I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Zabuza was also a little stunned, but he still nodded. The better he performed in the Land of Whirlpools, the more he could help Hozuki Mangetsu compete for the position of the Fifth Mizukage.

Once Hozuki Mangetsu becomes the Mizukage, they will be able to emulate the model of the Land of Whirlpools and allow Kirigakure to develop as well.

After all, the Land of Whirlpools was the most harmonious and ideal village he had ever seen, and it even planned to implement a nine-year ninja education program, which amazed him, who had undergone a graduation chicken dinner test.

After the high-level meeting ended, Naruto left the Uzumaki Building and headed towards the Uzumaki Shrine.

After discussing the Pure Land with the old clan chief last time, the old clan chief also had some ideas about the Pure Land. So, during this period, he always stayed near the Uzumaki Shrine to see how the old clan chief was progressing.

As Naruto was passing by the street, he was about to buy something to feed the fox when Kurama (the Nine-Tails) spoke up:

“Naruto, have you been slacking off lately? You don’t need to focus your energy on managing Uzushio Village. As long as you find the Jinchuriki and meet with them, I can give you their power.”

Naruto glanced at Kurama: "Are the other tailed beasts so easy to find? Do you expect me to actively seek out the Jinchuriki and defeat them? What's the difference between doing that and the Akatsuki? I'd become the enemy of the ninja world."

Kurama was somewhat speechless. Naruto's words made a lot of sense; doing so would indeed make him an enemy of the ninja world.

However, its purpose was not to find other tailed beasts, but to prevent Naruto from exploring the Pure Land. Although he did not know what was inside the Pure Land, he instinctively resisted that place.

It's as if even it dies after going to the Pure Land, even though the Pure Land itself is a place for the dead...

Naruto noticed Kurama's unease and said with a smile, "If I sense danger, I will abandon the exploration of the Pure Land. Besides, the experiment has only just been initiated, and we don't know when the formal exploration will begin."

"So, Kurama, you can rest assured, there will be no danger."

Kurama nodded, then frowned and said, "Naruto, how did you guess my thoughts? The ability to sense good and evil is clearly mine!"

"This shows that we understand each other..."

Nine-Tailed Fox said disdainfully, "Get lost, I don't understand men's thoughts."

While Kurama and Naruto were teasing each other, Minato Namikaze was with the Three-Tails. Kurama's chakra made him irritable, but the Three-Tails' chakra brought him peace.

As for Naruto's decision to wage war against the Land of Waves, he didn't have any other thoughts.

He is a ninja who prioritizes Konoha and his family. He cares about the interests of Konoha and the safety of his family. Naruto's initiative to make excuses made him feel quite relieved, which is more in line with the style of a village leader.

Naruto replied casually, but his gaze was fixed on the Uzushio Village building.

Although he said he wouldn't participate in the Land of Waves' operations, he didn't trust Shisui and the others. On one hand, the ninja village had just been established, making it the easiest time for betrayal to occur. On the other hand, he was worried about the Akatsuki's interference.

Aside from him, the other ninjas in the village didn't have strong sensory abilities and found it difficult to detect the White Zetsu's pursuit.

If Shisui were to be attacked by Obito or several Akatsuki members, he would likely be in grave danger. By secretly following behind, he might gain some unexpected benefits.

If I could happen to encounter a Jinchūriki like the Six-Tails or the Eight-Tails, that would be even better.

Chapter 134 The Land of Waves and Kado

The Land of Waves is similar to the Land of Whirlpools, being a small, isolated island.

The difference is that the Land of Waves is a country that even the ninja villages cannot support. It was occupied by Gato's transoceanic company and turned into a transit point for smuggling and selling contraband.

The residents were impoverished and could barely make a living by fishing.

Upon landing in the Land of Waves, Zabuza and Haku didn't have many thoughts about the emaciated civilians along the coastline, but Shisui, who was born into the Uchiha clan and grew up in Konoha, frowned.

The living standards of ordinary people here are so low that it's hard to imagine that this is the territory of the wealthy tycoon, Kado.

Zabuza noticed Shisui's gaze and said unsurprisedly, "Lord Shisui, the common people here are actually doing quite well. I've seen far worse people in the Land of Water; I've even witnessed cannibalism in refugee camps..."

"I see." Shisui nodded, his expression becoming much more serious.

Zabuza chuckled and said in an exaggerated tone, "If it weren't for the pressure of life, who would want to start a war? We're all forced into it; we can't survive without taking the enemy's resources."

