Changes in the Land of Waves

Hearing Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke reacted differently.

Sakura patted her chest and let out a long breath, her face relaxing. "That's for the best."

She really didn't want to go through another sudden attack like the one by the Demon Brothers.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He merely glanced at the calm sea in the distance, but he also thought this was pretty good. At least the mission could be completed smoothly.

Still, as Sasuke gazed at the sea, he pressed his lips together slightly, feeling a little disappointed.

If no enemies showed up, he wouldn't get any real training.

And so, Tazuna's work continued without a hitch, and before long, it was almost noon.

Tazuna set down his tools, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said to the three kids, "That's about enough work for the morning. Let's head back for lunch."

Naruto and the others followed Tazuna away from the bridge and headed toward his home.

As they approached the market, Tazuna murmured to himself, "I should buy some vegetables to take home today..."

Though he said that, he didn't actually have much hope.

Ever since Gato had taken control of the Land of Waves, people's incomes had plummeted, and even everyday goods were strictly rationed. The market was often deserted, and even with money, there was little to buy.

Besides, his pockets were emptier than his stomach...

But to Tazuna's surprise, the market before them was much livelier than it had been that morning.

There were clearly more vendors, and the people coming and going looked a little more cheerful. The atmosphere was completely different from usual.

Tazuna couldn't help stopping in his tracks. "What's gotten into everyone today...?"

Just then, an excited fisherman hurried over to him, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "Tazuna, haven't you heard? There's incredible news—Gato's dead!"

"W-what?" Tazuna's eyes widened in disbelief. "That Gato... is dead? How?"

Gato, who had committed so many atrocities, had just died out of nowhere?

"I heard it was a sudden illness. It happened last night," another fisherman added, his face alight with the joy of having survived a disaster. "His former housekeeper and the other executives are in charge now!"

"This morning, their people went door to door handing out money. They said it was compensation from the Gato Company, and they announced that all the blockades had been lifted!"

"Compensation?" Tazuna murmured. The sheer amount of information left him unable to process it all at once.

Tazuna instinctively turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha Ninja behind him.

The journey really had been peaceful.

Could all of this have something to do with Gato being gravely ill earlier?

Thinking about it, that seemed to make more sense.

Sakura looked pleased, as if to say, "He got what he deserved."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly, seeming surprised but not dwelling on it.

Naruto folded his arms and watched the scene calmly, thinking, The housekeeper really did listen and fall into line. Things are going pretty smoothly. I just wonder how Zabuza's doing.

Though he'd told the housekeeper last night to announce that the boss was "Zabuza," Zabuza's identity was too sensitive, so in the end, they'd used the housekeeper's name publicly.

Naruto couldn't help thinking that this was just like Black Zetsu—layers upon layers.

One person after another, hiding behind the scenes.

Come to think of it, Gato's company had originally been called "Gato Shipping." It had mainly relied on its gangster connections to bully and plunder small countries without ninja villages.

They'd never dared to antagonize the great nations or ninja villages, and had even bribed the daimyo of various countries. That was why they'd been able to get away with it for so long.

But now that the "boss" had changed, they couldn't keep using that name.

The next time they met, he'd have to remind Zabuza to change the company's name.

"Whatever happens, we still have to finish building that bridge," Tazuna said solemnly. "Otherwise, who can guarantee there won't be another 'Gato' after Gato's dead?"

"True... I didn't expect you to think that far ahead, Mr. Tazuna."

Sakura said, sounding impressed.

Tazuna let out a long sigh. His voice carried the clear-eyed resolve of someone who'd spent years under oppression. "In a world like this, without some foresight, I might not have survived this long."

Naruto nodded to himself. No wonder you dared to pass off a mission that should've been at least B-rank as C-rank.

Then the group entered the market.

As expected, the shops had put out plenty of new goods, and there were noticeably more vegetables and fish. The merchants were also talking about Gato's sudden death.

Sasuke kept an eye on their surroundings as he escorted Tazuna while he shopped.

Just then, Sakura quietly tugged on Naruto's sleeve.

"What is it?"

Naruto turned around and looked at Sakura with a hint of confusion.

"Naruto..." Sakura looked a little awkward and lowered her voice. "Lately... when you and Sasuke-kun train together, has he mentioned anything he likes?"

Sakura had noticed that ever since Sasuke graduated, he'd been spending a lot of time with Naruto, so she wanted to get some information about Sasuke out of him.

Naruto's expression didn't change.

Though he'd once liked Sakura in his first life, he also remembered how, after he'd gone to so much trouble to bring Tsunade back to heal Sasuke, Sakura had been the first to rush to Sasuke.

Back then, he'd felt a pang of heartbreak, but there was nothing he could do.

After everything he'd been through, especially countless cycles of reincarnation, Naruto had clearly realized that Sakura only had eyes for Sasuke.

He might have been able to change that, but thinking it over, he decided there was no need.

As for this friend who was never destined to like him...

Thinking back carefully, in every cycle, Sasuke had barely paid Sakura any attention.

So Naruto answered coolly, "Sasuke's putting all his energy into training right now."

Sakura gave a disappointed "Oh" and slowly walked away.

She murmured to herself, "There's more stuff at the market lately... Sasuke-kun goes through a lot of ninja tools when he trains. Should I buy him some...?"

As she spoke, Sakura headed toward a stall.

Watching her go, Naruto suddenly remembered that in his first life, Sakura had taught him the trick to climbing trees.

So he reminded her in an indifferent tone, "There's no ninja village in the Land of Waves. The biggest armed forces are the samurai and Gato's gang. The best-selling things at this market, besides fresh vegetables, are fishing nets. If you want ninja tools, you'll have to go to the town on the other side of the island that supplies passing merchant ships."

With that, Naruto turned and headed toward Tazuna.

Sakura suddenly turned around, looking astonished. "Naruto, how do you even know that...?"

Naruto had already turned away. He waved casually. "I saw a signpost on the way here, that's all. Come on, Mr. Tazuna's heading back."

At noon.

The group sat around the dining table at Tazuna's house, and the conversation still kept circling back to Gato.

As she served everyone soup, Tazuna's daughter Tsunami said, "Father, people from the Gato Company really did come today. They gave every household some money and said it was compensation."

"Everyone's happy, but they still feel uneasy... No one knows what will happen now that Gato's dead."

"But a lot of people are saying we should take this opportunity to keep building the bridge. If the sea gets blockaded again, at least we'll still have a way out."

Tazuna set down his bowl and nodded solemnly. "It's good that everyone understands that. This bridge must be finished, and it has to be even sturdier than we originally planned!"

Kakashi ate at practically the speed of light. Now, as he read his book, he silently thought, Gato died of a sudden illness? That doesn't make sense for a wealthy man like him. Maybe there was an internal power struggle. Never mind, it has nothing to do with me.