Chapter 059 The Ambition to Steal a Nation

Lately, for reasons unknown, the noble clans across the Land of Fire had suddenly begun assigning an influx of missions to Konoha. As a result, squads just returning from out-of-village assignments barely had time to rest before being summoned back for new commissions. It wasn't only Naruto's team; even the Ino-Shika-Cho trio from their year, as well as Hinata's reconnaissance unit, had all been assigned C-ranked missions.

Naruto noticed that these C-ranked tasks seemed to revolve around the Land of Hot Water or small towns near the eastern seaboard of the Land of Fire, and all of them involved escorting people or supplies. During his spare moments, Naruto marked the mission locations and the people and regions indirectly involved on a map, and discovered a curious pattern.

"The Land of Waves—it’s the true destination behind all these missions. How interesting," Naruto mused, stroking his chin as he studied the map.

Aqing was nearby, tidying up scattered equipment, while Hinata stood at Naruto's side, gazing at the map with him.

"Hinata, I heard your Hyuga clan has ties with some noble families in the Land of Fire, and your uncle Hizashi was even sent by the village to act as a liaison at the daimyo's castle. Do you know what the Land of Fire is plotting?" Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded. "I know a bit. Not long ago, when Uncle returned, he held a meeting with Father and the clan elders. They called Neji and me in to listen."

Hinata seemed not to understand why she had been summoned, but Naruto guessed it was to nurture her political acumen and strategic insight. Was the Hyuga clan preparing to raise a female clan head?

Back to the matter at hand: when Hizashi conversed with the daimyo’s close retainers, he had managed to gather some intelligence. The daimyo of the Land of Fire was indeed greatly interested in the Land of Waves and had been strengthening ties with it recently.

The Land of Waves was a small island nation wedged between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, possessing a particularly strategic location on the eastern edge of the ninja continent. The Land of Water, an archipelago state plagued by intense security anxiety, had always pursued an isolationist policy to stave off outside influence. Within Kirigakure, the village that monopolized the Land of Water’s military might and security, there were many ninja—such as Mei Terumi—who advocated a more proactive defense.

These ninja argued for preemptive measures, wishing above all to keep the Land of Fire’s influence confined to the mainland, thereby ensuring the Land of Water’s safety.

Against this backdrop, the daimyo of the Land of Fire had long coveted the Land of Waves. He was eager to seize control of it and secure an unblocked maritime trade route, free from the Land of Water’s embargo, to gain additional revenues. Rumor had it these funds would be used to establish a ninja force directly loyal to the daimyo, thus freeing him from dependence on Konoha’s shinobi.

Naturally, the Land of Water would not simply sit by and watch.

"So, this so-called shipping magnate, Gato, is actually an agent of the Land of Water?" Naruto wondered aloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

He had long since noticed that there was something odd about Gato, a figure who—armed with little more than a handful of thugs and a few desperate, masterless ninja—had managed to lock down the entire Land of Waves. Where was the daimyo? Where were the noble clans? Where were their samurai and foot soldiers? Surely the cost to hire ninja wasn't so high—a single merchant could afford to retain them, yet an entire country could not?

Naruto simply could not believe Gato operated without backing from a greater power.

Hinata shook her head. "I don’t know. There’s no direct evidence."

But evidence was hardly necessary in this shadowy world; suspicion and conjecture alone could accomplish much.

"In that case, the Land of Fire’s actions toward the Land of Waves make sense," Naruto concluded.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire would never relinquish his ambitions for the Land of Waves easily. If necessary, he could resort to even more covert means, such as supporting proxies within the Land of Waves to seize control. Whatever Gato’s true allegiance, he certainly wasn’t working for the Land of Fire. With Gato occupying that niche, the noble clans would surely scheme to eliminate him.

From the look of things, even the daimyo of the Land of Waves had chosen to cooperate with the Land of Fire, hoping to use its power to rid themselves of Gato and reclaim their authority.

The present situation was a tangled web indeed, and the future of the Land of Waves hung in the balance.

"But what I’m really curious about is how the common people of the Land of Waves will choose," Naruto said. "Whenever great nations clash, it’s always the ordinary folk who suffer most. Do they even want to change their fate?"

"They do," Hinata replied. "There’s a coastal fishing village where someone remarkable was born."

"Tazuna, a master bridge builder renowned throughout the ninja world. He led his fellow villagers in constructing a great bridge across the sea."

"Perhaps, in their eyes, breaking the Land of Waves’ isolation would mean an end to Gato’s blockade and a brighter future."

Naruto could only sigh at their naivety.

If Gato wasn’t eliminated, he could simply seize the bridge for himself once it was finished—the people of the Land of Waves were powerless to resist him. And even if Gato was overthrown, that didn’t guarantee a better future; for all they knew, someone else would rise to take his place and rob them of the fruits of their labor.

"Hinata, when you go home, could you deliver a message to Uncle Hiashi for me?" Naruto asked.

"Tell him I’m about to cook up something big, but my appetite isn’t what it used to be—maybe he’s interested in sharing the feast. Oh, and don’t forget to invite Shino and Kiba; I think they’d be interested too."

"Alright~" Hinata replied in her characteristically soft and gentle voice.

She didn’t know exactly what Naruto was planning, but she could tell he was interested in the Land of Waves. She didn’t ask further—she believed that, whatever happened, her beloved would achieve whatever he set his heart on.

After Hinata left, Naruto wrote a letter and handed it to Aqing.

"Aqing, deliver this to Kabuto Yakushi."

"Yes."

A few more days passed.

That day, two new visitors arrived at Naruto’s laboratory.

"Lord Naruto, it’s been too long—we’ve missed you dearly, but now, at last, we meet again. From today onward, the two of us are finally at your service."

A black-haired, beautiful "girl" bowed before Naruto.

Upon seeing this "girl," Aqing was suddenly gripped by an unprecedented sense of crisis.

This is bad—this one’s just like me!

Was this newcomer threatening her standing in Naruto’s esteem?

Aqing became extremely wary, quietly edging closer to Naruto.

Off to the side, a girl with long, vivid red hair watched the scene and burst out laughing.

"Haku, I told you before you should dress more like a man, but you never listen. See, now you’ve managed to scare off the competition."

The black-haired "girl" straightened, eyes lowered, retorting, "And aren’t you the same, Karin? You always dress so unladylike—if it weren’t for your hair, no one would think you’re a girl at all."