Taking Over

The butler, brought over by Zabuza, quickly assessed the situation and realized Naruto was the one who could decide his fate.

He immediately dropped to his knees, his voice trembling so much he could barely form sentences. "Don't kill me! Sir! I... I'm just a regular butler!"

Naruto didn't resort to intimidation right away.

He took two steps forward, stopping in front of the butler, and calmly met his gaze.

"You're not so ordinary, are you? Gato trusted you greatly and put you in charge of many affairs in the Land of Waves," Naruto said. "However... if you cooperate with us, not only will you survive, but your future treatment won't be any worse than during Gato's time. It might even be better."

Naruto's tone wasn't harsh; instead, it was as if he were stating a matter of fact.

These words, though simple, struck directly at the butler's thoughts.

Through countless cycles of reincarnation, Naruto had already figured out the butler's personality.

This man wasn't a tough guy; he valued profit over loyalty, had heavy family burdens, and craved stability more than adventure.

Therefore, a bribe was more effective than a threat.

Following this, Naruto swiftly executed his plan.

He pulled out a stack of blank commission forms and Gato's usual letterhead from the documents he'd just searched and spread them on the table.

"Imitate Gato's handwriting," Naruto told the butler, his voice not loud but clear. "Write a few documents."

The butler hesitated, but under Naruto's calm gaze and Zabuza's silent pressure, he took the pen.

He clearly knew Gato's writing habits and style, and within moments, he'd replicated it about seventy to eighty percent. In reality, whether it looked alike now no longer mattered.

The content was for the butler to announce Gato's death from a sudden illness to the outside world.

It would state that before his death, he had entrusted all his businesses to Zabuza, a ninja hired by Gato, and his most trusted butler for joint management.

All operations would continue as usual, and personnel positions would remain unchanged for the time being.

This way, the situation could be stabilized, at least in the short term, preventing the chaos that would arise from a power vacuum within the Gato Corporation.

Afterward, Naruto continued to issue instructions.

Immediately cease all destructive actions against the bridge, and also lift the economic and material blockade on the villagers of the Land of Waves. Furthermore, in the company's name, issue a sum of compensation to every civilian household in the Land of Waves.

"You don't need to raise too much for now, but it must be delivered to those people quickly, and it needs to be widely publicized," Naruto added.

This would not only quickly win popular support but also let the outside world, especially the people of the Land of Waves, realize that the current "Gato Company" seemed to have undergone some changes, thereby reducing resistance to future plans.

Finally, Naruto turned to the butler. "You can leave now. Zabuza is your boss from now on. As long as you obey, your life will be safe."

"Y-yes! I understand! I will definitely follow your instructions and will not make any mistakes!"

His voice still carried the tremor of surviving a near-death experience, but it was now mixed with an eagerness to pledge his loyalty.

With that, the butler didn't dare to look at the two men in the room again. He practically bowed as he retreated from the room, his steps clumsy yet unusually swift.

Naruto knew this butler wouldn't cause any problems for now and would obediently do as told. This was precisely why he had kept him.

Then, Naruto pushed Gato's contracts, vault keys, personal seals, and other items he had found earlier in front of Zabuza, his tone intensifying. "Gato's criminal organization is likely to fall into internal strife. You must suppress them as quickly as possible."

"And those butlers and Gato Corporation executives who are not in the Land of Waves also need to be dealt with."

Zabuza let out a cold snort, a hint of bloodthirsty excitement flashing in his eyes. He clearly didn't object to this.

Naruto then took out another blank piece of paper, drew and wrote on it, and finally handed it to Zabuza.

Zabuza took it and looked. It was filled with names and notes: which people must be killed, which could be temporarily utilized, even which ones would temporarily submit and when and where they would rebel.

It also detailed where Gato's entire network of businesses in the ninja world was located, what they were, and his connections with certain daimyo and wealthy individuals in other countries.

The information was disturbingly detailed.

"Remember, the entire takeover process must be both swift and covert. Although other ninja villages and countries will discover it sooner or later, the later, the better."

