Uchiha Gate: From Konoha to One Piece

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Kaito nodded confidently, "I'll handle it! Getting on Tsunade-sensei's good side shouldn't take too much effort."

"Give it a month, at most!"

He already had several medical books that would undoubtedly pique Tsunade's interest. With those, he was certain he could draw her in. After all, her favorability towards him was already at 67 points. Clearly, taking Kaito as her student had boosted her impression of him considerably.

Just moments ago, agreeing to send a shadow clone to learn from her earned him an additional 5 points.

(Previously, it had been at 62.)

It was obvious—Tsunade wasn't a hard person to deal with.

Speaking of progress, apart from Uzumaki Mito, Kureha's favorability had also been steadily rising, almost reaching the point of binding.

Even Koushirou's favorability had climbed to 72 points during this time.

You couldn't blame Koushirou for being so easy to sway. Kaito's monstrous talent had completely captivated him, making him more invested in the boy.

And when Kaito showed respect and humility despite his abilities, Koushirou's goodwill just skyrocketed.

"As long as you're confident," Uchiha Naori said with satisfaction, nodding at Kaito. "By the way, how's the pharmaceutical factory coming along? When can we start producing the medicines?"

"Recently, the demand for these medicines among both the clans and civilian ninjas in Konoha has been increasing exponentially. They've gotten used to our nutritional pills and now find the standard ration pills unbearable."

After all, the difference was so obvious.

One pill could swiftly replenish nutrition, restore stamina, enhance vitality, and even strengthen the body.

The other drained potential, tasted terrible, and left much to be desired.

Anyone would know which to choose.

"Body-strengthening potions, restorative elixirs, detoxification serums—all of them are selling like crazy!" Naori continued. "Even people from other villages are starting to reach out to us, hoping to secure long-term orders for nutritional pills and body-strengthening potions."

The ones most interested were from Kumogakure. They had even considered sending spies to infiltrate the Uchiha clan and steal the formulas.

Too bad for them—none of their spies even made it past the clan's perimeter.

The Uchiha compound was no longer the vulnerable place it used to be. For those with ill intentions, it was nothing short of a lion's den.

"Oh? Other villages are interested now too?" Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Selling to Konoha is fine, but as for other villages? Not a chance!"

"We'll wait until we've unified the shinobi world—when they're all our subordinates or citizens—then we'll consider it."

"Right now, selling to them would be outright aiding the enemy. We're not that stupid."

"Besides," he added, "I doubt the Third Hokage would approve of it either."

If the Hokage didn't agree, the Uchiha couldn't very well push for it. Otherwise, all it would take was for the Third to slap a "traitor" label on them, and the clan would become everyone's target.

The reputation they had painstakingly worked to restore could crumble overnight—worse than before.

Other ninja clans wouldn't hesitate to side with the Third Hokage, ganging up on the Uchiha to demand the medicine formulas.

Don't think it's impossible.

For the sake of profit, anything was possible.

Right now, the Uchiha's relationships with the other clans were far from stable.

"I figured as much," Naori said, smiling knowingly. She appreciated Kaito's clear-headedness. "That's why I already turned them down."

"The Third even came to confront me after hearing about it, probably hoping to cause trouble."

"But when he realized I'd already refused, you should've seen the look on his face—so disappointed!"

Naori smirked. She would never give the Third Hokage any opportunity to exploit.

Play dirty? The Third Hokage was still too green for her.

"Good," Kaito said with a grin, looking down on the Third. "Sarutobi Hiruzen is so predictable! All he does is flex his authority internally while bowing to outsiders. Always focusing on infighting."

"No wonder Konoha is on a downward spiral!"

"Honestly, Tobirama must've been blind back then."

If the Second Hokage knew about everything Sarutobi Hiruzen and his generation had done over the years—especially the state of the Senju—he'd probably regret everything.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen hid his true nature too well," Naori remarked with a light chuckle. "And to be fair, Tobirama didn't fully understand the dangers of overcompartmentalizing power."

(A/N: Yep, it's a real word—the longest I've ever seen! Here, over-compartmentalizing power means that the idea that restricting power into too many isolated areas (compartmentalizing) can create vulnerabilities within a system. As Tobirama planed for the big clans and his clan.)

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"Yeah," Kaito agreed, nodding before changing the subject. "As for the pharmaceutical factory, the construction is complete. The machines are installed, and the test runs are done."

"We've even recruited plenty of workers, thanks to Kureha's help."

"Once the raw materials arrive, production will begin. That should happen in three days."

"If everything goes smoothly, daily production will increase a hundredfold for nutritional pills and body-strengthening potions. Detoxification and restorative medicines will see about a tenfold increase."

The complexity of making different medicines varied significantly.

"That's acceptable for now," Naori said thoughtfully. "Restorative and detoxification medicines aren't as in demand. For now, prioritize producing more nutritional pills."

That was what everyone needed the most.

Many shinobi were even trying to make them a staple in their daily training.

