At this moment,
the short man surrounded by the crowd seemed to notice Yuu and the others. He swept a contemptuous glance in their direction, snorted lightly through his nose, then continued onward with his bodyguards surrounding him.
People were occasionally knocked aside by the group. One thin young woman was even sent tumbling to the ground, scraping her knee until it bled. Yet the men acted as though they had seen nothing and swaggered away.
Those who had been struck could only glare angrily without daring to speak.
"…Who is that guy? Isn't he being way too arrogant? He's even more overbearing than those nobles at the chūnin exams."
Rin could not help muttering.
"No. Those nobles weren't this arrogant."
Yuu said.
While the two were discussing it,
an old man selling dried goods beside them suddenly coughed lightly and lowered his voice.
"Little girl, just endure it. Those people belong to the Gatō Company! That's one of the largest corporations in the entire ninja world. Ordinary people like us can't afford to offend them…
"Sigh. I don't know what Lord Daimyō was thinking, insisting on inviting these people here. He even said they would establish some shipping company and make the Land of Waves prosperous…
"We haven't seen any prosperity yet. All they've done is bully men and women everywhere and turn the place into a complete mess…"
The old man rambled on, clearly harboring a great deal of resentment toward Gatō and his people.
Then he raised his head and noticed the forehead protectors worn by Yuu and the others. His expression immediately changed in surprise.
"Ah! Y-you are… ninja lords from Konoha?!"
"More or less."
Yuu smiled without explaining further.
To the people of the Land of Waves, Konoha ninja still carried considerable weight and were practically synonymous with powerful experts.
However, because an enormous gulf separated ninja and civilians, ordinary people generally did not feel close to them. Instead, they treated them with respectful distance.
But as for Gatō's attitude toward ninja…
that was a different matter.
After all, this was a man who had dared insult Kakashi and Zabuza to their faces and even attempted to have them killed. His courage was astonishingly great.
Even if he had known the identities of Yuu and the others, he probably would have behaved exactly the same way.
In Yuu's eyes, however, Gatō was an enormously fat sheep…
Mm. Out of respect for Tsunade, perhaps he should call him an enormously fat pig instead.
The company under Gatō's control operated in both legal and criminal circles. It controlled a vast maritime transportation network and numerous smuggling routes, making him wealthy enough to rival a nation.
Zabuza had been tempted by Gatō's enormous payment and abandoned the dignity of a jōnin to work for him—until he killed Gatō shortly before his own death.
And now…
Yuu had encountered this man more than ten years ahead of schedule.
Judging from the current situation, Gatō had probably not yet completed the business empire he would possess in the future, but it had already reached a considerable scale. He was currently scouting the Land of Waves for investment opportunities.
Since Yuu was already here,
failing to take advantage of this opportunity and make a large profit would be like returning empty-handed from a mountain filled with treasure.
That did not seem appropriate.
Leaving everything else aside, Gatō possessed so much money. Paying one or two hundred million ryō as "protection fees" should not be excessive, right?
After all, Yuu could protect his life from the "White Reaper."
Yuu even considered simply eliminating him.
That might actually be the better choice.
After all, Gatō had never done anything good in the original story. For his own selfish interests, he had reduced the future Land of Waves to misery and poverty.
Leaving him alive would only allow him to continue causing harm. It might be better to kill him ahead of time.
At once,
Yuu suppressed his shifting thoughts and turned toward Rin and Kurenai.
"Rin, Kurenai, go rest at that teahouse up ahead. I need to use the bathroom."
"Oh, alright. We'll go ahead first. Come over quickly."
Kurenai nodded, not suspecting anything.
But Rin had spent more time with Yuu and understood his personality better. She vaguely sensed something, though she did not say anything.
She merely nodded, reminded Yuu to be careful, then carried their many bags with Kurenai toward the teahouse.
Yuu walked a short distance alone before turning into a dim alley piled with miscellaneous objects.
He formed seals with both hands.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
A small cloud of white smoke dispersed.
A green lizard taller than a person, with a thick tail, appeared on the ground.
It was Yuu's summoned beast, Little Green, whom he had not called upon for a long time.
