The Land of Waves.
The night sea breeze stirred gently as the island nation fell into silence. The soft moonlight draped the earth in a veil of silver, urging people to sleep.
But Gato had no intention of resting.
He paced back and forth in his lavish villa, brows furrowed so tightly that a fly might suffocate between them. Anxiety weighed on him like a stone.
To speak of Gato, his rise could be considered a legend in the shinobi world.
In just over ten years, he had gone from a street thug extorting protection fees to a maritime tycoon. But few knew he had simply been fortunate—chosen by fate.
In any world, rising to the top takes more than luck. One either needs noble birth and a solid foundation or the foresight to seize an opportunity and earn the favor of the powerful.
Without status, connections, or backing, even someone who manages to climb briefly to the top will soon be devoured by the hungry wolves waiting below—cleared out for the next pawn.
Gato was the latter.
Back when he was still a small-time gangster, a mysterious shinobi found him. That man provided capital and helped him take down his competitors, skyrocketing him to success.
The price? Eighty percent of his profits.
Eighty percent! At the start, his income was low, so he didn't care. Besides, he was still weak and easily controlled.
But as the business expanded and he gathered hundreds of thugs and wandering ninjas under his command, Gato's ambition swelled.
Ten percent of his revenue now meant hundreds of millions. And yet, year after year, most of it was taken by those shadowy people who had only appeared once in the beginning.
Naturally, Gato grew unwilling.
He began manipulating the books, ensuring his reported profits stayed low.
Over the next few years, his company's assets ballooned. He used the surplus to hire stronger bodyguards and eventually killed those who had once backed him, aiming to keep all the profits for himself.
Momochi Zabuza and Raiga Kurosuki were the strongest shinobi under his command.
He had sent them, along with the Demon Brothers, to assassinate the bridge builder, Tazuna. But word came that both Zabuza and Raiga had vanished, while Tazuna had returned safely.
A sense of dread gnawed at him.
Even with dozens of bodyguards patrolling outside, Gato felt no sense of safety.
He looked up at the moon, sighing with bitterness.
"I've lived cautiously my whole life. Will I ever make it to the other side?"
"Unlikely."
A faint voice sounded behind him.
Startled, Gato turned around and saw a handsome boy sitting on his favorite sofa.
"Guards! Where are the guards?! Why is someone inside?!"
He shouted in panic, but was answered only by distant screams and the sound of blood splattering.
Moments later, three masked shinobi entered with bloodied hands and stood silently behind the boy. Their crimson Sharingan glowed ominously in the darkness.
Gato's pupils contracted violently.
That mask… It's them!
"So, you recognize us now?"
Yami crossed his legs, a playful smirk on his face as he looked at the trembling tycoon.
"But just to let you die in peace, I'll still introduce myself."
"The one who helped you rise from a thug to a shipping magnate—was Root, of Konoha."
"As for what Root is, it doesn't matter. You wouldn't understand even if I explained."
"My name is Shimura Yami. Momochi Zabuza and Raiga Kurosuki were killed by me."
"So, Gato, got anything else to say?"
Thud!
Gato dropped to his knees without hesitation.
"Sir, I didn't know you were involved! Those two were nothing to me. But if Tazuna finishes that bridge, our business here will collapse!"
"That's fine."
Yami's smile remained gentle, but his words sent chills down Gato's spine.
"After all, you've paid less than half of what you owe. I've decided to change the model, sustainable exploitation. I'll collect tolls now. What do you think?"
"I can explain!"
Gato swallowed hard, scrambling for an excuse.
The silence outside told him all he needed to know. His bodyguards had been eliminated by the three masked men. Escape was impossible.
"I don't need excuses."
Yami's tone was calm.
"Do you know why I never came after you all these years?"
"Because pigs should be fattened before they're slaughtered."
"When you thought the shipping business was your own empire, you gave it everything you had. But now, the pig is fat enough."
"No matter how much you squeal, the result is already decided."
"My money's in the bank!" Gato blurted out. "Even if you kill me, you won't get it! I'll give you half—no, I swear the future shares will be accurate! Let's keep working together!"
"Tch. 'Working together.'"
Yami chuckled and shook his head.
"You've always been at the bottom of the table. Now you want to sit at the table and negotiate?
"Yui, he's yours."
At his command, one of the masked shinobi stepped forward, grabbed Gato by the neck, and cast an illusion.
Half an hour later, every piece of information about Gato's assets and hidden funds was laid bare. Combined with the company's liquid capital, Yami would gain approximately 5 billion.
It was more than enough to ease his financial strain and refill his treasury.
The only downside was that Gato couldn't die yet—otherwise, the money couldn't be withdrawn.
Yami immediately collected 80 million in cash from the villa. He then left Gato in Yui's hands, to be kept alive until he was fully squeezed dry.
The night passed in silence.
