Loyalty!

Chapter 14: Loyalty!

Naruto strode upstairs, heading for Inari's room.

"Knock, knock." He tapped on the door. "Inari, let's talk."

"No!" a shout came from inside the room.

"You don't want your mom to get hurt, do you?" Naruto wasn't in a hurry, knowing Inari was very emotional in the original story.

"Staying here poses a risk. We need to protect you, which means we can't let the enemy know your location," Naruto explained patiently.

A very quiet voice came from inside. "So what...?"

"What?"

"I said, SO WHAT!?" Inari yelled. "Those who resist Gato don't get a good ending. If they die, they die. Will heroes come to save us?"

"Konoha's strength is number one in the ninja world. Guess if they can save your lives," Naruto said angrily. He could sulk by himself, but he didn't need to drag his family into it, talking about death this and death that.

Does he even know how to talk to people?

Naruto, a physician with a basic understanding of child psychology, felt the patient needed correction through the "Personality Correction Fist Therapy."

"Do you want your mom to live?"

"No!"

"Then you don't want to live either?"

"If I don't live, I don't live! Can you just leave me alone!!" The voice from the room was already tinged with a hint of crying.

Naruto smiled slightly, preparing to immediately enter the mental space and treat Inari to some Nine-Tails brand dragon fruit.

Still didn't beat him enough.

"Naruto," Sakura walked upstairs and called out to Naruto, signaling that she would try to persuade Inari.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Naruto lowered his voice. "This brat is more stubborn than an ox."

Sakura said calmly, "You must have forgotten his core issue. His father is the key. Besides, your way of talking is too rough and unrefined. Let me try."

"Oh, right. Indeed." Naruto nodded, admitting his Talk no Jutsu still needed refinement.

Well, if Sakura can't do it, I'll just knock him out and move. We'll deal with the rest later.

He walked downstairs towards Kakashi's room.

"Boss, you're awake?" Naruto quickly pushed Kakashi back onto the floor mat, telling him not to get up.

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke. "You did well. I heard what just happened. Moving is indeed the right choice. After we move, we'll find a place to train and improve your abilities further."

Kakashi was referring to tree climbing training, which involved continuously attaching Chakra to the soles of their feet to walk up trees.

"Got it, Boss. I'll go check out Gato's movements on the streets and scout the area first."

"You're going alone?" Sasuke, who was nearby, turned his head.

"You take care of the Boss, and guard the crystal... defend the base," Naruto said, patting Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke clearly looked eager. "I'll go with you. Sakura should be fine on her own."

"Sakura isn't exactly the kind of housewife who takes care of people."

Sasuke looked bewildered. Housewife? What is that?

Aren't I a guy?

Naruto quickly left the house.

Land of Waves Streets.

As a minor country on the fringes, the streets of the Land of Waves were not wide. Old wooden houses, mainly in gray and brown tones, lined the stone paths, making the visual impression even more crowded.

Fishing gear hung under the eaves, and the air was filled with the smell of sweat and a faint fishy odor.

Naruto found a straw hat, covering his conspicuous long hair, and changed into a plain-colored outfit, blending in perfectly with the people around him.

Theft incidents occasionally broke out on the streets. Thieves openly stole, and beggars sat slumped by the roadside, but no one paid them any mind.

Everyone's face showed fatigue and numbness.

"It doesn't seem much different from the original story," Naruto observed his surroundings carefully, trying to find any unusual clues.

At the same time, he began to think from another perspective.

If I were Gato, what would I do now? Everyone knows Daz is the toughest nut to crack, so dealing with him is the top priority. What about other aspects? Zabuza is a huge hidden danger. He'll cut someone at the drop of a hat, and he's equivalent to an entire mercenary army. If I were Gato, I wouldn't pay attention to Zabuza right now. I'd just let him recover from his injuries. Tsk, that's not right. If I were Gato, I'd run away right now. Going against the protagonist is just asking for death, isn't it? Hmm, that person's thought process is clearly unusual.

As he was thinking, Naruto suddenly saw a group of people approaching him from ahead, their clothing clearly marking them as mercenaries.

"This is bad!" Naruto inwardly cursed. Gato was coming to find Daz right now!

In that case, he'd lure them to a deserted area first, then treat them to some Nine-Tails brand dragon fruit. Naruto immediately formulated a counterattack plan.

He needed to confirm their movements.

In reality, Naruto's straw hat was a bit too big, and he was quite short, so he didn't see the flyers the mercenaries were holding...

The mercenaries began methodically distributing flyers to the surrounding crowd.

"Hello, please take a look at our presidential candidate for the Land of Waves," a man with a large scar on his face said to the person next to him.

"Oh, oh..." The other person nervously took the flyer, which bore a man's portrait.

"Who is he?"

"He's the new presidential candidate for the Land of Waves, Mr. Gato," the scarred man revealed with a hint of reverence.

"Let me introduce Mr. Gato's philosophy."

"Many people believe Mr. Gato is the root cause of the Land of Waves' chaos, but that's not true. The Land of Waves has been sick for a long time, riddled with corruption and graft. Mr. Gato, seeing the suffering of the common people, resolutely launched a revolution!"

"After all, how can politics be done well when you're surrounded by vermin?"

"Moreover, there were those who organized armed resistance before. These people are no longer ordinary citizens; they must be dealt with severely!"

With that, he handed a small bag of grain to a passerby.

"For those willing to follow Mr. Gato, there will be plenty of food and full wages!"

"After all, giving money and food to the higher-ups is bribery, but directly giving money and food to the people is called an allowance!"

Naruto listened quietly to the scarred man's grand pronouncements, utterly dumbfounded.

What was all this?

The Spring of the Land of Waves, was it?!

Naruto couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Excuse me, who are you people?"

The scarred man immediately turned his head. "Loyalty! Loyalty! We are Mr. Gato's presidential advisory group. Please support Mr. Gato."

Naruto took the flyer. Gato was depicted on it with an imposing demeanor.

"It's like this, I have a question," Naruto said slowly. "How many candidates are there in this presidential election?"

"Only Mr. Gato. All other candidates withdrew upon hearing that Mr. Gato intended to run for president!"

"...Then what's the point of all this campaigning?"

"Of course, it's to let the general populace know Mr. Gato's philosophy," the scarred man said earnestly.

"Mr. Gato says that even though the presidency is a sure thing, a president without the people's support is like a rootless duckweed. Furthermore, some policies and laws that will be enacted later will also require everyone's support."

Naruto felt a slight ache in his teeth. "You know, it actually makes a bit of sense."