Ultimately, after Zabuza signed the IOU, he left with Haku and the Demon Brothers, his three subordinates.
However, their expressions weren't very pleasant as they departed.
If Sasuke had to describe it in one sentence, it would be that they looked like their entire family tree had ascended to heaven.
This was normal; anyone who had to bleed a large sum, giving away their savings all at once, would probably have the same expression.
After Zabuza and his group left, Naruto sat back by the fire, picked up the tea he had brewed earlier, and slowly sipped it.
At this moment, the way Team 7—Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke—looked at Naruto had become somewhat reverent.
This time, it wasn't just reverence for Naruto's strength, but also for his wisdom.
Although Naruto had previously demonstrated an astonishing business talent by establishing the Heavens and Earth Luxury Hot Spring Hotel, which could earn tens of millions of Ryō in profit each year.
But that was, after all, a steady, long-term industry, and there would be significant costs involved, not as direct and shocking as this time.
Earning sixty million Ryō in such a short period; if it were an ordinary Jonin team, even if they worked non-stop throughout the year, doing only high-level missions, risking their lives for their employers, it would still take several years to earn that much money!
And that was still the team's collective property, not belonging to any one individual.
At this moment, they suddenly felt that it wasn't unreasonable for Naruto to despise Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As the saying goes, there's no harm without comparison. Compared to Naruto's easy money-making, Sarutobi Hiruzen's hard work, doing all the dirty and tiring jobs, and still not necessarily earning much money, was really not highly regarded.
"If you, Naruto, were in the Hokage's position, how would you handle the current situation in the Land of Waves?"
Kakashi gave Sasuke and Sakura a simple explanation of the beginning and end of the Land of Waves mission. Although they hadn't been together for long, Sakura had already been taken as a personal disciple by Kakashi, and he trusted her very much, so there was nothing he couldn't say.
After speaking, Kakashi, along with Sasuke and Sakura, stared intently at Naruto.
"That depends on what effect you want to achieve. Is it purely for money? Or purely to expand influence? Or both?"
"For a King's Way approach, you would first find a capable and fully controllable proxy in the Land of Waves to oversee the construction of the bridge, combat crime, develop trade, and collect tolls and taxes, steadily obtaining funds."
"Because it's protection with a justified cause, mutually beneficial, you can also gain the goodwill of the people of the Land of Waves. This way, the ninja village can gradually break free from the financial constraints of the Daimyo and grow stronger. Moreover, because it's done secretly, it's less likely to attract the Daimyo's criticism or interference from other ninja villages."
"If you want to drain the pond to catch the fish, that's also very simple. Have the subordinate ninjas divide into two groups: one to help the civilians of the Land of Waves as the righteous side, and the other to disguise themselves and help Gato as the villains, and have them put on a fake match."
"In order to win, they will naturally keep taking out their savings or treasured possessions to drive both sides of the ninjas to risk their lives. The value created by the people of the Land of Waves will be plundered by both sides of the ninjas in this process."
"The advantage is that you can quickly drain all the savings of both sides, without leaving anything behind. The disadvantage is that it's unsustainable plundering, and because it's a clandestine trick, any accident could expose it."
"But all in all, it's more profitable and slightly more palatable than directly robbing people and then framing others."
"After all, compared to robbery, which makes people unwilling to part with their money and also lose their lives, it's always more profitable to make people voluntarily pay, and to squeeze them more thoroughly."
"Personally, I still prefer the King's Way, using a grand and righteous force to sweep away all Demons and Monsters."
Naruto drank his tea and spoke softly.
After explaining the general idea, he began to give examples of how to carry out the actual operation.
Years of reading, learning, and thinking had given Naruto enough consideration for this world and the people living in it. Kakashi's question was not a difficult problem for him.
But these words, when heard by Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura, felt like a revelation.
Because, in the education they had received, there was no such content. All the knowledge they had learned in their lives was only related to killing.
After all, this was their true profession.
Even Kakashi, with his greater experience and quick wit, couldn't break free from the framework of a ninja to think about the problem.
After a long silence, Kakashi asked, "Naruto, what do you want to do in the future?"
Without waiting for Naruto to give him a perfunctory answer, Kakashi continued, "It definitely isn't a simple goal like traveling around or becoming Hokage, right? If it were those, you wouldn't be thinking about understanding these things."
Sasuke nodded in agreement, looking at Naruto with burning eyes, and said, "Naruto, you said that you wanted to walk around the Ninja World to decide what to do in the future. We've been out here for a while, and we've seen a lot of local customs. You should have some ideas now."
"Tell me the most honest thoughts in your heart. No matter what you do, I will support you!"
Sakura weakly spoke from the side, expressing her presence, and said, "I also want to know what you are thinking, Naruto-kun. Since Sasuke-kun supports you, then I will unconditionally support you too!"
Even now, she still liked Sasuke, but since Sasuke regarded Naruto as a lifeline, she naturally wouldn't miss out.
"What to do..."
Naruto pondered, thinking about the world he had seen in the past week or so.
This included not only what his main body had seen, but also what the Shadow Clones, running in different directions and covering almost the entire Ninja World, had seen.
Just like what he had learned from books and from Kakashi and Jiraiya, this was a world filled with ignorance, backwardness, and madness.
The Daimyo and Nobles constantly exploited and oppressed the common people, indulging in a life of pleasure.
The ninjas constantly created death and tragedy, yet they were tired of it all, wanting to pursue true peace.
The common people numbly endured all of this, laboring day after day like walking corpses, and being exploited.
They wanted to change all of this, but they were like headless flies, their hearts filled with confusion.
In this world, a very few wise and knowledgeable people wanted to change all of this, but they suffered from a lack of power, and in the end, they could only be assimilated by this crazy world, drifting with the tide.
At this time, Naruto thought of himself again.
That unbearable childhood, filled with darkness and coldness, with only a few bright spots.
"If I lived in a society with a high degree of civilization and intelligence like another world, they probably wouldn't be prejudiced against me or even isolate and ignore my existence just because I had a Tailed Beast sealed inside my body."
"Although that world isn't all good either, it's still much better than the world I live in."
"I have enough power, enough knowledge, and I am constantly learning and improving."
"Perhaps I can't create a perfect world like the Infinite Tsukuyomi, without war, without failure, only love, only peace, only victory, but I can always make this world better."
"I want to unify this world. Under great unification, reduce internal strife, eliminate war, and develop productivity, so that this world can become better."
Meeting the fiery gazes of his three companions, Naruto smiled.
"I want world peace!"
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