we arrived?"

Whitebeard smiled, recognizing Marco's concerns.

But as a ruler of the seas who fears nothing, how could he retreat at this moment?

"Family!"

Marco's lips curled up slightly. If Pops wasn’t worried, then there was nothing to worry about.

Since arriving here, they hadn’t met a single familiar face.

In this new place, given Whitebeard’s usual attitude, they were definitely going to gain a new family member!

"Exactly!"

Whitebeard nodded and stood up, unconsciously picking up his naginata.

His massive figure blocked out the moonlight, casting a shadow over Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto strained to look up, barely able to see Whitebeard's iconic crescent mustache.

Whitebeard grinned, noticing the fear in the boy before him.

It wasn't fear of him, but fear of losing his friends.

Whitebeard unconsciously extended a hand toward Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki! Be my son!"

Whitebeard's words instantly echoed through the forest.

The entire area fell silent, and just then, the moon, previously hidden by dark clouds, emerged.

Moonlight bathed Whitebeard, highlighting his majestic figure.

"Pops?"

Naruto instinctively echoed Marco's earlier call, his face filled with confusion.

What just happened? Everything happened so fast.

Naruto could only react instinctively.

When Marco called him Pops earlier, Naruto repeated it in his mind several times.

He had always wanted someone to call like that, but he had always been alone.

But now, this old man wanted to take him in as a son.

This kind of thing...

How could Naruto refuse?

"Pops!"

Naruto, overwhelmed with emotion, jumped into the air and leaped into Whitebeard's arms.

Right now, only one thought echoed in Naruto's mind:

He had a family now!

Despised by everyone in the village, now he had a family!

"Gurararara! From now on, use my name and cause as much trouble as you want in this world. Not even the Navy or Hokage would dare to touch you."

"Pops' ship is filled with countless brothers and sisters, so you don't have to worry about being alone."

Whitebeard was in high spirits, his hearty laughter echoing through the forest.

Some of the sound even reached the village, provoking angry shouts.

But upon seeing Whitebeard's towering height, they quickly fell silent and retreated.

"Brothers and sisters?"

Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to suddenly gain so many family members.

Though he hadn't met them yet, Naruto was already imagining being surrounded by a group of people in his mind.

(End of chapter)