Konoha: I have a clone in One Piece.

Chapter 197 Setting up a sign and Suzuki's son

some people.

It's like a tangled point in the lines of fate, where one always makes unexpected choices and reaps unexpected rewards.

After Pain and Kakuzu left.

A toad emerged from a crack in the ground where the two had fought. It opened its mouth wide and spat out a white-haired figure.

"That's... Yahiko?"

Jiraiya looked at the tiny black dot on the distant horizon, which was almost invisible, and immediately frowned.

Didn't they say that Yahiko and the others were dead?

Furthermore, how could Nagato's eyes be in Yahiko's eyes? And why did he suddenly clash with that guy from the Ninja World News?

Jiraiya was filled with doubt.

He knew that this matter was definitely not that simple, and that the investigation would have to be done slowly.

"It seems I'll have to make a trip to the Land of Rain next time."

Jiraiya's expression turned serious, and he then prepared to go back and continue to persuade Tsunade.

"Huh? What's that...?"

Just then, he saw a glittering golden object on the ground not far away, so he quickly went over to it.

"Gold?"

Jiraiya picked up the gold nugget, a slight smile appearing on his lips:

"Now, there's hope for Tsunade."

……

after a while.

The Land of Waves, the Base of Ark Maxims.

In the room, after Kakuzu finished recounting his unexpected encounter with Pain, he immediately took out the black ring:

"Boss, this is the ring Payne gave me."

"Okay, I understand."

Suzuki took the ring, played with it for a moment, then tossed it to Kakuzu, laughing:

"Don't worry about the Akatsuki, and the same goes for Pain. Don't you have my Den Den Mushi? Just press it if you're in danger."

"You brought back dozens more ability users this time. Well done!"

As he spoke, Suzuki turned his head to look at the dozens of Devil Fruits displayed on the table to his right, a satisfied expression on his face.

"Of course, thank you, boss. Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Kakuzu felt reassured and instantly relaxed. After bowing respectfully, he left the room.

The door closed again.

Suzuki picked up a Devil Fruit from the table and quickly began to eat it.

After eating a rather unpalatable fruit, Suzuki felt a slight smile appear in his eyes as he felt a sudden surge of power within his body. Having reached this level, cultivation and meditation were practically useless to him.

But these Devil Fruits are different.

These Devil Fruits, which Suzuki distributed and then retrieved, each contained the energy of the creature that had eaten them.

The one we just saw was extracted from a user whose strength was close to that of a Jonin, and this Devil Fruit also gave Suzuki a power close to that of a Jonin.

Although the improvement brought to him by the so-called Jonin was less than one ten-thousandth, little by little, as long as the amount is accumulated, it will still be considerable.

"Well……"

"It tastes a bit awful..."

In the dimly lit room, the humanoid figure instantly transformed into something indescribable, with countless tentacles emerging and reaching for the Devil Fruit on the table.

……

Not long after.

Base lobby.

"Wow, Grandpa Kakuzu is amazing!"

"Yes, yes, I never expected that Grandpa Kakuzu and that God of Shinobi would fight so fiercely!"

"Tell us, tell us, what happens next?"

Haku, Kaguya Kimimaro, Hotaru from the Tsuchigumo clan, Chino from the Blood Pond clan, and several toddlers around two or three years old surrounded Kakuzu as he arrived at the base's main hall, urging the legendary ninja to continue telling his story.

Even Kabuto Yakushi, who was seven or eight years old and had been brought back by Yakushi Nonou, stood together, looking at Kakuzu with expectant expressions.

"Hehe, what's next?"

Hearing the little ones around him calling him "Grandpa," and seeing their adorable, expectant eyes, Kakuzu couldn't help but smile, a sense of satisfaction he had never felt before welling up inside him.

Having lived a lonely and miserable life for most of his life, he now has so many children who admire him; it feels like heaven!

"Grandpa Kakuzu, tell us quickly!"

"Yes, yes, so where did you and Hashirama Senju end up fighting?"

Young Haku was holding Kakuzu's right arm and shaking it incessantly, while Chino was holding his left arm.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you now, I'll tell you now."

Kakuzu smiled kindly and cheerfully, then coughed a few times and began to tell his story with a serious expression.