Team 7's mission wasn't just to repel assassins, but to ensure the Wave Bridge was completed. So they had to stay for a while longer.
Aside from Zabuza and Raiga, Gato had hired other wandering shinobi. These were now perfect training targets for Hinata and the others.
The next morning, Naruto and Sasuke came to find Yami.
After watching the battle the other day, they were both eager to learn new jutsu.
"Yami-nii! I want to learn that lightning move!"
Surprisingly, it was Naruto who said it first.
Yami took out two chakra paper slips and let Naruto test his affinity. After confirming Naruto lacked the lightning element, the boy gave up with a groan.
Seeing he had both lightning and fire affinities, Sasuke smirked.
Two beats one. The advantage is mine.
Wind beats lightning, sure—but fire beats wind. Clearly, I'm fated to surpass Naruto.
Since chakra nature transformation wasn't suitable for Naruto's limited attention span, Yami taught him the Shimura clan's signature Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
Mastering the jutsu first and then improving it through repetition was more fitting for Naruto's Ashura Sage Body, which naturally enhanced techniques through sheer practice.
Naruto was a genius in a strange way. He didn't need to understand the mechanics. Just repetition made him stronger.
Sasuke, though sharp, followed the path of traditional shinobi. He relied on training and logical growth. Sharingan and Rinnegan only raised his ceiling.
Yami was the same. While the system gave him immense chakra and talents, he still had to work and comprehend to transform them into true strength.
With Naruto's Shadow Clones occupying the nearby area, Yami took Sasuke to train farther away.
First, he had Sasuke refine chakra through dual blades, enhancing his lightning transformation.
After he got used to it, Yami demonstrated the base jutsu.
"This is Kakashi's signature technique—Chidori. I exchanged it for Flying Thunder God, an S-rank technique. It also has several variations."
Yami demonstrated the Chidori Blade, Chidori Sharp Spear, and Chidori Senbon. Sasuke's eyes lit up.
"But to learn this, you must master Ultimate Nature Transformation. It also places heavy demands on the body."
"So first, use lightning chakra to activate your cells. Increase speed and penetration."
With that, Sasuke began channeling lightning into his body.
Groans of pain followed.
Why is Chidori considered a Forbidden Technique?
Because improper use damages the user. If the intensity isn't right, activation becomes incineration.
But Sasuke valued power over everything. If he was willing to go to Orochimaru to kill Itachi, a little risk here was nothing.
He nearly killed himself a few times, but Yami kept a Shadow Clone with medical ninjutsu on standby, comparable to Tsunade's level.
The results spoke for themselves. While he hadn't learned Chidori yet, Sasuke's speed and strength improved significantly from constant lightning stimulation.
Meanwhile, Yami released some of the remaining rogue shinobi to give Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata practical combat experience.
They could already take on over a dozen Genin with taijutsu alone. But when a strong Chūnin appeared, they still struggled.
Sasuke used Sharingan and his speed to seize an opening and drive a kunai through the enemy's heart.
Naruto didn't have his technique, but he had a monstrous health bar. He exhausted the opponent's stamina with Shadow Clones before overwhelming him.
Hinata had it easiest. Without knowledge of acupuncture points, a single Eight Trigrams Palm strike to the meridians rendered enemies helpless.
"Yami-sensei! I beat a Chūnin! Can I be promoted now?!"
Naruto was glowing with pride, already picturing bragging to the others back in the village.
Yami shut him down immediately.
"Rogue Chūnin are the weakest kind. No jutsu, no real taijutsu. What's there to be proud of?"
"Right now, you're about on par with Iruka. Don't laugh. If you hadn't shown off so much, that fight would've ended much faster."
Even Sasuke, riding high, deflated a bit.
"So... I can beat Iruka now?" Naruto's focus was always a bit off.
Yami chuckled.
"Try him when we get back. We'll see."
"When do we go back?"
"Yesterday, Tazuna said the bridge would be done in a few days. Soon."
A few days later, the bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland was complete.
Tears of joy flowed from the workers. There were no overly dramatic speeches, so the bridge wasn't named "Naruto Bridge," but simply.
Hope Bridge.
Yami didn't get everything he wanted. Only one toll booth was placed. Non-residents paid 500 per crossing, caravans paid more.
Still, annual income would be impressive. And when the tourism industry grew, it would only rise.
Sun, beach, and bikinis—how could it not be profitable?
On the last day before leaving, Yami called over Yuichi, who had handled Gato.
Yuichi glared at Sasuke.
Sasuke, sensing intense killing intent, looked back in confusion.
Yami introduced them.
"This is my subordinate, Yuichi. Last time, you froze under Zabuza's killing intent. I asked him to help you adjust."
"Yuichi, be gentle."
"Yes, Yami-sama."
As Yami walked off, Yuichi cracked a sinister smile under his mask.
Uchiha Sasuke, you've finally fallen into my hands.
(To be continued.)
***
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