— — — — — — —
Minato smiled happily and nodded, then quietly handed Renzo a scroll.
"Kushina is also grateful for what you did! But she couldn't come this time. She heard that you're interested in sealing techniques, so she asked me to bring you some Uzumaki Clan sealing techniques as a small token of appreciation."
"Of course, this is far from enough to express our gratitude! In the future, I'll do my best to resolve the conflicts between the Uchiha and the village, ensuring that you receive fair treatment!"
This was the highest promise Minato could make.
It was also the only thing he felt he could do to truly help Renzo.
"You're exaggerating, Minato-bro! I'm looking forward to the day you become Hokage!"
Renzo smiled and shook his head before accepting the scroll.
Both of them knew why Kushina couldn't come.
Because she was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki!
Hiruzen and Danzo wouldn't want Renzo getting too close to her.
Even now, with Obito awakening his Sharingan, Minato had noticed that the Third Hokage had become even more wary of him.
There were also more Anbu and Root operatives stationed around Minato's home.
This situation frustrated not only Kushina but also Minato.
Did this mean they were restricting her freedom? Did they not trust her?
For Kushina's sake alone, Minato knew he had to become Hokage.
"I'll do my best!"
So when Renzo made his statement, Minato didn't hesitate—he firmly nodded in agreement.
Soon, the two returned to their team.
---
"Asuma! Why do you seem much stronger lately? What's going on?"
Obito asked curiously, genuinely noticing a change in Asuma.
"Heh heh!"
Asuma grinned, stuffing a few pieces of grilled meat into his mouth. Chewing, he proudly declared, "You guys don't know, do you? Lately, Kurenai and I have been training under Renzo's special program! Our strength has improved a lot! Heh heh!"
Training under Renzo was amazing!
Even though it was exhausting, he could feel himself getting stronger every day.
The daily improvements might not seem like much, but over time, they added up. Asuma already felt significantly stronger than before.
And it had only been a little over a month!
He even felt that his father, the Third Hokage, was treating him better now.
"What? Renzo has been training you? How come I didn't know about this?"
Obito immediately turned to Renzo with a pitiful look.
"Renzo, we're both Uchiha, and you never even thought of training me?"
"Huh?"
Renzo looked at him in surprise.
"Aren't you the genius Uchiha ninja, Obito, who awakened his Sharingan? Haven't you already caught up to Kakashi? Why would you need my training?"
Obito: "..."
"Hee hee!"
Rin giggled and chimed in, "Obito has fought Kakashi many times since awakening his Sharingan, but he still keeps losing! The results haven't changed at all!"
"Heh!"
Kakashi smirked, glancing at Obito with amusement.
Did Obito really think he could surpass him so easily?
When Obito was feeling proud of awakening his Sharingan, Kakashi had been training even harder to improve himself.
He had even sought Renzo's guidance in swordsmanship.
With Renzo, a sword master, coaching him, Kakashi had made remarkable progress in his blade techniques.
After all, swordsmanship and kenjutsu were connected!
Not to mention, The Renzos group already included several sword users.
So it wasn't wrong to say that Renzo was a master in this field.
Thanks to Renzo's help, Kakashi had improved significantly.
And considering his natural talent, it was only natural that he kept Obito in check.
After all, Kakashi's father was the legendary "White Fang of Konoha," a former Kage-level powerhouse.
Kakashi inherited his father's talent, swordsmanship, and ninjutsu.
In fact, he might even surpass his father in the future.
Thinking he could surpass all that with just the Sharingan?
Obito was still too naive.
"Ahhh!!!"
Obito was at a loss for words, so he shamelessly moved closer to Renzo and pleaded, "Boss! Train me too! If you can train Asuma, then teaching me should be no problem, right?"
"Besides, we're both Uchiha! You have to help me!"
He was desperate to beat Kakashi!
He was even willing to throw away his pride for this!
Also, Obito's attitude toward Renzo had undergone a huge transformation.
After all, he knew that Renzo had defeated his former idol—the legendary Uchiha Madara! That alone proved Renzo's incredible strength.
Wasn't that worth admiring?
Obito had already become Renzo's fan.
