Naruto and Karin walked at the back of the group.
"Seems like there aren't any extra ninjas around," Karin said as she stood on her toes, peering curiously at the surroundings.
The docks were manned only by two ninja squads tasked with maintaining order and conducting regular patrols.
There were no additional ninjas assembled specifically for them, which left her a bit surprised.
Naruto was now an incredibly formidable warrior after all.
Usually, his mere presence at the border of the Land of Fire would cause neighboring smaller nations and their villages to instantly become alert and serious, some even preparing for battle.
Yet Kirigakure seemed to have made no such preparations?
"We're merely tourists," Naruto said quietly, walking ahead. "Kirigakure is still one of the five great villages and must be confident in their strength."
Karin followed closely, only perplexed by Kirigakure's attitude; less attention from ninjas was better for a carefree journey.
Their travel had a clear goal this time: heading directly to Kirigakure Village without pause.
Upon nearing the village, they stopped in their tracks.
"Maybe I spoke too soon," Karin whispered, her eyes fixed ahead. "They didn't skip preparations; they've just taken a different approach."
At the village gate stood a female ninja with long chestnut red hair, wearing a strapless gown.
Beside her was a male ninja with stern features, special "seal" earrings hanging from his ears, and his right eye tightly covered with an eyepatch. This was Ao, the head of Kirigakure's ANBU.
Beneath his eyepatch lay the sole Hyuga Byakugan outside the clan.
Even from a kilometer away, he could spot Naruto.
"Lady Mei Terumi," Ao began, his voice heavy, "Uzumaki Naruto is here."
Mei asked, "What does he seem like?"
The Byakugan had the power to see through a person's chakra, giving a clear indication of their strength.
Swallowing hard, Ao's throat tightened just from observing Naruto's presence. "His chakra is as immense as a tailed beast's, shining like the sun," he managed to reply.
His sentence was abruptly cut off.
His right ear charm's self-protection mechanism suddenly activated, twisting and swelling, grasping onto his eyepatch, but in the next moment it shattered with a crisp crack.
Ao quickly turned his head, diverting his gaze and covering his right eye, as traces of fresh blood seeped through his fingers.
"Ao!" Mei Terumi was startled, rapidly withdrawing her hands as she mobilized her chakra.
"Lady Mei, the Byakugan is fine!" Ao quickly interjected, "It's my insight that's been detected by Naruto Uzumaki."
Mei restrained her chakra.
"Is this how Kirigakure welcomes its visitors?" In that moment, a blond figure, accompanied by red hair, flashed before them, speaking in a gentle tone.
Mei Terumi and Naruto exchanged glances. She smiled and said, "You're not just an ordinary traveler."
"I apologize on Ao's behalf," Naruto said, "This guy tends to rely too much on his abilities and used them subconsciously."
Naruto nodded with a polite smile in response, "Thank you for the welcome."
He was about to step into the village.
"Wait," Mei called out.
Naruto turned to look at her.
"Instead of you two wandering the village alone, how about a guide?" Mei slightly bowed, her demeanor sincere. "Regardless of your purpose, wouldn't it be more convenient to directly communicate with Kirigakure?"
Over the past six months, Naruto had grown significantly taller, now only half a head shorter than Mei Terumi.
His expression remained calm, "Of course, I have no problem with that. But I wonder, what is your position in Kirigakure?"
"You could say I'm the Acting Mizukage," Mei thought for a moment before replying.
She was currently the village leader, handling all matters big and small.
However, in strict terms, she was not yet the "Mizukage."
The current leader of Kirigakure was actually the elder, "Genji." Without his approval, even possessing the powers of a "shadow," she could not be called the "Mizukage."
"A shadow?" Naruto scrutinized her, "Does the shadow of Kirigakure have so much free time?"
Mei shook her head, "There are many in the village who can handle administrative tasks."
"But to be your guide, not just anyone can manage that," she added.
Naruto agreed, "Then, I'll leave the next period to your guidance."
"Young Naruto, pleased to work with you," Mei smiled brightly, her demeanor spirited.
Karin glanced at her and then looked down at herself, her gaze ending at her shoes.
This made her click her tongue.
Mei seemed to hear this and smiled even more brightly.
Naruto watched as Ao apologized to him, expressing gratitude before disappearing in a flash.
Mei Terumi then led them into the village.
Compared to the bustling prosperity of Konoha, Kirigakure seemed quite lacking, even when compared to some thriving towns in the Land of Fire.
"This village has gone through very difficult times," Mei explained, "It has only begun to recover over the last few years."
"Still, it can't quite compare to the countries on the mainland," she added.
"For a village like ours, Naruto, can you tell me the purpose of your visit?"
Naruto looked at her and, while accepting a local snack Karin had bought from a nearby stall, nodded slightly. "I wanted to see what Kirigakure and the Land of Water are like, and how they differ from the Land of Fire and Konoha."
"I also wish to ask something from Kirigakure."
