Uchiha Gate: From Konoha to One Piece

(first 100 stones bonus)

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"Of course! Of course!"

The daimyo's face lit up with joy as he nodded eagerly, saying, "Thank you, Uncle. I'll leave this matter in your capable hands!"

"By the way," he added curiously, "I haven't asked yet—why have you come all the way here in person? Is there something important?"

He genuinely wondered.

Under normal circumstances, with Konoha changing its Hokage, shouldn't the Hokage himself be the one to make this visit?

Moreover, this change in leadership had been decided without consulting him, which left him feeling a bit annoyed.

Still, since the big guys were involved, he chose to let it slide.

But now that Senju Tobirama had personally arrived, any lingering displeasure he felt evaporated.

Also… because the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara had both been resurrected.

It wasn't that he was scared.

Absolutely not.

Now, He assumed Tobirama had come to officially inform him on behalf of the Fourth Hokage.

And, perhaps, to ask for financial support as well.

After all, Konoha had just won a major war, and wars depleted resources—both money and manpower.

Konoha relied on missions and the daimyo's financial support for funding.

During war, mission revenue dropped significantly.

"Three things!"

Tobirama got straight to the point, raising three fingers. "First, Konoha has a new Hokage. The Fourth has taken office but is currently unable to leave his duties. I'm here to inform you."

The daimyō nodded, thinking, I knew it.

Outwardly, he smiled and said, "Understood. The Fourth is considerate. Please convey my regards to him, Uncle."

Tobirama gave a noncommittal nod and continued, "Second, Konoha has just emerged from a war. Although we defeated Amegakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, we suffered significant losses."

"The former Third Hokage became useless and Danzo died in battle."

"Alongside them, over a thousand elite Konoha ninjas perished."

"And with casualties over the past few months, rebuilding requires substantial resources."

"That's why Konoha is requesting an additional 10 billion ryō in funding for post-war recovery and compensation. No objections, I hope?"

Even though the daimyō had expected this, his eye twitched slightly at the amount.

Ten billion wasn't an unbearable amount for him.

But the mention of compensating the families of Danzo and the Sarutobi clan's ninjas who died for Konoha left him with mixed feelings.

'Really, Uncle? You're asking for compensation after Konoha publicly held a trial for Danzo, the Third Hokage, and several clan leaders not long ago?'

'Wasn't Danzo's corpse even resurrected and dragged into the trial, where he was tied to the plaza for villagers to vent their anger on him?'

The daimyō sighed inwardly. This ruthless show of power by Uchiha Kaito—the new Hokage—was a major reason why he wasn't thrilled about the leadership change.

Still, he dared not provoke Kaito.

Rumor had it that during the war, Kaito single-handedly turned the tide.

He used his terrifying lightning to annihilate over ten thousand elite ninjas from three villages, killed two village leaders—Hanzo the Salamander and the Third Kazekage—and cemented Konoha's dominance.

At first, the daimyō doubted such exaggerated reports.

But after confirming them multiple times and witnessing Kaito's ruthlessness post-war, he had no choice but to believe them.

Suppressing his misgivings, he smiled and said, "Understood. Konoha has contributed greatly to the Land of Fire's safety. This year, an extra round of aid is well-deserved. I'll arrange for the 10 billion ryō immediately."

"When it's ready, Konoha should send someone to collect it to avoid any accidents."

"The Land of Fire and the ninja world are still far from peaceful."

"Of course," Tobirama said, satisfied. Then, he added, "Third, I have here a proposal from the Fourth Hokage—a plan to rebuild and expand Konoha's commercial infrastructure. It has already been approved within Konoha, with full support from its clans and ninjas."

"Thirty percent of the shares have been purchased by Konoha's clans and individuals."

"Fifty percent will belong to Konoha's administration."

"The remaining twenty percent, the Fourth believes, should involve the daimyo's estate and prominent merchants of the Land of Fire."

"A chance like this to participate in Konoha's development and growth shouldn't be missed."

Tobirama handed the daimyō a detailed proposal.

"Oh?"

The daimyō accepted it with some surprise and began reading.

After a long while, he finished and took a deep breath. Looking up at Tobirama, he asked, "Uncle, Konoha is planning a major expansion, isn't it? Why so suddenly?"

"And… isn't this a bit too aggressive?"

From the proposal, he could tell that Konoha intended to strengthen its influence and power.

This had both advantages and disadvantages for him.

On the plus side, a stronger Konoha would deter other ninja villages and nations from invading the Land of Fire, ensuring its safety.

On the downside, it could disrupt the power balance between Konoha and the daimyō's estate.

Reject this plan?

From the proposal, it's clear that the Fourth Hokage is absolutely determined to move forward with this.

Moreover, all the ninja clans within Konoha have already been consolidated. At this point, Konoha is united like a solid block on this matter.

