"This brat…"

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, immediately picking up on Naruto's physical condition.

"That overwhelming power from before is gone… must be some kind of explosive ability. But the recovery's impressive. He's also got a space-time technique…"

"Ninja… could he be related to Oden?"

As those thoughts crossed his mind, Whitebeard leapt off the Moby Dick.

Naruto's figure followed closely behind.

"Kuhahahaha…"

Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh, throwing a punch as he shouted, "Brat, are you a ninja from Wano Country?"

"Nope!"

Naruto swung his fist to meet it. Though sent flying again, he didn't care and charged right back.

"I'm a real shinobi! Not some Wano knockoff!"

Whitebeard nodded slightly in his heart.

He also looked down on those so-called "ninja" from Wano.

Even if you put together all the ninja in Wano, they probably wouldn't match up to one hand of Uzumaki Naruto.

Thus began a strange training spar, the two exchanging punches and kicks while conversing. Each impact roared like thunder.

The regular members of the Whitebeard Pirates were horrified by what they saw.

It looked like two people casually chatting while exchanging blows, but the power behind each strike was enough to kill them ten times over.

The spar went on for two days and two nights.

"This brat grows fast…"

Whitebeard's breathing had become slightly heavier as he stared solemnly at the blond youth.

Just two days ago, Naruto couldn't even withstand a single punch. Now he could hang on for a few exchanges.

It might seem like a minor improvement, but this was a pure taijutsu battle—Whitebeard's specialty versus Naruto's weakest point.

After all, Naruto's real strength was in his ninjutsu.

Sensing the subtle shifts in Whitebeard's state, Naruto suddenly halted and said:

"Let's stop here for now."

Whitebeard frowned and barked, "Uzumaki brat, I don't need you worrying about my health. Come, keep going!"

He was the strongest man in the world—how could he tolerate being looked down upon?

Marco gave a wry smile and quickly spoke up, "Oyaji, let's rest for a bit. Uzumaki Naruto hasn't rested in days either."

Whitebeard hesitated.

He knew his own body best. He was getting old, and his stamina wasn't what it used to be. Fatigue had already set in.

But to stop now…

"That stubborn old man…" Naruto shook his head slightly and said, "I'm going to learn a new jutsu. Once I'm back, you might not be my match anymore. Take this time to rest properly."

Whitebeard immediately roared, eyes wide with rage. "Uzumaki brat, you think you can talk to me like that!?"

"Heh. Let's find out when I get back."

With a smirk, Naruto activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), vanishing in a flash of light.

"He left?!"

Whitebeard frowned.

Marco, however, sighed in relief and quickly shouted to the medical team, "Hurry! Get the IV ready! Move the bed over!"

As he spoke, he placed his hand on Whitebeard's back, releasing his phoenix flames.

Sensing his body recovering, Whitebeard said deeply, "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when that brat gets back. I want to see what he's really capable of."

"Yes, yes, Oyaji! You rest first!"

Marco agreed without hesitation.

—

"That monster of an old man is still terrifying…"

Inside the Fishman Palace, Naruto sat on the throne, mumbling to himself.

"Even after two days and nights, I still couldn't take a single punch from him. Though my body has gotten much stronger…"

"In pure taijutsu, I'm still not quite at Admiral level..."

"But I'm about to invade Impel Down…"

Thinking it over, Naruto exhaled, then stood up and declared:

"Time to cheat a little!"

"Izumi!" Naruto called out to Uchiha Izumi.

"We're going somewhere. I might need your Sharingan."

Izumi quickly nodded, but couldn't help asking curiously:

"Naruto-dono, where are we going?"

"To the Land of Fire—though I'm not sure of the exact location."

Naruto grinned.

"Our target is the princess of the Senju Clan—Tsunade. I want her Monster Strength Taijutsu."

If he wanted to boost his power fast, physical techniques were the only shortcut.

In terms of taijutsu in the shinobi world, there were only a few major systems: Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates), cellular activation, Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Armor), and Monster Strength…

Izumi's eyes sparkled.

"The princess of the Senju Clan!?"

Naruto grabbed her hand and activated Flying Thunder God.

A tremendous amount of chakra was drained—nearly 90% of his reserves vanished.

But—

In that instant, the two of them shifted worlds.

When the flash of light faded, Naruto and Izumi had arrived in Kirigakure.

He didn't bother checking in with Mei Terumi. His figure vanished again in another flicker.

This time, they appeared within the borders of the Land of Fire.

"If I remember right, Tsunade liked to gamble in a place called Tanzaku Town… Might be worth a bet…"

Naruto muttered.

With Izumi's Sharingan available for asking directions, they quickly found Tanzaku Town, its casinos dazzling in every direction.

Just by looking at the front signs, Naruto was certain—

They'd find clues about Tsunade here.

"Izumi, you're up."

Naruto looked at her. In situations like this, the Sharingan's hypnosis ability was incredibly useful.

"Understood, Naruto-dono!"

Izumi nodded respectfully.

Her Mangekyō Sharingan spun as she stepped into the casino. After a bit of "friendly inquiry," she exited again.

"Naruto-dono, we have a lead!"

Izumi reported excitedly.

"The Senju princess is known for her gambling obsession—but she always loses, and she's racked up an enormous amount of debt."

"All the loan sharks are looking for her, and just recently, she was spotted in the Land of Lightning."

"Many of them chased after her. It's said she actually repaid quite a bit this time, so they're hoping to collect the rest."

"The Land of Lightning, huh…" Naruto's lips curled into a grin.

"Perfect. I remember there are still a few Uchiha brats hiding there, right?"

After spending so much time in the world of pirates, he had nearly forgotten that Kumogakure still had remnants of the Uchiha Clan.

"But the timelines haven't fully synced yet. It's likely less than three days have passed in that world. Just right—we'll deal with everything at once..."

Naruto exhaled deeply, wrapped his left arm around Izumi, and darted straight toward the Land of Lightning.

(End of Chapter)

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