Shisui glanced at Zabuza: "I didn't expect you to know so much."

"Of course, I was born in the Village of Blood Mist. The year I graduated, I wiped out all my classmates and forced the higher-ups to change the brutal graduation exam. I just never expected that the high and mighty Mizukage would be nothing more than a puppet being manipulated."

After a pause, Zabuza said with some emotion, "It seems that Kirigakure can never escape the fate of being a puppet."

Hearing this, Haku nudged Zabuza's shoulder, and the latter, realizing what was happening, quickly said, "Lord Shisui, I didn't mean to offend Lord Menma. If Lord Menma can make Kirigakure live like Uzushio Village, then he is a god in my heart, and betraying the village is naturally not a big deal."

Shisui did not refute Zabuza; he had similar thoughts, which was why he chose to follow Naruto.

Otherwise, they would have long ago led their clansmen into hiding and disappearing from the sight of the ninja village.

While chatting, Shisui and Zabuza walked towards the island and soon found the headquarters of the Gato Company. The luxurious buildings stood in stark contrast to the shantytown next to them.

After knocking out the guards, Shisui and the others used their transformation techniques and swaggered towards Gato's villa.

At this moment, Gato was carrying two beautiful women toward the bedroom when he was startled by the sudden appearance of Shisui and Zabuza. Zabuza even held his Executioner's Blade directly to Gato's neck.

Feeling the sharp edge of the blade, Kado was terrified and forcibly stopped cursing. He forced a smile and said, "If you ninja gentlemen want to visit, you can submit an invitation. There's no need for fighting."

Shisui ignored Gato, his gaze sweeping over the villa's decor, wary of any ninjas possibly lurking in the shadows.

A wealthy businessman like Gato might not be able to afford a Kage-level ninja as a bodyguard, but hiring Jonin would be more than enough for him. He's not afraid of ordinary Jonin, but he wants to make his mission record look better.

Zabuza snorted coldly, and was about to threaten Gato when Shisui frowned and said, "Zabuza, the situation has changed. Let's take Gato away and leave this place first."

Zabuza's expression changed slightly, but he still knocked Gato unconscious, put him in a sack, and took him out of the company's premises.

Hidden in the grove of trees by the shore, Zabuza hurriedly asked, "Lord Shisui, have you made any new discoveries? Should we still kill Gato?"

Shisui didn't speak. After untying the sack, he used his Sharingan genjutsu on Gato: "Are you the wealthy Gato?"

Kado shook his head: "I am not Lord Kado, I am just Lord Kado's substitute."

Upon hearing this, Zabuza and Byakumo were surprised. On one hand, they were amazed by the usefulness of the Sharingan's genjutsu, and on the other hand, they were surprised that the person they had captured was an imposter. So where was the real Gato?

Shisui then asked, "Do you know where Kado is? Does anyone else know?"

The substitute also shook his head; he didn't know Kado's exact location either. This made Shisui's expression serious, and he fell into deep thought.

If they can't find Kado in time, their mission will be a failure. And he's not just worried about Kado's forces, but also about whether other forces are involved.

Shisui's hesitation prompted Bai to ask anxiously, "Lord Shisui, what should we do next? Should we notify Lord Menma, or continue with the mission?"

"There's no need to trouble Master Menma with such a small matter. Let's send the Stand back first, then erase the memories of the relevant personnel. Gato will contact the Stand sooner or later."

Shisui explained his solution and immediately began to take action.

However, what Shisui didn't notice was that everything they did was recorded by White Zetsu and was being played back in its entirety in the form of ninjutsu in a secret room.

……

"These damned wandering ninjas dared to lay a hand on me!"

Kado smashed the expensive red wine, letting the crimson liquid soak into the animal skin carpet. He then looked at Obito, who was wearing a tiger-skin mask to conceal his true identity, and slowly said, "Is this why you brought me here... just because of an attack by a group of wandering ninjas?"

Obito said expressionlessly, "Isn't that enough? They have the power to kill you."

Kado snorted coldly, then stared intently at Obito:

"How can you guarantee that you're not in cahoots with them? I've used this tactic of threatening first and then cooperating countless times when I was starting out. You ninjas just want to sell yourselves for a good price. Otherwise, why would any ninjas attack me for no reason? I haven't provoked any ninjas."

"Who said you didn't provoke them? Didn't you send wandering ninjas to attack the Land of Whirlpools a week ago?"

"So what? The Land of Whirlpools has long been destroyed. Aren't the ninjas there all like stray dogs? Why would they attack me?"