Naruto's ultimate goal was never to become another Gato.

He planned to gradually legitimize Gato's black industries, smuggling, gambling, loan sharking, and the like, transforming them into legitimate sea transport and international logistics. These were crucial foundations for Naruto's future plans.

"You're just handing this over to me?"

Zabuza found it somewhat unbelievable, yet felt it was okay. After all, he had boarded Naruto's ship, and it seemed there was no room for escape.

"Of course. I trust you, but there's something I still have to tell you," Naruto replied calmly.

Now that Zabuza had established a certain level of trust in him, it was time to reveal his true intentions.

"What is it?"

"Why do you think I'm taking over Gato's assets and businesses?"

Zabuza asked, confused. "You said before, for money, to be used in more suitable places. As for what 'suitable places' are... I'm not sure."

"Actually, I've experienced many things, so I believe this ninja world needs a complete and thorough change." Naruto's eyes deepened.

Without waiting for Zabuza's reply, Naruto continued, "Even if I help you return to Kirigakure, and then help you or someone else become the Fifth Mizukage, changing the policy of the Bloody Mist Village, will that truly last?"

"What do you mean?" Zabuza narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Merely replacing a Kage and then amending previous policies is like painting a new coat of paint on a dilapidated house. The foundation is rotten; it will inevitably collapse again," Naruto said calmly.

Zabuza, hearing this, became even more confused. "So what? Do you have a better way?"

"It's not a better way, per se. What I want to do is tear down all the dilapidated houses, build the sturdiest foundation, and establish a brand new, unified order. Only then can the tragedy of the Bloody Mist Village be prevented from ever happening again anywhere."

"You mean... unifying the ninja world?!"

Zabuza gasped. For the first time, he truly saw the magnitude of this young boy's ambition. "Do you know what kind of unimaginable power, resources... and mountains of corpses this would require? This isn't as simple as overthrowing one Mizukage; you'd be going up against the entire world!"

How grand and vast was this goal?

"You are absolutely right, but for me, confronting the entire world isn't impossible. My confidence comes from the vast amount of intelligence I possess and my strength, but my own power is still insufficient."

Naruto first admitted this frankly, then continued, "Whether it's unifying the world, or becoming a Kage..."

"These can simply be summarized as obtaining what one desires through various means."

"There are many ways to achieve a goal, but the impact they have varies. I am confident in finding the optimal solution, but... I still want to find a relatively suitable solution in this opportunity."

Although Zabuza was somewhat confused by Naruto's last sentence, Naruto's meaning was already clear.

Zabuza knew Naruto was strong, and his intelligence-gathering abilities were terrifying, but he still hesitated at such a drastic action.

After all, this was a bit different from what they had agreed upon earlier.

"You don't need to think too much about it. Besides, you don't really have a choice. If you hadn't met me, when would you have been able to return to Kirigakure?"

Naruto looked directly into Zabuza's eyes. "Even if Kirigakure completely changes, will the future truly not repeat the mistakes of the Fourth Mizukage? I doubt it."

"This..."

Seeing Zabuza still hesitant, Naruto decided to use his trump card. "Actually... I deeply understand the pain of children who grew up together, eating from the same pot, only to be forced to kill each other in the end. If we can join forces, perhaps we can truly change this world and spare everyone from such suffering."

"Follow me, and the changes you make will extend beyond just one village, Kirigakure. You will have the chance to personally participate in shaping an era, an era where the 'Bloody Mist Village' will forever become a historical term."

This statement struck Zabuza's weak spot.

Zabuza looked at Naruto extending his hand, and those deep blue eyes, devoid of fanaticism, held a terrifying, calm certainty.

After a long pause.

Momochi Zabuza, the cold-blooded man, slowly and heavily grasped Naruto's outstretched hand.

"Hmph... An interesting plan. I'll humor you and see if you can truly change this rotten ninja world."

Seeing that Zabuza now believed in him and joined him wholeheartedly, Naruto wasn't surprised. He then calmly instructed, "Then I'll leave the next steps to you. I need to head back now."