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When Naruto saw Sasuke again, Sasuke had a new tattoo on his back, symbolizing his membership in the Whitebeard Pirates.
However, no one knew about this.
After all, Sasuke didn't have the habit of randomly taking off his clothes or walking around shirtless.
As for the tattoo, Sasuke hadn't exactly volunteered for it; it was more of a Whitebeard Pirates tradition. Every member who joined the crew had to get the tattoo, signifying they were a part of the Whitebeard family for life.
Sasuke felt indebted to the Whitebeard Pirates, and he had indeed agreed to Newgate's proposal to become his son.
Whether out of gratitude or admiration for the atmosphere of the Whitebeard Pirates, Sasuke truly wanted to join them. Now, he was undoubtedly one of their members, and even returning to the ninja world wouldn't change that.
Given this, there was no reason not to get the tattoo.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry for losing you."
On the way to send Sasuke back to Konoha, Naruto hung his head, apologizing.
"It's all your fault, Naruto! If anything had happened to Sasuke, it would have been because of you!"
Sakura's eyes were still red, as if she had been worried and upset about Sasuke's situation.
"Shut up! It's none of your business! Stop nagging, and speak to Naruto respectfully—he's my friend!"
Sasuke didn't hold back with Sakura, directly shouting at her.
It was because of Naruto that Sasuke had gained the power to seek revenge and found a new family. Sasuke felt grateful to Naruto.
In his heart, he had come to accept Naruto.
Naruto was the only friend in Konoha that Sasuke recognized, so he wouldn't allow Sakura to speak to Naruto like that.
"It's fine, it's fine! It's my fault, Sakura's not wrong, and I'm just glad you're okay," Naruto quickly stepped in to calm both sides, feeling touched by what Sasuke had said.
He now found Sasuke much more agreeable and didn't dislike him as he used to.
Naruto had always weighed his feelings between Sasuke and Sakura on an internal scale.
Now, Sakura's side had gone up a little, and Sasuke's side had gone down a little.
If they were still in the ninja world, the chakra of Asura and Indra inside them might have continued to create inexplicable ties and mutual dislike.
But here, on Pokémon Island, such influences didn't exist, and the emotional changes between the two were entirely natural.
Moreover, Naruto was also an orphan who had found a new family under Zephyr's care.
This shared experience with Sasuke made Sasuke feel a sense of empathy towards Naruto, making it easier for him to develop a good impression of Naruto.
"Alright, Naruto, don't overthink it. I need to go back and pack my things. I'm a member of the Whitebeard Pirates now, so I'll be returning to the Moby Dick to live after school every day."
Sasuke patted Naruto on the shoulder, clearly in a good mood.
He needed to go back and gather his belongings, though there wasn't much to pack.
Itachi had destroyed everything he once had.
However, he still wanted to take some mementos left by his parents, not because they were valuable, but because they reminded him that he once had a family.
"Eh?!"
Naruto's eyes widened, shocked by Sasuke's experiences during his disappearance.
"Speaking of which, do you plan to continue attending the ninja academy?"
Sasuke, walking ahead, suddenly turned around and asked Naruto.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Naruto was a bit puzzled.
"Don't you want to become the Alliance Leader? If that's the case, rather than wasting time at the ninja academy, why not go to the Pokémon Academy and learn something useful? Marco said your grandfather was a top-tier warrior renowned across the seas. Wouldn't you learn more from him than at the ninja academy?"
Normally, Sasuke wouldn't waste so many words on others.
If he had the time, he'd rather practice throwing shuriken a few more times.
But today, he was in a good mood, and Naruto was now his friend, so giving a bit of advice was no big deal. It was just a matter of talking.
"But... Iruka-sensei and everyone else are still at the ninja academy..."
Naruto hesitated.
He did want to become stronger, but he also didn't want to lose contact with his friends.
The Pokémon Academy had strict management, and students were not allowed to leave the campus except during holidays or special circumstances. It would be difficult for him to see Shikamaru and the others if he went there.
"They're at the ninja academy because they have no choice—they don't have the qualifications or luck to enter the Pokémon Academy. That doesn't mean they wouldn't want to, but you do, so you should..."
Sasuke looked at Naruto, seemingly frustrated by his indecisiveness. He was about to get angry but turned away instead. "Never mind."
At that moment, Sasuke realized one thing.
He and Naruto were fundamentally different.
Naruto didn't have that kind of hatred and wasn't driven by a desperate need to become stronger.
