Chapter 86: The Land of Waves

What Uchiha Nagi didn't know was that Danzo had already ordered Root to begin searching for him. Unlike with Itachi, Danzo was unaware that Nagi had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

He simply felt that Uchiha Nagi, a man with no attachments, was too dangerous to be left alone. What if he joined another of the great shinobi villages? What if that village's Kage provided Nagi with eight or ten wives? Wouldn't the Uchiha clan just reappear in a decade or so?

Don't assume that birthing a kekkei genkai is difficult. All it takes is one bull and a few dozen fertile fields, and in a few years, a new bloodline clan will emerge…

Itachi was easier to control because his younger brother remained in Konoha, and he placed immense importance on his bond with Sasuke.

Uchiha Nagi, however, likely felt nothing but hatred for Konoha. For that reason, Danzo's policy was to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to the village.

Upon learning that Nagi had appeared in the Land of Hot Water, he ordered the assembly of an elite team to eliminate him. The fact that Nagi could fight Tsunade and escape unscathed meant his strength was not to be underestimated.

"Your mission is to cut the weeds and pull up the roots. Bring me the head of Uchiha Nagi," Danzo commanded, standing on a high platform and addressing the ninja below.

"Yes, Danzo-sama. We guarantee the completion of the mission," a man wrapped from head to toe in bandages replied with a nod, before setting off with his squad.

This man was Aburame Torune, the special insect user who wielded nano-sized venomous insects, the most unique existence within the Aburame clan.

No matter how powerful the opponent, a single touch from his nano-insects was fatal. There was no cure.

Even the Fourth Raikage would die if the nano-insects breached his skin.

In the world of shinobi, strength was only one part of the equation; intelligence was far more critical.

Not even Tsunade could necessarily counteract the nano-insects. By the time she developed an antidote capable of killing the bugs, the victim would likely already be dead.

The team Danzo had assembled was perfectly balanced. He had his trump card, Aburame Torune, as well as members from the Yamanaka and Nara clans.

The Shadow Imitation and Mind Body Switch techniques were perfect for control and entrapment. Complemented by the other Anbu in the squad, they could likely kill Uchiha Nagi without even needing to use Torune's nano-insects.

Even the Third Hokage would not escape unscathed if ambushed by such a team.

This was why ninja typically operated in small squads. When it came to one-on-one fights versus group battles, everyone had their weaknesses. With teammates to coordinate with, the chances of survival were much higher.

"That's enough, Kimimaro. We'll stop today's training here," Uchiha Nagi said.

"Sensei, I feel like I can train for a while longer…" Kimimaro replied, beads of sweat on his forehead as he clutched his beloved bone sword.

"Don't overdo it. We aren't in a safe place. When you train, never push yourself to complete exhaustion. You must always reserve enough strength to deal with potential enemies."

"Oh, okay, sensei." Kimimaro wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded obediently.

In a forest in the Land of Waves, Uchiha Nagi was training Kimimaro, fitting it in as they traveled.

He had disguised them both—Kimimaro now had black hair. Nagi believed that as long as they weren't foolish enough to walk around wearing a Konoha headband with a slash through it, they would rarely encounter bounty hunters or enemies.

And he was right. Others could sense he had chakra, but without a clear measure of his strength, most wouldn't make a move so easily.

When an Uchiha hadn't activated their Sharingan, it was impossible for others to analyze them. The bounty on Uchiha Nagi in the black market only featured an old photograph. It was a picture from many years ago and looked vastly different from his current appearance. Paired with his unique disguise, no one could recognize him.

What Uchiha Nagi hadn't expected was that Kimimaro would learn the Breathing Styles and the Three Basic Academy Jutsu with surprising speed.

Although Kimimaro was of the Kaguya clan, his family had lived in the Land of Water for generations. After so many years, his affinity for the Water element was naturally high.

Nagi had Kimimaro try several Breathing Styles and found that Water Breathing was the most compatible for him, followed closely by Beast Breathing.

Kimimaro was also strangely suited for Beast Breathing, the style created and modified by the little boar boy.

So, Nagi decided to teach him both. As Kimimaro worked hard to grow stronger, Nagi constantly reminded him not to be too hasty and to take his time.

Deeply moved, Kimimaro secretly resolved to become strong enough to be of real help to his sensei.

However, when it came to his Shikotsumyaku, Kimimaro felt that his sensei was being a little overly cautious by not letting him use it.

After packing up, the two boarded a carriage to continue their journey. Rushing everywhere without a special reason could easily arouse suspicion. Traveling by carriage was the most suitable method—it wasn't slow, and there was nothing about it to raise doubt.

As they traveled at a leisurely pace, they saw an old man leading a group of villagers in repairing a bridge.

"Once we finish building the bridge, our lives will be better…"

"If the bridge is finished, the Land of Waves will be saved…"

"This is great! We won't have to endure Gato's monopoly anymore! We can sell our goods, and the villagers won't be so poor!"

The surrounding villagers were drenched in sweat, but they were all full of energy and motivation.

Little Kimimaro listened and watched them with curiosity, seemingly unable to comprehend what they were saying.

Uchiha Nagi smiled and said, "Are you curious about what they're saying? Wondering how a single bridge can save a country?"

Little Kimimaro nodded.

"Gato has monopolized all routes to the outside world. For these non-shinobi civilians, building this bridge is the only way they can transport their goods out and bring outside goods in. That way, they won't have to sell their local food and products for dirt cheap, nor will they have to buy Gato's ridiculously expensive imported goods. It's Gato's monopoly that has led to the poverty of the Land of Waves."

After listening, Kimimaro asked curiously, "So if they finish the bridge, will their problem be solved?"

Uchiha Nagi just shook his head. "No, it won't. Gato is just a puppet. Although the Land of Waves is poor, it's not so weak as to be controlled by a single merchant. Behind Gato is the Land of Water. The real power controlling the Land of Waves is the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their attempt to get rich by building a bridge is nothing but a dream."

Gato was just a black glove. Who knew how many layers of the money he earned in the Land of Waves were handed over to Kirigakure?

"Besides, these ignorant villagers haven't caught on to the reality of things. A bridge that costs so much manpower and resources to build can be destroyed by a single jutsu from a ninja, or just a few exploding tags. Destruction is ten, even a hundred times easier than construction…"

Even if the future Naruto were to defeat Gato, a second and third Gato would simply appear. It was treating the symptom, not the root cause. If they wanted to solve the problems of the Land of Waves, the Crown Prince Naruto would have to take down the Village Hidden in the Mist…