One Piece: Take the Uchiha Clan to the Grand Line

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Uzumaki Naruto turned around and saw a handsome man standing a short distance behind him. The man's face looked oddly familiar, yet Naruto couldn't quite place it.

What struck him most was the man's expression—it wasn't like the disdainful looks he was used to from other adults. Instead, it was warm and gentle, making him feel strangely at ease.

"Huh? Big bro, who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I… I'm…"

The Fourth Hokage hesitated, his heart heavy with emotion. After learning about Naruto's life, he found it hard to muster the courage to reveal his identity.

Still, having been given this rare chance to return, he wasn't going to waste it.

"Because I'm the one who gave you your name. You're my son."

"Son… You mean…"

"Yes, that's right. You're my son, Naruto."

Tears streamed down Naruto's face as he stared at the Fourth Hokage in disbelief. "D-Dad?… I have a father? You're really...?"

"This isn't the place to talk."

The Fourth Hokage placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and in an instant, they appeared inside an abandoned house on the outskirts of Konoha.

"Where is this?"

"This was my home. And yours, too. But it's been abandoned for years now."

"Dad! Who's my mom? Why… why haven't you or Mom come to see me all these years? Why did you abandon me?"

The Fourth Hokage shook his head. "We would never abandon you but we had no choice."

"What could be more important than your own child?! Do you have any idea what my life's been like all this time?!"

The Fourth Hokage nodded, guilt etched on his face. "I know. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Just 'sorry' doesn't fix anything"

Did you and Mom do something bad? Is that why everyone in the village looks at me with disgust? Is it because you betrayed the village?!" Naruto's face was full of suspicion as he glared at Minato.

"What?! Of course not!"

Minato couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's wild imagination.

"Then what's the truth?"

Minato turned his back to Naruto, revealing the bold kanji on his cloak: Fourth Hokage.

Naruto froze. "Fourth Hokage?! Wait… you're the guy from the Hokage Monument!"

It finally clicked for Naruto why this man seemed so familiar. He looked exactly like the Fourth Hokage, whose face was carved into the Hokage Rock.

Naruto had always admired two people: Uchiha Kitaro, whose legendary deeds echoed throughout the ninja world, and the Fourth Hokage.

Now, he was struggling to process the fact that he was the son of one of his idols.

"Hold on… The Fourth Hokage… didn't you sacrifice yourself to protect the village when the Nine-Tails attacked? Are you saying…?"

"Yes, I died."

"Ghost!!!"

Naruto screamed and tried to run, but Minato grabbed him by the collar and effortlessly lifted him.

"I'm not a ghost, but I'm not exactly alive, either. I was brought back to life—sort of."

"Brought back? By who?"

"Kitaro arranged for my resurrection."

"Kitaro?! Where is he?! And what about Sasuke?!"

Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of Kitaro, his excitement overpowering his shock. Compared to this sudden reunion with his father, his feelings for Kitaro were more tangible.

Besides, Sasuke, though annoying at times, was still the only friend who'd ever played with him.

"Kitaro can't come right now. I'm sorry, Naruto, for all the pain you've endured alone."

"But why? Why would the village hate me if I'm the Fourth Hokage's son?"

"It's all my fault…"

Minato began to recount the events leading up to his death, finally answering the questions that had tormented Naruto for so long.

"Sharingan? Does that mean…?"

"Yes, the one who controlled the Nine-Tails was from the Uchiha clan. But not one of those who lived in the village—otherwise, Kitaro would've noticed them…"

"Why didn't Kitaro save you, then?"

"The higher-ups in Konoha wouldn't let him. They were already terrified of his power. If Kitaro had gained control of the Nine-Tails, they feared he'd become unstoppable."

"What a bunch of shortsighted fools! With Kitaro's strength, he wouldn't need the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha if he wanted to!"

"They were afraid of two things: Kitaro obtaining the Nine-Tails' power and him becoming the village's hero. They feared the Uchiha clan would threaten their authority in Konoha."

Minato's opinion of the Konoha leadership soured even more.

He wasn't naive—after all, only a skilled and shrewd ninja could master the Flying Thunder God Technique. Piecing together the truth wasn't difficult.

He'd always wondered why Kitaro hadn't dealt with the Nine-Tails during the attack. With his mastery of the Sharingan, Kitaro could've easily subdued the beast.

But now it was clear: the Konoha higher-ups had interfered.

Even the Third Hokage, who had once taught him about the Will of Fire, was complicit.

Seeing the dire conditions Naruto had grown up in—pitiful aid money, an empty fridge with half a bottle of expired milk—only confirmed the neglect.

The hostility from the villagers toward Naruto was the final straw. Minato's anger as a father boiled over.

Everything Kitaro had shown him through genjutsu was true. His child had endured unbearable suffering, all thanks to the Konoha leadership.

So what had Minato and Kushina's sacrifice been for? To become pawns in their political games?

"They are so evil!"

For the first time, a spark of resentment against Konoha's leadership ignited in young Naruto's heart.

They were the ones who stole his parents' love, leaving him to grow up alone.

They were the true culprits behind his tragic childhood.

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