Juro felt an unprecedented fear.
The giant before him displayed unparalleled strength, destroying everything the Shimura Clan had built in this place in an instant.
He watched helplessly as the dozen or so gangsters were sent flying by an invisible force.
He also saw the gamblers in the casino meet the same fate.
Countless chips scattered all over the floor.
The gaming tables were destroyed.
He could also see... a massive, straight trench extending who knows how many meters away. This deep, dark trench seemed to have no end in sight, making it impossible to gauge its depth with the naked eye.
It was terrifying!
It was horrifying!
"Gurararara! Idiot son!" Whitebeard spoke, "Did you learn? Once you have, gather all the money! This is how pirates deal with those who don't understand their place!"
"Yes, Dad!" Naruto felt as if he had opened the door to a new world, eagerly rummaging through the wreckage.
No one dared to stop this blond brat.
Because.
The "giant" was still standing there!
A few minutes later.
Naruto, exhausted and panting, realized that packing money could sometimes be a difficult and tiring task.
"Dad, I've packed it all!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
Looking around, Naruto found several large bags, now all filled with banknotes, mostly of high denominations.
A rough estimate...
Close to ten million ryō!
"Well done! You really are my son, a natural-born pirate," Whitebeard praised Naruto for once.
This made Naruto even happier.
"Pee-your-pants suit brat!" Whitebeard glanced at Juro.
This Shimura Clan member, indeed had wet his pants by now.
His crotch was soaking wet.
Whitebeard spoke in an uncompromising tone, "From today, this town is under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates. Your casino must pay taxes to the Whitebeard Pirates every year, which means the casino and the Whitebeard Pirates will split the revenue 70-30!"
This staggering figure made Juro both terrified and dumbfounded.
"Why... why only leave me with seventy percent?"
He knew that the funds he usually sent back to the clan accounted for seventy percent of the casino's annual income.
If this giant left him with only seventy percent, he would still have to send that to the clan.
What would he have left?
Working for free?!
"Seventy percent is for the Whitebeard Pirates!" Whitebeard slammed Murakumogiri into the ground, causing it to tremble violently.
He looked down at the stunned Juro and said, "You get thirty percent, and that's if I allow it."
"White-haired brat!" Whitebeard turned back, "We've used up the pirate flags. Paint a few dozen more! Make sure this town is filled with the flags of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Gurararara!!!!"
Kakashi: "..."
"That's really a bandit move!" Tsunade watched with great interest, her arms crossed, as she supported two large weights.
She looked at Kakashi, who was reluctantly painting pirate flags, "I didn't expect you, with those big eyebrows, to be his accomplice."
Kakashi had to defend himself, "Lady Tsunade, I have to stay by Naruto's side and take good care of him. In this situation, I have no choice but to follow Whitebeard's orders."
"You're afraid you can't beat him, right?" Tsunade ruthlessly exposed Kakashi, making him show a helpless expression with his lone fish eye.
"Lady Tsunade, you are one of the Sannin. Why don't you stop him?" Kakashi asked Tsunade in return.
"Why should I stop him?" After her initial shock, Tsunade found herself enjoying the spectacle.
She even cracked her knuckles, "These scoundrels cheated me out of so much money. This is their just deserts!"
"Besides," she added, "this is a problem in the Land of Fire, not Konoha. What does it have to do with me? Plus, I've already resigned from my ninja duties. I'm not a ninja anymore."
Her entire argument could be summed up in three words.
-Not my problem!
Kakashi was puzzled about what was wrong with this Sannin of Konoha.
Although she seemed carefree, he could sense a deep melancholy from her.
Could it be because of things that happened during the war?
Kakashi didn't dare to ask more.
When Kakashi finally finished painting dozens of pirate flags, the whole town was covered with the flags of the Whitebeard Pirates.
One black flag with a white emblem after another...
Fluttered in the wind.
...
After covering the town with the flags of the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard was ready to leave with Naruto.
After all, Whitebeard's purpose in coming here...
He was to find Tsunade to treat his ailments and relieve his internal injuries and pains.
Although they were not completely cured.
Whitebeard felt it was enough.
After Tsunade and Shizune, the master and apprentice team, performed a more than four-hour surgery, Whitebeard's physical condition was unbelievably good.
Even if he had to fight a naval admiral for ten days and nights, Whitebeard felt it wouldn't be a problem.
The majority of his internal injuries were now eliminated.
They would no longer drag him down.
He was truly close to his peak combat strength with his aged body!
"Dad, this doesn't seem like the way back, does it?"
Naruto spoke through gritted teeth, the result of his exertion.
Although some of the money was sealed by Kakashi using his sealing scroll.
There were still quite a few notes that Naruto had to carry.
This was also a form of training.
The weight of the money Naruto was carrying had reached two hundred pounds, causing the five-year-old's legs to tremble.
Even his lips were quivering.
But he still staggered behind Whitebeard.
Whitebeard laughed, "Idiot son, this trip was not just to cure your old man's illness. It was also a training session for you! Do you want to go back and be at the bottom of your class? Do you want to be outdone by that Uchiha brat?"
"The Uchiha brat... Uchiha Sasuke?"
Naruto was shocked.
Whitebeard's words hit a nerve.
Naruto didn't even know why he had such a strong sense of competition.
His instinct told him not to be surpassed by Sasuke.
"Dad, so we..." Naruto asked weakly, "Where are we going?"
"Leaving the Land of Fire!" Whitebeard's words were shocking, "Only by experiencing the blood and battle of war-torn lands can you grow!"
"Wait! Leaving the Land of Fire?"
Kakashi's eyes widened.
He knew he wasn't a match for Whitebeard, but he had to intervene in this emergency.
"How can that be? If Naruto leaves the Land of Fire, he could become the target of other ninja villages!"
"He is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki..."
At this point, Kakashi suddenly realized.
Oops.
He had let it slip.
...
...