Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 463 Naval Headquarters Staff Officer, Vice Admiral Yakushi Kabuto

"That bastard..."

After hearing Kabuto Yakushi and Vice Admiral Tsuru's advice, Vice Admiral Garp and Hawkeye Mihawk subconsciously stopped fighting. Only Akainu couldn't help but grit his teeth, as he was the only one who knew that Kabuto Yakushi was an Akatsuki spy.

This Yakushi Kabuto is definitely a die-hard fan of Uehara Naraku!

At least in terms of manipulating people, Kabuto Yakushi and Naraku Uehara are very similar. Wasn't the whole plan to surround and kill Sasuke Uchiha devised by Kabuto Yakushi?

Was it because Uchiha Itachi was a member of Akatsuki that Kabuto Yakushi gave up the pursuit?

Kabuto Yakushi was the one who ordered the encirclement and annihilation of Sasuke Uchiha, and he was also the one who stopped the encirclement and annihilation from continuing. A battle that could have severely damaged the Whitebeard Pirates was forced to become a performance battle for the Navy to regain face.

On the other side...

When Itachi and Sasuke arrived at the 2nd Division, they could only save Portgas D. Ace and Marshall D. Teach.

Doflamingo and Kisame Hoshigaki seemed certain that they wouldn't let the pirates they had captured escape, especially since they were all colleagues present...

This battle was truly frustrating.

Wherever I go, I'm basically one of our own.

"Mr. Itachi."

Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, and he and Doflamingo made way for the Uchiha brothers: "It's been a long time..."

"Kisame..."

Itachi Uchiha had mixed feelings.

"Nii-san, let's go!"

Just as Itachi was about to have a chat with Kisame, Sasuke suddenly unleashed his Complete Susanoo, grabbed Ace and Teach, dragged Itachi along, and flew away with them.

"Really..."

Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, revealing a mouthful of shark teeth, and watched Susanoo fly away, unable to help but laugh: "Human destiny... is something we can't escape..."

"Fufufufufu..."

Doflamingo's face also revealed a sinister smile: "The first person to publicly announce that he is a member of Akatsuki... Itachi Uchiha... Is the world about to be thrown into turmoil again?"

Does this mean...?

Is the Akatsuki finally going to make their appearance in public?

Even compared to the World Government, the Akatsuki organization can be considered a behemoth in terms of top-tier combat power!

Uehara Naraku sent Uchiha Itachi not only to reunite the brothers and to use Itachi to threaten Uchiha Sasuke, but also to bring the Akatsuki organization to the surface and slowly make the world accept Akatsuki's existence.

Perhaps in that case...

When the admirals defect in the future, it won't seem particularly surprising to the rest of the world.

In any case, the war in front of us is now over.

The Navy achieved a victory that could be announced to the entire world. They defeated the invincible Uchiha Sasuke and the Whitebeard 2nd Division, declaring that the Navy's G1 branch had returned to the second half of the New World.

Everyone on the sea was in an uproar.

Just as the Whitebeard Pirates were thriving and even easily crushing other Yonko pirate crews and the Navy, the Navy suddenly concentrated its forces and caught them off guard.

First, they destroyed several of Whitebeard's affiliated pirate crews, and then they defeated Whitebeard's strongest 2nd Division. Only Uchiha Sasuke, Ace, and Teach were rescued by suddenly appearing reinforcements and barely escaped.

The rest of the 2nd Division members were all sent to Impel Down.

Kabuto Yakushi's strategy in this war impressed the entire Navy leadership. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of reinforcements, the operation to annihilate Sasuke Uchiha would have been a success.

Although there are some regrets...

However, when Vice Admiral Tsuru reported to Sengoku, he also analyzed the overall situation of the world. The regret of not capturing Uchiha Sasuke actually became Kabuto Yakushi's advantage.

"Xiao Dou didn't try to take credit."

Lieutenant General Tsuru held the Den Den Mushi in his hand, his smile almost never fading: "In any case, this war has achieved our expected goals... As long as the G1 branch can return to the latter half of the New World, that's enough."

"Um."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku on the other end of the Den Den Mushi also agreed: "Actually, capturing Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't be bad, it's just that we'd be facing that Whitebeard guy... but the timing is indeed a bit awkward, Kabuto's caution is justified."

"Plan before you act, and you will surely win the battle..."

Vice Admiral Tsuru slowly continued, "Kuro is far more outstanding than we were back then... We can confidently entrust him with the position of staff officer at the Navy Headquarters."

After Fleet Admiral Sengoku agreed, he said softly, "The World Government has also issued an order to promote Kabuto to Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, but unfortunately he doesn't have a powerful Devil Fruit right now... The Marine Headquarters will also create another staff position for him."

Kabuto Yakushi's contribution was indeed significant.

Most of the other vice admirals in the Marine Headquarters were promoted by capturing pirates, but Kabuto Yakushi almost entirely used his brains to become a vice admiral.

From assisting in thwarting the conspiracy of former Shichibukai Crocodile against Baroque Works, to giving the Navy the upper hand in negotiations with Kisame Hoshigaki, to now playing a crucial role in the war against the Whitebeard Pirates.

Throughout the entire navy, you can't find many people as clever as Kabuto Yakushi...

