Naruto, Be My Son

Now, no matter how chaotic the situation at sea, it doesn't mean much to Whitebeard.

Because Whitebeard truly has no ambition, everything he does is to ensure a good future environment for his sons and daughters.

Whitebeard feels that the current environment at sea is as good as it gets for the Whitebeard Pirates.

In the New World, the Whitebeard Pirates call the shots, and there's no force left that can threaten them now.

As for the once-dominant "World Government," they suffered heavy losses in their recent war with the Whitebeard Pirates.

With the Five Elders and 70,000 elite troops gone, the World Government's power has been greatly reduced, and they're struggling to keep other powers in check.

Under these circumstances, they pose no threat to the Whitebeard Pirates.

As for the mysterious being seated high above the Five Elders on the Empty Throne... Whitebeard couldn't care less about who they are.

As long as they don't provoke the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard has no interest in dealing with them.

A month has passed, and the situation in the New World has finally stabilized, giving rise to a new order.

The territory of the Whitebeard Pirates has expanded continuously, now three to four times larger than before.

Even some neutral countries in the New World have asked to join the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, seeking their protection.

Even the fate of the sole Marine branch in the New World depends on the mood of the Whitebeard Pirates.

During this time, the Whitebeard Pirates have also absorbed many pirate crews from the New World.

Most of these crews were simply overpowered by the might of the Whitebeard Pirates and submitted to them.

Of course, there were also those bold enough to challenge the Whitebeard Pirates, only to be knocked out with a single punch and then forcibly recruited.

Now, whispers are spreading across the seas of the New World — that Whitebeard is no different from the Pirate King.

But Whitebeard scoffs at these whispers.

Many pirates covet the title of "Pirate King," but for Whitebeard, the title is neither here nor there.

He'd rather leave such a title to his foolish sons and daughters.

"Gurararararara..." Whitebeard chuckles, sitting on the deck of the Moby Dick, silently watching his busy children.

To him, this scene is the happiest of his life.

He reminisces about the days when he left the Rocks Pirates to make his way alone across the seas.

His first son back then was Marco.

And then he can't help but remember the life-and-death farewells of the Summit War.

Who would have thought... that he didn't die back then but ended up in a place called the ninja world?

In the ninja world, he took in a new son named Naruto.

And from there, things spiraled.

He took in son after son, daughter after daughter, and formed a new Whitebeard Pirates crew.

Just when Whitebeard thought he might spend the rest of his days in the ninja world...

And just like that, they mysteriously gained the power to travel between two worlds.

"Life sure plays tricks on us! Gurarararara..." Whitebeard, holding a jug of sake, poured himself a drink.

...

After that, the days passed without much incident.

No force dared to provoke the Whitebeard Pirates at sea, and no one in the ninja world had the guts to challenge Whitebeard.

One year... three years...

Five years...

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed in both the ninja world and the sea.

"Armament Haki: Super Great Ball Rasengan!!!"

"Inferno Style: Flame Control Dragon Flame Bomb!!!"

The shouts from Naruto and Sasuke rang out almost simultaneously, followed by a thunderous roar.

Boom!

Their attacks collided, sending up a spray of water hundreds of meters high, creating a huge crater in the ocean.

It was evident that both Naruto and Sasuke had mastered the use of the Tailed Beast's power within them.

The Ninjutsu they used was astonishingly powerful, far surpassing any ordinary Jonin.

But the key was...

They hadn't even used their full strength yet, for now, they were qualified to fully transform into Tailed Beasts.

This was the growth they had achieved in five years.

Five years...

That turned them from children into twelve-year-old boys.

Naruto and Sasuke's sparring lasted a full twenty hours, which was unheard of for ninjas.

After all, such intense fighting would typically exhaust one's chakra and stamina in just an hour.

But they were different.

Both were Jinchuriki, and their Taijutsu skills were monstrous. They were adept at using Rokushiki, and they had fully mastered dual-color Haki.

"Ha! I win!" Naruto gasped for air, standing on the ocean surface, looking down at Sasuke lying on the ground: "You've improved a lot, Sasuke! To think you could tire me out."

Sasuke was so exhausted he couldn't even move his fingers, barely managing to float on the water with his chakra.

At Naruto's words, he could only roll his eyes in resignation.

Sasuke knew he was improving rapidly.

But frustratingly, Naruto, the fool, was also improving quickly.

Especially since Naruto had started a year earlier than him.

That one-year gap was something he could never catch up with.

"Sasuke, I feel like I can now return to the ninja world, to Konohagakure, and compete for Hokage!" Naruto grinned, saying, "Sarutobi Hiruzen has been Hokage for so many years, and I've given him five more years. It's time for him to give up that seat."

The twelve-year-old Naruto had clearly matured a lot.

Sasuke finally caught his breath and said weakly, "A teenager as the Hokage of Konohagakure... do you think... you can handle all those official duties?!"

"Hehe, don't underestimate me! Uncle Marco has been training me all these years!" Naruto laughed happily.

He paused, then added, "Besides, aren't you guys here too? You, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Neji, Ino, Lee, Byakuya, Karin, Kimimaro, Fū... you're all the wise advisors I've got my eye on for Hokage!"

Sasuke's face darkened instantly: "Who wants to be your advisor! And you illiterate, stop misusing words!"

...

...

(End of Chapter)