Karin retracted those heart-stopping golden chains, which dissipated into specks of golden light.
She clapped her hands and turned around, looking up just as Yusuke and the others walked over. A bright smile immediately bloomed on her face. She waved enthusiastically and called out in a clear voice: "Sensei! You're back! We've taken care of things here too!"
"Sensei!" Kurotsuchi and Ranmaru also walked over to greet Yusuke.
Kurotsuchi looked curiously at the Konoha's Ninja who had returned with her teacher.
Ranmaru also stood quietly, his red eyes curiously examining the Konoha's group behind Yusuke. His gaze lingered for a moment longer, especially on Naruto's striking blonde hair and blue eyes, and the cool, aloof Adult Sasuke.
Yuto, Tazuna, and the many villagers also noticed the returning group of Yusuke and the others, their eyes filled with gratitude and awe.
The crowd automatically parted to let the Ninja-sama pass.
Many villagers, especially the workers who had experienced the desperate moments just now, looked at Yusuke and his group with undisguised admiration.
In their eyes, these Land of Stars' Ninja were the heroes who had truly saved them from the sword.
Yusuke walked with steady steps to his three students, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic but now safe battlefield. He nodded approvingly and said in a deep voice: "Mm, well done. Quick reactions, good coordination, no civilians harmed. You haven't disgraced the name of the Land of Stars' Ninja."
Receiving her teacher's praise, Karin's smile grew even brighter. She pushed up her oval glasses on her nose, then pointed at Matsuo, who was tightly bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, lying on the ground like a pile of mud, still trembling. She asked: "Sensei, what should we do with this guy? Take him back to the Land of Stars? Or..."
Before she could finish, Yuto rushed forward. Suppressing his excitement, he first bowed deeply to Yusuke, then looked up, his eyes slightly reddened, his voice trembling with emotion: "Yusuke-sama! And all you Ninja-sama from Konoha! Thank you for saving us, and for saving the Land of Waves!"
He paused, his gaze turning to Matsuo, who was ashen-faced on the ground, and almost squeezed out the words from between his teeth: "But this demon... please, you must hand him over to us! Revenge for Kaiza-nii, for the loved ones of everyone who was forced to death, for everything they stole from us... we want to take it back with our own hands! The people of the Land of Waves have the right to put him on trial! Please, hand him over to us!"
"Yes! Hand him over to us!"
"Kill Matsuo! Avenge Kaiza!"
"Tear him to pieces!"
"Hang him!"
Yuto's words instantly ignited the long-suppressed anger and grief of all the villagers.
Tazuna also stepped forward and bowed deeply to Yusuke and the others: "Ninja-sama, Matsuo and his group are the root of all the suffering in the Land of Waves. His crimes are too numerous to list..."
Matsuo, collapsed on the ground, heard the deafening shouts around him. He was scared out of his wits, his fat body shaking like a sieve, a large dark stain quickly spreading in his crotch, emitting a foul stench.
Tears and snot streaming down his face, he ignored his dignity, wriggling his bound body, and kowtowed desperately to Yusuke, who seemed to be one of the leaders. His forehead hit the hard ground with a dull 'thud, thud', quickly turning blue and purple.
"Mercy! Mercy, my lord! Ninja-sama! I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Money! I have plenty of money! You're Ninja, right? How much to hire you? I'll pay ten times! No, a hundred times the price! As long as you let me go, my money, my company, all of it is yours! Please, don't hand me over to these lower classes! They'll kill me! They'll definitely kill me!"
Matsuo's cries were hoarse and desperate, filled with fear.
However, his pleas only made the Konoha's Ninja feel more disgust and contempt.
Kakashi drooped his dead fish eye, as if looking at a pile of filthy garbage. Jiraiya folded his arms, a cold smile on his lips. Adult Sasuke was expressionless, his gaze cold as if looking at an ant.
Naruto covered his nose with a disgusted look, muttering: "So disgusting... this guy actually wet himself! And he calls them 'lower classes'! Tazuna-san and Yuto-nii are not lower classes! You're the bad guy!"
Yusuke didn't even spare Matsuo a glance. His gaze fell on Yuto's young face, flushed with excitement and hatred, then swept over the surrounding faces… old, young, weather-beaten… all now filled with anticipation and hatred.
He was silent for a few seconds, as if weighing something, or confirming whether the determination in these civilians' eyes to 'take back their destiny' was firm enough.
Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice not loud but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Yuto, Tazuna-san, and everyone in the Land of Waves. Matsuo is your enemy, the root of your oppression. His fate should be decided by you, by the common people of the Land of Waves whom he has harmed and oppressed. We Ninja of the Land of Stars were merely passing by and helped a little. The future of the Land of Waves, in the end, must be in the hands of the people of the Land of Waves themselves."
