Night Raid

Naruto arrived deep within the northern forests of the Land of Waves.

Here, towering trees and dense fog surrounded them in layers, and the humidity was high.

He could feel the moisture in the air with every breath.

This hidden and remote place was precisely Zabuza's stronghold in the Land of Waves.

Naruto didn't hesitate, walking into the stronghold's interior as if he'd done it a thousand times.

This sudden disturbance startled both Zabuza and Haku inside.

The two almost simultaneously adopted a fighting stance.

Only when they clearly saw it was Naruto did they slightly relax and lower their guard.

"You're here already?"

Zabuza said, casually wiping away the fake blood and wounds he'd applied for disguise.

Those were merely superficial efforts to deal with Gato.

Gato had only left a few hours ago.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "The timing for the operation is set, tonight."

"So soon?" Zabuza frowned but didn't object.

Instead, as if ignited by some long-suppressed emotion, he stood up, grabbed the Kubikiribōchō leaning against the wall, and moved with a fierce energy, ready for a major undertaking.

Zabuza had long disliked Gato.

Furthermore, because Zabuza was currently considered a rogue ninja by Kirigakure's official designation, he couldn't be too conspicuous, which gave Gato opportunities to humiliate him.

Naruto seemed more familiar with this stronghold than Zabuza and the others. He naturally walked to a wooden table, took out paper and a pen from a drawer, and bent over to draw quickly.

Before long, the paper clearly showed Gato's current residence, the surrounding troop deployments, and a list of some key individuals.

Naruto handed the paper to Zabuza, his tone very calm. "Here's a list. I'm sure you know everyone on it. The ones circled, kill them directly. The ones not circled can be temporarily subdued."

Having experienced so many cycles of reincarnation, Naruto knew the internal structure and personalities of Gato Company like the back of his hand.

Which people were loyal to Gato and would never surrender, which would outwardly submit and then secretly betray, and which simply didn't care who the boss was as long as they got paid on time.

Naruto understood it all.

The current task was to eliminate all of the first type, stabilize the second type and deal with them slowly, and the third type could be ignored for the time being.

Zabuza took the intelligence Naruto handed him and examined it closely.

The more he looked, the more solemn Zabuza's expression became, and he even unconsciously swallowed.

The level of detail in the information recorded far exceeded his imagination. Not only were the names and positions of individuals listed, but even the habits of some were noted.

What kind of terrifying intelligence capabilities were these?

Time was of the essence.

Zabuza, Haku, and Naruto moved quickly, heading for Gato's residence under the cover of night.

Before leaving, Naruto left a Flying Thunder God mark here.

After a period of travel, they quietly approached Gato's luxurious mansion.

At this moment, Gato's mansion was brightly lit, a stark contrast to the impoverished village outside.

It was late, yet the sound of metal clashing could still be heard from within the mansion.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

"This is..." Zabuza tilted his ear slightly and immediately recognized it. "It's Gato's samurai bodyguards, Jōri and Faraday."

These two were on the list, designated for immediate elimination.

"Sounds like they're practicing sword techniques... specifically Iaijutsu," Naruto said calmly.

In all his cycles of reincarnation, Naruto had never seen these two bodyguards perform this move.

Compared to the samurai from the Land of Iron, these two were still too weak.

"Mhm," Zabuza nodded. "Their skills as samurai are not weak. Gato hired them at a high price, and they are his most trusted confidants."

Haku added softly from the side, "These two are indeed the strongest of Gato's bodyguards. Of course, dealing with them won't be too difficult. Should I handle it?"

"Then let's go in directly and proceed as planned. I'll take care of those two," Naruto said, leading the way towards the mansion entrance.

The three began their division of labor according to the prearranged plan.

Zabuza made hand seals first and activated the Mist Technique.

The already foggy night was instantly enveloped by even denser mist, drastically reducing visibility.

The samurai guarding Gato's mansion became instantly alert, looking around in confusion and alarm.

In the next second, Zabuza's figure appeared behind them from an unknown location. The Kubikiribōchō swung down with a sharp whistling sound, killing several guards with lightning speed.

Haku acted simultaneously. His senbon flew silently through the mist, precisely hitting the samurai who could not be subdued.

He swiftly incapacitated them, completely eliminating any possibility of escape or alarm.

Naruto himself had it even easier. Without even approaching the courtyard, he merely saw the two figures sparring through the mist and the gaps in the windows.

Then, he took a shuriken from his ninja pouch and gave it a gentle flick.

Two shuriken sliced through the air, embedding themselves precisely in Jōri and Faraday's throats.

Their swords were still in mid-swing, but the men had already fallen.

Having dealt with the strongest guards, Naruto didn't pause, heading straight for Gato's bedroom.

Along the way, he took care of the two samurai at the door.

As Naruto pushed the door open, Gato stood with his back to the entrance, leisurely unbuttoning his suit jacket.

Hearing the disturbance, he turned around impatiently, "Who let you in? Get out..."

His voice abruptly cut off.

Gato's eyes widened, and he instinctively took a step back, his lower back hitting the edge of the bed.

"Bodyguard!" Gato shouted sternly, but his voice lacked the expected authority. "Who are you? Do you know where you are?"

Naruto took a step forward. Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his icy blue eyes.

There wasn't a trace of emotion in them, only pure killing intent.

When Gato saw the killing intent in the newcomer's eyes, and then the still-wet bloodstain on his kunai, he knew his bodyguard would never show up.

"Wait... we can talk. Money? I have plenty of money. Whatever you want..." Gato's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his voice growing hoarse.

Naruto gave him no chance to explain or beg for mercy, acting with swift decisiveness.

He lightly swung the kunai in his hand. A flash of cold light passed, ending Gato's life.

In his first life, Naruto had only heard of Gato's wicked deeds. While he was angry, it was just that.

Through repeated reincarnations, Naruto infiltrated Gato Company many times.

Only then did he truly understand that Gato was far more evil than he had imagined.

He hadn't just controlled the Land of Waves; many impoverished island nations without ninja villages had also fallen under his clutches.

Gato used his subordinate yakuza syndicates and samurai forces to rapidly seize the economic lifelines of these small countries, plunging countless civilians into misery.

Precisely because he knew all this, Naruto acted without hesitation or wavering.

Afterward, Naruto quickly searched the room, soon finding some of Gato's personal seals, contracts, vault keys, and various property deeds.

Of course, this alone wasn't enough.

About two minutes later, Zabuza entered the room from a deep corridor, escorting a middle-aged man in a dark kimono with salt-and-pepper hair, holding him with one hand.

Although the butler was well-dressed, his face was pale, and his body trembled slightly, clearly terrified by the commotion in the mansion and Zabuza's appearance.

According to the list Naruto had provided beforehand, this was one of the few butlers within the Gato Corporation who held real power and might be persuaded due to his relatively cautious nature.

Gato's businesses were vast and involved many gray areas, so he naturally couldn't rely on just one butler. However, this ironically became a convenience in Naruto's plan.

As long as the loyal and stubborn individuals were eliminated.

This seemingly secondary character would become the most suitable and authoritative spokesperson.