Hokage's Objection! This is How Pirates Negotiate!

At Naruto's house.

Even though it was already the middle of the night, the five-year-old Naruto was not in bed.

He had pulled out an old, dusty suitcase.

Bang!

The old suitcase hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust that made Naruto cough repeatedly.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

He quickly dampened a towel and wiped away the dust, then started packing his clothes into the suitcase.

As he struggled to pack, he muttered to himself, "Hokage Grandpa always said that if someone is going on a long trip, they should bring clothes, toothbrushes, and enough money."

But Naruto didn't know how much to bring.

He just shoved some clothes in, then his toothbrush and toothpaste, and finally his small, cherished wallet.

The small wallet looked stuffed, filled with the allowance Hokage Grandpa had given him.

But he never had the chance to spend it.

Nobody wanted to sell him anything.

He had told Hokage Grandpa about it, but nothing changed. Naruto could only assume that Hokage Grandpa was too busy to handle his problems.

"Dad! I'm all packed!"

Naruto thought he would struggle to lift the suitcase, but to his surprise, he managed to lift it with just half his strength.

Was this the result of training?

Naruto was delighted.

Indeed, Dad's rigorous training was very effective!

But.

When he thought of his dad's health condition, his brief joy disappeared.

His expression turned gloomy.

"Gurararara! Stupid son, why did it take you so long to pack?" Although Whitebeard didn't have a watch, he could estimate the time: "It took you almost half an hour to pack a few things. With such sluggish efficiency, how can you ever become Hokage?"

When Naruto suggested leaving Konoha to find the legendary medical ninja Tsunade to cure Whitebeard, Whitebeard didn't want to waste his son's filial piety.

He agreed.

As a father, he couldn't let his son down!

That was Whitebeard's way.

"Stupid son, is this your first time leaving the village?" Whitebeard saw Naruto's nervous expression and guessed that the boy had probably never left Konoha.

Naruto nodded silently.

"Gurararara! As a man, you need to go out and see how big the world is!" Whitebeard laughed heartily: "Staying in a small place like Konoha, how can you call yourself a man of the sea?"

Little Naruto muttered softly, "Dad, there's no sea near Konoha. Hokage Grandpa said there's only a big forest nearby."

"Ouch! That hurts!!"

He got another flick to the forehead from Whitebeard.

The pain brought tears to Naruto's eyes.

"Don't contradict your father! Stupid son!" Whitebeard laughed: "As punishment, you carry the suitcase yourself!"

"Naruto!!!"

A voice suddenly called out, unexpectedly and inappropriately.

Naruto was startled.

He turned around with his suitcase and saw a familiar, slender figure.

"H-Hokage Grandpa?"

Naruto was surprised but also happy. He hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to Hokage Grandpa before leaving the village with his dad, but here he was.

Naruto waved and called out, "Hokage Grandpa! My dad and I are leaving Konoha for a while. Once we find that... uh, that medical ninja..."

He paused, forgetting Tsunade's name.

Feeling a bit embarrassed.

Naruto scratched his head and said, "Anyway, once we find that medical ninja and cure Dad, we'll come back!"

"By the way, Hokage Grandpa, why do you look so upset?" Naruto noticed that Hokage Grandpa didn't look like his usual kind self.

His face wasn't smiling.

Instead...

He looked...

Gloomy?

Naruto, who hadn't been to school and had a limited vocabulary, didn't know how to describe Hokage Grandpa's expression, but he had a feeling that Hokage Grandpa wasn't in a good mood.

The guess of a fool was spot on.

Hiruzen's mood was beyond just bad. This was the worst he'd felt since the end of the Ninja War.

No doubt about it!

Two years ago, sacrificing a member of the Hyuga clan hadn't made Hiruzen feel this awful.

Naruto was too special!

He carried the bloodlines of Minato and the Uzumaki clan.

He was also the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.

Such a child was more important than the entire Hyuga clan. And now this child wanted to leave Konoha with his so-called dad to find Tsunade?

Ridiculous!

How could Hiruzen not be anxious?

He was beyond anxious!

"Naruto!" Hiruzen tried to keep his emotions in check. He found it hard even to force a smile: "You're too young to leave Konoha. The world outside is dangerous, full of rogue ninjas and enemies. Leaving the village could be very risky."

"Hokage Grandpa, you don't have to worry. I have my dad with me!" Naruto was confident in Whitebeard: "Hokage Grandpa, you might not know, but Dad is super strong!"

Hiruzen: "..."

He had received various reports about Whitebeard over the past few days. He knew how strong Whitebeard was.

But Whitebeard was an outsider!

No!

Even if Whitebeard was from Konoha, Hiruzen couldn't let him take a five-year-old Naruto out of the village.

"Naruto, you can't leave the village!"

Hiruzen spoke more sternly than ever: "Don't you listen to Hokage Grandpa anymore?"

Naruto was stunned: "But..."

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed: "Stupid son, you go wait at the village gate! Let your irresponsible former guardian and I have a chat."

Former... former guardian?

Hiruzen's eyelid twitched.

"Dad..."

"Stupid son, go when I tell you! Why are you dawdling?" Whitebeard raised a finger, ready to flick Naruto's forehead again.

Scared, Naruto shrank back.

To avoid getting hit, he hurriedly dragged his suitcase and ran toward the village gate.

He couldn't help but look back and shout, "Dad! I'll wait for you at the Konoha gate!"

"Naruto!" Hiruzen anxiously tried to follow, but Whitebeard stepped in front of him, blocking his way with ease.

Hiruzen's face couldn't hide his anger.

"Whitebeard, you've gone too far! And you've crossed the line!" Hiruzen said coldly: "You've touched Konoha's bottom line. We have nothing to talk about. As I said, Naruto cannot leave the village!"

"Gurararara!"

Whitebeard laughed: "Have you been Hokage for so long that you've become senile? When a pirate says 'have a chat,' did you really think we meant just talking?"

What did he mean?

Could it be?

Hiruzen suddenly realized, but he was too late.

Whitebeard had already raised his naginata, swinging it fiercely at him!

The ferocious wind from the weapon made Hiruzen's face change drastically.

"Gurararara! I am Whitebeard!!!"

"This is how pirates negotiate!!!"

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