Meeting Again

After lunch, Naruto thought it was time to check in with Zabuza on the current progress.

But...

He could use the same Shadow Clone tactic as before, but Kakashi was still observing from the sidelines this time.

And Kakashi, across the table...

As expected, he put on the act of preparing to spend the entire afternoon leisurely in a comfortable corner, reading a novel while watching the three members of Team 7.

Seeing Kakashi's lazy demeanor, Naruto had an idea and said, "Teacher Kakashi, aren't you being a bit irresponsible, being so leisurely every day?"

"Well... you can't blame me for that," Kakashi replied lazily, his eyes still on his book. "Your strength is incredible, and Sasuke trains with you every day, making rapid progress. As for Sakura... she's probably not in the mood to focus on training right now, so naturally, I, as her Jonin Instructor, have nothing to do."

"Besides, regarding Gato, you heard it yourself earlier. His company is in disarray internally and probably doesn't have the time to interfere with the bridge construction progress, so... my leisure is perfectly reasonable."

Although his words were spoken with conviction, he was inwardly wary.

Naruto wouldn't suddenly lecture him like he did during the survival exercise, would he?

"Be that as it may, I heard that as Konoha's number one technician, Teacher Kakashi, you've mastered some incredibly powerful Ninjutsu, like Chidori. I think this jutsu would be perfect for Sasuke."

Naruto said quietly, then glanced at Sasuke, who was just about to leave.

While Naruto himself knew these Ninjutsu, his current goal was to distract Kakashi.

Sasuke's movement to leave paused slightly.

Kakashi finally looked up from his book, gazing thoughtfully at Naruto, then at Sasuke, who was clearly drawn in by the remark.

Recalling the Third Hokage's orders to keep an eye on both the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan...

Kakashi sighed inwardly again. It seemed this trouble couldn't be avoided.

"Chidori is not a jutsu that's easily mastered," Kakashi said, closing his book, his voice gaining a touch of seriousness. "It has very high requirements for Chakra control, Taijutsu, and many other aspects."

"Can't Sasuke do it?"

Naruto retorted, his tone calm but like a provocation.

"Hmph," Sasuke stared intently at Kakashi. "I want to try."

Kakashi looked at the two of them playing along, scratching his head and saying helplessly, "Alright, alright... I am indeed bored out of my mind right now, and the bridge isn't that dangerous anyway."

"Find a spacious place, and I'll demonstrate it for you. But I'll warn you beforehand, this jutsu is difficult and can't be learned in a short time."

"I know." Sasuke's eyes were sharp, his attention fully captured.

Sakura, seeing this, wanted to follow, but Kakashi stopped her. "Sakura, this jutsu is not suitable for you at the moment. You stay here with Naruto and protect Mr. Tazuna."

"O-okay..." Sakura agreed somewhat dejectedly.

Naruto watched as Kakashi led Sasuke away from Tazuna's house and towards the distant woods.

He knew that for at least a considerable amount of time, Kakashi's attention would be focused on teaching Sasuke.

After getting Kakashi out of the way, Naruto and Sakura, just like in the morning, followed Tazuna to the bridge.

The construction site was livelier than before, just as Tsunami had said at noon.

Many workers who had left out of fear of Gato's retaliation were returning and resuming their construction work.

After this blockade, everyone deeply realized that they couldn't place their hopes for their livelihood entirely on the goodwill or mercy of others.

Therefore, the bridge construction speed increased exponentially.

While fulfilling their escort duties, Naruto secretly confirmed that no one was paying attention around them and quietly slipped away to a hidden corner.

He once again used the Shadow Clone Jutsu, leaving the clone to continue his work while his main body used the Flying Thunder God Technique to quickly reach Zabuza's stronghold.

When Naruto appeared at the stronghold.

Zabuza and Haku seemed to have already anticipated his arrival and were quietly waiting.

"You're here."

Zabuza looked at Naruto, his tone carrying more caution than before, even a hint of reverence.

Haku stood quietly beside Zabuza, giving a slight nod of greeting to Naruto.

"How are things?" Naruto cut straight to the chase without any pleasantries.

"Most areas have stabilized," Zabuza reported, handing Naruto a scroll detailing the situation. "According to the list you provided, the stubborn elements have been mostly cleared out."

"Some have been temporarily pacified through money and intimidation. The rest are opportunists who will work honestly as long as they are paid on time."

"Compensation has also been distributed according to your wishes. The people of the Land of Waves are half-believing, but at least they haven't shown any obvious hostility."

Naruto quickly scanned the information on the scroll and nodded. "Well done."

"However," Zabuza added, "an unexpected situation has arisen."

"A former executive of the Gato Corporation named Ueno was also on your list. He's related to Gato. He was inspecting the company's overseas assets and only returned yesterday."

"He resisted fiercely, completely refusing to believe Gato is dead. He's now secretly gathering a group of samurai and rogue ninja, seemingly planning a counterattack. I can't locate him right now."

Naruto said indifferently, without looking up. "Ueno... he should be hiding in that old shipyard east of the Land of Waves."

"He has twenty samurai with him, five of whom were hired from the Land of Iron, and the remaining fifteen are ronin. Even if he gathers people to resist, it won't be many. Just stake out the place; he has nowhere else to go."

Zabuza and Haku froze simultaneously.

After several seconds, Zabuza seemed to find his voice again, sounding a little hoarse, "Is he really there?"

"You handle it," Naruto's tone remained calm, "Remember to clean up thoroughly, leave no loose ends."

Afterward, Zabuza hesitantly handed the previous list back to Naruto and said, "I've executed all the targets that needed to be eliminated according to your instructions."

"But I think the other executive named Kuroki, although he was on your list and didn't need to be killed, was the quickest to outwardly surrender. However, I observed his eyes darting around, and he doesn't seem like someone who would stay put. Also, the executives still overseas haven't taken any action yet..."

"I know," Naruto interrupted Zabuza, "Kuroki is greedy, but he fears death even more. Furthermore, his youngest son is gravely ill and urgently needs a large sum of money for treatment. The loyalty he's showing now is barely bought with money and fear, making him the easiest to control."

Zabuza was still shocked by Naruto's near-omniscient intelligence.

But he was gradually getting used to it.