"Got it! I'll make the necessary adjustments," Kaito assured with a confident nod.

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After wrapping up his tasks for the day, Kaito took a quick shower and got ready for dinner.

His meals these days were a delight—featuring Sea King meat at every sitting. Honestly, he could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without complaint.

At the dinner table, Mikoto, Kushina, and Minato soon joined him, and they began their meal.

Lately, the group had taken to having all their meals together, enjoying the rich flavors of their unique diet.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Kaito created a Shadow Clone who headed to the hospital. Inside one of the offices, the clone found Tsunade, busy at her desk.

"You're here? Wait a moment, I need to finish these documents," Tsunade said, glancing up at him briefly before gesturing to a small couch nearby. "Take a seat."

Without hesitation, the Shadow Clone made himself comfortable on the couch, grabbing a medical book from the shelf behind him to pass the time.

After a while, Tsunade finally wrapped up her work, stretching as she walked over to sit across from him. She noticed the title of the book he was reading.

"Cellular Activation Research, huh? You sure know how to pick a tough one. Can you even understand it?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow.

Closing the book after finishing the last page, Kaito casually tossed it over his shoulder. It landed perfectly back in its original place on the shelf.

With a slightly exasperated look, he said, "Sensei, have you forgotten? My medical skills are already better than yours."

"Granted, this book's content differs somewhat from the medical systems I've studied, but it's still not beyond my comprehension. You should know better than anyone that principles related to the human body are often universal."

Tsunade froze for a moment, her expression darkening slightly.

"You really don't know how to give your teacher any face, do you?" she grumbled, glaring at him.

Having a disciple this skilled wasn't always a blessing. It was like the student was the one teaching the master—it felt downright backward.

"Alright, what are we starting with today? Medical ninjutsu or an exchange of medical theories?" Kaito asked, ignoring Tsunade's glare as he smiled.

"I'll teach you medical ninjutsu first," Tsunade declared, crossing her arms. "I've heard plenty from Grandma Mito and Kushina about how talented you are in ninjutsu and sealing techniques, but I've never seen it firsthand. Let's put that talent of yours to the test today!"

Her decision was partly fueled by a desire to reassert her authority as a teacher. When it came to pure medical skills, she knew she wasn't as good as Kaito.

But medical ninjutsu? That was a whole different story—it required chakra control, Yang Release techniques, and other elements that Kaito's general medical knowledge couldn't cover.

"Alright, you'll see soon enough," Kaito replied nonchalantly.

Tsunade led Kaito to a room specifically designed for teaching medical ninjutsu and began with the basics, starting with the healing technique.

The results?

[You learned Medical Ninjutsu: Healing Technique. Proficiency +15.]

[You learned Medical Ninjutsu: Delicate Illness Extraction Technique (Poison Extraction Jutsu). Proficiency +12.]

[You learned Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique (Healing Jutsu). Proficiency +11.]

[You learned Medical Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel. Proficiency +16.]

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"..."

Tsunade was stunned.

"What the—? Healing Technique and Delicate Illness Extraction are one thing, but you learned Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel on your first try? And your progress is this fast?"

She looked at Kaito in disbelief, watching as he mastered each technique with terrifying speed during practice. His progress was almost visible to the naked eye.

"If I let you keep this up for another ten days, you'll probably surpass my proficiency in these techniques. What kind of monster are you?"

Kaito paused, dismissing his Chakra Scalpel, and shot Tsunade an amused look.

"Sensei, it's not nice to call people names," he said, shaking his head. "Why am I a monster just because I learn things quickly? I'm a genius—that's perfectly normal, isn't it?"

"Normal, my ass!" Tsunade muttered under her breath, feeling like she was losing her mind.

"Forget it," she sighed eventually, waving her hand in resignation. "Let's just say I've seen the real deal today. When it comes to pure talent, you're on a completely different level."

"Honestly, there's nothing more I can teach you about medical ninjutsu. You've already learned everything I know. From here on, it's just a matter of practice."

"With anyone else, I'd have to guide and supervise them constantly, but you clearly don't need that."

Tsunade shook her head again, looking like she'd taken a significant blow to her pride. She had underestimated Kaito before, but now she knew better.

"Alright then, let's move on to discussing medical theories," she suggested, trying to salvage some of her dignity.

"Sure, I'm up for anything," Kaito replied cheerfully.

The two returned to Tsunade's office, where she gestured to the bookshelf behind him.

"For now, take a look at the books on this shelf. Once you've finished them, we'll have a more in-depth exchange."

"Got it!" Kaito nodded. He then waved his hand, and a pile of medical books appeared in front of him—his personal collection, meticulously copied by hand.

"These are some of the medical texts I've studied," he explained, pointing to the books. "Take your time going through them. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Oh, and by the way, these aren't gifts. You'll need to return them once you're done."

"If you want your own copies, you'll have to write them out yourself."

Tsunade stared at the pile of books, momentarily speechless.

Who's the teacher, and who's the student?

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