Money Can Make Kakashi Move!
Kaito glanced at Kakashi but didn't reveal his thoughts. After all, this was exactly what he wanted.
It didn't matter whether Kakashi was doing it for money or if he was genuinely moved by Zabuza and Haku's situation. As long as Kakashi agreed, everything would proceed smoothly.
"In that case, let's keep moving, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kaito smiled and suggested they continue their journey. Kakashi had no objections, and the group resumed their path toward the Land of Waves.
"Ah! Why did Mr. Kaito let that ninja go? Wouldn't it have been better to just take him down?"
Naruto, walking behind the team, looked at Kaito and muttered.
Since they had been too far away earlier, Naruto and the others hadn't overheard Kaito's conversation with Zabuza. They had no idea that the two had come to an agreement.
"It's not as simple as you think," Kakashi said, his visible eye narrowing. "Zabuza is a Jōnin—a member of the Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Even I can't say for sure that I could stop him if he went all out."
"If he went berserk, he could have wiped all of you out without hesitation."
"Kaito let him go because he was thinking about your safety."
Hearing Kakashi's explanation, Naruto lowered his head in frustration.
He had assumed Kaito's decision was reckless, but now he saw it in a different light.
Sasuke and Sakura, standing nearby, also felt a bit ashamed and silently thanked Kaito for making the decision that had likely saved their lives.
Meanwhile, Kaito sighed internally as he processed Kakashi's words.
So this is how it is, huh?
Kakashi framed the whole deal as an act of selflessness, saying it was for everyone's safety…
Sure enough, money really does make the world go round. Even someone like Kakashi couldn't resist a fortune and ended up justifying it in the most righteous way possible.
The truth was clear—if you had enough to offer, you could make people move. If they refused, then you simply weren't offering enough.
If Kakashi could hear Kaito's thoughts, he'd probably roll his eyes and explain just how absurdly massive two billion ryo was.
For context, even Sarutobi Asuma's bounty on the black market was only 35 million ryo.
Two billion ryo meant an equivalent of 57 Asuma-level bounties—a number that was downright terrifying.
With the deal settled, Kaito and his group continued their journey without further trouble, eventually arriving at Tazuna's home.
As they entered, Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, rushed to greet them.
Just as Kakashi and the others sat down, a young boy ran out of a side room. It was Tazuna's grandson—Inari.
"Mom, these guys are going to die! Against Gato, they don't stand a chance!"
Hearing Inari's words, Naruto, who had been listening from the side, suddenly froze. He stood up, pointed at Inari, and said loudly,
"Hey, kid! What do you even know? Listen up! I'm going to be Hokage one day, and I don't care about some lowlife like Gato! I won't back down from someone like him!"
Although Naruto was aware of the flaws within the Hidden Leaf Village's leadership, especially regarding the Third Hokage's controversial decisions, his dream of becoming Hokage never wavered.
Hearing Inari's hopeless attitude, Naruto felt a surge of frustration.
"You act like you've already given up!" he snapped.
Inari lowered his head and muttered, "You're an idiot... If you don't want to die, just leave!"
He clenched his fists. "You don't stand a chance against Gato! He'll kill you all!"
After saying this, Inari turned to leave. Naruto, angered by Inari's words, was about to lash out when Sakura quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.
Meanwhile, another figure—Kaito—scoffed at Inari's words.
"Gato? Hah. That scum isn't even guaranteed to see the sunrise tomorrow," Kaito muttered under his breath, his eyes flashing coldly.
But what truly disgusted him was Inari's attitude.
"Like grandfather, like grandson," he thought bitterly. In the original events, this kid had the same miserable, hopeless look. And now, seeing it in real life, it was even more irritating.
When he was younger, this same Inari had let himself be bullied, had let his dog get thrown into the water, and instead of doing anything about it, he just stood there trembling. It took someone else kicking him in before he even tried to save it.
"A coward through and through," Kaito thought. "And yet, here he is, talking like that to others."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"People like this... they don't deserve to be here."