Mei's heart skipped a beat, her expression involuntarily turning serious.
It was clear he had ulterior motives.
But what exactly did he want?
After a moment of silence, Mei smiled slightly and remarked, "I've been thinking hard about what Kirigakure could possibly offer that might interest you."
Kirigakure was once very powerful, boasting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and two Jinchuriki.
One of the Jinchuriki, the Six Tails, had defected and disappeared without a trace.
The Three Tails, on the other hand, could still somewhat be considered under the village's control, though the vacancy for its Jinchuriki had never been filled.
Currently, Kirigakure was the weakest of the "Five Great Nations."
However, the Land of Water's geographical isolation, surrounded by seas, provided natural defenses that kept it safe from invasions.
Otherwise, it might have already been attacked and consumed by the other four nations.
"About twenty years ago, the Land of Whirlpool was destroyed overnight," Naruto continued with a smile, "Was Kirigakure involved?"
Mei evaluated Naruto and nodded slightly, "Yes, that did happen."
At that time, she was around the same age as Naruto was now, a firsthand witness to those events.
But what was the point of bringing this up?
"I believe Kirigakure should return what once belonged to the Land of Whirlpool to me, as a descendant of the Uzumaki clan," Naruto proposed, his tone even. "What do you think?"
Mei felt a weight lift from her chest. "You're here for what belonged to the Land of Whirlpool?"
"Then I'll have someone start the preparations," she replied.
She left in a flash and returned just as quickly.
Without mentioning the outcome of the previous matter, she continued to lead Karin and Naruto on a tour of Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage's building, in a meeting room, five jounin sat down.
In the center was an elderly man, completely bald with only a few teeth left.
"Lady Mei Terumi has sent news," Ao began, sharing the latest intelligence. "The purpose of Naruto Uzumaki is to obtain something from the Uzumaki family through us."
A jounin frowned, "Is he demanding it rather than offering to trade?"
"Have Mei negotiate some kind of deal with him!" another older jounin spoke with determination. "He expects to take without giving anything in return."
Their words were interrupted, "Don't forget, his name is Naruto Uzumaki."
He emphasized the surname once more, "His surname is Uzumaki."
The idea that an Uzumaki asking for Uzumaki property was quite a justified matter.
"Let Mei find an opportunity to spar with him," someone suggested thoughtfully. "Test his strength a bit."
"If he's truly as strong as the rumors, befriending a strong ally isn't a bad idea."
"And if his strength is average, then..."
This earned nods of agreement from several people.
If strong, they would ally; if weak, they'd disregard him.
Ao shook his head, "I do not agree."
The other jounin looked at him in surprise.
"You've never interacted with Naruto Uzumaki," Ao's tone was grave. "What you see as a test he might view as provocation."
"If Lady Mei Terumi can defeat him, that would be great, but if she can't, he won't consider it mere sparring, and the results might be beyond our control."
Some frowned, others sneered.
Ao lifted his hand, placing it on his eyepatch, "I welcomed Naruto Uzumaki at the village gate alongside Lady Mei Terumi."
"I just used the Byakugan to see his chakra, and he retaliated, injuring my eye."
"A strong person has the dignity of a strong person."
Silence fell among the other jounin.
"Master Yuan, what do you think?" A Jonin cautiously asked, looking at the elderly man seated at the head of the table.
The old man with a serpent-shaped wooden staff spoke in a frail voice, "Let Mei Terumi decide."
"She is the one who will lead the village in the future."
"We've never had any dealings with Naruto Uzumaki, so instead of making a rash decision, it's better to trust her judgment."
Ao stood up, "Master Yuan, I will prepare the items that Naruto Uzumaki has requested."
Yuan nodded.
An hour later.
Mei Terumi had just finished showing Naruto and Karin around the Kirigakure ninja academy.
An Anbu landed quietly, respectful in demeanor, holding a large number of scrolls in his arms.
"Looks like everything is ready," Mei Terumi smiled, "Shall we find a place to sit and talk?"
Naruto nodded in agreement.
Inside a restaurant, they had just sat down.
Mei Terumi waved her hand, signaling the Anbu to place the scrolls in front of Naruto, "These are all the inheritances of the Land of Whirlpools from our village."
"History, knowledge, records."
"I've had them all brought out."
Naruto pushed them towards Karin, "That's straightforward, I thought we would have to employ more tactics."
"There's no need to be enemies with a powerful ninja over things that do not belong to us," Mei Terumi said softly, glancing at the pile of scrolls without any reluctance.
Moreover, over twenty years, most of these things have been thoroughly studied, and even if not completely understood, they have been preserved as backups.
"We could become friends," she defined the nature of this interaction.
Naruto smiled, "We should indeed become friends."
Mei Terumi took a deep breath, "I won't beat around the bush; Kirigakure has a request."
"Regardless of whether you agree or not, Naruto-kun, it won't affect our friendship."
"But, I hope you'll listen."
Naruto nodded his head, "Sure, go ahead."
(End of Chapter)