The cold night wind swept across the sea.
Inside Gato's mansion, a strange silence had fallen.
"Please... I'll do anything... Money! I'll give you all my money!"
Gato lay collapsed in front of the vault door, his corpulent body like a discarded heap of rotten flesh, curled up and trembling.
Naruto did not kill him immediately.
Instead, he unhurriedly pushed up his glasses, picked up a stack of accounting documents from a shelf in the vault, and began to read them with focused attention.
A moment later.
"Mr. Gato, I've looked through your accounts for the past three years."
Naruto squatted down, his tone as gentle as if he were catching up with an old friend.
"Although you are a disgusting tumor, I must say, your vision in shipping networks and resource monopolization is quite good."
"In fact, it's very precise."
"Yes! Yes! I'm still useful!"
Gato clutched at this lifeline, desperately trying to prove his worth.
"I can help you make money, I can be your subordinate, manage accounts, launder money, open new shipping routes... I can do anything!"
Naruto looked at him, his voice tinged with pity, but his eyes held no warmth.
"If only you had Chakra, even just a little... With your abilities, you might actually be qualified to be my dog."
"What a pity."
Naruto stood up, let out a sigh, and lightly pressed his index finger against Gato's forehead.
"No! I'm still useful! I..."
Pfft.
The violent Chakra instantly destroyed Gato's brain.
Without any pain, the tyrant who had run rampant in Nami no Kuni instantly lost all signs of life.
This was the last bit of decency granted to him.
Naruto face was expressionless as he wiped his fingertip on Gato's expensive suit.
Haku stood silently behind him, the struggle and sorrow in his eyes completely gone.
In its place was absolute obedience.
The chains had not erased his memories.
On the contrary, he possessed all his memories with Zabuza and still held Zabuza in high regard.
He even knew clearly that he was being controlled by Naruto through some means.
But even so, he couldn't feel even a trace of hatred towards Naruto in his heart.
That admiration and attachment, originating from his soul, made him willing to die for just a glance from Naruto.
Seeing that Naruto had bloodstains on him, Haku immediately stepped forward, pulled out a clean handkerchief from his embrace, and meticulously wiped Naruto clean.
His expression was humble and focused, as if he were cleaning a rare treasure.
Zabuza lay in the ruins, watching Haku, who was like a loyal dog in front of Naruto, his last shred of dignity and pride completely shattered.
His heart was dead.
"Mr. Zabuza, put away your pathetic emotions."
Naruto took Haku's handkerchief, wiped his hands, and casually tossed it onto Gato's corpse:
"It was clearly you who brought people to kill me, but your strength was insufficient, and I killed you instead."
"But... I can give you a chance."
"Now, pledge your loyalty, and I can give you both a chance to live."
"After all, you both fought desperately tonight to prove your worth."
Zabuza glanced at Haku, who was kneeling at Naruto feet, calmly tidying Naruto clothes.
The Demon of the Mist, famous throughout the shinobi world, finally bowed his head, a head that had never before yielded.
"...As you command... Master."
Naruto waved his hand with satisfaction, and a dozen Kage Bunshin instantly dispersed, beginning to provide first aid to the injured.
Naruto was always quite generous to his own people.
"Zabuza."
As he walked out of the mansion, Naruto turned back, the firelight illuminating his profile.
"Starting tomorrow, Gato's assets will be taken over by the newly established 'Nami no Kuni Mutual Development Foundation'."
"You and your subordinates will be responsible for security, and Haku will be my acting executive officer."
"You two will manage the affairs of Nami no Kuni for me."
"Mutual... Development?"
Zabuza chewed on the name, a mocking sneer curling his lips.
"What a hypocritical name."
"The name isn't important, what's important is the correctness it carries."
Naruto pushed up his glasses, and the lenses flashed with a reflection:
"People are always more willing to believe gentle lies, aren't they?"
Then, Naruto flicked several exploding tags into the mansion behind him:
Boom!!