Yusuke paused, looking at Yuto with a hint of encouragement and expectation: "He is yours to handle. According to the methods taught by the Red Star Alliance, and according to the justice in your hearts, do what you believe needs to be done."
Yusuke's words, like a drop of water into boiling oil, instantly brought the atmosphere at the scene to a climax!
"Oh—!!!"
"Thank you, Yusuke-sama!"
"Thank you, Ninja-sama!"
After a brief silence, there were deafening cheers and shouts of gratitude.
The villagers waved their farm tools, tears in their eyes.
Yuto was trembling with excitement. He spun around, raised his arm, and swung it forcefully at his companions and the villagers behind him, hoarsely shouting: "Everyone! Take this demon Matsuo away! Prepare a public trial! We'll let the whole Land of Waves see the final fate of this bloodsucking devil!"
"Justice!"
"Justice!"
"Justice!"
The crowd chanted in rhythm.
Several strong young men immediately rushed forward, roughly dragging the limp, still futilely begging Matsuo up from the ground, dragging him like a dead dog towards the open space in the center of the village.
Matsuo's pig-like screams gradually faded, eventually drowned out by the crowd's roars and cheers.
Naruto watched Matsuo being dragged away, then looked at the agitated villagers. He scratched his head in confusion and asked Yusuke: "Yusuke-san, will they... kill that bad guy?"
Yusuke nodded and said calmly: "According to the Red Star Alliance's guidance regulations, oppressors like Matsuo, against whom there is solid evidence of numerous unforgivable crimes against civilians, are usually put on trial."
"Trial?" Naruto blinked his blue eyes, unfamiliar with and curious about the term.
"Exactly!" Karin, standing nearby, put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and wore an expression of pride and seriousness, actively explaining for Naruto.
"It means letting all the ordinary people he has bullied, oppressed, and hurt go up, one by one, and in front of everyone, loudly state the specific crimes Matsuo committed against them."
"For example, whose family member he drove to death, how low a price he used to snatch the fish and goods everyone worked hard to catch, and how high a price he sold moldy grain to everyone... all the evil must be exposed in the sunlight!"
She pushed up her glasses, her gaze behind the lenses clear and firm: "Then, everyone present who knows his crimes decides together how to punish him."
"The significance of such a trial is that when the old laws and order cannot protect the common people, even become accomplices to the oppressors, the common people have the right and the power to stand up on their own, reclaim justice, and judge those who lord it over them! This is what the Red Star Alliance has been supporting common people to do in various places!"
Under Karin's infectious explanation, Naruto roughly understood.
He nodded half-understandingly, watching in the distance as, under the command of Yuto and other young people, the common people of the Land of Waves began to spontaneously act.
Some built a temporary platform, some found writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to record something, while more excitedly gathered together, loudly telling stories and gesturing. Everyone's face burned with an unprecedented light.
It was a yearning for revenge and an expectation of justice. Naruto seemed to vaguely see something emanating from them.
This scene was something Naruto had never seen before.
In Konoha, there were missions to punish evil, but something like ordinary commoners spontaneously organizing a public trial of a once-high-and-mighty big merchant, a big noble...
This shocking scene was deeply imprinted on the young boy's heart.
Just then, Naruto's sharp eyes caught sight of Menma, leaning on a crutch with Hinata's support, appearing at the door of Tazuna's house. He immediately ran over excitedly, shouting as he ran: "Menma-nii! Hinata! Are you guys okay?!"
Menma's complexion was much better than before.
He gave the running Naruto a gentle smile and shook his head: "We're fine. That Missing-Nin Matsuo sent and those samurai were really not that strong. Your side, though, made quite a commotion."
Hinata, supporting Menma, blushed slightly and said softly: "The enemy was too weak..."
At this moment, she had returned to her usual gentle and timid appearance, a far cry from the sharp-eyed, decisive Big Sis she had been in battle.
Boruto also strolled out slowly from behind them, hands in his pockets. He first raised an eyebrow at Menma, then looked at Adult Sasuke in the distance and nodded, signaling that everything was fine.
Soon, everyone returned to Tazuna's simple but warm home.
Tsunami had already prepared hot tea and simple food, and Inari helped obediently.
After the excitement, the atmosphere relaxed a bit.
As the Jonin Instructor of Team 7, Kakashi first gathered his three students, Menma, Hinata, and Naruto, to summarize the encounter during the Land of Waves mission.
He listened carefully to Menma and Hinata's detailed account of the Missing-Nin Rokusho Aoi leading samurai to attack Tazuna's house.
