Uchiha Gate: From Konoha to One Piece

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"Alright!"

Kushina's face immediately fell as she leaned against the tree with a pout, feeling like life had lost its color.

But suddenly, a great idea struck her, and she sat up straight, eyes sparkling. "Wait a minute! I've already awakened Observation Haki and Kagura's Mind's Eye. Why don't I just use them to cheat on the written exams?"

"That way, I'll definitely pass those annoying cultural classes!"

"Hehe, I'm a genius!"

In an instant, she'd solved her biggest headache. Now she could finally enjoy her vacation properly.

"You…"

Mikoto, overhearing this, was speechless for a moment.

But she had to admit—it wasn't a bad idea.

Honestly, those cultural lessons weren't going to help Kushina get stronger anyway, so Mikoto decided to just let her do as she pleased.

"By the way, Kaito, got any plans for this vacation?"

"How about we explore the East Blue?" Kushina excitedly suggested to Kaito, who was practicing his swordsmanship nearby.

"Little Kuro's been running maps these past few months, and a lot of the East Blue has already been scouted. We could take some time to tour and sightsee!"

Staying in the same spot training all the time was getting boring for her. Life should have some excitement, especially for a kid like her.

Kaito paused mid-swing, sighed, and said, "Alright, where do you want to go? Honestly, we can travel to other islands anytime, even when it's not vacation."

Of course, as long as the places weren't too dangerous.

He had been planning to visit places like Cocoyashi Village and Windmill (Fusha) Village anyway. Meeting people like Nami, Luffy and others ahead of time sounded like a good idea—familiarize himself with them and gradually build a connection.

"Hehe, vacations are different!"

Kushina laughed, her eyes gleaming. "When it's not vacation, I'd have to come back home every day, so it's not as fun!"

"But during vacation, I can tell Grandma that I'll be staying at your place for training. That way, I won't need to come back every day and can enjoy a proper trip with everyone. How awesome is that?"

"I'm sure Grandma will agree!"

"Oh?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "If you can convince Lady Mito, I've got no objections."

"No problem at all!" Kushina nodded confidently. "If needed, I'll ask aunt Naori to put in a good word for me! She likes me, after all. Hmph!"

Mikoto couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head.

'Like you? Mikoto thought to herself. She's basically treating us as her future daughters-in-law.'

The thought made Mikoto's face flush slightly.

As for sharing Kaito with Kushina in the future, Mikoto didn't have much to say about it.

From the moment Kaito awakened his talent, she'd known he wasn't someone she could keep all to herself.

Especially considering that Kaito himself had a bit of a flirtatious nature.

As for giving up?

That wasn't happening.

Neither she nor her grandfather would ever allow that.

"Alright then, it's settled. Let's discuss the specifics once the vacation starts!"

Kaito nodded in agreement.

As for Minato?

He wouldn't ask anyone.

Because there wasn't a need.

As an orphan living alone, Minato didn't have the same concerns or attachments and naturally joined their group without hesitation.

---

Later that afternoon, after training, Kaito returned home in the ninja world, ready for dinner.

To his surprise, he found Tsunade waiting for him.

The moment she saw him, she fixed him with a piercing, almost pitiful stare, making him feel uneasy.

"Uh… Tsunade-sensei, is something wrong?"

Kaito asked cautiously, though he had a good idea of the reason.

"Hmph! What do you think?"

Tsunade crossed her arms, glaring at him. "You said you'd follow me as my apprentice, learn from me, and even teach me some of your medical techniques. But look at you now!"

"It's been months, and you barely show up!"

"You've even sent a shadow clone to study sealing techniques under Grandma Mito, but you've completely ignored me!"

"Is my medical ninjutsu not worth your time? Or do you just not respect me as a teacher?!"

Tsunade's anger wasn't baseless.

The main trigger, however, was her earlier gathering with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Over drinks, the topic of her taking on a disciple came up.

Jiraiya, ever the instigator, had teased that he hadn't even seen her disciple yet. "Could it be that your student is so terrible that you're too embarrassed to show him off?" he was just joking.

But Tsunade, being Tsunade, couldn't let that slide.

She had sent Jiraiya flying straight to the hospital with a single punch.

But it did make her realize she needed to whip her disciple into shape—not just for his sake, but to show him off and rub it in everyone's face.

"Ahaha…"

Kaito scratched his head awkwardly.

Truthfully, he'd been so busy with his studies and training that he had genuinely forgotten about Tsunade.

He quickly tried to make amends. "Don't be mad, don't be mad! I've just been busy lately, but I'll make time for you starting from now."

"I'll send a shadow clone to train under you every day, and we'll also exchange ideas on medical ninjutsu. How does that sound?"