The moment it appeared, its body nearly filled the entire alley.
"Little Green."
Yuu placed a hand on Little Green's head and lifted his chin toward the direction Gatō had departed.
"Follow the group wearing black clothes. There's a short, fat, balding man in the middle.
"Find out where they're staying. Memorize the location and the arrangement of their guards, then return to the stronghold and wait for me when you're done.
"Remember to be careful. Whatever you do, don't let them discover you."
"Hiss, hiss~"
Little Green raised its small head and nodded intelligently. Its slender tail swayed gently.
Then it moved along the shadows at the base of the wall and silently pursued the direction in which Gatō had disappeared.
Under the effect of its concealment ability, its body nearly blended into the surrounding environment.
Afterward,
Yuu stood up, dusted off his hands, and returned to the bustling street. He then leisurely walked toward the teahouse.
"Yuu, over here!"
Rin and Kurenai were seated beside the window. Three cups of steaming flower tea and several local snacks sat in front of them.
The moment Yuu sat down, Kurenai immediately pushed one of the cups toward him along with the snacks beside it.
"Here, Yuu. Try this. It tastes pretty good."
Rin, meanwhile, gently touched him beneath the table with her small hand and asked quietly,
"How did it go, Yuu? Did you finish what you needed to do?"
"It's already taken care of… Mm, do you two still want to continue shopping?"
Yuu answered vaguely and changed the subject.
Although Gatō's appearance had affected their moods, Rin and Kurenai were still eager to continue exploring the market.
After all, it was rare for them to visit this place.
The three wandered around for another hour or so, buying local specialties such as dried fish and seaweed biscuits before returning to the stronghold.
There was naturally no need to describe what happened after they returned.
That night,
the moon hung deep in the sky.
When the night reached its later hours, Yuu suddenly opened his eyes in bed.
He listened carefully to the sounds nearby, then silently stood up. He casually put on his outer clothing, strapped the White Fang short blade to his back, and left the stronghold.
Naturally, patrol ninja were stationed inside the Shakuka Town stronghold.
However, before Yuu's strength and Transparent Escape, those patrolling Konoha ninja were practically deaf and blind.
He easily passed through the fields of vision of one visible and hidden sentry after another, crossed the low wall, and entered the forest outside.
Little Green was already waiting there.
"Let's go."
Yuu jumped onto Little Green's back.
The lizard immediately rose and rapidly headed toward the town.
…
The place where Gatō was staying in the Land of Waves was a seaside villa.
It had been constructed years earlier by one of the Land of Waves' daimyō. Gatō had now purchased the entire estate and moved into it.
At this moment, the mansion was brightly illuminated.
The spacious master bedroom had been decorated with extreme luxury: thick carpets, expensive furniture inlaid with gold, vividly colored oil paintings hanging from the walls, and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dark sea.
The faint sound of waves could be heard outside, and the scenery was breathtaking.
Inside the room,
Gatō had just finished bathing. He opened a bottle of expensive red wine produced in Konoha Year 28 and sipped from a small cup while two female attendants served him.
On the table in front of him lay a preliminary development plan for renovating the Land of Waves' port.
At this moment, Gatō was calculating how to obtain the best locations and resources at the lowest possible price.
"Mm… use a little more strength on the left."
Gatō narrowed his eyes, took a sip of wine, and instructed one of the women.
Just as he put down the plans and prepared to properly enjoy the evening,
a sudden sound came—
Whoosh—!
A cold gust of wind poured into the room.
The heavy velvet curtains flew high into the air. Documents on the table rustled loudly, while the flames on the candlesticks swayed violently and nearly went out.
"Damn it! Who opened the window?"
The cold wind made Gatō shiver. He cursed angrily, put down his wineglass, and prepared to close the floor-to-ceiling window facing the terrace.
However…
his movements froze.
Outside the window, on the small terrace, a person dressed in deep black was crouching casually on the railing.
A mask covered his face, leaving only a pair of gleaming eyes exposed. White hair fluttered gently in the night wind.
"Yo. Good evening, President Gatō."
The person spoke.
Judging from the voice, it was a young man—perhaps even a half-grown boy.
