— — — — — — —
The Ninja World
"Kaito, what about the Human-Human Fruit? When can you give it back to me? It's my turn to use it now!"
As soon as Kaito returned, Kushina immediately sought out him and asked.
"Uh… I can't give it to you for now, and we can't take turns using it anymore."
Kaito was momentarily stunned but then smiled and said, "Because I've already handed it over to Vegapunk. I believe it won't take him long to replicate a large number of Human-Human Fruits."
"Once that happens, we'll each have our own, and there will be no need to share anymore. Just be patient!"
"Eh?"
Kushina was immediately overjoyed. "You've already found Vegapunk and even got him to agree to help? That's amazing!"
"Haha!"
Kaito chuckled and replied, "Not only is he helping us, but he has actually been contracted by me."
"If you check carefully, you'll see that his name has already been added to our communication network."
Kushina immediately focused her mind and checked the communication space. Sure enough, Vegapunk's name was now listed there. She was ecstatic. "So that means we'll each have our own Human-Human Fruit soon?"
"As long as nothing unexpected happens, yes!"
Kaito nodded. "Alright, let's go train! Even without the Human-Human Fruit, we need to work hard. We have to reach the Six Paths level as soon as possible."
Kushina immediately frowned. "Six Paths level? That's still a long way off! I'm nowhere near as strong as you."
"Besides, the Sharingan is too overpowered! It boosts combat power way too much!"
"Unlocking the Eternal Mangekyō basically guarantees reaching the Super Kage level. It's so tempting that even I want one!"
"Oh, right—"
Suddenly, Kushina's eyes lit up. "Isn't the research department working on a Bloodline Limit potion?"
"Any progress on that? When will they be able to create a Uchiha bloodline potion? When that happens, I definitely want one!"
"What? A member of the Uzumaki Clan using the Sharingan? That doesn't seem right, does it?"
"Why not?"
"The Uzumaki and Uchiha clans have already started intermarrying. Several couples are already married, and some even have children on the way."
"When the time comes, those kids will undoubtedly inherit both bloodlines."
"Their future potential is limitless!"
Kushina imagined that once the Bloodline Limit potion was successfully developed and mass-produced, it might be possible for everyone to have Uchiha, Uzumaki, or even Senju bloodlines. "Of course, that all depends on whether Kaito allows it."
"It'll probably take some more time."
"There's been some progress, but with Vegapunk joining us, the research will definitely speed up!"
"Once it's developed, I'll make sure to get you a top-tier dose."
Kaito responded immediately.
As for whether Kushina could unlock the Sharingan? With her mastery of meditation techniques, it would be a piece of cake.
However, once she obtained the Sharingan, she would need to switch to the Sharingan meditation method.
Luckily, the two meditation techniques were inherently similar.
The Crystal Meditation Method was actually a version of the Sharingan Meditation Method, so transitioning would be easy.
She would also be able to retain most of her training experience and proficiency.
— — —
Half a month later…
In the One Piece world, near Whisky Peak on the Grand Line—
The Uchiha Pirates were suddenly blocked by a Marine warship with a dog-headed figurehead.
"Wait… isn't that Vice Admiral Garp's ship? Looks like we're in trouble."
"Kaito, if possible, you and Lord Hashirama should come over in person. I might not be able to handle him alone."
Koshiro, who had spotted the warship from a distance, adjusted his glasses and sent a mental transmission to Kaito's shadow clone standing beside him.
Although Koshiro had grown immensely in strength over the years under Kaito's contract and was confident that he could put up a fight against Garp, he wouldn't underestimate him.
After all, this was the monster who once chased down the Pirate King, Roger. No amount of caution was too much.
He didn't want to make a mistake out of arrogance and end up dooming the entire Uchiha Pirates.
That would be an absolute embarrassment.
"Yeah, I can sense two monstrous presences on that warship. Their life force is off the charts, and their strength is terrifying!"
Hatake Sakumo, standing nearby, also spoke with a serious expression.
The sheer presence of those two figures gave him an overwhelming sense of danger. He doubted he could take them on.
"Mmm, I sense it too. It must be Garp and Aokiji."
"Seems like the Marines have set their sights on us and were waiting for us here."
"Unless we expose our teleportation ability, escaping won't be easy."
"But there's no need to run! I've been meaning to test my strength against an admiral-level opponent anyway."
As he spoke, Kaito's shadow clone activated the projection of the Space-Time Gate in his mind.
