n the Land of Waves, at Kado Shipping Company.
"So, have those damn lowlifes been acting strange lately?" Kado asked, a cigar dangling from his lips as he lounged back in his office chair, addressing his subordinates.
His two most trusted aides, Varaji and Zholi, stood by attentively.
Varaji grinned, "Everyone else seems relatively honest, but that old man named Dazna is causing quite a stir. He's been rallying some bridge builders, claiming he wants to construct a bridge connecting the mainland, hoping to free the Land of Waves from our control. But honestly, everyone else is scared of us, so no one dares support him."
"Hmph, a bridge, huh? Not a bad idea!" Kado scoffed, exhaling a puff of smoke. "If I remember correctly, that so-called hero we heard about when we first came to the Land of Waves is Dazna's son, right?"
"Uh…" Varaji scratched his head. "I haven't really paid attention to that kind of guy."
"That's actually his son-in-law," Zholi interjected, having heard about it before. "Dazna has a daughter and a grandson. Apparently, his grandson and that hero, Kaisha, got along really well and ended up taking on a father-son relationship."
"I see, you know quite a bit," Varaji remarked, glancing at him.
Zholi chuckled, "Well, Dazna's daughter is quite the beauty. You know I have a weakness for lovely women, so I've gathered some information."
"Although this pretty widow has reformed her family with Kaisha because of her son, I've heard it's just a sham marriage with no real connection."
Between the two aides, Varaji was the ruthless one, while Zholi was the lecherous one—each with their own preferences.
"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Let's get to the point." Kado rapped his fingers on the table. "In any case, we need to take that old man out! It's been too long since we've made an example of someone, and they're starting to forget the terror of Kado."
"Yes, sir!"
Seeing Kado's serious demeanor, Varaji and Zholi immediately focused.
"Oh? You're preparing to act so soon?"
A voice suddenly echoed through the office, catching Kado and his aides off guard.
"Who's there?"
Varaji and Zholi quickly drew their swords, and Kado sat up straight.
They then noticed a masked figure sitting casually on the windowsill, cradling a young, beautiful woman in his arms.
The one who spoke was clearly the masked man.
Naturally, it was Naruto, hiding his identity.
Naruto didn't respond, continuing on his own, "Considering the mission in the Land of Waves isn't for at least another two months, I must say, it's pathetic that you can't even handle an old man in that time."
Varaji and Zholi didn't comprehend what Naruto was saying but sensed that he meant trouble.
They exchanged glances and, almost in sync, lunged at Naruto with their blades.
Meanwhile, they had completely overlooked the woman beside them, Yukimi.
However, instead of Naruto attacking, it was Yukimi who sprang into action.
Smoke Bind!
Yukimi's arms transformed into smoke, which morphed into two large hands that swiftly seized Varaji and Zholi by their necks, lifting them off the ground.
Against such thugs, who were merely skilled in swordplay but lacked the true essence of a warrior, Yukimi found it easy to handle them, having practiced her techniques for just a few days.
Kado was taken aback, tumbling from his chair, fear etched across his face.
"Yukimi, don't kill them," Naruto said, squeezing Yukimi's shoulder as a signal.
Yukimi tossed the two men against the wall, her arms returning to normal as a delighted smile spread across her face.
It was her first time using ninjutsu in a real battle, and it felt refreshing.
"Nice job!"
Naruto's praise made Yukimi beam even brighter.
"W-What are you?" Kado had stealthily made his way toward the door.
"Who we are is none of your concern; you're going to die anyway. Knowing more won't do you any good," Naruto said, flicking a kunai that shot toward Kado.
Varaji and Zholi were allowed to live for now because Naruto still needed them to manage the residents of the Land of Waves.
But Kado had to die; otherwise, who would inherit his vast fortune?
Thud!
Kado barely grasped the gravity of the situation before attempting to escape through the door, but his speed was too slow. The kunai struck him in the forehead, killing him instantly.
"Please, spare us! We're willing to submit!"
Varaji and Zholi were not honorable men. They quickly understood that Naruto must have plans for them and immediately dropped to their knees in submission.
With the help of these two of Kado's loyalists, Naruto's takeover of Kado's assets and influence was incredibly smooth.
He presented himself as Kado's heir and silenced any questioning voices with immediate force.
Kado's men were nothing but a collection of petty criminals and low-ranking rogue ninjas, utterly no match for him.
As for Zabuza and Haku, he had heard that Zabuza's group had already made contact with Kado.
Because they couldn't agree on a price, they hadn't yet joined Kado's ranks.
"Just offer them more money; let's bring them over quickly," Naruto instructed Zholi.
Zabuza wanted to accumulate wealth to recruit soldiers and strike back at the Mist Village.
Kado was a prime target, so Zabuza's demands were rather steep.
But it didn't matter; Naruto understood Zabuza and Haku's worth.
Once they arrived, there would be no escape.
Naruto ensured that the shipping company continued to operate as usual before proceeding to take over Kado's estate and assess the assets.
Simultaneously, he dispatched a shadow clone to capture Dazna and his family.
The fact that Kado had failed to deal with Dazna for over two months indicated that Dazna had sensed danger and quietly left the Land of Waves, eventually finding refuge in Konoha.
However, Naruto wasn't about to allow Dazna to return to Konoha to issue any missions; the Land of Waves didn't need a bridge from Naruto.
"Well then, let him meet the same fate as that hero, Kaisha. It's time to make an example out of someone to show the people of the Land of Waves," Naruto instructed Varaji.
"Understood!" Varaji's bloodthirsty grin surfaced.
He had been worried that their new boss might be here to save the people of the Land of Waves, but it was clear that his concerns were unwarranted.
This was the style of action he favored!
Yukimi felt a twinge of sympathy but didn't receive any guidance from Naruto.
Such occurrences would become more frequent, and she would have to adapt gradually.
It was difficult to estimate the actual value of Kado's assets.
But just the cash alone was over a hundred billion.
After all, the original story described him as one of the world's wealthiest tycoons, engaged in smuggling and dealing in contraband—having such wealth was entirely plausible.
Of course, all of this now belonged to Naruto.
After handling all the trivial matters, Naruto sought out Tsunami.
She was Dazna's daughter and the mother of Inari.