Uchiha Gate: From Konoha to One Piece

— — — — — — 

"Alright!"

Tobirama sighed and nodded reluctantly. "It's getting late today. It's not the right time to head over."

"I'll set out early tomorrow morning. Luckily, I've left a Flying Thunder God seal in that area—it'll make coming and going much easier."

"But convincing the daimyo, along with all the nobles and merchants of the Land of Fire, will take a lot of time. Just gathering everyone for discussions will likely take several days. It's too much of a waste of time."

"I might just leave a shadow clone there to handle most of the negotiations. The real me will come back daily to continue my research. I'm currently at a critical stage with my household appliance experiments and can't afford delays."

"Also, once the talks are finalized, I suggest you, as the Fourth Hokage, either go personally or send a team like Tsunade's. Use your Flying Thunder God technique to directly transport everyone here."

"For one, it'll save time."

"For another, it's a good way to intimidate them and prevent any funny business. Don't you agree?"

Tobirama paused for a moment, seriously considering his own suggestion, then looked at Kaito and added, "Actually, it would be best if you personally handled this. It's the most effective way to showcase your strength and authority."

"That way, these people won't underestimate you because of your youth."

Tobirama's advice was spot-on. Despite his personal bias against the Uchiha, he never let it interfere with important matters.

His recommendation was pragmatic.

Inside Konoha, only a few doubted Kaito's ability to be a competent Hokage because of his age.

But outside Konoha? That was a different story.

"Oh?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow, surprised by Tobirama's candid suggestion. Smiling, he nodded. "Alright, your idea is solid. I'll personally go when the time comes. Just notify me."

Tobirama seemed pleased with the response and nodded back.

At this point, Kaito shifted the topic. "By the way, Tobirama, have you had a chance to check out the improved version of the Flying Thunder God technique I had Hashirama deliver to you?"

"How do you find it? Does it help?"

He was doing it on purpose.

It was both a genuine offer and a playful stab.

After all, Tobirama was the original creator of the Flying Thunder God technique.

Now, Kaito had handed him a more refined and perfected version of it. Who knew how Tobirama truly felt about that?

Tobirama gave Kaito a sidelong glance and replied, "I've received it. It's impressive and extremely helpful. You really are a genius. Feel free to continue improving not just the Flying Thunder God technique, but all of my other jutsu as well."

"That way, I can enjoy the benefits and grow stronger."

He paused, glancing briefly at Madara sitting beside Hashirama, and then added with a smirk, "If I can use these improvements to beat someone in the future, even better. Haha!"

"Hmm?"

Madara, of course, caught Tobirama's subtle poke. His brow furrowed as he snapped, "Tobirama, are you suggesting you could defeat me?"

"You're 20,000 years too early for that! Hah!"

"I didn't even take you as my opponent."

Tobirama, unbothered, just ignored Madara.

He had no delusions about his current strength compared to a fully-powered Madara.

As for the weakened version of Madara now?

Tobirama could probably take him down with one hand.

But he wouldn't stoop to such pettiness—it wasn't worth it. Besides, Hashirama wouldn't allow it.

Still, if he ever got the chance to knock Madara down a peg, Tobirama wouldn't resist.

Too bad, though...

Kaito chuckled, amused by the exchange between the two. "Who knows? Anything is possible in the future. Let's wait and see."

"Fine, I'll wait!"

"Hmph, I'll wait too!"

Tobirama smirked, while Madara snorted.

After a bit more discussion about other matters, everyone else gradually left.

Kaito, however, specifically asked Uzumaki Mito, Hashirama, and his mother to stay behind.

After setting up a barrier, he spoke to the three of them. "Regarding the construction and furnishing plans we discussed earlier, there are some critical details I haven't mentioned publicly due to the involvement of non-contracted individuals."

"My mother is already aware, as we've discussed it before."

"The idea is to establish one or more large, secure living bases within the Space-Time Gate dimension."

"This is to prepare for emergencies, especially in case the Sage of Six Paths notices Konoha's changes before we're ready and decides to suppress us."

"In such scenarios, we'll need to evacuate a significant number of contractors quickly."

"Directly sending them all together to the Pirate World wouldn't be ideal. A transitional survival base in the Space-Time Gate dimension would be much better."

"This is why I plan to build such bases there—not only for the Ninja World but also as a safety net for the Pirate World should similar issues arise. The Space-Time Gate base would be the safest place for all contractors, whether for survival or production."

"Building these bases will require a large amount of construction materials, furniture, and other supplies."

"The construction itself can be handled by Hashirama, or I can use the authority of the Space-Time Gate to expedite the process."

"What do you think?"

Hashirama, being able to create abundant top-quality wood with his Wood Release, was the perfect candidate for this task.

"Secure bases in the Space-Time Gate dimension? That sounds like an excellent idea!" Uzumaki Mito readily agreed.

Hashirama, however, scratched his head awkwardly. "So I have to build again, huh? What's the scale of this base? How many people should it accommodate? What features are needed?"

Clearly, he had learned a lot about construction recently—whether he wanted to or not.

"About a million—"

"Stop right there!"

Hashirama cut him off, looking unusually serious. "A base for a million people? Are you trying to kill me? Just because I'm technically undead doesn't mean you can work me to death!"

"Do I not have any basic rights as your predecessor, the First Hokage?!"

The group burst into laughter at his rare show of frustration.

"First Hokage! Calm down, calm down! It's not as scary as you're imagining!"

Kaito sighed helplessly as he tried to soothe him. "Didn't I tell you? You don't have to build everything yourself. I can use the authority of the Space-Time Gate to construct the majority of the city base directly."

"All we need is enough building materials."

"The only thing I'll actually need your help with is planting vegetation, flowers, and trees around the base and its surroundings."

