Konoha: Uchiha's Two-Way Travel in One Piece

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"I think Orochimaru might be a good choice for this kind of thing," suggested Danzo. "He might even be better than Tsunade at it."

"Oh?" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, giving Danzo a meaningful look.

"Since when did Danzo start working closely with Orochimaru?" Sarutobi thought grimly. This wasn't good news for him. Sarutobi valued Orochimaru highly and didn't want him influenced—or worse, corrupted—by Danzo.

"Looks like I'll need to keep a closer eye on this and personally warn Orochimaru," Sarutobi resolved inwardly.

Outwardly, he nodded. "Orochimaru is indeed talented. I'll speak with him myself and see if we can make progress on this."

Utatane Koharu chimed in, "Also, I propose we directly place an order with the Uchiha Clan for their nutrition pills—or even their better ones—under the village's name. We need to test the waters."

"If we can acquire them, that's great. It would make reverse-engineering them easier," she added.

"Agreed," Sarutobi replied. "Leave that to me. I'll arrange a private meeting with Uchiha Jiri to discuss it. If it works, great; if not, no harm done. At the very least, it'll give the Uchiha a reason to owe us something."

Suddenly, Sarutobi turned to Danzo with a heavy expression. "You mentioned Lady Mito can match the Third Raikage—or even surpass him. Did you notice anything unusual about her physical condition? Especially her vitality? From what I've seen, it seems like she's not just recovered a little; it feels like she's completely restored."

"Could she have fully regained her strength?" Sarutobi asked, his tone heavy. If that were true, it spelled trouble.

Who knew how long an Uzumaki with restored vitality could live? Waiting her out might no longer be an option.

Danzo's expression darkened. "I was just about to tell you this. From my observations, Lady Mito seems to be back at her peak. Her vitality too. She won't be passing away anytime soon. We've all been deceived. She was playing weak on purpose, likely to avoid provoking us into drastic measures against her or the Senju."

Danzo paused, then added, "But now, with the Uzumaki Clan joining her and bringing significant strength, targeting her or the Senju in secret is going to be much harder."

The Uzumaki Clan's arrival brought over a thousand members, a terrifying number. Combined with their natural talent, the combined strength of the clans backing the village's leadership might not even be enough to match them.

"A single misstep led to all of this," Sarutobi muttered, sighing in frustration. He felt like fate had been against him lately. He was at a loss for what to do next.

"What's our next move?" Koharu asked, her voice fraught with tension.

Danzo responded decisively, "Hiruzen, we need to separate the Uzumaki from the Senju. If possible, let's assign them land as far away as we can from the Senju's territory. This might not be a perfect solution, but it will at least slow down their recovery."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement. "That's possible. The Senju's land is in the heart of the village, so assigning part of it to the Uzumaki isn't practical—and the Senju wouldn't agree to it anyway. This separation seems like the best course of action."

"Let's handle this quickly," Sarutobi decided. "I'll call for a meeting this afternoon at the Hokage Tower with all the clan representatives and active jonin. We'll finalize the Uzumaki Clan's placement there."

"Agreed."

"Fine with me."

---

That afternoon, representatives from the various clans and the village's active jonin gathered in the Hokage Tower's large meeting room to discuss matters related to the Uzumaki Clan's integration into Konoha.

Many clan representatives weren't happy about the Uzumaki joining but recognized it as a done deal. Opposition wasn't an option, so they remained silent. However, the debate over the division of resources and positions turned heated, with every clan pushing for their interests.

Ultimately, the Uzumaki Clan was assigned land on the western edge of the village. For their positions within the village, they were primarily given control over the sealing team—an obvious choice given their expertise.

The sealing team's resources would be used to enhance the village's defensive barriers. But it was also an attempt by Konoha's leadership to learn the Uzumaki's sealing techniques through observation.

--- 

The next morning, Kaito visited the Uzumaki Clan's new territory to find Kushina.

Although it was called a territory, the area was little more than an empty field at the moment. It still needed to be cleared and developed before homes could be built.

"Thank you, Kaito. If it weren't for you, our rescue operation would never have gone so smoothly," Kushina said, gazing at the ongoing construction before turning to Kaito with sincere gratitude.

She had seen glimpses of the future Kaito had shared, and she knew what the Uzumaki's original fate would have been. The clan had lost a portion of its people and its control over the Land of Whirlpools, but this was far better than the alternative—complete annihilation.

Most would credit the change to the Uchiha Clan and Lady Mito, but Kushina knew the truth: Kaito had made it all possible.

Had he not negotiated with her mother and Lady Mito, none of this would have happened.

"Haha, no need to thank me. It was just a deal," Kaito replied with a grin. "The Uchiha Clan benefited from it too. Besides, we're friends, right?" He reached out to ruffle her hair playfully.

The Uchiha Clan had received a full copy of the Uzumaki's sealing techniques as part of the deal. Though integrating and mastering them would take time, the Uzumaki had no intention of backing out. After all, the two clans were now close allies, even considering intermarriage to strengthen their ties.

"Hehe, that's true!" Kushina giggled, feeling warm inside. Kaito's words and actions reassured her.

"Alright, let's go meet up with Minato," Kaito said. "Today, I'm officially taking you both to that other world!"

"Eh?" Kushina blinked in surprise.