"Ahem, speaking of that day, I fought Hashirama Senju for the 356th time, and the battle was more intense than ever before!"

"That ninja god is indeed no pushover; his Wood Release ninjutsu is terrifyingly powerful. But am I just an ordinary ninja? Hashirama Senju unleashed a hundred-meter-long wooden dragon, but I severed its head with a single shuriken, and even kicked over a towering wooden dummy..."

Just as the children were listening with great excitement, a clear voice interrupted this harmonious and loving scene.

"Hey, who are you?"

"How come I didn't know Hashirama fought you?"

Madara Uchiha, returning from the training grounds, heard Kakuzu's boast and immediately became suspicious:

"You're not trying to fool a child, are you?"

"..."

Kakuzu, who was speaking with great enthusiasm, suddenly found his words stuck in his throat.

He turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came.

At the corner of the corridor, a handsome, delicate-looking boy with dark hair stood with his arms crossed, looking at him with disdain.

Whose child is this? How can someone so ignorant speak such obvious truths?

Kakuzu's face instantly flushed red, and he couldn't help but angrily rebuke him:

"What do you mean by lying to children? I'm telling them a story."

"You brat, don't talk nonsense if you don't know!"

Kid?

Upon hearing this word, Madara Uchiha seemed to bristle with rage and stormed over.

"Huh? What did you call me?"

"Kid???"

"You old codger who reeks of money, do you know I'm old enough to be your father?"

Kakuzu never expected that upon his return, the base would have such an unlovable little brat. Dad? How could he say that to an eighty-year-old man like him?

"How can you be so ill-mannered? Who are your parents? What ethnicity are they?"

Kakuzu was too lazy to argue with a child, so he asked about Madara's guardian.

You're saying I'm ill-mannered?

Madara Uchiha's face darkened, his forehead furrowing into a deep frown, and he chuckled angrily:

"Heh, you shameless old man, using fabricated stories to brag about yourself and fooling kids here, how dare you?"

"You little brat, you're actually quite cute, so why do you have such a foul mouth?"

Unable to bear the mockery any longer, Kakuzu reached out and grabbed Madara Uchiha by the collar.

"Wait... what are you going to do?"

Madara Uchiha tried to dodge the hand reaching for him, but he was too young and had no power to resist Kakuzu. He was quickly lifted up.

"Hmph, what are you doing? I'm going to teach you a lesson on behalf of your master!"

Kakuzu snorted coldly, lifting Uchiha Madara with his right hand as if he were holding a kitten, while his left hand slowly rose high.

Madara Uchiha's eyes widened, a premonition that was hard for him to accept vaguely rising in his mind.

Just then, Haku and Kimimaro, who were nearby, saw this and quickly spoke up to stop it.

"Wait, don't do it, don't do it!"

"He's Brother Ban!"

"It seems that Madara is Suzuki-sama's son."

"Stop it, Grandpa Kakuzu..."

The boss's son?

Kakuzu paused for a moment, then somewhat awkwardly put Madara Uchiha down.

Haku, Kimimaro, and the others rushed over and surrounded Madara Uchiha, chattering and comforting him:

"Are you alright, Brother Ban?"

"That's terrifying! Grandpa Kakuzu is really scary when he gets angry."

"Yes, yes, Brother Madara, we kids shouldn't make adults angry, or Suzuki-sama will spank you when we get home~"

Although he was somewhat grateful that the others had stopped the shameful act that was about to happen to him, Madara Uchiha couldn't help but feel annoyed when he heard their words of comfort.

"Don't talk nonsense! I have absolutely nothing to do with that damned bastard Suzuki!"

After saying that, Madara Uchiha glared fiercely at Kakuzu.

You bastard, once I become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, I'll make you suffer merciless beatings in the Infinite Tsukuyomi every day!

"snort!"

Madara Uchiha snorted coldly, then quickly left the place with his short legs.

"Uh, he won't tell on me, will he?"

Kakuzu chuckled and scratched his head, unaware of the incredible feat he had accomplished.

Although he failed to assassinate Hashirama Senju before, he now single-handedly suppressed Madara Uchiha and even almost spanked this ninja world's demon!

Watching the small figure quickly disappear into the corridor, Kakuzu, Haku, Kimimaro, and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

……

Base room.

