I don't own Naruto or One Piece. Those belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda.

Chapter 4: New and Better

"2,000!"

Breathing heavily, Naruto climbed off the boulder in the clearing. He was currently exercising in the rainforest. Zoro was sleeping in the shade of a palm tree with a bottle of sake in his hand.

"I never expected him to stay awake when I exercise. The only times he's awake is when we make it a competition."

The past two years have been the best years Naruto ever had. Since that day on his birthday, Naruto had become a person he never imagined himself becoming.

At first, he hated his family because of everything that had happened to him in his life. He learned to move past his hatred for his blood relatives. He decided to be more logical and analyzed everything from another perspective.

He couldn't forgive his family for their neglect, but he could understand why they did it.

He couldn't hate Minato for putting his siblings first because he was the Hokage. The title held a lot of responsibility. One of those responsibilities is making sure the fox is kept in line and doesn't cause his siblings to start a rampage. If he wasn't doing that, he was in the Hokage office.

Kushina also needed to help train them so they couldn't rampage. She had experience being the former host of the Kyuubi, so her help was essential to the training. If she wasn't training her children, she was planning their progress and looking for places the three needed to improve, which usually took hours of planning.

As for Jiraya, he loathed him.

Even though his parent has almost no time for him, Jiraya never seems to be of any help. He would come twice a week to check on the training and give a few tips or learning sessions, but he'd also spend hours near the hot springs, peeping on women.

When he isn't in the village, Naruto wonders if he is really spying or just peeping on different women while writing his novel.

So now, Naruto decided to only care for himself while disliking his blood relatives and hating Jiraya.

He had Zoro to thank for everything that's happened so far in his life. He felt like Zoro was his family. He was there for him every step of the way. In many ways, Zoro had rubbed off on him. It turns out that Naruto had developed some of Zoro's interests. Zoro noticed that Naruto got his fascination with swords, blunt replies, and interest in extreme exercise regimens. Some of the things they both enjoyed before meeting each other were sleeping and fishing. Naruto found out that Namikaze had a love for ramen. Naruto had a liking for fish and meat.

On good days, he would be at his favorite restaurant to eat fish and grilled meat. He became the best customer of Kumiko's Sushi and BBQ. He even met the owner. The owner stated that when Naruto became a ninja and was ranked chunin, she would allow him to eat the food with her famous sake. So she could motivate him, she gave him a small taste of sake to go with his mutton. After that, Naruto was determined to make chunin on his first try. He never thought that sake could taste so good.

"It's more than good; it's amazing."

"I see you're awake, Zoro-nii."

Zoro stretched his body. He had been watching Naruto for half the day. In the middle of his training, he fell asleep without a word. Just because he was dead and his soul sealed to a sword doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Finally finished with training?"

"Just for now. I still have to meet with my other sensei." Naruto stated.

His other sensei was what many claimed to be a slave driver, but Naruto and Zoro saw her as the perfect sensei.

Flashback

Naruto was sitting on a tree in the forest of death with a box of dango in his hands. Naruto usually wouldn't be this far into the training ground, but ever since Naruto met Zoro, the creature of the forest stayed away from him.

Zoro claimed it's because they gave a powerful aura to the animals.

"I hear someone coming."

"Thanks, Zoro."

Standing in the tree in front of him was a curious-looking Anko.

"I would have taken the box already, but I don't want dango to explode in my face. I also want to know why the Hokage's son is in the middle of the forest of death and not screaming for their mommy."

Naruto kept a straight face. It was rare to see him smile and show emotions anymore.

"I'm not Nawaki, so I don't prank. Also, I came to make a deal with you. No forest or deadly animal will stop me from making this deal."

Anko was filled with curiosity for the blond gaki at this point. No one has ever come here to do anything with her. Not even to inform her of missions until she exits the forest.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. My family doesn't want to train me because my siblings are more important. After all, they have the Kyuubi inside them. You are a tokubetsu jonin and someone who works in the Torture and Interrogation division of Konohagakure alongside Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi. You are renowned for being one of the shinobi who trained with the snake." Naruto informed her. "I'm willing to pay you a box dango for each training session we have. Trust me, Mitarashi-san, I can afford it."

