After the bandits blocked the road, one of the down-and-out samurai rushed forward dramatically, shouting his name like he was introducing himself on stage.
Unfortunately, the bandit leader had zero interest in auditions.
A kunai flew.
Thud.
The blade pierced the samurai's shoulder. His heroic speech died mid-sentence. The other ronin immediately froze, frowned, and retreated toward the convoy with very serious expressions that clearly said: This was not in the contract.
Naruto glanced at the bandits… then at the samurai who were subtly winking at the enemy like old drinking buddies.
A faint smile curved his lips.
In the past half month, he had encountered enough bandits to write a guidebook titled "The Hidden Economy of the Land of Fire."
He had originally thought that the Fire Nation simply had "simple and honest folk customs."
Turns out the honesty came with an organized crime subscription plan.
The caravan guards and the bandits were obviously working together. A clean industrial chain: scare civilians, fake resistance, split profits.
If you could afford ninja protection, bandits conveniently disappeared.
If you couldn't? Well… enjoy your regularly scheduled robbery.
The reason today's performance was falling apart was simple:
An outsider ninja had entered the script.
Naruto bent down casually, picked up a small stone, and infused it with wind-nature chakra.
A soft whistle cut through the air.
Crack.
The stone slammed into the bandit leader's forehead like a bullet. The man dropped instantly, unconscious before he even understood what went wrong.
The rest of the bandits froze mid-charge.
Naruto walked over calmly, crouched down, and felt around the leader's head wound. From his clothes, he pulled out a ninja forehead protector.
So. Not just random thugs.
After ordering the caravan members to tie them up, Naruto said lightly to the convoy owner:
"They're still alive. Send them to the nearest town's security office. I'm sure they'll know what to do."
The convoy owner nodded repeatedly, suddenly treating Naruto like a walking god of war.
He had never seen someone knock out a bandit leader with a rock.
Naruto accepted the boss's gratitude—and the upgraded one-man carriage at the front of the convoy.
Free ride. VIP seat. Zero complaints.
Inside the sealed space, Naruto spoke lazily:
"Fourth Hokage-sama, it seems the law and order in the Land of Fire is… thriving. Clearly no need for ninjas to guard towns."
Minato coughed awkwardly.
"Ninjas are mercenaries. If people cannot afford missions, ninjas won't be assigned. But there are still many shinobi who help others when they see injustice."
Naruto smiled faintly but didn't reply.
Ninjas were mercenaries.
No money, no service.
At best, someone might act out of conscience. But conscience doesn't fix a system.
Worse—when ninja defected, they became disasters. Even a basic genin could occupy a mountain and terrorize villages.
The most absurd part?
These hired military villages held the armed power of entire nations, while the daimyō could barely interfere.
What a beautifully dysfunctional arrangement.
Half a day later, the convoy stopped again.
This time, not because of bandits—but because a noble from the Land of Fire was passing through.
According to regulation, civilians had to give way and bow.
Soon, curtains lifted.
Passengers lowered their heads. The caravan owner bowed deeply. Even the previously "fearless" samurai suddenly displayed textbook etiquette.
Money and status really improved posture.
Naturally, a Fire Nation noble could afford ninja guards.
Naruto remained seated inside his carriage, not bothering to bow. The noble's guards didn't notice him and simply passed by.
Watching the noble's procession leave, Naruto said lightly:
"So there are people in the Land of Fire who can hire ninjas. Seems we shinobi mainly protect big shots."
Minato frowned.
For the first time, he found himself agreeing with Kurama a little.
Naruto's sharp cynicism didn't come from Minato or Kushina.
It was disturbingly similar to the Nine-Tails.
Correcting that mindset would be far harder than he imagined.
Ten minutes later, the convoy resumed moving.
Then stopped again.
This time, because the noble's sedan chair lay ahead—split cleanly in half.
Blood flowed from the crack.
The ninja guards around it were all dead, frozen expressions still on their faces. They hadn't even understood how they died.
Sitting casually on a nearby tree trunk was the assassin.
Black hair. Shark-like teeth. A massive chipped blade resting on his shoulder.
For a moment, Naruto thought of Momochi Zabuza.
But the clothing was wrong.
The black cloak with red clouds was unmistakable.
Akatsuki.
Minato's voice sounded in his mind:
"That's Loquat Jūzō—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
Right.
A Kirigakure missing-nin who had survived Might Dai's legendary rampage by pure luck.
Naruto clicked his tongue internally.
Of all days to casually take a guard job… I run into an Akatsuki member.
Before he could think further, Loquat Jūzō vanished.
The Kubikiribōchō locked onto Naruto.
Steel flashed.
Naruto sidestepped smoothly. The blade cleaved the carriage behind him in half like butter.
Passengers screamed.
Naruto drew the samurai sword at his waist. Wind-nature chakra wrapped around the blade.
A sharp gale burst forth—like a sickle weasel slicing through the air—slashing toward Jūzō.
Jūzō's expression shifted slightly. He blocked, then leapt aside.
"Didn't expect someone strong like you to be guarding a noble," Jūzō said, mildly impressed.
Naruto blinked.
"…I'm traveling. I just happened to protect the convoy on the way."
Jūzō scratched his head.
"Oh. Then I misunderstood. Thought you were competing for the bounty."
Without hesitation, Jūzō walked over, casually cut off the noble's head, and picked it up like it was standard delivery.
Professional to the end.
Before leaving, he turned back.
"You're strong. Interested in joining my organization? Good benefits. Flexible work hours. Occasional world domination."
Naruto shook his head.
"Not interested in joining any organization for now."
"Shame."
And just like that, Loquat Jūzō left.
Naruto didn't pursue.
Jūzō was elite Jōnin level. Fighting seriously would take time—and if White Zetsu happened to be lurking and recording… that would be troublesome.
The convoy members looked at Naruto differently now.
Not respect.
Reverence.
If Naruto hadn't been there, they'd all be corpses.
Naruto ignored their flattery and entered the sealed space again.
Looking at Minato, he asked calmly:
"Fourth Hokage-sama… even nobles can't be protected by ninja."
"So tell me—what exactly are ninjas protecting?"
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