One Piece: Take the Uchiha Clan to the Grand Line

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"This is the life your son, Uzumaki Naruto, has been living. I'm not sure about the recent details—I haven't been back to Konoha for a year and a half. But I saw him a few days ago. He's now attending the ninja academy," said Uchiha Kitaro.

"From the looks of it, though, not much has improved."

Hearing this, Namikaze Minato felt a deep pang of guilt. His intention had been to leave Konoha a powerful defense.

After all, every village needed the strength of a tailed beast to deter over-the-top warfare—just like how countries in modern times had nuclear weapons as a last resort.

Having a tailed beast meant leverage. Without one, the village would be vulnerable. Back then, Minato hadn't taken the Nine-Tails down with him because, in his view, the village needed that weapon.

"Kitaro… why did you revive me? What do you want to do?" Minato asked.

"Well," Kitaro replied casually, "since leaving Konoha, I've made a bit of a name for myself. Let's just say my resources have grown. I need a 'little pet' to help guard my estate. Most tailed beasts don't interest me, but the Nine-Tailed Fox? It's a decent fit.

"The problem is, half of it's sealed inside Naruto. He's your son, and hurting him for a mere pet is something I can't bring myself to do. So, I figured I'd work through you instead."

"Whether you take the Nine-Tails or I do, it's all the same, right? You won't use it, but I will. That's why I had Orochimaru bring you back."

Minato listened and nodded. "No problem. But I used the Reaper Death Seal, a sealing technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan. To undo the curse, you'll need the Shinigami Mask, which is back in Konoha."

"I see," Kitaro said thoughtfully. Then he turned to Kakashi and Guy. "Alright, you two. Hand over all the money you've got."

Both Kakashi and Guy blinked in confusion but obediently emptied their wallets.

"Seriously? That's it? You're not even embarrassed to show me this? Do you guys even work?!"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, uh… my expenses are pretty high."

"High expenses? Don't tell me you're blowing it all on those smutty books!"

Guy chimed in, "I spent mine on training supplements!"

Kitaro sighed. "Fine, whatever. Orochimaru-sensei, how about you? How much do you have? I'll pay you back tenfold later."

Orochimaru smirked and opened his mouth—literally. From it, he pulled out a small chest.

The sight was both impressive and a little gross. He opened the chest, revealing it to be filled to the brim with large-denomination bills, totaling about 100 million ryō.

"Whoa! That's… so much money!" Kakashi and Guy gawked.

Meanwhile, Shisui and Itachi barely reacted. To them, this was pocket change compared to what they'd seen.

Orochimaru, noticing their indifference, raised an eyebrow. Just how wealthy had Kitaro become?

"Well, Orochimaru-sensei, as generous as always," Kitaro said with a grin.

Orochimaru shrugged. "Research is expensive. This is my latest funding—I haven't even used it yet."

Kitaro handed the chest to Minato.

"Kitaro… what is this for?" Minato asked.

"Even if you're dead, a father should leave something behind for his kid. When I left Konoha, I didn't have much time to prepare. When I came back, I found the entire Uchiha clan had been wiped out, and Naruto… Well, no kid should have to struggle just to eat."

"Kitaro…" Tears welled up in Minato's eyes.

"Hey, hey, he is really crying?!" Shisui and Itachi were dumbfounded. Was this really the legendary Fourth Hokage?

"Alright, enough of that. Go on, already."

"Kitaro, when I get back, I'll make sure the higher-ups in Konoha change their ways—"

"There's no need," Kitaro interrupted. "And don't overestimate your influence. You were just a figurehead, a puppet for the Third Hokage. Sure, you did the work of Hokage, but the real decisions always came from those four elders behind the scenes."

"The Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership will never reconcile. Don't waste your time."

"Minato, you were a good Hokage, a great teacher, and a devoted husband. But you weren't a good father."

"This time, spend some time with Naruto. Who knows when the next summoning might happen?"

"Kitaro… thank you."

Minato wiped his eyes. He wasn't naive. He had always known that as Hokage, he wasn't the true authority. But now that he was dead, he had no ties to the title. It was time to do what a father should do.

"I'll be back soon," Minato said before disappearing in a flash of his Flying Thunder God Technique.

Orochimaru turned to Kitaro. "So, I've helped you revive the Fourth Hokage and even thrown in some funds. I trust you'll keep your promise now?"

"Of course. Keeping my word is one of my finer qualities," Kitaro replied with a smirk.

— — — 

Konoha Village – Ninja Academy

It was the end of the school day. Most of the kids were leaving with their parents, heading home for dinner. Naruto watched them longingly, wishing he knew what that felt like.

He didn't even know who his parents were.

As always, he waited in the corner until everyone had gone, then trudged back to his cold, empty apartment.

He missed Kitaro-nii and even Sasuke, despite how annoying the guy could be. They were the closest things he had to family.

Suddenly, a warm voice called out:

"Naruto!"

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.

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