After returning to the town, they rented a boat.
Naruto and Karin rested for a night, setting off early the next morning.
Yesterday's warning to Iwagakure had been effective.
Many ninja had already withdrawn from the town.
The Land of Whirlpools was a small island not far from shore.
After sailing for a little over two hours, they arrived at an abandoned dock.
Mist curled over the water, casting a somber mood.
The pier stretching out over the water was decayed and broken, with only a few fragmented, barely-hanging wooden planks.
It looked incredibly fragile—never mind stepping on it—a gust of wind or a heavy rain might be enough to destroy it.
"Has the Land of Whirlpools always been like this?" Naruto stared at the dock and asked softly.
The boatman didn't even turn his head. "Hardly anyone comes here anymore."
"I remember this used to be a proper country."
"I don't know what happened, but it vanished overnight."
He paused. "I heard from the old folks in the town—it was said the country angered the God of Death, who rained down punishment and wiped it out."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "God of Death? Why would they say it was the God of Death?"
The Land of Whirlpools was an island nation.
Even to an ordinary person, if its destruction were connected to "divine forces," the natural assumption would be the "Sea God," right?
"Hurricanes," "earthquakes," "volcanoes"… all of those made more sense than a God of Death appearing.
"I don't know either," the boatman shook his head. "That's just what the village elders said."
Karin said softly, "My mother told me that the Uzumaki Clan used to have a tradition of worshipping the God of Death."
"The rumor about being destroyed by the God of Death probably came from that."
The boatman turned, surprised, and looked at her. "Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that the ninja from that country mostly had red hair."
"Are you one of their descendants?"
Karin didn't answer him and continued, "The Land of Whirlpools wasn't destroyed by any god."
"It was because the other ninja nations feared the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques."
"They joined forces one night to completely annihilate the Land of Whirlpools. Even Konoha, its ally, couldn't react in time."
The boatman nodded in sudden realization. "So that's how it was!"
"What incredible news."
He avoided the dock, tossed a rope to tie around a tree stump on the shore, and laid out a gangplank. Naruto and Karin disembarked, stepping for the first time onto land that once belonged to the Uzumaki Clan.
"Wait!" the boatman called after them.
They turned.
He scratched his head awkwardly. "You two look really powerful."
"And it seems like you're related to ninja and that fallen country."
"But be careful."
"There are still a few of the original residents on this island."
"And I've heard… some pirates live here too."
Naruto smiled at him. "Thanks, old man!"
The boatman watched them leave, then began rowing the boat back.
On the island—
The trees were tall, shrubs thick—everything was full of life.
But there was very little sign of human activity.
From the dock, a well-trodden path led inland, though after nearly twenty years without use or maintenance, it was overgrown with weeds trying to reclaim it.
Following the path, they soon arrived at a town.
It had once thrived from its harbor economy.
But now only ruins and desolation remained.
"Should we look for anything here first?" Karin stood at the door of a half-collapsed building and peeked inside.
"Let's find the ninja village first," Naruto shook his head.
As they pressed on, they soon heard the commotion of a loud panic nearby.
They flickered away in an instant and landed in the trees.
The sounds came from a crude settlement—
Houses built from salvaged materials taken from the ruins.
A small village of only a few dozen people.
And they were being raided.
Five pirates wielded blades of unclear origin, some even holding kunai and shuriken.
"Quick! Hand over all your food!"
"And your money!"
"Or die!"
They were outrageously arrogant.
Despite being only five, they had the whole village terrified into submission.
The older villagers looked numb.
The younger ones and children seemed ready to resist, but the adults held them back.
"There are ninja," Naruto said quietly, his eyes landing on two of the attackers.
Those two didn't wear forehead protectors.
Their chakra wasn't very strong—barely stronger than Sakura's.
Yet clearly, they were above ordinary people.
"Are you going to help them?" Karin tilted her head. She didn't really care about the villagers—only about Naruto's opinion.
His answer came as a golden arc of light.
Naruto silently entered the fray.
The pirates' grins froze, their bodies turning to stone, unable to move except for their eyes—this was the opening Naruto allowed.
Their eyes rolled with difficulty, landing on the golden hair.
Their faces twisted in fear.
A powerful ninja?
In this godforsaken island?
"A person with great power, yet chooses to prey on the weak..." Naruto said softly, gaze sweeping over their faces, "Unforgivable."
He placed his hand on the hilt of the Nine Tails.
Drew it an inch.
He didn't fully release its power—just a sliver.
Five translucent Tailed Beast arms burst from the ground.
Under the terrified, resisting, and begging eyes of the pirates, they mercilessly crushed their throats.
Naruto turned back.
The villagers looked on with great caution.
"Are you a ninja, sir?" an old man in the center of the group asked cautiously. "Thank you for saving our village."
He signaled to a man beside him.
That man hurriedly ran to Naruto, holding a bundle of money, and knelt in a deep bow—dogeza—pushing the coins to Naruto's feet with reverence.
The old man continued, "This is all the money our village has. It's our token of gratitude for your help."
"We hope you won't look down on it."
Though losing the money was painful…
On this island, opportunities to use it were rare. Keeping their food was far more important.
Karin finally landed beside Naruto.
The villagers became even more nervous.
Another ninja!
Naruto didn't respond immediately. He was thinking about something.
After a while, he smiled.
He bent down and picked out the two highest-value bills, handing them to Karin. "This'll count as payment for saving you all."
"As for being a ninja…"
Naruto spoke softly, but firmly, "We're not ninja."
He paused, then found a better word.
"I'm just a passing hero."
The old man was stunned.
He stared at Naruto's face—under that golden hair, the bright smile seemed to sweep away the gloom lingering over the island.
A hero...
Not a ninja?
"Hero-sama, may I ask… your name?" he asked.
Naruto raised his thumb. "Just call me the Golden Flash—Uzumaki Naruto."
Karin chuckled. "Naruto, your naming sense doesn't quite match your fashion sense."
"Golden Flash is cool!" Naruto grinned. "Plus, that was my dad's nickname."
"And I've got blond hair too."
"It fits me perfectly!"
(End of Chapter)