Unfortunately…

Kabuto Yakushi's only shortcoming was his lack of fighting ability.

"Let him wipe out a few pirate crews in the New World..."

The Sengoku Marshal spoke from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "Although we all believe he is qualified, it's still considered an exceptional promotion compared to others..."

"I was just about to bring this up..."

Lieutenant General Tsuru turned to look at Kabuto Yakushi, who was quietly writing the battle report, and continued with a smile: "Kabuto may not think he is qualified to become a lieutenant general."

He believes that failing to capture Uchiha Sasuke was his own mistake, even acknowledging that he was overly ambitious and made a mistake in devising a strategy against the Four Emperors' pirate crew. He's probably writing a self-criticism requesting demotion right now...

What a humble young man.

Whether it was Vice Admiral Tsuru or Fleet Admiral Sengoku, both old men recalled the same assessment: only young people like this could shoulder the future of the navy.

They had always thought highly of Kabuto Yakushi, and now their affection for the little guy was growing stronger.

After slamming the Den Den Mushi, Vice Admiral Tsuru sat down next to Kabuto Yakushi, took the battle report that Kabuto had written, and a kind smile appeared on his face.

"Xiao Dou, you don't need to be so hard on yourself."

Vice Admiral Tsuru shook his head and gently comforted Kabuto Yakushi: "Our original goal this time was to bring the G1 branch back to the New World, and now we have achieved our goal... You will soon be promoted to Vice Admiral and Staff Officer of the Marine Headquarters."

"…Um?"

Kabuto slowly raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and a hint of guilt flashed across his face: "Can we refuse this promotion? We mobilized Admiral Akainu, Vice Admiral Garp, and three Shichibukai, but in the end, we still couldn't..."

"Hey, you brat!"

Vice Admiral Garp slapped Kabuto Yakushi on the shoulder, laughing heartily, "You want to refuse the promotion too? But a vice admiral has the authority to launch attacks freely, so don't refuse... Besides, you've already done a good job, kid!"

Vice Admiral Garp sat down next to Kabuto Yakushi, took a bite of a donut with a smile, and then his expression suddenly turned serious: "The most unpredictable thing in this world is the sea. Nothing is predetermined, and nothing is ever 100% certain! Don't underestimate those top warriors on the sea!"

"...Yes, Garp-senpai!"

Kabuto nodded earnestly, clearly a junior who respected Vice Admiral Garp.

Admiral Akainu, sitting at another table, couldn't help but grit his teeth upon seeing this scene, and poured a cup of scalding hot tea into his mouth in one gulp.

This tea is very hot…

But Akainu felt a chill in his heart.

Marineford.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku acted swiftly, announcing the naval victory to the entire sea and also issuing orders at Marineford to promote Yakushi Kabuto to Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff of the Naval Headquarters.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru were initially worried that some people might be dissatisfied, but unexpectedly, Kabuto Yakushi was quite popular in the Navy. At least among the vice admirals in Marineford, not a single person opposed him.

A humble person...

It's always easy for people to find fault with it.

After the war between the Navy and Whitebeard temporarily ended, Kabuto Yakushi took the opportunity to wipe out several pirate crews that had been causing headaches for the World Government in the New World.

In these battles, the methods employed by Kabuto Yakushi undoubtedly impressed even the Sengoku Fleet Admiral. Whether it was luring the enemy or encircling them, they were all unexpected.

During this trip, Vice Admiral Tsuru and Vice Admiral Garp originally intended to help, but the two vice admirals ended up watching Kabuto Yakushi's solo show the whole way.

After another battle ended.

Kabuto gazed at the pirate ship sinking in the distance and said softly, "For any Devil Fruit user in this world, the sea is definitely their natural enemy. The ocean is the most powerful weapon in this world."

"Hmm..."

Lieutenant General Garp couldn't help but slowly nod.

Vice Admiral Tsuru couldn't help but show a hint of admiration: "Not a single bullet was wasted. They simply had someone use Garp and Sakazuki's names to force this pirate ship into this dangerous waters, until the pirate crew ran aground and sank. Truly, these young men are formidable..."

"No, it's not actually that complicated."

Kabuto shook his head and said softly, "This area of ​​the sea is too dangerous and few pirates pass through here, so it is not well-known. I have read all the information about this pirate crew before, and all of its combatants are Devil Fruit users."

Furthermore, I've checked the intelligence on this pirate crew. Their ship has run aground and sunk twice before, and those two incidents nearly led to their capture by Vice Admiral Onigumo and Vice Admiral Kasakatsuyama. This indicates that they haven't had a highly skilled navigator on board for a long time, so the probability of them running aground and sinking here is very high.

"..."

Karp took a bite of the donut, feeling like he hadn't quite understood.

Lieutenant General Tsuru's face was full of admiration, her smile growing ever wider: "Few people would notice such minute details... Even I rarely think of using this kind of information on the battlefield. Kabuto is truly clever..."

A thought flashed through Lieutenant General Tsuru's mind: maybe she should just retire, since Kabuto, this staff officer, was far more capable than her…

No matter how you look at it...

Kabuto Yakushi is a perfect staff officer of the Navy Headquarters. This young man will surely be able to bring greater help to the Navy and let the banner of justice fly high over the entire sea!

First update

(End of this chapter)