After splitting off Chunin-level Chakra and sending his Shadow Clones to operate throughout the Land of Water, Naruto arrived in Kirigakure.
Unlike Konoha, which was bright and sunny yet hid shadows beneath the surface, Kirigakure was perpetually shrouded in thick fog. Standing on the street at the village entrance, one could not even make out the Mizukage's office building in the village center.
After wandering around for a while, Naruto gathered quite a bit of useful intelligence. What struck him most was the villagers' attitude toward ninja.
If Konoha's villagers still held a faint sense of pride toward Genin and outsiders, then Kirigakure's villagers had nothing left but fear. They secretly despised Kirigakure's ninja, yet acted utterly respectful in public, not daring to show the slightest negligence.
After all, in Kirigakure, where strength reigned supreme, villagers had the freedom to curse people, while ninja had the freedom to beat them.
Both this freedom ingrained in their bones and Kirigakure's isolated overseas location reminded him of a nation from his previous life. Unfortunately, Kirigakure lacked the ability to become an offshore balancer.
Seemingly sensing the air's pervasive scent of freedom, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes and said lazily, "I hate this place. There are no fewer negative emotions here than in Konoha. Does that old turtle, the Three-Tails, live here too?"
"Of course. The only villages in the ninja world with an atmosphere comparable to Konoha are Iwagakure and Cloud. Even there, Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki suffer discrimination. The other ninja villages are only worse."
"Since you knew all this long ago, why did you bring me away from Konoha?"
Naruto said indifferently, "Konoha only seems good because the other ninja villages make it look better. That doesn't prove it isn't rotten. In the end, the ninja world is just a