"Suzuki-kun, are you sure you want to throw this fruit?"

Yakushi Nonou's face was full of confusion.

This Devil Fruit is extraordinary; in some ways, it's even more precious than the fruits that Kakuzu and the others ate.

"Yeah, throw it away."

Suzuki nodded, then looked at the Mythical Zoan-type Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit on the table and said in a deep voice:

"In the current ninja world, especially among some ninjas, the level of pursuit and desire for secret treasures is still too low."

"They now have some understanding of common Zoan-type treasures, and those ordinary treasures are of little use to Jonin, while ancient and flying-type treasures are extremely rare."

"At this moment, what's needed is a signboard, or rather, a special treasure, to ignite their desire for Devil Fruits!"

"The Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit would be a good choice."

"Isn't there a Nine-Tails in the ninja world? Nonou, later you should inform the ninja world news and have them link the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit to the Nine-Tails. Say that whoever eats this fruit will gain power comparable to the Nine-Tailed Fox. Also, try to exaggerate it as much as possible."

"Okay, I understand."

Yakushi Nono nodded slightly.

Suzuki smiled, then, as if remembering something, took out another Devil Fruit.

"This is?"

Yakushi Nonou looked over with her beautiful eyes.

However, Suzuki did not answer immediately. He looked at the Devil Fruit in his hand, and an expression of interest gradually appeared on his face.

There are nine tailed beasts in the ninja world. The nine-tailed beast is known as the Nine-Tailed Fox, while the eight-tailed beast is called Gyuki.

The Devil Fruit he just gave to Yakushi Nonou was the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit, while the one he has now is the Ushi-Oni Fruit, which is also a Mythical Zoan type.

If we were to gather Shukaku, Matatabi, and the others together, giving each of the nine tailed beasts in the ninja world a corresponding "secret treasure"...

A smile appeared in Suzuki's eyes, then he looked at Yakushi Nonou and instructed her:

"Let's throw this Ox-Demon Fruit out too."

"OK."

Yakushi Nonou nodded.

Just as she was about to leave, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

"Suzuki!!!"

Madara Uchiha entered the room, his voice filled with indignation as he questioned:

"Did you spread the rumors about the base?"

"What rumor?"

Suzuki waved his hand, signaling Yakushi Nonou, who was about to stay and watch the excitement, not to get too caught up in the gossip and to leave quickly.

Madara Uchiha is, after all, one of the two legendary ninjas in the ninja world, so he should be given basic respect and face.

After a while.

Seeing that only he and Suzuki were left in the room, Madara Uchiha climbed onto the table and chair next to Suzuki and sat down, his little face full of displeasure, and said:

"What other rumor could it be, this nonsense about me being your son!"

"Oh, so that's what it is."

Suzuki smiled, then took some snacks from the drawer and placed them on the table, saying slowly:

"Little Ban, you should know that people's thoughts are incredibly diverse, and that's precisely why rumors are born."

"Everyone sees the same thing from a different perspective. Even if the facts are clarified, some people will still be blinded by their own limited view. People always blindly believe in their own assumptions, just like how you were once mistaken for a ruthless killer. How many people know that you also have boundless tenderness in your heart, right?"

"And, Little Ban, you can't take other people's opinions too seriously. You have to learn to ignore them, otherwise life will be so tiring, won't it...?"

As Madara Uchiha listened, he casually picked up some snacks and started eating.

He sat in the chair, listening to Suzuki's instructions, nodding his little head from time to time, and his short legs, which couldn't reach the ground, gradually began to sway back and forth, just like a well-behaved child being scolded.

Suzuki caught a glimpse of this scene and paused in his speech.

Did Mr. Ban's mindset become younger after he shrunk?

How could he do something so childish...?

A look of surprise appeared in Suzuki's eyes.

"Hmm... Hmm???"

The sudden cessation of the conversation brought Madara Uchiha back to his senses, and he quickly threw away the snacks in his hand.

Damn it, how could I do something so childish?

Moreover, I actually think that Suzuki bastard makes a lot of sense, even though he's just talking nonsense!

Madara Uchiha's face turned bright red, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Is it due to the influence of human hormones...?

Even someone like Madara can't escape the control of the physical body.

Just then, as if sensing something, Suzuki suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction of Konoha Village.