Naruto, born from the world of his parents.

Chapter 42 The Significance of the Land of Waves

"A deal, huh?"

This word seemed to possess some kind of magic, lingering in Tazuna's heart. The more he pondered this word, the more the light of hope ignited in Tazuna's originally ashen heart.

Although he couldn't figure out what kind of deal the kid wanted to make with him, at least it wasn't a rejection.

As long as you haven't been rejected, there's always a chance to salvage the situation.

With that thought in mind, Tazuna took a deep breath and looked at Naruto with unwavering determination: "I promise, I'm willing to go to any lengths to help us!"

Does that include your soul?

This question instantly shattered the resolve on Tazuna's face. He stared at Naruto with his mouth agape, speechless for a long time.

Seeing the old man, who had been all high and mighty from the beginning, now behaving so ridiculously, Naruto shook his head and turned to walk towards Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think..."

"Naruto."

Kakashi waved his hand to interrupt Naruto, who was about to explain, and said, "Whatever you want to do, just do it."

This answer clearly surprised everyone present except Naruto, and Tazuna, who was kneeling on the ship, had an even brighter look in his eyes.

"This is wonderful!"

Tazuna was secretly pleased. In his eyes, this brat named Naruto was easier to deal with than Kakashi.

"All you need is..."

Tazuna's mind raced, and he straightened up, looking at Naruto: "My ninja sir, if it's really difficult for you, I won't force you. After all, it was my fault. But this involves the lives of thousands of people, and carrying such expectations, I can't help but be a little impatient. I hope you and your companions can forgive me."

It has to be said that old people are shrewd. Even Tazuna, who looks like an arrogant fool, can put on a sincere act when he needs to put down his airs.

Not to mention Sakura, whom Kakashi was carrying, even Sasuke, who was always cold, had a slight ripple in his eyes.

But he didn't say anything in the end, he just quietly looked at Naruto.

The moment Tazna uttered the words "the lives of hundreds of thousands" felt like an invisible shackle weighing on the hearts of the team members.

Kakashi, however, was not moved by Tazuna's description of the possibility and simply stood quietly to the side, waiting for Naruto's answer.

"This mission is not simple; that craftsman must be hiding something."

"Is that so? I'll play it by ear, Hokage-sama."

"Of course I believe you, Kakashi, but I have a new request."

"Please speak."

"Let's leave the decision to Naruto."

Recalling Hiruzen Sarutobi's words before he left, Kakashi looked at Naruto curiously.

"What would you do?"

"What does Mr. Nadazner want us to do?"

Naruto squinted his eyes and smiled with utmost gentleness.

Seeing that the kid was no longer as difficult to talk to as before, Tazuna's mind immediately started to wander.

"Of course, I hope the ninjas can help us complete the construction of the bridge!"

"So, what's the reward?"

Tazuna hesitated for a moment, then, as if making a decision, said, "I... I'd suggest that everyone name this bridge after you, like Naruto Bridge. What do you think..."

"Pfft."

Tazuna was interrupted by Naruto's laughter before he could finish speaking.

He looked up in confusion at Naruto, who was grinning as if he had heard a joke, and his heart sank.

"Ninja-sama..."

"You still haven't grasped reality, Mr. Dazner. I'm talking about a deal, not fraud."

"I don't……"

Tazuna was about to speak when Naruto's gaze stopped him. He looked into Naruto's eyes, which had suddenly become incredibly dangerous, and awkwardly shut his mouth.

"Let's go to the Land of Waves first. I do have an idea, but I need to assess whether the Land of Waves is qualified to support it. If it is, then I will propose that deal."

After saying that, Naruto didn't say anything more. He winked at Kakashi and Sasuke, then ran towards the Land of Waves.

Sasuke and Kakashi were puzzled, but they still followed.

"Naruto, can you tell me your thoughts?"

Once ashore, Naruto had barely caught his breath when he heard Kakashi's question.

He turned around and looked at Kakashi: "Of course, Kakashi-sensei."

