One Piece: Take the Uchiha Clan to the Grand Line

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At this moment, a figure split half black and half white was lurking in the distance, observing secretly.

"That guy… he's so powerful… I've never seen such a massive Susano'o before. The size of a Susanoo directly reflects the strength and quantity of someone's ocular power."

"This kid… his strength surpasses even his ancestor, Indra."

"Incredible!"

The speaker was none other than Black Zetsu, the will of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya created before her sealing. He stood far away, watching cautiously. The sheer terror Uchiha Kitaro exuded left him shaken.

This level of power… even Uchiha Madara at his peak wouldn't stand a chance—unless Madara absorbed the Ten-Tails and became its jinchūriki. Otherwise, defeating this boy was simply impossible.

Could he be the reincarnation of Indra's chakra? No, forget Indra—could it be the Sage of Six Paths himself?

No... it doesn't seem like it's him."

"Although the Sage of Six Paths had once possessed unrivaled power, the development of ninjutsu in his era was far below what it had become in modern times."

"Plus, this boy wasn't just using ninjutsu; he clearly had other powers at his disposal."

"If this guy is the one to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi..…"

"No, the risk was too great. This kid was too dangerous."

Black Zetsu had already successfully deceived both Uchiha Obito and Madara. As long as the plan succeeded, his mother, Kaguya, would be revived.

Once she returned, she could deal with this guy herself.

— — — 

Since Kitaro knew Orochimaru was heading their way, he wasn't in a rush. He decided to take it easy and rest in Amegakure with his companions while they waited.

"Kitaro, why do you need Orochimaru?" Kakashi asked curiously. To be honest, he had no good impression of Orochimaru.

Even though Orochimaru was manipulated by the Third Hokage, his human experiments couldn't be overlooked.

Kakashi had personally seen the horrific results of those experiments—countless children had perished, with only one surviving.

"Yeah, I've got something I need his help with," Kitaro replied, grinning. "But let me keep it a secret for now. You'll see when he gets here."

With that, the group indulged themselves in a feast at a local inn in Amegakure.

Kakashi and Guy were bewildered. This was enemy territory, and yet here they were, openly eating and drinking as if they owned the place. It felt like they were dreaming.

After finishing their meal, Orochimaru arrived in Amegakure.

"Orochimaru-sensei! Long time no see! I've missed you so much!" Kitaro greeted him enthusiastically.

Orochimaru, momentarily stunned, couldn't wrap his head around the situation. How could Pain have allowed Kitaro to waltz into Amegakure so freely?

"It has been a while. I heard you disappeared for a year and a half. Where've you been all this time?"

Indeed, it had been ages since he'd last seen Kitaro. Ever since Orochimaru was forced to defect from Konoha due to Hiruzen's schemes, he hadn't encountered his student again.

"Oh, we went somewhere really far away. No choice—Hiruzen and Danzo were constantly targeting me. I had to take my clan and leave."

"Hiruzen's schemes are truly unparalleled, and Danzo is as cunning as ever. But neither of them could outsmart you, Uchiha Kitaro."

Many were fooled by Kitaro's seemingly honest and straightforward demeanor. But Orochimaru, who knew his student well, wasn't so easily deceived. Kitaro never let anyone take advantage of him. If anything, it was Kitaro who had outmaneuvered both Hiruzen and Danzo.

If Kitaro had disappeared, it was because he'd found something worthwhile.

"Sensei, you're making me blush!" Kitaro replied, feigning embarrassment.

"..."

Was that even a compliment?

"I heard from Pain that you're looking for me. What's the matter?" Orochimaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, here's the thing, Orochimaru-sensei. I need you to use Edo Tensei to revive the Fourth Hokage. I'm sure you've got Minato-san's DNA stashed somewhere."

"What?!"

Kakashi and Orochimaru were both stunned by Kitaro's request.

"Why?" Orochimaru asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, nothing major. I'm just bored and thought it'd be fun to have a pet to mess around with. Someone to keep me entertained."

Kakashi and the others were baffled. What did a "pet" have to do with the Fourth Hokage? Surely, Kitaro didn't mean to treat Minato like a pet… right?

They couldn't understand, but Orochimaru did. His pupils contracted slightly as he realized the truth.

"You're after the Nine-Tails, aren't you?!"

Back when the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha, Orochimaru hadn't yet defected. In fact, he never intended to; it was Hiruzen who forced his hand.

During the battle between Minato and the Nine-Tails, Orochimaru had secretly observed from the shadows. He'd seen Minato seal half of the Nine-Tails' chakra into himself and the other half into his newborn son.

He had even considered stealing the child but was stopped by Hiruzen's timely arrival. Not that it mattered to Orochimaru; his focus had always been on achieving immortality rather than obtaining the power of the tailed beasts.

"The Nine-Tails?!" Kakashi and the others were stunned, especially Kakashi. He knew the Nine-Tails was sealed within Naruto. But what did this have to do with Minato?

Kitaro explained, "It's understandable that you didn't know. Seven years ago, during the Nine-Tails' rampage, Minato-sensei sealed half of the beast's chakra within himself and the other half in Naruto."

"Since Naruto is Minato's son, and I've benefited greatly from him, he was like a teacher to me, I can't bring myself to hurt an innocent child just for a pet. So I'll take the other half from Minato-sensei instead."

The group couldn't help but twitch at his reasoning. That was the Nine-Tails—an immensely powerful beast capable of destroying entire nations—and he wanted to keep it as a pet? Wasn't that just way too arrogant?

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