Inside, Anko was fuming. She has only had little respect for Minato. If it weren't for the council, she might not have been a kunoichi of Konoha. She knew Minato was against letting her be a shinobi because she used to be Orochimaru's apprentice. He believed her to be a spy. However, she was able to earn his trust, but she always felt that the Hokage was wary of her.

She couldn't process why he was unwilling to train his son. Naruto would be chunin if he just learned the academy basics. She can tell that Naruto has the potential to become a great ninja. If his actions and words were any indications, Naruto could be the next head of the TI department in Konoha. He can even be a Kage.

In her mind, she knew that Naruto was similar to herself. They were thought of as nothing special while others became above them. She did get worse treatment than Naruto. After all, she was known as 'The Snake Whore'.

Should she teach the gaki? That would be too much work. She didn't like playing sensei. She also doesn't have time for snot nose brats that can't take a beating.

She looked at Naruto and was about to reject his request but saw something she didn't expect. His eyes were burning with power and determination, reminding her of her younger self. Maybe she'll give him a shot.

"Alright, gaki, I'll be your sensei for your training until your graduation year at the academy. You should know that I never go easy on people. If you can't keep up with my training or complain, you can find someone else. I agree with the box of dango in every training session, but I want different things if you want things like knowing your chakra affinities and jutsu." She started with crossed arms, "However, we'll concentrate on the basics first. Chakra control, taijutsu, weapon accuracy, and a lot more."

Naruto couldn't help but smirk.

"She'd better give me her best."

"Okay. Now, here's some dango to seal the deal."

He threw the box of dango to her, which she caught with delight. His business finished, and Naruto climbed off the tree and headed home for a shower.

Flashback Ended

Naruto walked out of the clearing and into the cave. He should arrive at Anko's training spot in less than three minutes. When he stopped running through the trees, he saw Anko waiting for him.

Anko wouldn't admit it, but Naruto had grown on her quickly. Before, she was dubious of him because of his pranking adventures with Nawaki. However, she quickly discovered that Naruto is nothing like Nawaki. Naruto wasn't a pervert, which shocked her since his family is full of perverts because of Jiraiya. The only time she'd get a reaction from him was in public. He would blush and demand her to stop.

She also noticed his attraction to swords, weights, and sadistic training regimes.

The last part was too perfect for her. Naruto was a firm believer in 'no pain, no gain.'

He never complained about his training. During his breaks, Anko used the bit of medical jutsu she knew to heal him, and then she'd continue with the sadistic regiments made for him. His favorite part of training is when a giant snake is chasing him. He said that the adrenaline helps motivate his training.

Today, she decided to know what his elemental affinity is.

"Okay, Naruto, today we're going to pause training. I decided it was time to learn your elemental nature. No dango or favors are necessary for this knowledge."

Naruto, being a kind-hearted boy, still gave her dango.

"I know you already unlocked your chakra." stated Anko, "With that done, all you need to do is pour some of your chakra onto this paper."

"When someone pours chakra into these, it causes a reaction. There is a total of five results. If a paper splits in half, you have Futon (Wind). If it becomes soggy, you have Suiton (Water). If it crumbles, you have Doton (Earth). If it wrinkles, then you have Raiton (Lightning). Finally, if it turns to ash, you have Katon (Fire)."

She hands Naruto the paper. Anko is interested in seeing the results. When he unlocked his chakra, it felt nothing like his parents. Naruto's chakra feels strong. She never felt anything like it from someone so young. His chakra also gave a peaceful and savage feeling depending on his state of mind.

Naruto stared at the paper for a while. He had wondered what his affinity was for a long time. He knew it would either be futon or suiton because of his parents. Shaking his head, Naruto poured his chakra into his paper.

The results are shocking.