When he heard that Hinata had single-handedly defeated Aoi, who wielded the Sword of the Thunder God, a flicker of approval passed through Kakashi's single eye. Jiraiya stroked his chin, clicking his tongue in wonder, gaining a newfound respect for this seemingly gentle young lady of the Hyuga Clan.
Then, Kakashi turned to Yusuke, officially thanking the Land of Stars' Ninja for their timely assistance on behalf of Konoha: "Yusuke-san, thank you for your generous help at this critical moment. If you hadn't arrived in time, Tazuna-san's family and the common people of the Land of Waves would have likely suffered even greater losses."
Yusuke waved his hand, his expression calm: "You flatter me. We were simply escorting Yuto and the others along our way. Eliminating bullies like the Matsuo Group and helping civilians is precisely what we Land of Stars' Ninja should do. Besides, we made a pretty good deal. Neither owes the other."
Kakashi nodded, not dwelling on formalities. He concluded: "So far, the Ninja hired by the Matsuo Group… Kirigakure's Missing-Nin Momochi Zabuza, Konoha's Missing-Nin Rokusho Aoi, and their subordinate wandering samurai… have been basically all eliminated or captured. The primary culprit, Matsuo himself, has also been taken into custody by the common people of the Land of Waves and is about to face a public trial."
He walked to the window and looked outside.
In the central open space of the village, a simple wooden platform had been erected. More and more common people were gathering from all directions, their voices clamorous, their emotions high.
Yuto and several young people from the Red Star Alliance were passionately speaking on the platform, while the crowd below erupted in angry roars or shouts of agreement from time to time.
"Next, where the Land of Waves goes… whether to overthrow the current Daimyo's rule or establish a new order... will depend on Yuto and the others, and the choices of the common people themselves," Kakashi said with a hint of complex emotion.
As Ninja, they completed missions, protected clients, and killed enemies, but rarely directly intervened in a country's internal changes.
However, the Land of Waves' special geographical location, the Land of Water's influence behind Matsuo, and the Land of Stars' influence now involved, meant the Land of Waves' future was destined not to be peaceful.
But Kakashi's reflections were soon interrupted by another scene inside the house.
He turned his head just in time to see Karin, at some point, having again sidled up to Menma.
Holding a medical kit, using the pretext of 'checking on the recovery progress', she was practically pressing her entire upper body against Menma's arm. While 'earnestly' sensing his Chakra, she muttered: "Menma-kun, your Chakra is stable, but your Chakra Pathway are still a bit fragile. You need more careful conditioning~ Let me help you thoroughly check the Tenketsu Points near your heart, okay?"
On Menma's other side, Hinata was tightly holding his arm, her small face red as a ripe apple. But this time, instead of shouting angrily as before, she mustered her courage, using her large, watery white eyes to gaze shyly but clearly displeased at Karin, who was practically trying to burrow into Menma's embrace. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's, but exceptionally persistent: "Th-that... Karin-san... y-you're too close... Menma-kun... he needs to rest..."
This scene, not to mention Kakashi's slightly twitching eye, even Karin's teacher, Yusuke, and her teammates Kurotsuchi and Ranmaru, couldn't bear to watch.
Yusuke coughed dryly and looked up to study Tazuna's somewhat leaky ceiling. Kurotsuchi, arms crossed, coolly turned her head away, holding back a laugh as she pretended to admire the 'scenery' outside the window. The youngest, Ranmaru, simply lowered his head, staring at his own toes, as if a flower had bloomed there.
Naruto grinned brightly: "Menma-nii is as popular as he was at the Ninja Academy."
Adult Sasuke, who had been silently observing, saw Karin so enthusiastically and proactively clinging to Menma, and Menma's helpless yet unable-to-retaliate expression. That strange feeling surged up again.
He couldn't help but frown slightly and ask with some confusion: "Do you two... know each other?"
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Karin and Menma denied in unison:
"Don't know him!"
"Don't know her."
Their reaction speed was remarkably consistent.
But it was precisely this overly synchronized and quick denial that deepened Adult Sasuke's confusion.
He looked at the smitten Karin, then at the somewhat helpless Menma, feeling something was off.
Jiraiya, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh. He folded his arms across his chest, looking amused, and teased: "Oh my, young people's emotional world is so complex and unpredictable! Interesting, truly interesting!"
Jiraiya also knew something about the Land of Stars' situation.
He knew the Land of Stars had a highly influential administrative minister named Uzumaki Kanon, a surviving Uzumaki Clan's member and an important figure in the Land of Stars.
'This girl named Uzumaki Karin, judging by her hair color and her use of the Uzumaki Clan's secret technique, was most likely the daughter of Minister Kanon.'
