The cruise ship docked, and the crowd jostled as they disembarked.
Naruto and Karin walked at the end of the group.
"Doesn't look like there are any extra ninja around," Karin stood on tiptoe, peering around.
At the dock, there were only two regular ninja squads responsible for maintaining order and conducting routine patrols.
There were no specially assembled units clearly meant for them.
This surprised her.
After all, Naruto had become a formidable force.
Whenever they neared smaller nations bordering the Land of Fire, the respective hidden villages would grow tense and alert—some even initiating wartime protocols.
And yet Kirigakure didn't make any special preparations?
"We're just tourists," Naruto said softly as he walked ahead. "Kirigakure is one of the Five Great Ninja Villages after all—they have confidence in their strength."
Karin caught up. She was just puzzled by Kirigakure's attitude. No extra guards meant they could enjoy the trip more freely.
Their destination was clear: straight to Kirigakure, without detours.
As they neared the village, the two stopped.
"Seems I spoke too soon," Karin murmured as she looked ahead. "They didn't not prepare... they just did it differently."
At the village gates stood a female ninja with long reddish-brown hair and a strapless dress.
Beside her was a stern-faced male ninja with charm-like talismans hanging from both ears and his right eye covered by an eyepatch. It was Ao, head of Kirigakure's ANBU.
Beneath his eyepatch was the only known "Byakugan" in the village.
From a kilometer away, he had already detected Naruto.
"Lady Mei Terumi," Ao said gravely, "Uzumaki Naruto has arrived."
"How does he look?" Mei asked.
The Byakugan allowed one to observe chakra flow within a person.
A very direct way to gauge someone's strength.
Ao swallowed nervously. The pressure from just observing Naruto made his voice tighten, "His chakra is as massive as a Tailed Beast's... like a sun."
He didn't finish the sentence.
The charm on his right ear suddenly activated on its own, warping and expanding, latching onto the eyepatch.
Then with a crack, it shattered.
Ao quickly turned his head away, clutching his right eye. Traces of blood leaked through his fingers.
"Ao!" Mei exclaimed, chakra already surging to her hands.
"My Byakugan is fine!" Ao quickly assured her, "Naruto noticed my observation and countered it."
Mei withdrew her chakra.
"Is this how Kirigakure welcomes tourists?" Naruto's voice suddenly came from right in front of them. His tone was gentle, as was his smile.
Mei looked at Naruto and smiled back. "You're not just any tourist."
"I apologize on Ao's behalf."
"This guy relies a bit too much on his ability and used it without thinking."
Naruto nodded politely. "Thank you for the welcome."
He was about to step into the village.
"Wait," Mei spoke.
Naruto turned back to look at her.
"Rather than wandering around by yourselves, how about a tour guide?" Mei bent slightly forward, her tone sincere. "Whatever your goal, direct communication with Kirigakure would be more convenient, wouldn't it?"
In the past six months, Naruto had grown taller—just half a head shorter than Mei now.
He looked calm. "Sure, but... what's your role in Kirigakure?"
"I suppose you could call me the acting Mizukage," Mei replied after a brief thought.
She handled all village affairs, effectively leading Kirigakure.
But officially, she hadn't been appointed "Mizukage" because she lacked the elder council's approval—specifically from Elder Genji.
"The Mizukage has time for this?" Naruto asked, glancing at her.
Mei shook her head with a smile. "There are plenty of people to handle village matters."
"But not just anyone is qualified to be your tour guide."
Naruto accepted, "Then I'll be in your care."
"Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun," Mei smiled radiantly, practically glowing.
Karin looked at her, then looked down at herself. From top to bottom, all she saw were her own shoes.
She couldn't help but click her tongue.
Mei seemed to notice and smiled even brighter.
Ao apologized to Naruto once more, then vanished.
Mei led them into the village.
Kirigakure wasn't as prosperous as Konoha. In fact, it was even less developed than some flourishing towns in the Land of Fire.
"This village went through some very dark times," Mei explained as they walked. "It's only in recent years that we've started to recover."
"But it still doesn't compare to nations on the mainland."
"For a village like ours, what brings you here, Naruto-kun, if I may ask?"
Naruto looked at her, took a local snack Karin bought from a street stall, nodded, and replied, "Just wanted to see what Kirigakure and the Land of Water are like. How they differ from the Land of Fire and Konoha."