After saying that, he squatted down on the beach and asked a question: "Does Kakashi-sensei know anything about the Land of Waves?"

"I don't know much about it, I only know that it's a small country that's close to the land of water."

"It is also a small country with buried gold mines."

Naruto added.

"A gold mine?"

Naruto nodded: "From what I understand, the island where the Land of Waves is located is in the middle of the ocean, so it is a stopover for many migratory birds."

"Migratory birds migrate from north to south to escape the cold, and when they cross the boundless sea, they always rest on this island, thus leaving behind a huge amount of bird droppings."

"guano?"

Kakashi was caught off guard by this answer; he really couldn't understand how bird droppings and gold mines were related.

"Yes, bird droppings, and not just a small pile, but a mountain of bird droppings accumulated over a long period of time."

"Naruto, I still don't understand what you're talking about. No matter how much bird droppings there are, they're still droppings, right? How can you connect them to gold mines?"

"Kakashi-sensei, have you ever grown crops?"

"Oh? I've seen you before."

"Then you should know what fertilizer is for crops, right?"

These words were like a wake-up call, instantly dispelling Kakashi's confusion. He widened his eyes and tentatively asked, "You mean...?"

"Yes, this bird droppings can be used as fertilizer, and it's the highest quality fertilizer resource. It's also the island's greatest treasure."

At this point, Naruto laughed: "Of course, it doesn't stop there."

"From what I understand, that merchant named Kakashi has acquired a wide variety of goods in the Land of Waves, including pearls, gems, herbs, and fruits. This merchant has amassed an asset that is likely more substantial than that of an average small country by leveraging these high-quality specialties of the Land of Waves. And Kakashi's development of the Land of Waves' resources is less than one percent of the island's total potential. Kakashi-sensei, do you understand why I made a deal with Tazuna?"

"Gulp."

Upon hearing Naruto's description, Kakashi swallowed countless mouthfuls of saliva, yet his throat still felt incredibly dry and hoarse.

The wealth comparable to that of a small country is not even the full extent of the resources contained in the Land of Waves.

This made Kakashi, who had never even saved up 100 million ryo throughout his entire career, feel an indescribable heat in his heart.

But he quickly calmed down.

"What you're saying may sound tempting, but what does it have to do with us? We're just ninjas."

"Just a ninja?"

Naruto smiled and said, "You're right. It's precisely because we are ninjas that we are able to possess this wealth."

"what?"

"Accumulating wealth requires wisdom, while protecting wealth requires strength. Kakashi-sensei, is there anything in this world more powerful than a ninja?"

These words struck Kakashi like a thunderclap, a question he had never considered before, yet one that seemed perfectly reasonable.

Yes, protection requires power, and is there anything in this world more powerful than a ninja?

These words spread wildly through Kakashi's mind like weeds. He shook his head, forcibly suppressing the dangerous thoughts in his heart, took a deep breath, and looked at Naruto with utmost seriousness: "You're right, Naruto. There is indeed no one in this world more powerful than a ninja, but precisely because of this, we should restrain our use of power. The abuse of power will only bring disaster."

"I completely agree with your idea."

Kakashi was taken aback when he saw Naruto's sincere eyes. In his eyes, Naruto's words just now implied that he wanted to use power to seize wealth. How could he agree with him?

"What do you think I'm going to do?

Seemingly sensing Kakashi's confusion, Naruto smiled and asked in return.

"Isn't that right?"

"Of course not. The unrestrained use of power is a great disruption to order, and a world without order is bound to be destroyed."

Seeing Naruto's extremely serious expression, Kakashi finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "So what do you mean?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's a deal."

Naruto pointed to the boundless sea before him and said softly, "A bridge will soon be built here, connecting the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, tightly linking these two countries. On that day, the Land of Waves' minerals, gems, fruits, pearls, and herbs will be transported to the Land of Fire without any obstacles, and that country will usher in unprecedented prosperity. So, Kakashi-sensei, what is the foundation of this prosperity?"

"A cross-sea bridge?"

