Gato Shipping Company, Land of Waves.
"So, have those damn peasants been up to anything unusual lately?" Gato asked his underlings, a cigar clamped between his teeth as he leaned back in his boss chair.
Gato's two most capable henchmen, Valaji and Zhuoli, stood before him.
Valaji grinned, "The others are being obedient, except for that old man, Dazuna. He's been running around, trying to unite some bridge builders, saying he wants to build a bridge to the mainland, so the Land of Waves can break free from our control. But everyone else is scared of us, so no one dares to listen to him."
"Hmph, building a bridge, huh? Not a bad idea!" Gato sneered, exhaling smoke. "I remember when we first came to the Land of Waves, that guy who was called a hero, he was Dazuna's son, right?"
"Uh," Valaji scratched his head, saying, "I didn't pay much attention to that sort of thing."
"He's his grandson's stepfather, so he's practically a son-in-law," Zhuoli said, having heard about it. "Dazuna has a daughter and a grandson. It's said his grandson gets along well with that hero, Kesha, and they've even become father and son."
"So that's how it is, you seem to know quite a bit," Valaji said, eyeing him.
Zhuoli chuckled, "After all, Dazuna's daughter is quite pretty, you know I like that sort of thing, so I asked around a bit."
"That pretty widow, although she's in a remarried family with Kesha because of her son, I heard they're just nominally husband and wife, with no real relationship."
Among the two main henchmen, Valaji was bloodthirsty, and Zhuoli was lecherous, each with their own hobbies.
"Alright, let's not talk about unimportant things," Gato rapped on the table, saying, "In short, take out that old man! They're almost forgetting how terrifying I, Gato, am after not killing anyone for so long."
"Yes!"
Seeing how serious Gato was, Valaji and Zhuoli immediately became serious too.
"Oh? So they're already going to make their move this early?"
A voice suddenly echoed in the office, immediately putting Gato and the others on alert.
"Who's there?"
Valaji and Zhuoli instantly drew their swords, and Gato straightened up.
Then they noticed, seemingly out of nowhere, a masked man sitting on the windowsill, holding a young, beautiful woman.
The person who spoke was clearly the masked man.
That is, Naruto, who had concealed his identity.
Naruto didn't reply, instead saying to himself, "Considering it's at least two months until the Land of Waves mission, you two can't even handle an old geezer in that time? What a waste."
Valaji and the others didn't understand what Naruto was saying, but they could sense the hostile intent.
The two men exchanged glances and simultaneously lunged at Naruto with their blades.
They completely ignored Yukimi standing beside him.
But Naruto didn't make a move. Instead, Yukimi acted.
Smoke Binding Coffin!
Yukimi's arms transformed into smoke, which then solidified into two giant hands. One hand grabbed Valaji's neck, the other seized Zhuoli's, lifting them both off the ground.
Yukimi, who had only been training for a few days, could easily handle these thugs who only knew how to wield blades and weren't even proper samurai.
Gato was terrified by this scene. He tumbled off his chair, his face contorted in fear.
"Yukimi, don't kill them," Naruto said, squeezing Yukimi's shoulder as a signal.
Yukimi tossed the two of them into a corner, her arms returning to normal. A look of pure joy spread across her face.
It was the first time she'd used a ninjutsu in an actual fight, and it felt pretty novel.
"Nice work!"
Naruto's praise made Yukimi beam even brighter.
"Who… who are you people?" Gato had quietly crept behind the door.
"It's not your business who we are. You're about to die anyway. Knowing any more won't do you any good," Naruto said as he flicked a Kunai towards him.
Valaji and Zhuoli were allowed to live because Naruto needed them for the time being to manage the residents of the Land of Waves.
But, Gato had to die. Otherwise, how would he inherit his vast fortune?
Pfft!
Gato realized something was wrong just as he tried to bolt, but he was too slow. A kunai pierced his forehead instantly, killing him before he could even react.
"Spare us, sir! We are willing to submit!"
Valaji and Zhuoli were not men of honor. Knowing Naruto kept them around with a purpose, they immediately knelt and pledged their loyalty.
With these two of Gato's confidants helping him, Naruto's takeover of Gato's assets and influence was incredibly easy.
He appeared as Menma, claiming to be Gato's heir.
Anyone who dared to question him, even slightly, was immediately killed.
Gato's subordinates were just gangsters and low-level ronin, and were no match for him.
As for Zabuza and Haku, Naruto heard that the Demon Brothers, who worked for Zabuza, had already contacted Gato.
They hadn't joined Gato's forces yet because they hadn't agreed on a price.
"It doesn't matter if we have to pay more, get them here as soon as possible," Naruto instructed Zhuoli.
Zabuza wanted to accumulate wealth, then recruit soldiers and return to Kirigakure.
Gato was a pushover, so Zabuza's asking price was quite high.
But it didn't matter. Naruto knew the value of Zabuza and Haku.
Once they came, they wouldn't be able to leave again.
Naruto told the shipping company to continue operating as usual, then took over Gato's manor and began to liquidate his assets.
Simultaneously, he sent out a Shadow Clone to bring Dazuna's entire family over.
Gato hadn't been able to deal with Dazuna for over two months. This only meant that Dazuna had sensed the danger in advance, secretly left the Land of Waves, and later went to Konoha.
But Naruto didn't plan on letting Dazuna go to Konoha to publish a mission. The Land of Waves didn't need any Naruto Bridge either.
"Then, let him meet the same end as the hero Kesha. Once again, kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, showing the people of the Land of Waves," Naruto instructed Valaji.
"Understood!" Valaji immediately revealed a bloodthirsty smile.
He had been worried that the new boss might come to rescue the people of the Land of Waves. Now, it seemed his worries were unnecessary.
He liked this style of doing things!
Yukimi was somewhat reluctant, but Naruto didn't go to comfort her.
This kind of thing won't happen just once; you'll have to get used to it.
Estimating the value of Gato's assets is a bit tricky.
But just in cash, there are hundreds of billions.
After all, the original story describes him as one of the richest men in the world, dealing in smuggled contraband. Having this much money isn't surprising.
Of course, it all belongs to Naruto now.
After handling all the minor issues, Naruto sought out Tsunami alone.
She is Dazuna's daughter and Inari's mother.