The paper flew out of Naruto's hands. It split in half. The first half became soggy and fell to the ground with a wet thud, while the other half turned wrinkled. However, the most peculiar thing that happened was that the crinkled paper shredded itself apart.

Anko gave Naruto two more papers to verify her finding, but the results were the same.

It wasn't normal. Not only did the paper show that Naruto has three affinities, but it resulted in all of them being so powerful. If Naruto has the Futon, Suiton, and Raiton, the results should have shown differently. The paper would have split in half. Then half would be wrinkled while the other half was damp. What Naruto just showed was not common in the slightest.

"Maybe it's a bloodline, but Minato and Kushina haven't shown any signs of something like this. Kushina has chakra chains, but it couldn't cause this to happen. Where did Katon become a possibility with his parents' background? Naruto's family doesn't have Katon users."

While Anko was thinking this, Naruto and Zoro had a discussion.

"I'm responsible for your increase in power with futon."

"So you don't know why I have Raiton?"

"I don't know, Naruto. I know that if you use wind chakra with the swords. You'll be a dangerous opponent."

Over the two years, Zoro ordered Naruto to borrow library books about the history of chakra and medical books. He wanted them to learn more about the shinobi arts. Zoro hates bandages and found that medical jutsu was helpful. He wanted to research more about chakra so he could apply it to Naruto's training.

When Zoro read about chakra affinities and kekkei genkais, he scoffed. He claimed that in his day, they had devil fruit powers. He never ate one. He didn't need that to be a swordsman. From what Zorro read, The Village Hidden in the Mist had something called The Seven Swordsman. He also read about the Land of Iron.

Naruto is determined to become a ninja, but he did become curious about swordsmen, considering that Zoro was the strongest one of his era. So, he decided to research them in the library. It's that decision that made him hooked on swordsmanship.

Zoro also told him of the swordsman of his era. From what Naruto learned, he has five admirers he'd like to surpass. These swordsmen are Dracule Mihawk, Mifune, Hoshigaki Kisame, Momochi Zabuza, and Roronoa Zoro.

"Alright, gaki, let's put this aside for right now and get you warmed up with a game called 'Dodge the Kunai and Shuriken."

Naruto smirked and got ready to feel the burn.

Village Streets

The village streets weren't so busy today. Many people were standing and talking to others.

Naruto was heading to his favorite restaurant in Konoha. He didn't accomplish much today but learned many surprising things, including his charka nature.

"After you eat, sneak into your father's library. We need to start you on basic jutsu. You're going to be a ninja, so you need jutsu. I'd prefer you stick with weapons, but this new era is full of ninjas with chakra."

Zoro was also an introvert when he was a pirate. He liked being with his crewmates, but he would mostly spend time on his own. He was very social with two of them named Nami and Sanji, but that's usually by arguing. He also had short conversations with a woman named Robin. However, he would only talk with them when he was bored or doing something productive. He missed his friends and wished to have spent more time with them. They were his family and best friends. 'Even the Ero-Cook.' thought Zoro with a humph.

Naruto was about to turn the corner, still in his thought, when he felt himself collide with someone. The person was looking down at what appeared to be a muffin. Naruto picked it up from the ground. He looked back at the person to find a fair-skinned girl.

She has black shoulder-length hair with bangs covering her forehead. She's wearing black shorts with a dark green jacket zipped up to her chest. She had ninja bandages covering up her ankles and black shinobi sandals.

Naruto looked into her shining green eyes, seeing that she was mad.

"Gomen, I didn't mean to bump into you like that. I should have been more careful. If you'd let me, I would like to pay for another muffin. I can tell it's your favorite food. I know what it's like to have it ruined."

Anko felt like getting revenge on Naruto for Nawaki's prank. She put laxatives inside his drink when he went to Kumiko's for dinner. He learned to check his drink before consuming it.

The girl nodded in appreciation and led Naruto down the street. They arrived at a bakery he recalled Hinata going to for cinnamon rolls.

When they entered the store, an elderly couple greeted them.

"Oh! I see you came for more muffins. Would you like a blueberry or raspberry muffin?"