Honestly, he was genuinely interested in Tsunade's medical ninjutsu and chakra control techniques. It wouldn't hurt to pick them up sooner rather than later.

"Another shadow clone? Can't you come in person?"

Tsunade frowned, clearly not satisfied. She felt dismissed.

"Guess when I'm the one asking for it, it's not worth much," she muttered to herself to let Kaito hear her.

Kaito let out a sigh, shaking his head helplessly. "I swear, I don't have time."

"If you ask my mom or Kushina, they'll tell you I've been super busy these days," he explained. "Every single day's packed tight with training."

"Oh?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her sharp eyes scanning him up and down. "I've noticed Kushina's been keeping busy, but you… I didn't really pay attention until now. But... haven't you changed a lot recently?"

"In just a few months, you've grown over ten centimeters taller, haven't you? You're nearly 1.4 meters now!"

"And you're only six and a half years old! What, have you been eating fertilizer or something? How'd you grow this much in such a short time?"

The first time she met Kaito, he'd been a sickly kid—thin, weak, and much shorter than kids his age. Yet, in just a few months, he looked completely different: healthy, strong, and taller than average for his age. Something about it felt unnatural.

"Heh, just normal training and eating well," Kaito replied with an awkward laugh. "Maybe I'm just getting good nutrition lately. Healthy diet, healthy growth, right?"

What could he do? The meat from Sea Kings was ridiculously nutritious. It wasn't just helping him grow taller—it was practically supercharging his physical development.

Add in the effects of practicing his body-strengthening techniques, and the results were extreme. Honestly, this was him holding back; otherwise, he might already be 1.6 or even 1.8 meters tall.

"Yeah, right!" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "If you don't want to explain, just say so."

"I'm not blind, you know. It's not just you—Kushina's grown taller too these past months. Not as much as you, but she's put on five or six centimeters."

"But listen, I'm not here to dig into the Uchiha clan's secrets. It's just... your vitality and physical development seem a little over the top, don't you think?"

"Oh?"

Kaito was genuinely surprised. "Wait, you actually noticed? I thought I hid it pretty well."

Tsunade was the first person to call out the abnormal vitality and strength of his body.

It made sense, though. He rarely ventured out personally anymore, so fewer people got the chance to interact with him closely.

Even then, most high-level ninjas wouldn't have been able to detect anything strange if he didn't actively let it slip. Not even someone as sharp as the Third Hokage could see through his carefully maintained façade.

"Heh."

Tsunade smirked, crossing her arms. "You think I'm that easy to fool?"

"Don't forget who I am—Tsunade, Konoha's number one medical ninja!"

"Honestly, your disguise was impressive. You almost had me fooled."

"But just now, you'd clearly just finished training. You hadn't fully suppressed your life energy or presence, and I caught it."

"That's all it took. And for someone like me, that's super easy."

"I gotta say, that's impressive," Kaito admitted. "Most people wouldn't notice even if they saw the same thing."

"You're sharp, no doubt about it. Not surprising, coming from Konoha's best medical ninja."

He gave her a thumbs-up. Even though he always kept his life energy and vitality hidden as a passive habit, she'd managed to detect it during the brief moment after his training session.

That level of perception wasn't something just anyone could achieve—it took an incredible amount of experience and skill.

"Humph!" Tsunade puffed her chest proudly, lifting her chin. "Well, since you know how awesome I am, why don't you take our training seriously?"

"Fine, whatever. Shadow clones it is. But don't forget—tomorrow, I want one of those clones at Konoha Hospital!"

"I've got free time right now, no missions lined up. So, you better make it count."

With that, she stood, ready to leave.

Before heading out, she stopped by the kitchen to greet Kaito's mom, Uchiha Naori.

Once Tsunade was gone, Kaito walked over to the kitchen doorway, peeked in, and noticed something. "Mom, you deliberately used regular ingredients for dinner, didn't you?"

Naori smiled knowingly. "Of course. With Tsunade's sharp senses, serving her Sea King meat would've been a dead giveaway."

"She's already able to figure out so much from just a hint of your leaked energy. If she caught wind of Sea King meat, she'd definitely link it to the nutrient pills you've been making."

"Yeah, that's true," Kaito nodded, giving his mom a thumbs-up. "Good call."

"You should keep spending more time with her," Naori said thoughtfully. "Boosting her favorability is important too."

"After all, she's a top-tier talent."

"Her combat and medical skills are both incredible. If you can win her over, she'd be a huge asset for our clan."

"Not to mention, having her help with pharmaceuticals would be invaluable."

Naori reminded him that Tsunade was just as important as Uzumaki Mito, whose favorability rating he'd already pushed close to 80%.

Once both Tsunade and Mito were fully aligned with their goals, the Uchiha and Senju plans could move forward to the next stage.

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