"You are…"
Gatō froze briefly, failing to react at first.
Then he opened his mouth and prepared to shout at full volume.
"Someone! There's an assass—"
Before he could finish the final word,
Gatō's vision blurred.
Something seemed to drift past him.
In the brief instant when his attention wavered, he discovered that a short blade had appeared against his neck.
Although it remained inside its sheath, the cold sensation still made his scalp go numb.
The two women who had been serving him had also somehow fallen unconscious.
Even as this happened, the table in front of them had not been disturbed in the slightest.
The entire scene was terrifyingly strange.
"This…"
What was happening?
Gatō was completely confused.
Beside him,
Yuu chuckled lightly and spoke in a low voice.
"President Gatō, keep your voice down.
"I'm rather timid, and my hands shake easily. If your shouting startles me and I accidentally push this blade forward, such a beautiful carpet will be stained with blood.
"What a waste that would be. Don't you agree?"
"…"
Gatō swallowed.
His mouth opened and closed uselessly several times, but no sound emerged. His obese body trembled like grain being sifted.
"C-calm down, friend. You're still young. You mustn't walk down the path of crime…
"As long as you don't kill me, I can give you anything you want!"
"Really? Then let's start with two hundred million."
"?"
"Two hundred million ryō to buy your life right now. Is there a problem?"
"…"
Gatō hesitated.
The amount was truly enormous. For one brief moment, he even began wondering whether his life was worth that much money.
However, with the blade already against his neck, no matter how unwilling he was, Gatō could only obey.
He turned toward the bed, opened a hidden compartment in the wall, then removed a uniquely designed safe from inside.
After unlocking it, he revealed a pile of gleaming gold bars and stacks of cash.
"Oh~"
Yuu raised an eyebrow.
These people really were wealthy.
Gatō could casually produce the value of six or seven Asumas.
Mm… perhaps not casually.
Judging from Gatō's expression, this money was still extremely important to him.
It might have been an emergency reserve prepared for fleeing. Using it now to ransom his life clearly caused him considerable pain.
Just as Yuu withdrew the blade and prepared to pick up the case,
Gatō suddenly found strength from somewhere.
He lunged forward and violently crashed into the wardrobe beside him.
The door panel flipped around, and Gatō disappeared straight inside the wardrobe, apparently entering a hidden passage.
At the same time, a piercing alarm began buzzing overhead.
"…Interesting."
Yuu smiled.
He had not expected Gatō to truly possess such courage.
Even with a blade against his neck, he still dared play tricks like this.
The ringing alarm was clearly a distress signal that Gatō had prepared beforehand.
Since that was the case…
Yuu decided to play along and enjoy a game of cat and mouse.
He raised his head and looked toward the door.
From his position, he could hear large numbers of footsteps suddenly moving outside, as though many people were running through the mansion.
Soon, the master bedroom door was smashed open by brute force.
Men wearing black suits appeared in the corridor one after another, armed with blades, swords, clubs, and other weapons. Each looked fierce and vicious.
"Protect Lord Gatō!"
"Huh? Where is Lord Gatō… Who is this guy? Why is he inside Lord Gatō's room?"
"Not good! There's an assassin! Kill him!"
Within only a few seconds, the men in black reached their decision and charged forward while shouting wildly.
Yuu watched them without concern.
Only when they were about to reach him did he open his mouth and exhale—
Whoosh—!
Orange light appeared.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The next second,
blazing flames materialized in midair.
In the blink of an eye, they tore through the space ahead and surged forward!
Beginning beneath Yuu's feet, a straight path of fire more than ten meters long formed across the corridor.
More than half the men were swallowed by the raging flames!
Under these circumstances, the thugs screamed for their parents and desperately tried to flee.
However, many of them were completely engulfed in fire and could not travel far.
They soon collided with one another, collapsed onto the ground, and gradually fell silent.
Afterward,
Yuu lifted the heavy case of gold bars with one hand.
He pushed off with his heel and shot forward like a ghost, leaping from the balcony.
Then he ran along the nearby wall in complete defiance of gravity.
Only when he reached a certain window did he kick hard, smash through it, and dive inside!
~~~
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