Kushina's eyes sparkled with excitement as she asked eagerly, "Really? We're finally going? That's amazing!"

"Let's go! Hurry up!"

She immediately grabbed Kaito's hand and started running towards the training base. She could hardly wait any longer!

If it weren't for the recent upheaval in her clan, she would have already gone to the Pirate World over ten days ago. But since it was a matter of life and death for her people, she hadn't dared complain. Now, the opportunity was finally here.

"Haha! Alright, let's go!"

Kaito laughed and followed along, letting Kushina pull him by the hand.

Before long, the two arrived at the training base.

As expected, Minato was already there, diligently practicing on his own.

When he saw them approach, Minato didn't stop his training. He simply glanced their way and greeted them cheerfully, "Oh! You're here? Good morning!"

"GM!"

Both Kushina and Kaito responded in unison.

Without missing a beat, Kushina interrupted, "Hey, pretty boy, stop training for a second! Kaito's taking us to that place today!"

Minato's face fell slightly at her nickname for him. "Kushina, can you stop calling me 'pretty boy'? I'm really not one!"

He wasn't effeminate! He was just gentle in demeanor and had a more delicate appearance—there was a big difference, alright?

"Heh."

Kushina chuckled awkwardly, recalling how others used to call her "Tomato." Feeling a bit guilty, she said apologetically, "Alright, fine! I'll stop calling you that. I'll just call you Minato, like Kaito does!"

Minato's mood lifted instantly. "Now that's much better!"

Then, he turned his attention to Kaito, his expression becoming serious. "Kaito, are you really taking us there today?"

"Yep!"

Kaito nodded firmly. "We agreed on this before! I should've taken you two over ten days ago if not for the situation with the Land of Whirlpools."

"But today's the day! It's about time we went over there."

"Training over there is better for physical conditioning, and more importantly, you can't even start learning Haki here in the Ninja World. You'll need to begin over there before continuing your training here."

Neither Kushina nor Minato could start learning Armament Haki yet—their physical strength wasn't up to par. As for Conqueror's Haki, there wasn't a clear way to train that either. The only option was Observation Haki, which they could practice and which would greatly enhance both their combat abilities and survival skills.

In the Ninja World, no matter how talented you were, survival always came first. If you couldn't stay alive, everything else was pointless.

"Haki, huh? Got it. When are we leaving? Do we need to prepare anything?" Minato asked, nodding thoughtfully.

"No need! I'll take care of everything. Just hold onto me for the first trip."

As he spoke, Kaito extended his hand. "Come on, grab my hand."

Without hesitation, Minato grabbed Kaito's hand, and Kushina hugged his arm with enthusiasm.

"Alright, here we go!"

After ensuring there were no surveillance issues nearby and confirming the protective barrier he'd set was intact, Kaito activated his ability. In an instant, the three of them vanished from the Ninja World.

---

The next moment, they reappeared in the Pirate World, on Drum Island, right outside Kureha's house.

"Brr! It's freezing!"

"What the heck?! Why is it snowing here?"

The biting cold wind hit Kushina and Minato like a slap, making them shiver uncontrollably as they looked around at the snowy landscape.

When they realized they were no longer at the training base but in a completely different, icy place, their faces filled with shock.

Kushina couldn't help but complain loudly.

"Hahaha!"

Kaito burst into laughter, clearly enjoying their reactions.

His amusement immediately drew their attention. Both Minato and Kushina turned to glare at him, their faces less than friendly.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Kushina narrowed her eyes at him, her hand pinching his waist in a vice grip as she demanded an answer.

"Ah! Ow, ow, ow!"

Kaito winced in pain, quickly raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! My bad! I was just trying to surprise you, that's all!"

"Here, let's not waste time. Put these coats on before you catch a cold!"

With a flick of his wrist, Kaito pulled out two sets of warm, insulated clothing from his dimensional storage and handed them to Kushina and Minato.

Not bothering with formalities, the two quickly bundled themselves up in the provided clothes.

"Is there somewhere we can change?" Kushina asked, still shivering slightly.

"This way! Follow me!"

Kaito led them into the house.

"Hey, Dr. Kureha! I've brought some newcomers!"

Entering the warm interior, Kaito greeted Kureha with a wave and introduced her to Minato and Kushina.

"Hello, Dr. Kureha!"

Both Kushina and Minato greeted her politely with a slight bow.

"Welcome!"

Kureha, ever sociable, smiled and waved back. "Feel free to make yourselves at home. No need to be so formal!"

"Kaito here already treats my place like his own house anyway."

She gave him a teasing glance.

"Haha, thanks!"

After a brief exchange, Kaito showed Minato and Kushina to a room where they could change into proper winter gear. Once they were dressed, he began their training.

Not long after, Mikoto and Uchiha Jiri also arrived.

"Hey, Kushina! Welcome! How's it going? Isn't this place fascinating?"

Mikoto greeted her warmly, her tone cheerful and lighthearted.

"It is!" Kushina nodded enthusiastically. "I never imagined I'd end up on an island where it's always winter! It's incredible!"

"But you wouldn't believe what Kaito did—he didn't warn us about the weather at all! He just brought us here directly!"

"Do you know how hot it is in the Ninja World right now? I was wearing shorts and sandals when we left. I almost froze to death!"

"Hmph!"

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