Even without the backing of the daimyo or the Fire Nation's elites, the foundation of these ninja clans alone should be sufficient to complete Konoha's expansion plan.

As for attracting immigrants and increasing the population afterward?

If Konoha is set on doing this, it's unlikely the Fire Nation could stop them.

If they oppose openly, it would mean outright breaking ties with Konoha.

Secret opposition wouldn't achieve much either.

To many civilians, Konoha is still incredibly appealing.

After all, it's home to numerous powerful ninjas, practically synonymous with safety!

At the very least, there wouldn't be any banditry or rogue ninja causing trouble there.

Black market and criminal organizations? They can't survive in Konoha either.

For most of the Fire Nation's civilians, this is highly attractive.

And let's not forget the expansion of the ninja academy, the increased enrollment slots, and the establishment of ordinary schools outlined in the plan.

These are enticing, not just for civilians but even for some of the elites and merchants.

Although many of the elites outwardly look down on ninjas, thinking of them as mere mercenaries and tools for killing, deep down, they all desire stronger ninja forces to protect their own interests.

So even if the daimyo himself disapproves, he won't be able to stop some elites and merchants from getting involved.

In the end, his opposition would be meaningless.

So, he might as well join in directly.

At least that way, he'd get a foothold inside Konoha.

This wasn't possible in the past.

Konoha was extremely isolationist, keeping outsiders, especially the daimyo, at bay.

But now, this was a rare opportunity.

After carefully considering the proposal, the daimyo finally spoke to the Second Hokage: "This plan is quite impressive. With this, Konoha will become even stronger, which is beneficial for protecting the Fire Nation."

"As the representative of the daimyo's office, I agree in principle and am willing to participate in the investment."

"As for the other elites and major merchants in the Fire Nation, I can convene them under the daimyo's banner for discussions."

"But I can't guarantee how many of them will agree to join."

He actually hoped fewer people would participate, so it'd be easier for him to secure that 20% share.

Having a larger share would not only yield greater future returns but also significantly enhance his influence in Konoha.

In his view, owning 20% of Konoha's expansion project would mean he'd finally have a voice and say in its matters.

"That will be sufficient! On behalf of Konoha, I sincerely thank the daimyo for his support!"

The Second Hokage nodded in satisfaction.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Afterward, he would work to convince as many elites and merchants as possible to join.

"Haha! No need for formalities, uncle!"

The daimyo chuckled and waved his hand. "In that case, I'll send messages to the elites of the Fire Nation immediately."

"However, some of them don't live in the capital, so gathering everyone might take about ten days."

"I'll set the meeting at the daimyo's palace in ten days. What do you think, uncle?"

The daimyo planned to privately convene a group of supporters first, securing an agreement to work together to claim a larger share of the stakes.

"Sounds good, ten days it is."

"But I have many matters to attend to, so I won't stay here for now."

"I'll come back in ten days. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

The Second Hokage rose to leave.

"You're leaving already? Why not stay for a few days so I can host you properly?"

The daimyo quickly stood to keep him.

"No need! See you in ten days!"

The Second Hokage shook his hand dismissively and, in the next moment, vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Watching this, the daimyo squinted and murmured, "Space-time ninjutsu, huh? I didn't expect to see this technique again after so many years. uncle is still as incredible as ever!"

"Even after being revived, his strength hasn't diminished at all."

"This Edo Tensei technique is far more powerful than I imagined."

"Still, there's no way to replicate it for myself."

"Plus, this forbidden jutsu holds little meaning for my own resurrection after death."

"So my desire for it has naturally waned."

— — —

Meanwhile, in the Pirate World, at Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Sabaody Archipelago.

Kaito, Uchiha Naori, Uzumaki Mito, and Senju Hashirama arrived together, once again meeting Shakky and Rayleigh.

"Yo, Shakky! Long time no see!"

As soon as Kaito entered, he raised a hand, greeting Shakky at the bar with a smile.

"Oh? Kaito? Is that you?"

Shakky's eyes lit up in surprise upon seeing Kaito and Uchiha Naori behind him. "It really has been a while!"

"What brings you here today? And with so many people?"

"Got something going on?"

She could faintly sense it—both Uchiha Naori and Uzumaki Mito, as well as Senju Hashirama, felt dangerous to her.

Clearly, all three of them were at least as strong as her.

In fact, they were probably stronger.

This only made her more curious.

First, she wondered where Kaito had found such powerful companions.

Second, she marveled at how quickly Kaito and Uchiha Naori had grown stronger, especially their physical abilities.

It had only been three years!

Granted, she'd met Kaito a few times over those years, usually when he was just visiting for fun.

He always appeared out of nowhere.

Mysterious, to say the least.

Even with her intelligence network, she rarely received any information about Kaito and his group.

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