Changes in the Land of Waves

Upon hearing Naruto's words, Sakura and Sasuke had different reactions.

Sakura patted her chest, let out a long sigh, and a relaxed expression appeared on her face. "That would be for the best."

She really didn't want to experience a sudden attack like the one from the Demon Brothers again.

Although Sasuke didn't say anything, he just quietly glanced at the calm sea surface in the distance, but in his heart, he also felt that this was quite good. At least the mission could be completed smoothly.

It was just that as Sasuke looked at the sea, he still pursed his lips slightly, vaguely feeling a little regretful.

If no enemies appeared, his strength wouldn't be truly tested.

And so, Tazuna's work continued smoothly, and time gradually approached noon.

Tazuna put down his tools, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said to the three children, "The morning's work is almost done. Let's go back and have lunch first."

Thus, Naruto and the others followed Tazuna away from the bridge and walked towards his home.

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

Although he said that, he didn't have much hope in his heart.

Ever since Gato took control of the Land of Waves, not only had everyone's income plummeted, but even daily necessities were strictly controlled. The market was often empty, and you couldn't buy much even if you had money.

Not to mention that his pockets were cleaner than his face...

But what Tazuna didn't expect was that the market before him was much livelier than it was in the morning.

There were clearly more vendors, and the people coming and going had a rosy complexion, the atmosphere completely different from before.

Tazuna couldn't help but freeze in place and mutter, "What's gotten into everyone today...?"

Just then, a fisherman excitedly approached Tazuna, his voice filled with emotion, "Tazuna, don't you know yet? Great news, Gato is dead!"

"Wh-what?" Tazuna's eyes widened in disbelief. "That Gato... is dead? How did he die?"

That wicked Gato, just died so suddenly?

"I heard it was a sudden illness, just last night," another fisherman added, his face beaming with the joy of surviving a disaster. "His former butler and other high-ranking officials are in charge now!"

"Today, their people went door-to-door early this morning distributing money, saying it was compensation from Gato Company, and they also announced the lifting of all blockades!"

"Compensation?" Tazuna murmured, the sheer volume of information making it difficult for him to process.

Tazuna subconsciously looked back, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha ninja behind him.

Indeed, the journey had been peaceful.

Could all of this be related to Gato's critical illness before?

Thinking about it that way, it seemed much more reasonable.

Sakura had a look of delighted schadenfreude.

Sasuke, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow slightly, appearing somewhat surprised but not thinking too deeply.

Naruto crossed his arms, watching the scene calmly, and thought to himself, The butler did end up following orders. Things are progressing quite smoothly. I just wonder how Zabuza is doing.

Although he had the butler announce last night that the boss was "Zabuza," Zabuza's identity was sensitive, so in the end, the butler's name was used externally.

Naruto couldn't help but complain that this was just like Black Zetsu, becoming a nesting doll.

One after another, hidden behind the scenes.

Speaking of which, Gato's company was originally called "Gato Shipping." It mainly relied on its gangster influence to suppress and plunder small countries without ninja villages.

They never dared to provoke large countries or ninja villages, and even bribed the Daimyo of various countries, which is why they had been safe and sound.

But now that there was a new "boss," this name could no longer be used.

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

"No matter what, that bridge still needs to be built," Tazuna said with a serious expression. "Otherwise, who can guarantee that after Gato's death, another 'Gato' won't appear?"

"Indeed... I didn't expect Mr. Tazuna to think that far ahead."

Sakura said with some admiration.

Tazuna sighed, his tone carrying the clarity of someone who had been oppressed for years. "After all, in this kind of world, if you don't have some foresight, you might not have survived this long."

Naruto also secretly nodded. No wonder you dared to report missions of B-rank difficulty or higher as C-rank.

Then, the group entered the market.

The surrounding shops indeed displayed a lot of new goods, and there were significantly more vegetables and fish. The merchants were also discussing Gato's sudden death.

Sasuke kept an eye on his surroundings while escorting Tazuna to buy groceries.

At this moment, Sakura quietly tugged on Naruto's sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto turned his head, looking at Sakura with a hint of confusion.

"Naruto..." Sakura seemed a bit awkward, lowering her voice. "Lately... when you and Sasuke-kun were training, did he mention anything he liked?"

Sakura noticed that after Sasuke's graduation, he and Naruto had been very close, so she wanted to get some information about Sasuke from Naruto.

Naruto's face was expressionless.

Although he had liked Sakura in his first life, he remembered how, after he had painstakingly brought Tsunade back to heal Sasuke, Sakura had rushed to Sasuke first.

At that time, he had felt heartbroken, but was also powerless.

After experiencing so much, especially countless reincarnations, Naruto clearly realized that Sakura's heart only held Sasuke.

He might have the ability to change this, but upon careful consideration, he felt it was completely unnecessary.

For this friend who was destined not to like him...

After thinking carefully, no matter which reincarnation it was, Sasuke never seemed to pay much attention to Sakura.

So, Naruto replied indifferently, "Sasuke is currently putting all his energy into training."

Sakura let out a disappointed "Oh" and turned to walk away slowly.

She muttered to herself, "The market has had more goods lately... Ninja tools are consumed quite a bit when Sasuke-kun trains, should I buy some for him..."

As she spoke, Sakura walked towards a stall.

Naruto watched her back and suddenly remembered that in his first life, it was Sakura who had provided him with the technique for practicing climbing trees.

Thus, Naruto reminded her in a neutral tone, "The Land of Waves has no Ninja villages. The largest armed forces are the samurai and Gato's gang. The best-selling items in this market, besides fresh vegetables, are fishing nets. If you want to buy ninja tools, you need to go to the town on the other side of the island that resupplies passing merchant ships."

After speaking, Naruto turned and walked towards Tazuna.

Sakura suddenly turned back, her face full of astonishment, "Naruto, how do you even know this..."

Naruto had already turned around and casually waved his hand, "It was just a signpost I saw on the way. Let's go, Mr. Tazuna needs to head back."

Noon.

The group sat around Tazuna's dining table eating, and the topic inevitably revolved around Gato.

Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, served everyone soup and said, "Father, Gato Company's people did come today and gave everyone some money, calling it compensation."

"Everyone was happy, but they were also uneasy... No one knows what will happen next now that Gato is dead."

"But many people said it would be better to take this opportunity to continue building the bridge. If the sea is blocked again, at least we'll have a way out."

Tazuna put down his bowl and nodded with a serious expression, "It's good that everyone has this awareness. This bridge must be built, and it must be stronger than previously planned!"

Kakashi's eating speed could be described as light speed. At this moment, he was reading a book while silently thinking, "Gato died suddenly of illness? A rich man like that shouldn't... Perhaps it was due to internal strife, whatever, it has nothing to do with me."