Wave Country — a small fishing village.
Inari ran from door to door, pounding on the wooden gates.
"Open up, Grandpa Kiki! Please open the door!"
"Come with me to the bridge!"
"If we all work together, we can definitely defeat Gato!"
But no matter how loudly Inari shouted, he was met with rejection.
The villagers had long been broken by Gato's tyranny, reduced to begging and submission.
"I love my mom, Grandpa, Grandpa Kiki, and everyone in town!" Inari shouted.
"If you cry and complain all day, you can't protect anyone. I've learned that!"
Inspired by Naruto Uzumaki, Inari had completely changed.
After saying this, he ran home alone, donned full armor, and prepared to face the bridge alone.
"Inari has become a remarkable young man!" remarked the elderly Mrs. Kitch. "Is it really safe to let him go alone?"
Kitch had originally been a friend who started building the bridge with Tazuna, but abandoned the effort when threatened by Gato.
Even so, seeing Inari's determination, she couldn't bear to hold him back.
"If you're going to do it, then go all out," she thought.
So Kitch quickly gathered all the able-bodied villagers.
Though his words weren't as inspiring as Inari's, he still managed to rally them.
Armed with fishing tools and homemade crossbows, they marched toward the bridge.
But before leaving the village, they were confronted by more people.
At the front was Gato himself. The man in a black suit, sunglasses perched on his face, leaned on a cane with a sneer.
Behind him were hundreds of thugs, armed with knives, clubs, sticks, and iron gloves.
Their faces were cruel and threatening.
While not as skilled as ninjas, against ordinary villagers, they were like tigers hunting sheep.
Ping! Pong! Ping!
The villagers froze at the sight. Weapons clattered to the ground. Many squatted, heads bowed, or even retreated quietly.
"Don't be afraid, everyone!" Inari's legs trembled, and he swallowed nervously.
Still, he pointed his crude crossbow at Gato. "As long as we work together, there is nothing to fear!"
Puff!
A knife shot into the ground before him, half-buried in concrete.
"Ah! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!"
Inari, who had seemed so brave moments ago, screamed and rolled on the ground, tears and snot streaming.
After all, he was only seven or eight years old.
Naruto had inspired his dream of heroism, and he wanted to act, but the sudden threat sent him into pure fear.
If the process of courage was smooth, he would grow stronger. But being blocked like this could crush his spirit.
Gato's sudden appearance shattered the villagers' morale completely. Even without attacking, their courage vanished.
"Do you want to resist me?" Gato said, voice low and sinister.
The thugs behind him emitted strange howls and unsettling noises, amplifying the fear.
"No, no!" Kitch stammered, knees trembling. "We… we were just going out to fish, yes! Fishing!"
"You don't look like you're fishing. And there are children here," Gato said, glancing at Inari, who had fainted to the ground.
Kitch's legs gave way.
He sank to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly. "Please, let us go! We just want to fish and bring back a tribute to you, Lord Gato!"
"Yes, that's right! We will catch plenty of fish and bring them as tribute!"
The other villagers, hearing this excuse, nodded anxiously, hoping Gato would spare them.
"Oh? Is that so?" Gato sneered but didn't care much.
He stepped forward and patted Kitch's shoulder. "I like your attitude. Keep it up in the future."
"Yes! Yes!" Kitch wiped cold sweat from his forehead, secretly relieved.
"Very good," Gato nodded with satisfaction. "In that case, I won't punish what just happened."
He raised three fingers. "From now on, I will buy all the fish you catch at triple the original price."
The villagers froze. Were they hearing correctly? Triple?
"Three… three times?" Kitch rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating.
"Yes, three times!" Gato smiled. "And the rarer the fish, the higher the price—up to ten times for special catches."
After confirming, the villagers erupted in cheers.
"Great! We have a chance to survive!"
"Long live Lord Gato!"
"If anyone dares to cross him again, I'll be the first to stop them!"
In an instant, Gato's image among the villagers transformed. He was now both feared and respected.
Originally, Gato had been following Itsuki's instructions.
In his heart, he hadn't liked this, but seeing the villagers' response, he felt satisfied.
Even at triple the price, it was still below market value—but now the villagers were motivated to fish for months to come. Gato could earn more and be respected.
"Tazuna is still trying to build a bridge to rebel against Lord Gato," he thought. "We must stop him! Otherwise, the triple price offer is meaningless."
Thus, the fishermen, who had originally wanted to confront Gato, were now united to stop Tazuna from building the bridge.
Gato stood dumbfounded. He had never expected this turn of events.
Lord Long is simply incredible!
…
Meanwhile, on the cross-sea bridge, the battle intensified.
After engaging Zori and Waraji in close combat, Sakura Haruno found her rhythm.
She cast a D-rank genjutsu, dazing both enemies and knocking them out easily.
Inside Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystal, Sasuke Uchiha pretended to be dead while seriously injured.
Naruto, emotions erupting, condensed the Nine-Tails chakra into a fox-headed avatar for the first time.
The overwhelming power easily shattered Bai's magic mirror ice crystal…
...
Author's Note:
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