As for the times he didn't like Renzo in the past?
What are you talking about? That never happened!
"Alright, alright! If you have time, you can join in too!"
Renzo impatiently pushed him away but agreed nonetheless.
Then he turned to Kakashi and Rin.
"You two can join as well! We might not be as strong as Minato-bro, but we're all the same age. Training together and learning from each other will help us all grow, don't you think?"
"Mm! Thank you!" x2
Kakashi and Rin nodded in agreement.
As for Renzo saying he couldn't compare to Minato?
Do you think they'd believe that?
That powerful Susanoo and the massive Gundam from last time were still fresh in their minds!
— — —
One Piece World – Somewhere in the East Blue
A sleek steel yacht was cruising across the calm sea.
"Zoro! No slacking off! You haven't finished today's training!"
"How can you be this dumb? It's been over three months, and you still haven't mastered Total Concentration: Constant! Even Kuina has gotten the hang of it!"
"If you keep this up, I won't take you out to sea next time!"
"Maybe you aren't as smart or handsome as me, but at least you can try not to give up!"
"... Zoro, why are you dumb?"
Pirate Renzo lay back on a lounge chair, sipping on an ice-cold fruit juice while fishing. At the same time, he scolded Zoro, who was trying to sneak in a break to do some fishing himself.
"Shut up!"
Zoro could only grit his teeth and continue his intense training, pushing his body to meet the fundamental requirements for Total Concentration: Constant. His goal was to be able to use it without damaging his body.
"You're totally biased! The way you treat Kuina and me is way too different! Besides, I'm way younger than both of you!"
"You're just bullying me! Once I'm strong enough, I'll sail out on my own! Hmph!"
Of course, he was just grumbling. Renzo was training him for his own good, and Zoro knew it. His strength had been increasing at an incredible rate over this time.
They had even encountered several pirate crews now and then. Renzo usually took care of the most dangerous ones, while leaving the weaker ones for Kuina and Zoro to handle.
This was how they honed their skills.
Thanks to this method, both Kuina and Zoro had been rapidly improving their combat experience.
"Hehehe~"
Kuina, who was also lounging and sipping her own chilled juice, chuckled at Zoro's complaints. "Zoro, are you sure you can handle sailing alone? You're a total directionless idiot! If you go out alone, you'd probably get lost and end up who knows where!"
"Maybe you'll be so lost that you won't even find your way back home!" she teased.
What Kuina didn't know was that in the original timeline, Zoro actually did just that.
Ever since he set sail, he had never once returned to Shimotsuki Village to visit his master, Koshiro.
And eventually, he got dragged onto Luffy's ship by sheer dumb luck.
"Shut up! Kuina, you damn...! I'll cut you down!"
Zoro's face turned red with frustration, and he waved his sword threateningly.
"Oh? Perfect timing! We haven't sparred in a few days! Let me see how much you've improved! I'll make sure to loosen up your bones a bit!"
Grinning, Kuina cracked her knuckles and grabbed her Wado Ichimonji before walking over to Zoro.
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?! And don't start crying when you lose! Hmph!"
Zoro didn't back down in the slightest.
Retreating just wasn't in his vocabulary.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of swords clashing echoed across the deck as Zoro and Kuina dueled fiercely.
Both of them wielded real swords, gifts from Koshiro himself.
Even Renzo had a katana, Ryuga, which was comparable to a Great Grade sword.
All of them were masterpieces forged by Koshiro's father, the legendary swordsmith, Shimotsuki Kozaburo.
"Master! Just a heads up! We're 200 nautical miles southeast of Foosha Village!"
At that moment, a mechanical doll-like body flew over and reported in a clear voice—it was Red Queen.
"Oh? We're finally getting close? Alright, prepare to dock!"
Renzo's eyes lit up, and he stood up with a nod. Just as he did, his fishing line suddenly sank.
With a sharp tug, he yanked it upward.
Splash!
A massive fish over two meters long burst out of the water.
It thrashed around violently, but Renzo's monstrous strength easily overpowered it.
With a flick, he sent it flying into a huge open-top tank on the deck.
.
.
.