The girl pointed at the blueberry muffin.

"I can get both for the girl. I'm praying for her."

The man looked at Naruto with curious eyes. The man appeared to be around 80 years old. He looked fit for his age.

"Oh, you must be the boyfriend. To be young and in love. Only seven days have passed since you moved here, but you have Hokage-sama's eldest son as a boyfriend. You know how to catch the girl." sang the old woman.

Compared to the man, the woman looked frail and flimsy. She looked like a kind grandmother.

Naruto gaped at her with a slight blush. If he had looked at the girl, he'd see the girl's blush.

"Y-you are mistaken, madam. I accidentally bumped into her and dropped her muffin. It's only fair I pay for these."

"You're such a Baka."

Naruto ignored Zoro.

The man nodded with a knowing smile. He handed the girl freshly made muffins while Naruto gave him the money. Naruto and the unknown girl left the bakery.

Naruto started walking with the girl by her side.

"So, you're here?"

The girl nodded. It made Naruto smile.

"Well, I hope you enjoy being here. I don't so much, but it has its moments."

They kept walking down the street until they reached their destination.

"I apologize again for what happened. My name is Naruto, but you can call me Naru," he said while bowing.

She smiled at his actions, "My name is Shizuka. You don't need to apologize anymore."

Naruto smiled. He's only ever talked to one person, so it felt refreshing to chat with someone new. He felt like Shizuka's a good friend. Waving goodbye to Shizuka, he entered his favorite restaurant. If he turned around, he would find Shizuka hadn't moved from her spot.

Namikaze House

The Namikaze family is having dinner. They're eating ramen to celebrate the children's success in controlling their first tail state. For the past years, the kids have been progressing fabulously.

The dinner table is full of life. Mina and Mito were arguing about whos the prettiest redhead. Kushina and Nawaki are talking about how to get on the Hyuga's good side. Minato chuckled when he heard Kushina suggest he apologize for calling Hisashi a moron.

Minato was startled when he heard the door close. "Maybe it was my imagination."

Nobody could get past the Namikaze seals. Only a Namikaze could enter.

Minato is a master of many things. He is said to be an intelligent person of his time, but he forgot something no parent would ever forget. He forgot about his eldest son, Naruto.

Naruto's Room

Naruto was currently on his desk reading about the three sannin of Konoha. He was hesitant at first. These were his supposed godparents. He didn't see them as godparents, especially Jiraiya. He needed to know what the sannin were capable of in their prime. He read the whole book. It took him about an hour. Thanks to his photographic memory, he finished earlier than expected. He laughed a little at what he read.

Jiraiya is a renowned pervert. The Ero-Sage is the writer of the Icha-Icha Paradise books. If he catches the pervert peeping, he can practice his punishment techniques on the man. Naruto learned many punishment techniques from Anko that turned him into a sadistic boy. In Yu no Kuni, a perverted sage felt a shiver run down his spine.

From what he read, Jiraiya is a ninjutsu and spy expert, Tsunade is a medical expert, and Orochimaru is a poison and experimental expert and is the only shinobi with the most knowledge of ninjutsu in the elemental nations. He became a missing-nin after the Third Hokage chose Minato as his successor.

"They all have summoned contracts?" asked Zoro.

"The Namikaze have the toad and slug contracts. Maybe when I graduate from the academy, I can try summoning. Now I need to copy some basic jutsu from the Namikaze library. I need to take advantage of that while I live here."

"The Namikaze have the toad and slug contracts. Maybe when I graduate from the academy, I can try summoning. Now I need to copy some basic jutsu from the Namikaze library. Honestly, I need to take advantage of that while I live here."

Naruto was planning to move out when he graduated from the academy. Thanks to Zoro, he had gold from his era. That gold is worth more than Konohagakure itself. He's already rich. The only person who knew was his banker. Naruto has his volt and seals. Only he can access his money. He didn't have to rely on the Namikazes for his necessities.

Naruto made sure the family was asleep and then went to copy jutsus in his black scroll with white ink.