"I also want to request something from Kirigakure."
Mei's expression turned serious.
So there was an ulterior motive.
But what could he possibly want?
She was silent for a moment, then smiled slightly. "I was trying hard to think—what could Kirigakure possibly have that would interest you?"
Kirigakure used to be very powerful.
They had the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and two Jinchūriki.
But now…
Most of the Seven Swordsmen had defected, only one sword remained, and even that was wielded by a still-maturing prodigy.
The Six-Tails' Jinchūriki had fled and disappeared.
Only the Three-Tails remained, barely under control. They hadn't yet found a new Jinchūriki.
Kirigakure was now the weakest of the Five Great Nations.
Its only protection was being isolated across the sea—a natural defense.
Otherwise, it might have already been invaded and divided by the other great powers.
"About twenty years ago, the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed overnight," Naruto said with a calm smile. "Kirigakure was involved, right?"
Mei looked at him and nodded. "That's true."
She had been around his age back then—she remembered.
But what did he mean by bringing this up?
"I believe Kirigakure should return what belonged to the Uzumaki clan to one of its descendants—me," Naruto said directly. "What do you think?"
Mei's tense heart relaxed.
"So you're here for the Uzumaki legacy?"
"Then I'll have someone prepare it."
She vanished and returned quickly.
She didn't mention the results, instead continuing to guide them around the village.
In the Mizukage building, inside a meeting room.
Five jōnin sat together.
At the head of the table was a bald, elderly man with few teeth left.
"Lady Mei reported that Uzumaki Naruto's goal is to obtain remnants of the Uzumaki clan from us," Ao explained, summarizing the information.
One jōnin frowned. "So it's a demand, not a negotiation?"
"Have Mei make it a trade!" another older jōnin said strongly. "He wants to take without giving—"
Before he could finish, someone interrupted: "Don't forget—his name is Uzumaki Naruto."
They repeated the surname: "Uzumaki."
An Uzumaki asking for Uzumaki property—perfectly reasonable.
"Have Mei test his strength in a sparring match," someone suggested. "If he's as strong as rumored, then giving it to him in good faith isn't a loss."
"But if he's average..."
Many agreed.
If he's strong, befriend him. If not, ignore him.
Ao shook his head. "I disagree."
The other jōnin looked at him in surprise.
"You haven't met Uzumaki Naruto," Ao said gravely. "You think it's a simple test..."
"But to him, it might be a provocation."
"If Lady Mei wins, fine. But if not—he won't treat it as a friendly sparring match. The consequences could be out of our control."
Some frowned. Others scoffed.
Ao raised a hand to his eyepatch. "I met him at the gates with Lady Mei."
"I only used the Byakugan to observe his chakra—and he injured my eye in retaliation."
"Strong people have pride."
The room fell silent.
"What do you think, Elder Genji?" one jōnin cautiously asked the old man at the head of the table.
The elder, clutching a snake-shaped wooden staff, spoke in a raspy voice: "Let Mei decide."
"She will lead the village in the future."
"We haven't interacted with Uzumaki Naruto directly—better to trust her judgment."
Ao stood. "Then I'll prepare what Naruto asked for."
Genji nodded.
An hour later.
Mei had just finished showing Naruto and Karin the Kirigakure Ninja Academy.
An ANBU arrived, respectfully holding a stack of scrolls.
"Looks like everything's ready," Mei smiled. "Shall we sit somewhere and talk?"
Naruto nodded.
In a restaurant, as soon as they sat down—
Mei waved her hand, and the ANBU placed the scrolls in front of Naruto. "This is everything we have from the Land of Whirlpools."
"History, knowledge, records..."
"I had them bring it all."
Naruto pushed them toward Karin. "How straightforward. I thought it'd take more effort."
"No point in making enemies over something that doesn't belong to us," Mei said softly, glancing at the scrolls without regret.
Besides—
They'd already studied most of this over the past two decades. Even the obscure bits had backups.
"We can be friends," she said, defining their interaction.
Naruto smiled. "I think we can be friends."
Mei took a deep breath. "Then let me get to the point—Kirigakure has a request."
"Whether you accept or not won't affect our friendship."
"But I hope you'll hear it out."
Naruto nodded. "Go ahead."
(End of Chapter)