Kakashi Hatake, once a genius of Konoha, a veteran of a Shinobi World War, and a long-time ANBU member, naturally had excellent tracking skills.
Especially since Whitebeard and Naruto had not hidden their tracks, Kakashi could easily follow them with just a bit of attention to detail.
Kakashi was no hot-blooded fool.
He had plenty of caution.
"Tsunade-sama is a descendant of the Senju clan and a student of the Third Hokage. She's known in the shinobi world as 'Princess Tsunade of the Sannin,' a renowned figure on par with the other two Sannin," Kakashi explained, showing only his usual tired eye, the Sharingan hidden beneath his forehead protector.
Having been caught by Whitebeard, Kakashi had no choice but to drop his Transformation Jutsu and revert to his original appearance.
The reason he was explaining everything he knew to Whitebeard and Naruto was the occasional clang of the Murakumogiri against the ground behind him.
The sound made Kakashi's eyelid twitch.
This was a man who could defeat the Third Hokage.
Moreover, he saw no visible injuries on Whitebeard.
Which meant...
The Third Hokage couldn't even leave a scratch on Whitebeard before being defeated and ending up in a hospital bed.
How powerful is he?
Kakashi pushed these thoughts aside and took a deep breath.
He continued, "Besides having power on par with a Kage, she is an exceptional medical ninja. There's no better medical ninja in the entire shinobi world."
"Finding Tsunade-sama isn't difficult," Kakashi went straight to the point, "because she has a well-known flaw—gambling! Additionally, she typically stays within the Land of Fire."
"To find her, just check the various casinos throughout the Land of Fire. This is the best and most effective way."
At this moment, Kakashi felt a slight sense of relief.
Earlier, he had been unsure.
Now, he could be 100% certain that Whitebeard and Naruto did not intend to leave the Land of Fire.
At least, not yet.
The father and son, despite not being related by blood, had a clear goal: to find Tsunade-sama.
That was all.
"Gurararara! Stupid son! See, we now know how to find her, don't we?" Whitebeard laughed heartily.
...
Time passed.
A week had gone by since Whitebeard and Naruto left Konoha. During this week, Whitebeard did not ease up on Naruto's training, so Naruto's "miserable childhood" continued.
"Dad, it's... so heavy!" Naruto's legs trembled as he struggled forward, tied with several ropes and carrying a massive rock weighing at least a hundred pounds on his back.
For a five-year-old child, carrying such a weight should be impossible, but Naruto managed to bear it.
However, after a few shaky steps, Naruto felt his muscles screaming in agony.
"Dad! If I fall, this rock will crush me!" Naruto cried, hoping for some mercy from Whitebeard.
Unfortunately, he asked the wrong person.
"Stupid son! You call this light rock heavy? Don't you dare put it down! If you can't walk, crawl!" Whitebeard raised Murakumogiri and swung it down.
The swooshing sound of the blade scared Naruto pale.
Somehow, he found the strength to sprint forward several steps.
He narrowly avoided the descending blade.
Rip—
A straight fissure appeared in the ground, starting from the blade's edge and extending towards Naruto. He saw it out of the corner of his eye.
This sight drenched Naruto's clothes in cold sweat.
Dad doesn't hold back at all!
If I were just a bit slower...
Would I be cut in half?
"Gurararara! There's a saying in the sea where I'm from—if you put in 200 times the effort of an ordinary person, even a commoner can become an admiral of the navy!" Whitebeard proclaimed boldly with his naginata. "Stupid son! You're still far from putting in 200 times the effort of an ordinary person!"
"...If I had undergone this kind of brutal training when I was young, I might have developed a psychological aversion to being a ninja," Kakashi, trailing behind, muttered in complaint.
Raising his eye, Kakashi saw the scene ahead and spoke, "Whitebeard-sama, we're approaching a large town within the Land of Fire."
He recognized the path.
"Oh?" Whitebeard took his eyes off the trembling Naruto and scanned the distance. "Indeed, it looks like a large town!"
Whitebeard jested, "I wonder how much treasure such a town holds for the taking?"
What???
Robbery???
Kakashi's eyes widened.
He suddenly remembered Whitebeard mentioning he was a pirate!
"Wait, wait."
Kakashi drew a sharp breath. How could he forget this crucial detail?
Kakashi quickly said, "Whitebeard-sama, although this town is large, there may not be many wealthy people in it."
"Gurararara!" Seeing Kakashi's panic, Whitebeard laughed heartily, clearly amused.
It felt like he was teasing a child.
"Don't worry! My Whitebeard Pirates have never robbed ordinary people since setting sail."
Whitebeard laughed, "But I'm a pirate! How could I pass through a town without causing a stir?"
"Whitebeard-sama, what exactly do you plan to do?" Kakashi was puzzled.
"White-haired brat, can you draw?" Whitebeard asked an odd question, to Kakashi's surprise.
"...I can, but I'm not very skilled."
But Kakashi responded nonetheless.
Whitebeard laughed even louder.
Ten minutes later...
Whitebeard carried Murakumogiri in his left hand and a large, branchless tree in his right. Tied to the top of the tree was a huge black cloth bearing the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Kakashi didn't know why Whitebeard had him draw this.
But he had a bad feeling.
The three arrived at the town entrance.
There were quite a few civilians from the Land of Fire around. When they saw a giant over six meters tall, their eyes widened in shock.
Their faces were frozen in astonishment.
Before they could react, Whitebeard slammed the tree he was carrying into the ground.
Bam!!!!
The trunk buried itself several meters deep.
The ground trembled.
The pirate flag atop the tree fluttered in the wind—a white skull with a crescent mustache!
"Stupid son! You are my son and a member of the Whitebeard Pirates! You are also the first crew member of the New Whitebeard Pirates! Now, it's time to do what pirates do!"
"From today, this town is under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates! All shinobi brats, pay protection fees to me!"
"Gurararara!!!"
...
...