In the next moment, Kaito's real body appeared on the deck, bringing Hashirama with him.
Then, the shadow clone nodded at the real Kaito and immediately dispersed.
Clearly, Kaito's shadow clone could use the projection of the space-time gate in his mental space to communicate with his true self at any time.
This was one of the small gains Kaito had recently made in his research on the space-time gate.
"Didn't expect both Garp and Aokiji to come together? Then let's fight! Show our strength so the Navy and World Government stop chasing us like dogs!"
"I'll take on Aokiji! As for Garp, I'll leave him to Koshiro-sensei and the First Hokage. Sakumo-senpai, take the rest and handle the other Marines. Sound good?"
After absorbing his shadow clone's memories, Kaito directly gave orders to the crew.
"No problem!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Good!"
Satisfied, Kaito nodded. The next moment, he transformed into a flash of lightning and vanished, reappearing hundreds of meters away on the Navy ship's figurehead.
Looking down at Garp and Aokiji, he said, "Didn't expect the legendary Iron Fist Garp and Aokiji to show up here just to block our way, huh? You sure think highly of us!"
"Huh?"
Garp raised an eyebrow, cracking his knuckles. "So you're the captain of the Uchiha Pirates? Gotta say, you've got guts! Running onto my ship alone—do you really think I can't take you down?"
"Not really!"
Kaito smirked. "I just figured, since they sent two Admiral-level fighters to block us, running away all the time isn't a good strategy.
"Might as well stay and fight you guys properly. Show you our strength so you understand what you're dealing with.
"That way, you won't keep coming after us—it'd be such a hassle! Wouldn't you agree?"
"Hahaha!"
Garp burst into laughter, then suddenly launched himself at Kaito, his fist swinging forward in an instant.
But Kaito was faster.
With a flash of lightning, he dodged and appeared atop one of the ship's masts, looking down at Aokiji.
"Could you use your Ice-Ice Fruit to freeze the sea and create a proper battlefield?"
"If we fight on the ship, it'll get wrecked. You wouldn't want that, right?"
"Oh?"
Aokiji looked up at Kaito, slightly surprised. "You're a very unusual pirate."
"I've been watching your journey, and I can tell you're different from other pirates."
"Why did someone like you choose to be a pirate, anyway?"
Not just Aokiji—Garp was also curious. He stopped his attack, waiting for Kaito's answer.
"I didn't have much of a choice."
Kaito shrugged. "I refuse to be a lapdog for the Celestial Dragons, but I still want to roam the seas freely.
"Since I can't join the Marines, my only option was to become a pirate!
"Honestly, I'd rather call myself an adventurer.
"But clearly, to the World Government and Navy, adventurers don't exist.
"Anyone who sets sail, operates outside their control, or poses even a slight threat gets labeled a pirate.
"So, instead of fighting it, I just embraced the pirate title. Saves the trouble, don't you think?"
Aokiji frowned. "You could have been a bounty hunter instead."
"You've been taking down plenty of evil pirates along the way."
"Wouldn't bounty hunting suit you better?"
Kaito looked young, but his strength was undeniable.
He was barely a teenager, which was terrifying enough.
Not to mention, the Uchiha Pirates had at least two more incredibly dangerous individuals.
If possible, Aokiji would have preferred to recruit them into the Navy.
At the very least, he wished they could be part of the upcoming SWORD initiative.
"Same difference."
Kaito waved dismissively. "We don't just target evil pirates—we take down anything we see as evil.
"That includes corrupt officials in the World Government and scum in the Navy.
"So even if we started as bounty hunters, we'd still get labeled as pirates eventually.
"Why bother taking a roundabout route?"
"Besides, bounty hunters are just hounds for the World Government and Marines. They have to bow and scrape before you guys. I can't stand that."
"Alright, enough chit-chat! Set up the battlefield so we can fight properly."
"After that, we go our separate ways—sounds good?"
"And don't bother trying to recruit us. We're not on the same side."
Well… at least not yet.
Worth mentioning—Kaito wasn't using his real face in front of Garp and Aokiji.
He was using a special transformation jutsu.
After perfecting and surpassing the limits of the Transformation Technique, he had created the True Transformation Jutsu.
Not only was it nearly impossible to break unless he ran out of chakra or dispelled it himself, but it also made it extremely difficult for observation Haki or spiritual sensing to detect his true identity.
That saved him a lot of trouble.
.
.
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