After the conversation, Naruto left Uzushiogakure with Hōzuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza.
He also entrusted the administration of Uzushiogakure's affairs to Shisui Uchiha, instructing him to consult Uchiha Kagami's son, Homura, on internal matters and the aged Uzumaki patriarch, Ashina, on external affairs. With that, Naruto fully embraced his role as a hands-off leader.
Shisui accepted the responsibility without hesitation. Having played a role in rebuilding the village from the ground up, he had already invested himself in its future.
This was, after all, his long-held wish since stepping onto the path of a ninja.
Lord Mianma's entrustment was a clear display of trust, and Shisui would never betray that trust. He was determined not to let the Uchiha lose the last safe haven they had in the shinobi world.
However, Shisui also realized that Lord Mianma was not without his own ambitions.
Mianma-sama had enemies—chief among them was the masked man responsible for the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, the same figure now manipulating the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. Their shared enemy meant that, for now, their interests aligned.
…
Outside Uzushiogakure, Hōzuki Mangetsu and Zabuza, despite regaining their freedom, felt far from at ease.
Yes, they were technically free, but Naruto trailed them at a distance of twenty or thirty meters, his lackluster attempts at camouflage leaving them unsure whether to call him out or not.
If they did, they risked provoking his wrath and being thrown back into the dungeons of Uzushiogakure. If they didn't, their pride as elite Kirigakure shinobi would be deeply wounded. The indecision gnawed at them like an infestation of Kikaichū insects.
After some internal struggle, the duo opted to maintain the status quo.
Naruto's strength allowed him to act with impunity. Even at its peak, Kirigakure would not have dared to challenge a Kage-level powerhouse like him.
After all, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist boasted of being able to hunt down the Five Kage—but that was under the ideal circumstances of a seven-on-one battle.
In reality, each Kage was typically guarded by high-ranking jōnin, making such assassinations near impossible.
As their ferry departed from the Land of Whirlpools toward the Land of Water, Mangetsu spotted Naruto leaning against the railing, staring out at the ocean with sunglasses perched on his nose. Unable to suppress his frustration, he finally spoke up:
"If Mianma-sama intended to travel to Kirigakure with us, why not say so from the start?"
Naruto turned to face him, exaggeratedly feigning surprise before sighing. "I didn't expect my camouflage to be so weak that you saw through it. As expected of the elite of Kirigakure—the famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen who even dared to assassinate the Mizukage!"
His voice rang out loudly enough for the other passengers to turn and stare.
Under their scrutiny, Mangetsu's face darkened. Did this fool think assassination attempts were something to announce in public? He and Zabuza had indeed planned to eliminate Yagura, but it was meant to be a covert operation—not a blatant declaration in broad daylight.
"Mianma-sama, keep your voice down," Mangetsu muttered urgently, for the first time using an honorific with Naruto. He prided himself on being neither servile nor arrogant, yet in this moment, self-preservation took precedence over dignity.
Naruto smirked triumphantly. "Relax. They can't hear our real conversation. I'm following you two not to spy, but to protect you. More precisely, to safeguard the intelligence you carry."
"…?" Mangetsu's expression tightened. They needed protection?
Naruto's gaze shifted toward the distant storm clouds on the horizon. "Not you personally, but now that you've left Uzushiogakure, you're bound to attract the masked man's attention. We wouldn't want to alert him prematurely."
Mangetsu frowned. "There's no way that man could extend his surveillance all the way to Uzushiogakure. That's thousands of miles from Kirigakure. Unless… you're saying he's monitoring the Uchiha?"
Naruto nodded slightly. "The masked man has indeed been keeping tabs on the Uchiha clan in Uzushiogakure. That's why, the moment you set foot on the island, you were attacked by Shisui and the others and ended up as prisoners."
"And if Shisui hadn't uncovered your plan to assassinate the Mizukage during his genjutsu interrogation, you'd have ended up like the others before you—test subjects for forbidden jutsu experiments."
At that, both Mangetsu and Zabuza felt a chill. Cold words spoken so casually.
Kirigakure's Bloody Mist policy was already cruel, forcing children to kill their classmates to graduate, but this sounded far worse—years of inhuman torment rather than a quick death.
After a brief pause, Naruto continued, "Of course, if you were captured by the masked man instead, you'd be turned into actual vegetables—literal husks of yourselves. Though, on the bright side, you'd gain the ability to control Wood Release at the push of a button."
Mangetsu swallowed hard.
He was beginning to realize that once they returned to Kirigakure, their role in the coup against Yagura would be reduced to mere supporting players. The real battle would be fought by monsters far beyond their reach.
For shinobi like Naruto and the masked man, no amount of scheming could sway their fates.
…
The journey from the Land of Whirlpools to the islands of the Land of Water took two and a half days.
In that time, Mangetsu's impression of Naruto changed from that of an enigmatic and overwhelmingly powerful Kage-level shinobi to… a Kage-level powerhouse who also happened to be a laid-back wanderer obsessed with disguises, food, and sleep.
After all, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would believe that a shinobi so full of technical flaws in stealth could be this strong?
During the trip, under Naruto's direction, they also uncovered a White Zetsu spy floating on the water disguised as driftwood—witnessing firsthand the horrifying transformation of a living person into a mindless husk.
Upon landing in the Land of Water, Mangetsu and Zabuza immediately contacted their allies, only to receive grim news—Hoshigaki Kisame had failed in his attempt to assassinate the Daimyō of the Land of Water.
Their expressions turned grave.
Once, they would have celebrated Kisame's failure, relieved to see a formidable competitor removed from the equation.
But now, knowing that Yagura was merely a puppet controlled by the masked man, they recognized the true threat. If Kisame had been forced to defect, then they were likely next in line.
Had their own assassination plot been orchestrated by the masked man from the start?
Naruto, however, remained indifferent. Kisame's betrayal was inevitable—he had likely already been recruited into Akatsuki under Obito's influence.
After all, the Moon's Eye Plan was designed to entice people like Kisame.
Naruto's purpose in the Land of Water, however, had nothing to do with Kirigakure's politics.
He was here to locate Isobu and Saiken—the Three-Tails and Six-Tails—and extract their chakra.
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, gaining access to the other Tailed Beasts' chakra would grant him their elemental affinities, exponentially increasing his own strength.
At that moment, a strikingly beautiful boy wearing Kirigakure's forehead protector and a kimono appeared before them.
Even from afar, Naruto could sense the intertwining Water and Wind chakra flowing through the boy's body.
There was no doubt about his identity.
This was Haku of the Yuki Clan—Zabuza's adopted protégé.
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