Soaring flames erupted behind Naruto, completely engulfing the sinful building.
[Reducing the enemy to ashes (10/10)]
...Two days later.
Morning, at Tazuna-san's house.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura-chan were extremely anxious.
Zabuza's strange disappearance was far more unsettling than his direct assault.
Just then, Naruto walked into the yard, humming a tune, carrying two bags of fresh vegetables and fish.
"Naruto! Where did you go? Running off at a time like this could get you killed!"
Sakura-chan was so anxious she nearly jumped.
"Ah, my apologies, my apologies. I found someone selling discounted ingredients at the market, so I waited in line."
Naruto pushed up his glasses, revealing a harmless smile:
"And I heard that the wealthy man named Gato had an internal conflict with his subordinates, and his manor burned to the ground. How unfortunate."
Kakashi eyes instantly sharpened:
"Internal conflict?"
"Yes, that's what everyone in the village is saying now."
"It seems an organization called the Mutual Aid Foundation has taken over the docks and is distributing food."
"It looks like Zabuza probably won't be coming back, after all, his employer is gone."
Naruto nonchalantly walked into the kitchen and began preparing the ingredients...
Over the next few days, the situation in Nami no Kuni underwent drastic changes.
Everything truly happened as Naruto had said, and peace arrived with astonishing speed.
The villagers never saw Gato again, nor were they harassed by his wandering samurai.
It was as if that group of people had completely vanished overnight.
Only then did Kakashi finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing the crisis resolved, he decided to fulfill his duties as a sensei and conduct special training for his three subordinates.
In the forest.
During tree climbing training, Naruto easily hung upside down from a tree, without it affecting his reading.
During Suimen Hokyo no Gyo training, Naruto walked as if on solid ground, the ripples beneath his feet so subtle they were barely noticeable.
Kakashi watched Naruto, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his temple.
He found that whenever he thought he had grasped Naruto limits, the boy would always produce some new surprise.
"Naruto, your Chakra control is already superior to most Chunin."
"You have a strong will; tell me, what do you want to learn?"
Kakashi asked tentatively.
"Kakashi, I'm quite greedy. I want to learn anything that can protect me."
Naruto pushed up his glasses.
"I heard you know over a thousand ninjutsu and are known as the Copy Ninja? I'm very interested in your knowledge."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi felt his head swell three sizes.
"That's an exaggeration... Most of them are actually quite similar, there's no need to master all of them."
"In battle, the key isn't how many jutsu you know, but how you use them."
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"By the way, Naruto, what are your Chakra natures?"
"All of them."
"All of them?"
"Yes, I seem to be quite lucky."
Naruto smiled, looking completely harmless.
Kakashi eyes lit up.
"He has Raiton, immense Chakra, and top-tier sensory abilities..."
"If that's the case, I might be able to teach you my signature ninjutsu."
Kakashi extended his hand, and an ear-splitting bird chirp erupted from his palm, as violent lightning appeared in his hand.
"This jutsu is called Chidori, and it requires extremely high dynamic vision."
"If an ordinary person learns it, their vision won't be able to keep up with the speed, so it usually requires the Sharingan for assistance."
"But you have top-tier sensory abilities... perhaps you can do it too."
"That's great, I love learning the most."
Naruto smiled, a flicker of thirst for knowledge in his eyes.
Sakura-chan, who was practicing walking on water nearby, watched with sparkling eyes, full of envy.
Meanwhile, Sasuke on the water clenched his fists.
Raiton... that was also an affinity he possessed.
He once thought that once he awakened his eyes, he would quickly catch up to Naruto back.
But why... why did the gap seem to be getting wider and wider?
"It's not over yet... I need to work even harder!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth and ran across the water, not caring that his clothes were getting wet.
Naruto looked at Sasuke striving figure and smiled slightly.
"Keep it up, Sasuke, my mental energy isn't enough again..."