And this wasn't an ordinary burn. Because the Tailed Beasts' chakra was so unique, it was also quite difficult to treat with standard medical ninjutsu.
Looking at Gaara, who looked as if he'd been skinned and boiled, Uchiha Nagi shook his head. Shukaku was truly a handful. Among all the villages with jinchuriki, only Shukaku seemed to actively work against its host, not only refusing to help but also constantly disturbing his sleep, which was why Gaara had perpetual dark circles under his eyes. With such severe sleep deprivation, it was no wonder the boy had developed psychological problems at such a young age. He really needed a therapist. Uchiha Nagi considered himself a doctor for external wounds; he could treat the outside, but not the inside. He would have to wait until Gaara met Naruto. He was sure that under the influence of Naruto's protagonist halo, Gaara's psychological issues would be cured in no time.
Wait a minute—
Uchiha Nagi suddenly remembered: wasn't Tanjiro a protagonist too? Although the power levels in the Demon Slayer world weren't as terrifying as in the ninja world, a protagonist was still a protagonist. Should he try throwing Gaara at Tanjiro for treatment?
Uchiha Nagi stroked his chin. It seemed worth a try.
The group of four arrived in the small border country, the Land of Rivers, where they planned to sell their camels and buy horses. Although the Land of Rivers wasn't very prosperous, its geographical location between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind allowed it to survive by making a profit from trade between the two. However, when war broke out, the Land of Rivers was always devastated. As a buffer zone between the two major nations, both countries cunningly chose to use the smaller country as their battlefield. For the people there, a battle between ninja was a death sentence.
"Buns! Hot, fragrant buns! Buy some, esteemed sirs!"
"Flatbread! To all you gentlemen heading into the Land of Wind, buy some flatbread! It lasts for a long time!"
"Tonkotsu ramen! Made with fresh ingredients from the sea! Don't miss out!"
The bustling market was filled with merchants coming and going, not only peddlers trying to make a living but also ragged civilians begging for alms. They were all living the ordinary day of an ordinary person.
"Esteemed sir, don't let the skinny appearance of these horses fool you! They can climb mountains without any trouble, and they're hardy eaters. They eat weeds, no need for fine grain..."
A slightly stooped merchant grinned, revealing a set of yellow-black teeth as he tried his best to sell his horses.
Uchiha Nagi patted the horses. The merchant wasn't lying. The horses were sturdy; they were just lean from hard work and a diet of wild grass, lacking proper nutrition.
"Alright, I'll buy these horses. Name your price," Uchiha Nagi said coolly.
After the merchant sold the horses, the group found a small inn to stay in. Uchiha Nagi then began to give Gaara a makeover.
"Your red hair and the tattoo on your head are too conspicuous. They'll attract unnecessary trouble, so you need a disguise," Uchiha Nagi said.
Gaara said nothing. He neither agreed nor resisted. He could act tough in front of ordinary people because he could crush them with his power. But in front of someone who could crush him even more easily, putting on an act would just be foolish. Besides, after Shukaku had been taught a lesson, he had been sleeping particularly well for the past two days, more comfortably than ever before.
At the inn, Uchiha Nagi found himself in a familiar scene, holding hair dye. He dyed Gaara's red hair black. He didn't know if Gaara had Uzumaki blood, but his hair was as red as any Uzumaki's.
After dyeing his hair, the "love" tattoo on his forehead was also easy to deal with. He applied a skin-like adhesive film over it, styled his bangs to hang down a bit, and put a hat on him.
"Perfect. You can't even tell," Uchiha Nagi said, clapping his hands in satisfaction.
In a ninja world without the internet, finding a single person in a sea of people was unrealistic. Even with a photograph, a little makeup and a change of hairstyle would make someone unrecognizable.
"Nagi-san, the people here seem very poor."
Yukihime and Kimimaro had just returned from outside, carrying a large pile of things: clean clothes, daily necessities, some pots and pans, and even cumin and other spices for outdoor barbecues.
"You're mistaken. It's not just the people here. It's pretty much the same throughout the entire ninja world. The only ones who can live relatively comfortable lives are the ninja," Uchiha Nagi said, adding silently in his mind, and the old-world nobles like the daimyo.
"It will be better once we reach the Land of Fire. After all, the Land of Fire has the most fertile land in the entire ninja world," Uchiha Nagi said with a smile.
But even the civilians in the Land of Fire were just getting by, not starving, and not having to worry about being casually killed by a ninja. In reality, the lower class was still the lower class. No matter how miraculous chakra was, without the advent of industrial fertilizers, crop yields couldn't keep up, and the ninja world would continue to face this situation. The result was a cycle of class oppression, and when the population exploded and resources became scarce, a Great Ninja War would break out, and the cycle would repeat.
Uchiha Nagi was very curious about one thing: could the First Hokage's Wood Release produce food? He could make trees grow like real plants. If he could produce food, then with his chakra-by-the-ton reserves, couldn't he feed the entire ninja world?
Uchiha Nagi took out a blue-colored lens and put it in his eye, and his black eyes instantly turned the same shade of blue as Minato Namikaze's. He then applied some colored ink to his face like Kakashi and added some lines to make himself look older. Then, he dyed his own hair again, turning it from black to white.
A white-haired, weathered-looking middle-aged man was freshly created.
"Nagi-san, why did you disguise yourself like that?" Yukihime's eyes widened, a look of disbelief on her face.
"It's not just me. You need a disguise too," Uchiha Nagi said with a mischievous grin.
"Me?!"
The four great arts of deception from his past life. Now that he had a chance to use them in this life, how could he pass it up?
He fashioned a fake Adam's apple for Yukihime out of a skin-like material. Then, amidst her indignant protests, he cut her long hair short and dyed it blond. Finally, he had her change into a set of men's clothing. A fresh-faced, pretty-boy version of Minato Namikaze was born.
"Hey, this is... this is kind of interesting! Haha, I'm a man now!" The novelty of it all went straight to Yukihime's head. As someone who had rarely left her home, it was a thrilling experience, and the matter of her long hair being cut was instantly forgotten.
And so, the four of them, disguised so thoroughly that even people who knew them wouldn't recognize them, set off. They had chosen the softest target, the Land of Fire, and would cut straight through it on their way to the Land of Iron.