The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

At the naval base, though many of the marines were towering and broad-shouldered, their builds still fell within the realm of what Uchiha Itachi considered normal.

But Whitebeard's crew? That was a different matter entirely.

When Itachi finally located the Moby Dick, the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, he leapt nimbly from his small boat, transforming into a crow midair and landing silently on the deck.

The sight before him made him hold his breath. Whitebeard himself stood 6.66 meters tall, his enormous frame draped in medical apparatus like a crumbling tower barely held together. So this is one of the strongest men in the world, Itachi thought. Even if the man before him was still powerful, the glow of his prime had clearly dimmed.

He looked around at the rest of the crew each figure distinct, each presence unique. The sheer contrast between the world of pirates and the world of shinobi became glaringly clear.

A stranger's sudden appearance instantly disrupted the ship's light-hearted atmosphere. Though Ace's capture had already cast a shadow over the crew, it hadn't dulled their joy.

That was the difference between these two worlds. If the shinobi world was filled with brooding souls Naruto being the rare exception then the pirate world was overflowing with reckless spirits, save perhaps for Kuina. Here, people lived boldly and died gloriously. Even in the face of death, their cups remained full, their laughter undimmed.

The Whitebeard Pirates all turned toward Itachi, who stood quietly in his signature black cloak patterned with red clouds. He was smaller than everyone else, but no one doubted his strength. In an instant, he became the focus of the entire ship.

"A crow fruit user, huh? What's your purpose here?" asked Marco, the First Division Commander, with his iconic pineapple hairstyle. "This is the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"I'm not a crow user," Itachi replied calmly. "I'm a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, sent here on behalf of Ace."

The ship erupted in a flurry of voices.

"A shinobi? From Wano? Hey, Izo, can all ninjas turn into crows?"

"The ones I've seen sure can't."

"Ace? What about Ace? Is he okay?"

"Hey, are you trying to trick us? Ace's in the hands of those damn marines!"

Whitebeard rubbed his forehead and raised a hand, silencing his sons. He looked at Itachi with wary eyes. "And how exactly do you plan to prove that you were sent by Ace?"

Itachi recited several pieces of personal information Ace had given him in advance, details only someone close to him would know. It was enough to dispel most of the crew's doubts for now.

"Fine," Whitebeard rumbled, his voice like thunder. "Then tell me. What did that idiot son of mine want?"

"Ace wants you to cancel the rescue mission," Itachi said plainly.

The words landed like a spark in a powder keg.

In an instant, the atmosphere exploded. The commanders roared in anger and closed in around Itachi with deadly intent.

They clearly took him for a liar some agent sent by the navy to confuse and divide them.

If not for Whitebeard's commanding glare and overwhelming presence halting them in their tracks, someone would have already taken a swing.

But through his haki, Whitebeard sensed no malice in Itachi. In fact, he could feel genuine goodwill emanating from him.

And more importantly, those words "cancel the rescue" sounded exactly like something that foolish son of his would say.

"How could I abandon my son?" Whitebeard bellowed with laughter, his voice booming like a storm. "Shinobi, go home!"

Itachi didn't move.

His Mangekyō Sharingan, shaped like a three-pointed pinwheel, began to rotate slowly. One of his eyes twisted further, transforming into a unique pattern of four bladed spokes.

Kotoamatsukami.

"If you launch a full-scale assault on Marineford, your other sons will likely die in the process. Ace wouldn't want that. That's why he asked me to come."

As he spoke, the forbidden genjutsu activated silently.

There was no point attempting a lesser illusion. This man was among the strongest in the world. Itachi had known from the moment he saw him that only Kotoamatsukami could work.

"And that's why I call him my foolish son," Whitebeard said with a thunderous laugh. "If Ace were standing here now, he'd willingly risk his life to save his brother!"

Cheers erupted across the deck. The crew was moved. That line struck straight to the heart of who they were. In this world, every pirate was a "family man." They would sacrifice everything for those they called kin.

Whitebeard grinned wide and proud. "This is the Whitebeard Pirates! I am Whitebeard!"

But his eyes were no longer quite as steady. Doubt flickered in their depths. The fear of losing his other sons had quietly begun to grow.

The jutsu had taken hold. Thank you, Shisui. Itachi was sure of it.

He had known the moment he saw this so-called strongest man in the world that he was someone of unwavering resolve someone impossible to sway through normal means.

Just as the Third Hokage had predicted, Objective One was nearly impossible. But as a shinobi who carried the Will of Fire, Itachi had to try.

Objective Two was even more daunting: to prevent Whitebeard's death, not just save Ace.

According to the Third Hokage's intelligence, if Whitebeard led his forces into all-out war against the navy, Itachi would have little hope of stopping his death, especially if Whitebeard had already resigned himself to it.

Rescuing Ace directly from prison was out of the question. The location was vague, and Ace himself hadn't been able to provide a clear answer.

And even though Whitebeard's crew was legendary, the navy's military might far exceeded theirs. Five high-tier combatants on par with Whitebeard were openly active. Meanwhile, Whitebeard himself was old, sick, and badly weakened. The odds were hopeless.

Even with Uchiha Itachi on their side, nothing would change dramatically.

Kotoamatsukami was a genjutsu that subtly implanted an idea into the target's mind, making them believe it originated from their own thoughts.

It was immensely powerful, but still just a genjutsu not some omnipotent law that bent the world to its will. If it were, Danzo would have been Hokage long ago, and the Akatsuki would've danced to Itachi's tune.

Itachi planned to reinforce the suggestion in the coming days, guiding Whitebeard's thoughts further until the shift became irreversible.

Then, the mission would be complete.

"Brat! What did you just do to me?!"

A roar shook the deck.

NEXT CHAPTER : Uchiha Itachi's Bounty

(Itachi's mind-control backfires on Whitebeard, forcing a head-on clash that shakes the seas—Susanoo barely holds back the world's strongest man. But instead of dying, Itachi earns a seat at the Whitebeard Pirates' table, hiding deadly intent behind polite smiles. Meanwhile, at Marine HQ, Sengoku loses sleep over this mysterious new threat and slaps a 500 million Berry bounty on Itachi. Garp? Laughing through the chaos with rice crackers.

Next chapter: When ninja tactics meet pirate pride—chaos is just beginning.)

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