One Piece: Take the Uchiha Clan to the Grand Line

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"Kitaro, are we really going after Orochimaru? Do you even know where he is?"

Might Guy asked Uchiha Kitaro with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Yeah, more or less. After all, he's my teacher. I know him pretty well," Kitaro replied casually.

"But Kitaro, Orochimaru is extremely dangerous," Kakashi interjected, his tone serious. His missions had exposed him to plenty of intel about Orochimaru, including his sinister experiments conducted alongside Danzo.

"You're talking about the human experiments, right?" Kitaro said with a smirk. "Danzo provided the funding, Orochimaru-sensei provided the expertise, and together they produced some remarkable research."

"That arm of Danzo's? A gift from Orochimaru."

He continued, "Orochimaru could've kept up his work, but Minato-sensei's death ruined everything. With Minato gone, Orochimaru became the top contender for Hokage. Of course, that old schemer, the Third Hokage, wouldn't let someone he couldn't control take the position. So he raided Orochimaru's secret lab, forcing him to flee and become a rogue ninja."

Might Guy was visibly shocked. "The Third Hokage did something so... underhanded?"

Guy's shock wasn't surprising. He had never been part of the ANBU and had only dealt with straightforward missions like escorting clients and protecting dignitaries. He wasn't familiar with the darker side of village operations.

"Come on, Guy, think about it. Someone who's managed to keep Danzo's ambitions in check all these years is no pushover," Kitaro said with a knowing smile.

"Do you know why Danzo never dares to openly challenge the Third Hokage?"

Guy shook his head, and even Kakashi looked intrigued.

"The answer is simple: people."

"Sure, clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha are renowned, but being a prestigious clan doesn't mean being the strongest. Do you have any idea how many shinobi Konoha can mobilize in total?"

Kakashi answered, "That's classified information. Only the Hokage would know."

Kitaro chuckled. "If Konoha went all out, it could field about 15,000 shinobi."

"Fifteen thousand?!"

Both Kakashi and Guy were floored. The annual number of academy graduates wasn't that high, and factoring in wartime casualties, such a figure seemed unbelievable.

"Now, guess how many of those 15,000 belong to the Sarutobi clan," Kitaro asked with a smirk.

"Maybe 500?" Guy guessed.

"About 800?" Kakashi offered, thinking a larger number would explain Danzo's hesitation.

Kitaro's smile widened as he revealed the shocking truth. "At least 3,000!"

"WHAT?!"

Their jaws practically hit the ground.

"And that doesn't even count the families loyal to the Sarutobi, like the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans. Combined, that's at least another 1,000. Add in others, and the Sarutobi control roughly a third of Konoha's forces."

"This is why even someone as ambitious as Danzo doesn't dare make a move against the Third Hokage. You think that old man is selfless? Over the years, he's been hoarding resources and boosting his clan's numbers, even during wartime. Honestly, he's more of a parasite to Konoha than anything."

Kakashi and Guy were stunned silent. They had always respected the Third Hokage as a benevolent leader, but this new perspective painted him in a far darker light.

Suddenly, Kitaro looked up, his sharp eyes catching the sight of a hawk soaring overhead.

Kakashi and Guy weren't slow to catch on. Their expressions turned serious.

"We're being watched," Kakashi muttered.

Kitaro remained calm. "Looks like they're ready to make their move."

No sooner had he spoken than a massive number of masked shinobi wearing ANBU gear emerged from all directions, encircling their group.

"ANBU?!"

"No... Root!"

Kakashi and Guy both tensed up, realizing the danger. Root had shown up in full force, and they weren't holding back.

"Kitaro, there are too many of them! We should break through while we can!" Kakashi urged.

He wasn't exaggerating. The number of Root operatives exceeded 1,000, and each one of them was a highly trained elite.

But Kitaro just laughed and shook his head. "No need. You guys can sit this one out."

Turning to Shisui, he said with a grin, "Shisui, they're all yours."

Shisui's expression turned steely as he nodded. "Understood!"

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