But Sasuke was different.
Sasuke left Naruto and Sakura behind and went off on his own. Now that he was registered in the maritime world, he no longer needed anyone to guide him back and forth.
Once he finished handling matters in Konoha, he would return to the maritime world for rigorous training.
. . .
Sasuke's departure from Konoha didn't cause any significant disturbance, with only a few brief discussions at the ninja academy.
In the end, Hiruzen and Danzo never considered Sasuke a threat. They didn't take him seriously and had almost forgotten about this last remnant of the Uchiha.
As for Kakashi and Orochimaru, who would take an interest in Sasuke in the future, they hadn't crossed paths with him yet.
It seemed the only person in Konoha who missed Sasuke day and night was Sakura.
But Sasuke didn't care what Sakura was thinking.
He had entrusted Newgate to have the Security Team keep an eye out for any news of Itachi. Any information would be immediately sent to the Whitebeard Pirates via the Pokédex.
That way, Sasuke could return to the ninja world as soon as possible to track Itachi's whereabouts.
For now, Sasuke had begun his hellish training on a deserted island in the Calm Belt, under the guidance of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Sasuke's training was supervised by three different groups rotating in shifts.
The first group was Thatch and Snorlax.
Their primary task was to observe Sasuke's combat tendencies and find a development path and suitable Devil Fruit abilities for him, then create a relevant training plan.
Thatch was essentially using the same methods he employed to raise Snorlax to train Sasuke.
The second group was Jozu and Aggron.
These two were responsible for honing Sasuke's physique.
Jozu set a small goal for Sasuke: when Sasuke could punch Aggron with all his strength without his hand turning red, he would have achieved his first milestone and could proceed to the next stage of training.
The third group was Marco and Chansey.
This group acted as the medical team, using the powers of the Phoenix Fruit and Chansey's Heal Pulse to repair the external and internal injuries Sasuke sustained during his daily training, ensuring he wouldn't miss the next day's training.
Meanwhile, Naruto, convinced by Sasuke, expressed his desire to Zephyr to study at the Pokémon Academy.
Zephyr was thrilled by this and began thinking about Naruto's potential Pokémon partners.
As the chief instructor of the Navy and a VIP at the Breeding House, Zephyr naturally had the authority to send Naruto to the Pokémon Academy for further training.
"Grandpa, I heard that outstanding students can recommend others for positions or further training at the Academy, right?"
Naruto's bright blue eyes sparkled as he looked at Zephyr.
Sasuke's words alone weren't enough to convince Naruto to leave his friends at the ninja academy.
Of course, there were other reasons as well.
One reason was that attending the Pokémon Academy would allow him to meet more friends and Pokémon.
Another was that the Academy would teach him more useful things.
But the final reason, the one that most moved Naruto, was the possibility he just mentioned…
If he worked hard enough to become an outstanding student, could he recommend Iruka-sensei to take up a position at the Pokémon Academy?
That way, Iruka-sensei could live in the peaceful and beautiful Alliance City and have a better life and opportunities.
"Yes, that's true, but it's tough to become an outstanding student."
Zephyr nodded but added, "The Pokémon Academy's second intake will be huge, probably in the tens of thousands. To become an outstanding student, you and your partner will have to outshine those thousands."
"We'll work hard!"
Naruto clenched his fists.
For Iruka-sensei's future, for his grandfather's honor, and for his own dreams...
Uzumaki Naruto, let's do this!
"Alright, then do your best. Garp's granddaughter will also enroll in the second term. You might even be in the same class."
"Really?! That's great!"
Naruto was delighted to hear that Hinata would also be joining the school.
Naruto and Hinata had a purely childhood friendship, and they got along very well, often going to the park to play hide-and-seek with some wild Pokémon.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was January 7th, Year 2 of the Alliance Calendar, and Alliance City was closed again.
Only one week remained until the city would reopen. During this time, the Pokémon Alliance would be making significant renovations.
What was the grand reopening for?
The first Pokémon Alliance Battle Tournament was about to begin!
All the gyms had already closed, rejecting all challengers. Those who hadn't collected all eight badges were considered disqualified.
The tournament's opening ceremony would be held on February 15th.
Alliance City would open a month early to welcome all contestants into the competitors' village.
One week before the tournament, the city would open to the audience and the contestants' families.
In other words, Alliance City would open on January 15th, at which point all trainers who had collected eight badges and earned the recognition of the eight gym leaders in the maritime world would come to Alliance City.
(End of Chapter)