Kakashi's Sharingan was still open, its scarlet pupils reflecting the direction the supposed Anbu Ninja had vanished.
"That so-called Anbu Ninja precisely struck Zabuza's neck with a senbon—a spot that wouldn't be immediately fatal but would induce a state of suspended animation. He painstakingly carried away the heavy body instead of destroying it on the spot."
Naruto's voice was calm.
"And the Hidden Mist's Anbu unit, to ensure absolute certainty, would prioritize destroying the target's brain and heart to prevent any possibility of information leakage."
His words precisely struck the vague confusion that had just arisen in Kakashi's mind.
Kakashi slowly pulled down his forehead protector, covering his Sharingan. He looked at Naruto, a student who could always dissect the most complex situations with the most concise language.
"You mean Zabuza isn't dead. That Anbu Ninja is his accomplice?"
"Exactly." Naruto turned around, his blue pupils showing no ripples. "This means we will face two enemies, not one, and one of them is skilled at long-range surprise attacks using senbon."
This was the information Naruto had summarized.
When the masked Ninja appeared, his perception, honed by psychic tempering, captured something more fundamental than Chakra.
It was a pure, unreserved "loyalty."
A will to unhesitatingly offer everything to protect someone.
This quality, in the bloody universe of Warhammer, was the cornerstone for forging the strongest warriors, the most coveted material for an Imperial Political Commissar.
For the first time, Naruto felt a flicker of interest in the people of this world.
Night had enveloped Tazuna's home.
Under the dim yellow light, Sakura carefully cleaned Naruto's raw, gaping shoulder wound with alcohol-soaked cotton balls, held by tweezers. It was a bloody mess, terrifying just to look at.
Her fingertips trembled with each wipe.
Naruto, however, was like a stone statue, bare-chested, allowing the alcohol and medicine to sting the wound without even a twitch of his eyebrow. It was as if the body being treated was merely an object that happened to belong to him.
Sasuke leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto.
In his mind, the daytime battle replayed over and over from the perspective recorded by his Sharingan.
Naruto crashing into the water clone like a cannonball.
The sound of the kubikiribōchō tearing through flesh.
That fleeting attack window, forcibly torn open.
That wasn't a selfless act of camaraderie.
Sasuke knew clearly that it was an utterly cold tactical exchange.
Naruto used a part of his body to exchange for a chance at victory.
A shoulder wound for a hundred percent guaranteed hit on the target—the optimal solution.
In the face of such pure objective, his own obsession with revenge seemed somewhat trivial. This realization sent a chill up his spine, yet it also ignited an even more furious flame.
He had to become stronger, strong enough not to be a pawn on someone else's chessboard.
"Alright." Sakura finally finished bandaging, letting out a long breath, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
Naruto moved his shoulder, his joints making a slight sound, as if testing the performance of new parts.
"Thank you for your hard work." He put on his clothes, his tone flat.
In the living room, Kakashi gathered everyone.
"You've all heard Naruto's analysis of the situation." He broke the silence. "Zabuza is very likely still alive, and he has an additional helper. The next battle will be more dangerous than today's."
He looked around at his students.
"Therefore, starting tomorrow, we will undergo emergency training. The goal is for you to better utilize Chakra and improve your strength in a short amount of time."
This was a standard and reliable Jonin guidance plan.
"Sensei, I have a plan."
Naruto walked to the window, looking at the Village outside, shrouded in night and poverty. It was desolate, without a trace of living breath.
Kakashi's words were interrupted; he paused for a moment.
"Naruto?"
"We train, we get stronger, and then what?" Naruto didn't turn around. "We defeat Zabuza, complete the mission, and then leave. What about this country?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone present.
"Gato will hire the next 'Zabuza,' or ten, or a hundred wandering samurai who are not as good as Zabuza. The result will be the same."
Naruto slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over Kakashi, then Sasuke and Sakura, finally resting on the trembling Tazuna.
"The root of the problem is that this country has lost its ability and will to resist."
"Therefore, I will use this time to forge the civilians here into a militia capable of self-defense, as much as possible."
These words were like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake.
"You... what did you say?" Tazuna's lips trembled; he could barely believe his ears. "Militia? You want us, people with hammers and fishing nets, to fight Ninja and samurai? Are you joking! That's impossible!"
"This is beyond the scope of the mission, Naruto." Kakashi's expression also grew serious. "Our mission is to protect the client until the bridge is built. Training civilians, this..."
"A nation incapable of self-defense is unworthy of peace."
Naruto coldly interrupted him.
"Waiting for the charity of others is the most foolish and unreliable act in the universe. Konoha cannot protect this place forever, and we cannot stay here forever."
His words carried an iron-like authority that didn't belong to his age. It was a tone honed on countless battlefields of corpses and blood, when issuing death orders to subordinates.
"I will give them weapons; I will give them the will to fight. Only when they pick up their own swords and learn to defend their homes with blood will this country begin its true salvation."
"This is the only permanent solution."
Kakashi looked at Naruto, and for a moment, he seemed to see a distant figure.
That figure had also, with such an unchallengeable demeanor, enforced his own "correctness."
Tazuna slumped to the ground. He was frightened by the coldness and cruelty in Naruto's words, but beneath that cruelty, there seemed to be a hint of... hope?
Sasuke lowered his head. No one saw that his body was subtly trembling.
Not out of fear.
But excitement.
Forging unarmed civilians into an army?
This insane, domineering, yet incredibly efficient approach sent an unprecedented thrill through him.
This was true strength.
Not mere Ninjutsu or power, but a willpower capable of changing the world's pattern.
"I object." Kakashi finally spoke. He had to fulfill his responsibility as the team leader. "This is too dangerous. It will provoke Gato and make him resort to more extreme measures. And the civilian casualties..."
"War always has casualties." Naruto's reply was devoid of emotion. "To achieve the greatest victory with the smallest sacrifice is the commander's responsibility. I will calculate the cost."