Even a Pirate Like Me Knows This is Wrong!

Hiruzen's already stiff smile grew even more rigid, his face as hard as old tree bark.

"Edward Newgate..."

Hiruzen said: "Do you know what Naruto means to Konoha? Do you understand the implications of adopting Naruto as your son from Konoha's perspective?"

"Gu ra ra ra! Why should I care? Why should you care?" Whitebeard replied indifferently: "I adopt whoever I want as my son. That's how I, Whitebeard, do things!"

"..." Hiruzen had never met anyone so crude.

"Naruto's father is a hero of Konoha!" He emphasized: "He cannot have a father from another village!"

This statement from Hiruzen had an aggressive tone.

"A hero? So you're saying Naruto is the son of a hero?" Whitebeard's expression turned curious.

"That's right! Both Naruto's father and mother were heroes of Konoha. They sacrificed everything for the village!"

Hiruzen said: "I promised them I would take care of their child. They would never allow Naruto to recognize someone else as his father."

"Pfft... gu ra ra ra!!!"

Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh: "The son of a Konoha hero is treated like this?"

He stopped laughing.

Then he continued, "This is what you call taking care of Naruto? Do you know what my foolish son has been through? Since he was little, he has been isolated by your village."

"Demon fox! You should know these words, right? As the Hokage, I don't believe you don't. Since Naruto is the son of a hero, why is he isolated by so many people?"

"The bullying he has suffered is from everyone in your village. Even though I am a pirate, I know this is absolutely wrong!!!"

Boom!!!

Whitebeard slammed his hand on the ground, using no Devil Fruit power or Haki, just pure physical strength.

The ground beneath him shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.

The gaze from the world's most muscular man felt like a wild beast staring down the Third Hokage of Konoha!

Two old men totaling 133 years of age.

On the brink of a confrontation.

They looked ready to fight at any moment.

"Naruto cannot recognize someone else as his father!" Hiruzen stubbornly held his ground. He couldn't allow Naruto to form other bonds, and if he did, Konoha wouldn't be able to control the Nine-Tails.

"Grandpa Hokage, why?" Naruto's quiet exclamation was loud enough for everyone to hear: "I've never had parents... everyone in the village hates me."

"Dad doesn't hate me, and he doesn't care that I'm a demon fox... why can't I recognize him as my dad? Why can't I have a family?"

At this point, tears welled up in Naruto's eyes.

He found this version of Grandpa Hokage to be unfamiliar.

The Grandpa Hokage he remembered wasn't like this.

"Naruto, you're still young." Hiruzen smiled: "When you grow up, you'll understand."

He reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair.

I was trying to make a friendly gesture.

But his hand met empty air.

Whitebeard had picked up Naruto and said, "Foolish son, what's there to cry about? Gu ra ra ra! Always remember, you are my family, and I am your family, and that's enough."

"Boss, put the bill on this irresponsible guardian of my foolish son. Consider it a debt he owes!" Whitebeard brazenly declared a free meal.

With everyone watching, he placed Naruto on his shoulder.

He picked up Murakumogiri.

And she walked away.

Crack—

The already cracked pipe in Hiruzen's hand shattered utterly, and the broken pieces fell to the ground.

He trembled with rage!

His hands formed a seal involuntarily.

"Earth Release..."

"Lord Hokage," Kakashi suddenly interrupted: "It seems Whitebeard doesn't know Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. His fatherly love for Naruto isn't an act. Also, Lord Minato's son does need a family companion."

Hiruzen's movements paused. He glanced at Kakashi: "Kakashi, Naruto is Minato's child. As Minato's disciple, you just watched this from start to finish?"

Kakashi opened his dead fish eye: "Without the Hokage's orders, I didn't know what to do."

Then he added: "When those Uchiha tried to deal with Whitebeard, Naruto's Nine-Tails power almost broke free."

"What?" Hiruzen was shocked: "Is the seal weakening? Has it been too long?"

Kakashi replied: "Naruto's emotions almost broke the seal. This shows he has formed a very strong bond with Whitebeard."

"A bond strong enough to break the seal?" Hiruzen took a deep breath.

He realized the situation was very unfavorable for Konoha.

"That's indeed the case." Kakashi's words felt like a dagger.

Damn it!

Where did this Whitebeard come from?

How did he establish such a bond with Naruto in such a short time? As the Hokage, I couldn't do it.

—The Uchiha clan's growing unrest.

—The Jinchuriki's unexpected situation.

Two significant issues weighed on the Third Hokage's shoulders.

They are causing him a massive headache.

"Kakashi!" Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi: "I'm giving you an order. From today, you will be the Anbu assigned to monitor Naruto. You must ensure his Will of Fire isn't influenced by any other ideologies."

Hiruzen realized that eliminating Whitebeard might not sever Naruto's bond with him.

If the Anbu tried to assassinate Whitebeard.

Naruto might completely lose control.

If the Nine-Tails rampaged through Konoha again, the village would suffer greatly. Especially with the Three Sannins absent, it was uncertain if they could stop the Nine-Tails.

As a seasoned shinobi leader.

Hiruzen quickly devised another plan.

He needed to win Naruto back from Whitebeard, ensuring their bond surpassed Naruto's bond with Whitebeard!

"And!" Hiruzen continued: "Make sure they don't leave Konoha. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must never leave the village!"

"Got it!" Kakashi showed no emotion.

He seemed to see through the Third Hokage and Konoha's higher-ups.

With no particular reaction.

Kakashi put away his book and said to Hiruzen: "Lord Hokage, could you cover my ramen bill too?"

"Alright." Hiruzen, distracted, responded absentmindedly.

After Kakashi left, he exhaled deeply. His expression was darker than Danzo's had been earlier.

"Um, Lord Hokage?" Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, timidly asked: "Could you settle the bill?"

Damn it! Naruto was almost taken away!

And I still have to pay for that Whitebeard's meal!

Hiruzen, face dark, pulled out three 100-ryo notes and placed them on the table: "Keep the change."

"Um, Lord Hokage, 300 ryo isn't enough..."

Teuchi rubbed his hands: "Kakashi had one bowl, Naruto had two, and Whitebeard had fifty-six bowls."

"Each bowl is 80 ryo, so the total is 4720 ryo. I'll give you a discount, so just 4700 ryo."

Hiruzen: "????"

Discount???

Hiruzen nearly cursed. Reluctantly, he emptied his wallet just as he was about to place the money on the table.

Suddenly.

His face changed dramatically.

The ground beneath Ichiraku Ramen began to shake violently. Cracks spread from the center in all directions, covering the entire street in moments!

Looking around, only Ichiraku Ramen remained intact!

"What is this?" Hiruzen's pupils contracted.

He stared at the handprint on the ground: "Is this Whitebeard's doing?"

The true center of the cracks was this handprint!

"Edward Newgate... who are you really?"

The situation seemed to be getting more complicated.

...

...