Nagato walked over, leaning on his cane, a pleased smile on his face.
"The Sealing Array worked better than expected," he said. "It not only purified the resentment, but also improved the environment across the entire region."
"Then can we officially begin rebuilding?" Naruto asked.
"Yes." Nagato nodded. "But there are still a few matters we need to handle."
"What matters?"
"Merchants from various countries have started taking an interest in this place." Yamato walked over. "They want to invest in factories in the Land of Whirlpools."
Naruto frowned. "Invest in factories?"
"Yes. The Land of Whirlpools has a very special location, ideal for developing trade," Yamato explained. "And the Chakra environment here is excellent, making it suitable for researching ninjutsu."
"What should we do, then?" Mina asked.
"We need to consider this carefully," Nagato said. "On one hand, investment could speed up the reconstruction. On the other, we must make sure outsiders don't take control."
While everyone was discussing this, Karin's expression suddenly changed.
"Someone's coming!" she said warily. "And they don't come in peace!"
Everyone immediately went on guard. Sasuke activated his Rinnegan and looked into the distance.
"It's a group of mercenaries." He frowned. "There are about thirty of them, and they're all pretty strong."
"Mercenaries?" Yamato asked in confusion. "What are they doing here?"
Before long, the mercenaries appeared on the outskirts of the village. Their leader was a burly, one-eyed man with a grotesque scar across his face.
"So this is the newly rebuilt Land of Whirlpools?" The one-eyed man surveyed the village, greed flashing in his eyes. "Looks pretty good."
Naruto and Sasuke stepped forward.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked bluntly. "What do you want here?"
"We're the Black Crow mercenary group." The one-eyed man grinned. "My name's Crow Feather. I'm the leader."
"The