After the conversation, Naruto left Uzushiogakure together with Mangetsu Hōzuki and Zabuza Momochi.
Before departing, he dumped all the big and small matters of the village onto Shisui Uchiha.
"For internal affairs, consult Fugaku Uchiha. For foreign matters, ask old man Ashina Uzumaki. If anything explodes, handle it."
With that, he shamelessly became a full-time hands-off shopkeeper.
Shisui didn't resist.
He had personally helped build the village from ruins. Watching it grow stronger day by day was already his lifelong wish.
Menma's trust meant everything.
He would not let the Uchiha lose their last foothold in the ninja world.
Still… Shisui wasn't naïve.
Menma had desires too.
He had enemies.
The masked man who orchestrated the Nine-Tails incident.
The same masked man now likely manipulating the Fourth Mizukage.
And coincidentally… Shisui's own enemy was that same bastard.
Fate really had a twisted sense of humor.
Outside the Land of Whirlpools
Mangetsu and Zabuza had regained their "freedom."
But neither of them felt particularly free.
Because Naruto was trailing behind them.
At a distance of roughly thirty meters.
Without even trying to hide properly.
The camouflage was so bad it felt intentional.
They debated whether to expose him.
If they did, he might get annoyed and toss them back into Uzushiogakure's prison.
If they didn't, it felt like an insult to their professional dignity as elite ninja.
Being tracked this obviously was like ants crawling all over their skin.
After a long internal struggle, they chose silence.
After all—
When someone has overwhelming strength, they can do whatever the hell they want.
Even Kirigakure in its prime wouldn't casually provoke a Kage-level powerhouse.
Sure, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen once bragged about hunting Kage.
But that was seven versus one.
In reality, every Kage had elite jōnin guards. Assassinating one wasn't some tavern fantasy.
On the Ferry to the Land of Water
Standing on the deck, Naruto wore sunglasses and stared dramatically at the ocean like a bored movie star.
Mangetsu walked over.
"If you intended to accompany us to Kirigakure, why not say so directly?"
Naruto turned slowly, exaggeratedly shocked.
"I didn't expect my disguise skills to be so poor that you'd discover me. As expected of Kirigakure elites who dared to assassinate the Mizukage—"
He said it loudly.
Very loudly.
Passengers began staring.
Mangetsu's face darkened instantly.
Was this idiot trying to get them arrested mid-journey?
"Lord Menma," Mangetsu said stiffly, lowering his voice, "please keep it down."
It was the first time he'd used an honorific so sincerely.
His dignity was bleeding out.
Naruto grinned.
"Relax. They can't hear us. Sound barrier."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"I followed you to protect you."
Mangetsu blinked.
"Protect… us?"
"To be precise," Naruto corrected casually, "I'm protecting the information inside your heads."
He glanced at the dark clouds rolling over the distant sea.
"The moment you leave the Land of Whirlpools, the masked man will notice. I'm here to prevent him from silencing you."
Mangetsu frowned.
"You think his surveillance reaches that far?"
Naruto nodded.
"He's been monitoring the Uchiha in Uzushiogakure. The moment you landed on that island, you were already watched."
He added calmly:
"If Shisui hadn't found your assassination memories useful, you'd have been experimental material by now."
Mangetsu and Zabuza felt a chill.
"Experimental material?"
Naruto shrugged.
"White Zetsu clones don't grow on trees."
Pause.
"Well. Actually, they kind of do."
He continued lightly:
"If the masked man caught you, you'd likely become literal vegetables. Brain wiped. Body preserved. Maybe even modified to use Wood Release with one click."
"One click?" Mangetsu swallowed.
That sounded horrifyingly convenient.
He suddenly realized something.
When they returned to Kirigakure, this would no longer be a simple assassination plot.
It would be a battlefield for monsters.
Kage-level monsters.
People like Menma.
People like the masked man.
In games between such beings, ordinary ninja were just… pieces.
Two and a Half Days Later
It took two and a half days to reach the islands of the Land of Water.
During that time, Mangetsu's impression of Naruto evolved dramatically.
From mysterious Kage-level powerhouse—
To Kage-level powerhouse who enjoyed eating, sleeping, messing around, and pretending to be an idiot.
If he hadn't witnessed Naruto's strength firsthand, he'd never believe someone this full of flaws could crush them effortlessly.
Under Naruto's guidance, they also discovered several White Zetsu disguised as floating driftwood.
Mangetsu personally watched Naruto turn one into an actual corpse-vegetable.
He decided never to underestimate sunglasses again.
After Landing
Mangetsu and Zabuza contacted their subordinates.
The news they received made their expressions sink.
Kisame Hoshigaki had attempted to assassinate the Daimyō of the Land of Water.
He failed.
And defected.
In the past, they might've celebrated losing a rival.
Now?
They understood.
If the Fourth Mizukage was being manipulated, then Kisame had likely been pushed into this situation deliberately.
A purge.
A setup.
A forced defection.
Their previous assassination plan might have been guided by that masked bastard from the beginning.
Naruto, however, remained calm.
He knew the truth.
Kisame had almost certainly received orders from Obito.
And by now, he was probably being recruited into the Akatsuki.
After all—
The Moon's Eye Plan sounded extremely tempting to someone like Kisame.
Naruto's purpose here was clear:
Contact the Three-Tails.
Contact the Six-Tails.
Collect their chakra.
As the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, once he gathered other tailed beast chakra, he could replicate their elemental attributes.
His strength would skyrocket.
At that moment—
A beautiful youth wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector and a kimono appeared in the distance.
Even from afar, Naruto sensed the intertwined chakra of water and wind within the boy's body.
There was no need to guess.
Zabuza's adopted orphan.
A survivor of the Yuki Clan.
Haku.
And judging from Zabuza's subtle shift in breathing—
Things were about to get emotional.
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