'Her enthusiasm towards Menma was quite intriguing.'
'Was it simply because she was attracted by Menma's handsomeness?'
However, looking at Menma's awkward and speechless expression, caught between two girls, did make Jiraiya a bit envious of such a 'left and right embrace'.
'Why didn't cute girls fight over me when I was young?' Jiraiya thought.
In the following days, the Land of Waves underwent earth-shaking changes.
At Matsuo's public trial, countless angry common people testified and accused him. His crimes were too numerous to list.
In the end, swept along by the surging public opinion, this once nearly ruling merchant of the Land of Waves was hanged by the angry populace from a lamppost in front of his own luxurious mansion, ending his evil life.
His Matsuo Group was also destroyed by the angry crowd. The wealth he had amassed was organized by Yuto and the members of the Red Star Alliance, partially used to compensate the harmed civilians and partially for the future reconstruction of the Land of Waves.
Supported by the Red Star Alliance ideology, Yuto and his companions acted quickly.
They went deep into various villages and towns of the Land of Waves, exposing the corruption of the Daimyo and the evil of the Matsuo Group, spreading the new concept of Will of Stars, organizing the people, and preparing their strength.
The call to overthrow the Daimyo's rule, like a spark, began to spread across this long-oppressed island nation.
Meanwhile, Tazuna, leading the workers who had regained hope, worked day and night, under the protection of Konoha's Team 7 and the Land of Stars' team, on the final construction of the Land of Waves' Bridge.
Without the obstruction and sabotage of the Matsuo Group, the project's progress advanced rapidly.
Menma's health recovered quickly under Karin's 'conscientious' treatment.
Although Karin's 'treatment' process often involved overly intimate physical contact and Hinata's resentful stares, the results were indeed remarkable.
Within two days, Menma was able to move normally.
This relieved Hinata but also made her more wary of Karin's excessive enthusiasm.
During these days, Naruto underwent a series of special training sessions with Jiraiya.
Although Jiraiya seemed carefree on the surface, he was serious when teaching Naruto.
In just a few days, Naruto showed significant improvement in his Taijutsu, Ninjutsu application, and Chakra Control, much to the delight of the ever-eager Naruto.
Time passed quietly amidst the busyness and change.
Finally, under everyone's anticipation, the Land of Waves' Bridge, the bridge carrying Tazuna's dream and symbolizing the Land of Waves' new birth, was successfully completed!
On the completion day, the sun was bright, and the sea breeze was gentle.
The brand-new bridge, like a grey giant dragon, spanned the blue waves, connecting the Land of Waves with the Land of Fire.
At the bridgehead, countless common people of the Land of Waves gathered to celebrate, each face beaming with genuine smiles and hopes for the future.
Menma, Hinata, Naruto, and Kakashi stood at this end of the bridge, ready to return to Konoha.
Yusuke, Karin, Kurotsuchi, and Ranmaru were also there. They would travel with the Konoha's team to Konoha Village to participate in the Chunin Exams.
Tazuna, along with his daughter Tsunami and grandson Inari, accompanied by many fellow workers and villagers, came to see them off.
Tazuna's eyes were filled with tears of emotion as he tightly grasped the hands of Kakashi and Yusuke, sobbing and unable to speak.
Inari hugged Naruto's leg, looking up with a small face, speaking earnestly: "Naruto-nii, Menma-nii, Hinata-nee, and all you Ninja brothers and sisters, thank you!"
Yuto also came. He was more composed than before, his eyes shining with a firm light.
He solemnly thanked the Ninja from Konoha and the Land of Stars, saying that the people of the Land of Waves would not forget their help. They would walk along this bridge towards a brand-new future.
After bidding farewell with reluctance, the two Ninja teams stepped onto the bridge, heading towards the Land of Fire on the other side.
Sunlight shone on the bridge and on everyone, casting long shadows.
Not far from the bridge, on a branch of a large tree at the edge of a dense forest, Jiraiya stood against the wind, watching the gradually receding figures of Naruto and the others.
Beside him stood the silent Adult Sasuke and Boruto.
"Phew..." Jiraiya let out a long breath. The usual playfulness on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep gravity.
He stroked his chin, speaking quietly, as if to himself or to the two beside him: "The Land of Waves matter is finally over, but... I always feel that this Chunin Exam won't be peaceful. There's a sense... that a storm is coming."
Adult Sasuke didn't speak, just quietly watched the receding figure of that blonde-haired boy, his eyes reflecting the sparkling sea, deep and unfathomable.
Boruto leaned against the tree trunk, his right hand raised as if wanting to touch the sky, his thoughts unknown.
The sea breeze blew through the forest, the leaves rustling.