"No, it's us, it's the ninjas of Konoha."

"We ensured the creation of this bridge, and we will continue to provide security for this trade route. In return, every good that flows out of the Land of Waves should contribute a portion of the profits to Konoha. Isn't that the most correct and reasonable thing to do?"

Naruto, with his back to the sun, looked up into Kakashi's eyes. Even though he was looking up, the boy appeared incredibly tall in Kakashi's eyes.

He stared blankly at Naruto, Naruto's words echoing in his mind, and his heart, which had long been dead, began to beat again.

"Once this bridge is successfully built, a stable and massive flow of funds will continuously flow into Konoha. With such a large amount of funds, Konoha will begin to break free from its dependence on the Daimyo. Kakashi-sensei, do you know what this means?"

"What does that mean?"

"This means that Konoha will no longer have to struggle for mission resources, and Konoha's ninjas will no longer have to turn themselves into tools hidden in the shadows. It means that the ninja, a profession that has lasted for hundreds of years, will step into the sunlight for the first time."

"We create safety, we level the land, we transform the environment, we protect wealth, we are the future of this world."

Even though he had repeated it countless times when he was alone, Naruto still felt a surge of comfort from his toes to the top of his head when he recalled his father's words at the press conference after the Five Kage Summit.

His face was flushed red by the sun, and edged with gold by the golden sunlight, standing like a god in Kakashi's heart, making his heart, which had been numbed by countless hurts, beat violently again.

"Are we the future of this world?"

Although Kakashi has gradually broken free from the ninja tool mentality under Obito's influence, this is still the root cause of his father's death and a shadow that haunts his entire life. How could it be resolved so easily?

It was just a series of scars, layered upon layer, pierced by countless partings. But at this moment, upon hearing Naruto's words, for the first time, Kakashi felt a tingling sensation from the wounds beneath those endless scars.

He took a deep breath, but only felt his heart itch even more, as if the sunlight was breaking through a tightly closed room for the first time, gradually melting the ice that had remained frozen for years.

"I see."

After a long silence, Kaka finally uttered these four words: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Inspection".

"What are you examining?"

"Examine everything this island possesses; these are Konoha's treasures."

"I see."

After leaving that answer, Kakashi turned around and was about to leave when Naruto called him back.

"Please wait a moment, Kakashi-sensei."

"Is there anything else?"

Naruto took a thick notebook out of his ninja tool bag and handed it to Kakashi.

"This is a record list, Kakashi-sensei. Please fill it in as much as possible."

Holding the thick notebook, Kakashi suddenly realized: "Is this what you've been scribbling on the road these past few days?"

Naruto smiled and nodded.

After learning that the mission target was the Land of Waves, he returned to his own world and began to look up relevant information.

After all, this country was the starting point for his father, Minato Namikaze, to reform the ninja profession system.

Therefore, the archives in Konoha contain a wealth of related materials, even clearly indicating just how much wealth the Land of Waves possesses.

However, considering the differences between the two worlds, Naruto will not blindly copy everything. He needs to conduct a preliminary investigation of the Land of Waves. Only after confirming that the Land of Waves in this world is the same as his own world will he cooperate with Tazuna.

Although this is not kind, the world cannot tolerate too much kindness, especially the development of a ninja village.

Moreover, even though Naruto mentioned the Land of Waves' most important treasure from the beginning, Kakashi, who was so captivated by the Land of Waves' rich treasures, still overlooked that treasure that was practically a gold mine.

A mountain of bird droppings accumulated over countless years of migratory bird migration.

These high-quality fertilizers not only promote plant growth, but also have effects that Naruto is unaware of.

But the former is enough.

After all, gems and pearls are merely embellishments, a pastime for the wealthy to enjoy during their leisure time.

But food is something that everyone really needs.

By controlling Konoha's ability to increase food production, one can control the entire world.

"Chakra can only determine the outcome of a battle, but the economy is the key to competition between nations."

These are words my father said, and words my father also said.

"Eating is the most basic human need."