Obito shook his head slightly, walked to Gato's side, and said in a low voice, "Just a few months ago, Uzushio Village was established, and it was Uzushio Village ninjas who attacked you? You didn't even know you had provoked a ninja village. You are incredibly stupid."

Upon hearing that he had offended a ninja village, Gato's tone softened considerably: "What is a newly established ninja village? The five great ninja villages can't do anything to me. Do they dare to attack me? Aren't their daimyo worried?"

"The daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools is the leader of Whirlpool Village, and they have their eyes on your wealth."

After hearing Obito's analysis, Gato's expression became extremely solemn. He then stared coldly at Obito and said, "You've got your eye on my wealth? But since you're here, you should be able to resolve this for me."

Chapter 135 The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is the leader of Uzushio Village?!

He was a wealthy man who monopolized the country's maritime trade and whose wealth ranked among the top in the ninja world.

Kado was no fool. The mysterious ninja had brought him to this secret room, and there was only one other possibility besides that he was being tricked out of his money.

The other party and the ninja who attacked him were competitors, or even enemies.

With this in mind, Gato regained his president-like demeanor, and his gaze toward Obito became subtle as he pondered how to gain an advantage and regain control of the situation.

After all, what he feared most were desperate criminals with no desires or ambitions, who were impossible to control.

Obito clearly saw Gato's change in expression, but he did not expose Gato's thoughts. He was not after money or status; he simply wanted to make the ninja world more chaotic.

After the Fourth Mizukage broke free from the genjutsu control, he secretly went to Kirigakure several times, and the results of his observations left him somewhat disappointed.

The fact that the leader of the Land of Whirlpools didn't kill Yagura Karatachi and support a new Mizukage to take over meant that the previously chaotic Kirigakure gradually returned to order, which was not in the Akatsuki's interest at all.

So after leaving Kirigakure, he kept looking for an opportunity to create chaos, and eventually set his sights on Gato.

Gato is the de facto ruler of the Land of Waves, but he doesn't have many powerful ninjas around him. Even if he uses genjutsu to exert influence, it won't be noticed by those around him. However, considering that genjutsu might be seen through, he simply shows himself to guide Gato.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Obito slowly said, "I have two suggestions for you. First, surrender to the Land of Whirlpools and hand over all your property to them. Perhaps the leader there will forgive your offense."

“You know this is impossible!” Kado rejected the proposal outright.

"Then you can only seek help from the five great ninja villages, but Sunagakure and Iwagakure are far away, and Kirigakure is in cahoots with Uzushiogakure. You can only choose between Kumogakure and Konoha. I recommend Konoha more."

"Why Konoha of all places?" Gato stared directly into Obito's eyes. "Are you a ninja from Konoha?"

"You can think of it that way. I do have some connection with Konoha, serving under a high-ranking official there. However, the most crucial point is that these ninja from the Land of Whirlpools are rogue ninja that Konoha is currently hunting down."

Kado sneered and said, "As expected, it was a conspiracy by you ninjas. All you do is fight and kill, and you only know how to plunder the property of us businessmen. You are just a bunch of hyenas that smell blood."

"Say what you will, weakness is your original sin. And Mr. Gato's rise to power wasn't much cleaner than that of ninjas, was it? Do you even know how many people you've killed over the years?"

Kado's smile gradually froze, and he said in a low voice, "I will send someone to Konoha to deliver the commission. You kill those ninjas who broke into my house first, and I will pay you part of the reward."

"My only task is to protect your safety; everything else must wait until the assignment is given."

After saying that, Obito tossed a sample request to Gato, who frowned and said, "You guys are really thoughtful. After issuing this request, how long will it take you to send other people to provide support?"

"Don't worry, we've already prepared..."

After saying this, Obito vanished in an instant, leaving only Gato with a grim expression.

He originally thought that after his business had reached this point, he would no longer have to be mindful of anyone's feelings, and even the daimyo of various countries would treat him with deference. But today, he was almost threatened with his life by two groups of ninjas.

He will not forget today's humiliation and will make those ninjas pay the price sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Gato turned on the switch on the bookshelf, picked up the phone and dialed his confidant: "This is President Gato. Help me contact the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and while you're at it, find a suitable rogue ninja on the black market. I need him."

"Suppressing the rebellion of the Land of Waves?"

"No, no, no, I need someone to protect me. There's a famous mercenary organization called Akatsuki on the black market lately. I'll hire them. It's no big deal to spend a little more money. I want to teach those ninjas a lesson."