Chapter 062: Naruto’s Faction Emerges for the First Time

In the early morning, sunlight filtered through the mist and bathed a forest in the Land of Waves. This was an undeveloped woodland behind the headquarters of the Kado Shipping Company. Karin, wrapped in a black cloak, moved agilely among the trees.

"One at two o’clock, one at ten o’clock, another at eight o’clock," she murmured, lightly tapping her feet on the branches. Using her Kagura Mind's Eye, Karin deftly avoided the patrolling rogue ninjas. Unlike Haku, she did not see innate abilities as a twist of fate, but rather as a gift bestowed by heaven.

With her keen senses, the defensive network of Kado Shipping Company seemed nothing more than a sieve riddled with holes, utterly ineffective. "Kado really went all out, hiring so many ninjas. I thought he’d settle for a handful of wanderers," she mused. From beginning to end, she had already bypassed three or four ninja squads working in perfect coordination, each possessing considerable strength.

At last, Karin approached Kado’s building, landing gracefully on a thick branch. “Spirit Machinery Ability: Optical Camouflage, activate!” Fine sand enveloped her, concealing her form.

In the backyard of the base, a blue-haired boy wearing glasses and appearing somewhat timid stood with arms crossed, a long blade slung across his back. Before him, a dozen ninjas wearing Mist Village headbands busied themselves with training. They shifted formations swiftly, moving silently and with remarkable synchronicity.

“That boy must be Chojuro, the prodigy from the Hidden Mist Village. He’s actually here,” Karin thought. “I recall he was a promising candidate for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... His direct superior should be Mei Terumi, right?”

“That woman was previously defeated by Lord Naruto. Instead of losing heart, she sensed the Fire Country’s movements and sent people ahead to prepare for resistance. I wonder if she herself has arrived.” She speculated, “So, Kado is backed by the Land of Water after all.”

Karin moved to another spot, her Kagura Mind’s Eye revealing layers of malice emanating from individuals throughout the area. By observing their movements and positions, she mapped out the entire base, assessed Kado’s personnel and their strength.

She even witnessed Kado and Mei Terumi huddled at a table, discussing matters in low voices. Karin dared not get too close—by Mei’s side was a Mist ninja named Ao, who gave her an ominous feeling. Rumor had it that during the Third Great Ninja War, Ao seized a working Byakugan from the Hyuga clan, and he was still listed on Konoha’s most wanted scroll.

After recording all this intelligence and drawing a detailed map, Karin left Kado’s base, heading to her next destination. All this while, she used her extraordinary perception to monitor the movements of every force in the Land of Waves, focusing especially on the machinations of the Land of Water and the Land of Fire.

She found that both countries interfered in the Land of Waves more deeply than usual; their meddling had intensified tensions to the brink of conflict, with both sides nearly ready for war. Meanwhile, the coastal fishing village—the destination of Naruto’s mission and the site of the cross-sea bridge construction—had ironically become a tranquil haven. Kado’s power there was overwhelming, and with Mei Terumi and her Mist ninjas guarding it, no one dared cause trouble.

“That’s the sum of all intelligence I’ve gathered on the Land of Waves,” Karin whispered, reporting everything to Naruto at a beach near the cross-sea bridge on the Fire Country’s coast.

“Haku has gone to meet our allies. Aki is working to get the Land of Fire and the Land of Water to clash first. If Aki’s efforts fail, our greatest concern will be Mei Terumi. With her protection, Kado will be difficult to eliminate.”

“We’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Naruto replied, gazing at the distant shoreline. “Kado doesn’t matter to us, nor does Mei Terumi. What matters most is that neither are here.”

As dusk fell, Naruto suddenly pointed towards the coast. “They’re here,” he said.

Looking in the indicated direction, a dark silhouette appeared on the horizon—a massive steel body supported by four slender legs. Its back was loaded with supplies, and its legs trod upon the sea. More precisely, the legs stepped not on water, but on thick layers of ice spreading across the surface.

“It’s Haku. He’s brought them,” Naruto said. “The people from Uzushio Village have arrived.”

Indeed, the colossal creature hailed from Uzushio Village. Naruto had not simply maintained the status quo there; he had constructed a small mechanical factory and a grain storage depot, recruiting many Uzumaki clansmen. These facilities, hidden in a secluded valley, were shielded by the Uzumaki clan’s sealing arts and Naruto's spirit machinery camouflage, making them invisible to outsiders—only the farmlands beyond the valley could be seen.

Within the valley, machines thundered day and night, as a handful of Uzumaki workers operated various steam-powered machines and processed food supplies. This was one of the reasons the Uzumaki chose to follow Naruto—he had indeed brought hope for the revival of Uzushio Village.

Yet, having endured the pain of losing their village, the Uzumaki were not as eager or radical as Naruto had anticipated. Memories of countless enemy ninjas joining forces to destroy them made them cautious, unwilling to immediately announce their return. Should a second alliance attack occur, all their efforts would be wasted.

They appreciated Naruto’s prudence. To develop quietly and then astonish the world—that was their desire.

Upon receiving a letter bearing Naruto’s instructions and personal seal, the Uzumaki in the valley quickly began loading goods. Steel construction materials, steam machinery, food, and weaponry were all packed onto the airship. Laden with personnel and cargo, it soared over the sea from Uzushio Village to the waters near the Land of Waves. Then, the giant steam-powered engineering robot, loaded with supplies, was brought to Naruto by Haku.

Standing on the shore, watching as Haku emerged from the cold sea with all these provisions, Naruto smiled with satisfaction. He had spent a long time, cautiously and secretly building this power, to one day put it to use.

Now, with the rare opportunity before him and the resolve to reclaim their nation, this force would finally serve its purpose. First, establish a new power in the Land of Waves strong enough to withstand a joint assault from multiple ninja villages. Then, march to the Land of Whirlpools and restore Uzushio Village.

These were the first steps in Naruto’s grand plan.