Naruto walked over, his expression perfectly calm.
Vivi stood at the end of the street, her gaze constantly sweeping her surroundings, as though afraid someone might burst out from behind a building at any moment. Yet the city still maintained an outward calm. The pedestrians along the street were not fleeing in panic, and no sounds of fighting came from the distance.
Naruto followed her gaze around before saying, "You don't need to be so nervous. At least from what we can see right now, things around here are fairly peaceful."
"If things really had spiraled out of control, there couldn't possibly be no sign of it in the city. The fact that this village has remained safe also suggests that the situation in the Kingdom might not be as bad as you imagine."
Vivi did not relax much at that. She knew the peace before her was only on the surface. The real trouble was waiting for them farther away.
Naruto did not beat around the bush any longer. He asked directly, "You said before that you had a way to stop the rebellion. Now that we're here, what are you planning to do? And how can we help?"
"If we had enough time, I wouldn't mind taking things slowly and hearing you out." He spread his hands. "But right now, we'd better hurry. After all, the rebels aren't going to declare a holiday just because we're standing on the street chatting."
Vivi froze at his words, then abruptly straightened up. She bit her lip, as though finally making up her mind, and said what she had long been preparing to say.
"You've already brought me here. That alone has been an enormous help."
She looked at Naruto, then at the others beside her, her voice filled with unmistakable