"These things can't be handled with the Gate's authority alone. Your Wood Release is essential for that. Can you manage it?"

The Space-Time Gate had its own energy source and could accelerate seed growth, but using it for that purpose was far too wasteful.

The Gate's energy was incredibly precious, and its recovery was painstakingly slow. Kaito wasn't willing to squander it.

If he had someone skilled in afforestation right there—someone who could work without consuming extra resources—why wouldn't he take advantage of that?

"Just planting some trees and flowers?"

Hearing this, the First Hokage finally calmed down, though he still looked a bit skeptical. "That's all?"

"Of course! Why would I trick you about something like this?" Kaito nodded confidently. "If I can casually assign you storage space, do you really think I wouldn't be able to construct a city just by using some building materials?"

"That's true," Hashirama agreed with a nod. His tension eased, and he smiled. "If it's just that, then I'm in!"

Planting trees? That was easy.

Clapping his hands together to perform Wood Release—no problem.

Meanwhile, Uzumaki Mito and a few others exchanged amused glances and stifled their laughter.

They silently mourned for the unsuspecting Hashirama.

It was true—he'd only been tasked with planting trees.

But for a city meant to house a million people, how massive would it have to be? And how much vegetation would need to be planted?

This was no small task by any means.

Still, compared to having Hashirama build an entire city from scratch, this was definitely simpler.

— — —

That same day, the investment shares for Konoha's redevelopment project sparked a frenzy among the ninja clans and even small families within the village.

Before the second round of investments could even begin, the first round was completely sold out.

Some potential investors, unable to secure shares, were left beating their chests in regret for hesitating.

Thanks to this redevelopment and expansion project, Kaito managed to unite most of Konoha's ninja clans and individual shinobi under a common goal, significantly increasing his control over the village.

At the same time, he amassed a substantial amount of funds, easily solving the financial challenges of Konoha's initial reform phase.

Soon, every department was running at full capacity, fully engaged in the reforms.

Konoha began to transform visibly.

The engineering department, in particular, was overwhelmed with tasks.

School expansions, new public schools, commercial districts, residential renovations—the list was endless.

Much of this burden fell on Hashirama and Madara.

But even they couldn't handle it all.

Kaito had no choice but to assign additional tasks, enlisting a large group of shinobi skilled in Earth Release, Wind Release, and Fire Release to temporarily join the engineering team and expedite Konoha's construction and renovation.

Amid this bustling activity, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the Land of Fire's capital.

Upon arrival, he was warmly welcomed by the current Daimyo, who personally came out to greet him after receiving the report of Tobirama's visit.

"I believe your name is Kai," Tobirama said as he was escorted into the main hall. He sat down and looked at the Daimyo with sharp eyes. "You're the eldest son of the previous Daimyo and a woman from my Senju clan, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Tobirama!" The Daimyo nodded eagerly. "Technically speaking, I'm your nephew."

"Please, have some refreshments. These are the finest fruits and snacks in the ninja world."

Seeing the Daimyo's flattery, Tobirama shook his head and declined. "No need. You should know that I'm nothing more than a reanimated dead man. Eating or not eating is meaningless to me."

"Heh." The Daimyo let out an awkward chuckle. "I'd heard rumors from Konoha about this reanimation technique, but I never dared to believe it."

"And yet here you are! Konoha has even mastered the art of bringing back the dead. Truly remarkable!"

The Daimyo couldn't help but wonder if he could obtain such a technique for himself. Perhaps he could arrange for someone to use it on him after his death, granting him immortality.

After all, Tobirama looked almost identical to a living person, aside from the slightly unusual eye color and faint cracks on his face and body.

More importantly, reanimated beings were said to possess immortal bodies.

Wouldn't that be perfect?

Tobirama, ever perceptive, saw through the Daimyo's thoughts at a glance and sighed. "There's nothing remarkable about it."

"This technique was something I developed years ago."

"Although it has since been improved by the Fourth Hokage, it's not true resurrection."

"Those brought back are constantly subjected to the erosion of their souls."

"Their spirits feel as if they're trapped in a cage. It's far from the ideal existence you're imagining."

"My brothers and I can endure it because of the strength of our souls, which were tempered by our power in life."

"But even we have our limits."

"For someone like you, who has never trained in such ways, your soul would likely be completely worn out in just a few years, leaving you to disappear entirely."

"So don't even think about it!"

"If you want to extend your life, you're better off buying some of the medicinal pills from the Uchiha clan to nourish and care for your body. With proper maintenance, living to a hundred or more shouldn't be an issue."

"That would be far better than my current state as the living dead."

"Even I don't intend to remain here for long. Once I'm sure the Fourth Hokage has things under control and Konoha has been fully restored, I'll move on to the afterlife."

Hearing Tobirama's explanation, the Daimyo froze, quickly abandoning his ambitions of obtaining the Edo Tensei technique for himself.

He believed Tobirama's words, knowing that his uncle wasn't one to lie or play games.

"Your advice is wise, Uncle."

"However, about those Uchiha medicines… Are they really that effective?"

At this point, the Daimyo lowered his tone, even switching to honorifics for Tobirama. The idea of extending his life to a hundred years was a thrilling prospect for someone who only sought to enjoy life.

"Absolutely," Tobirama confirmed with a nod. "I'm sure you've heard of Uchiha Naori, the clan great elder, and my sister-in-law, Uzumaki Mito. Both have shown significant recovery in their health and youthfulness."

"They relied on the Uchiha clan's medicines to heal old injuries and rejuvenate their bodies."

"If it worked for powerful shinobi like them, it'll be even easier for someone like you."

"If you're interested, I can personally speak with the Uchiha or the Fourth Hokage to arrange it. They certainly wouldn't refuse."

"Of course, when it comes time to pay, don't skimp."

.

.

.