The headquarters of Gato's shipping company was now a bloody scene strewn with corpses.
Holding his Kubikiribocho, Zabuza had easily slaughtered the remaining samurai and thugs, leaving not a single soul alive. As Allen had said, this world followed the law of the jungle, where the strong devour the weak. The powerful need no reason to kill the weak, nor do they fear the so-called consequences.
When the last man attempting to resist was cleaved in two, dragging half his entrails and spine across the floor in a piteous wail, the "Demon" brought his foot down with a wet crunch, crushing the man's skull. He sneered at Gato, who had already wet his pants in terror.
"My apologies, Employer-san. While killing you wasn't my original intent, you were blind enough to mistake two dangerous monsters for ordinary bodyguards."
"No! No! No! Don't kill me! I'll give you money! Triple! No! Five times the reward!" Gato shrieked, desperately trying to buy his life.
"Fool! This isn't about money anymore! Just die!"
With that, Zabuza swung the Kubikiribocho, splitting the greedy merchant clean down the middle.
Blood! Brains! Organs!
Everything erupted from the gash, turning the entire office into a slaughterhouse.
The moment Gato died, Karin finally pushed open the door and walked in. Ignoring the carnage, she opened the safe and stuffed every bit of cash into a Sealing Scroll. She left the real estate deeds right where they were.
Once finished, she spoke to the Demon, who was radiating a terrifying murderous intent. "Senpai! I'll leave the remaining property deeds to you. Remember to liquidate them quickly. Once word of Gato's death spreads, it'll be hard to find buyers."
"I don't need you to tell me that!"
Zabuza picked up the thick stack of deeds with a look of immense frustration. He never dreamed that he, an Elite Jonin, would end up as a glorified errand boy. But when one is under another's roof, one must bow their head. Forget the mysteriously powerful Allen; he felt he might not even be a match for the red-haired girl standing before him.
"I wish you a smooth journey. Once everything is sold, please bring the money to the Hidden Sound Village. Farewell."
Karin completely ignored the deliberately crafted bloodbath, turned, and vanished down the hallway.
Watching her retreating figure, Zabuza finally couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse, "Dammit! Since when did the ninja world produce two such terrifying brats? No wonder people say Konoha is a breeding ground for geniuses and monsters!"
Despite his cursing, he obediently pulled out the ledger and began systematically liquidating Gato's assets.
…
Meanwhile, work on the Great Bridge in the Land of Waves resumed.
Although Kakashi had already led the three Genin of Team 7 back toward Konoha for safety, unable to risk the severe consequences of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki losing control again, Tazuna refused to give up. With a death-defying resolve, he was determined to finish the bridge.
As time passed, far from facing Gato's retaliation, even the thugs who usually caused trouble vanished without a trace. Driven by curiosity and anxiety, some residents of the Land of Waves cautiously approached the shipping company, only to find rotting, stinking corpses everywhere. The great merchant Gato was among them.
In an instant, deafening cheers echoed through the sky. They knew the dark clouds hanging over them had finally dispersed; a beautiful new life was within reach.
"They seem very happy."
Karin glanced at the cheering crowds on the street, a trace of gratification appearing on her face.
Allen smiled and nodded. "Yes. Because from now on, they have something called hope. And once people have hope, they will do everything in their power to pursue the beautiful life they crave. The task I gave you, is it done?"
"Mhm! All settled! I used the money collected from Gato to buy a large amount of supplies. Everything will be delivered within two weeks at the latest," Karin quickly replied.
"In that case, we can leave in peace. Let's go; Orochimaru is waiting."
With that, Allen boarded a small boat, slowly leaving the Land of Waves and heading toward the mainland across the sea.
Haku, acting as a hostage, watched this strange pair with a gaze full of curiosity and confusion. Initially, he thought they had captured him to coerce Zabuza for Gato's immense wealth. But then Karin had spent nearly half of it to buy supplies for the civilians, completely overturning that theory.
From their actions, they seemed like... good people. At least in their treatment of civilians, they had done remarkably well.
"What are you looking at?" Karin asked with a bright smile while pulling the oars. She was clearly in a great mood, satisfied with having personally changed the fate of a nation.
"Nothing. I'm just curious," Haku voiced the doubt lingering in his heart. "You clearly had better ways to help those civilians, yet you chose the most hidden, unrecognized way. Why?"
"Better ways? No, you're wrong. What we did is the best way," Allen explained nonchalantly. "Because this nation is too weak and lacks the protection of a hidden village. If Gato were to fall suddenly, it would only attract other wolves and vultures.
"But now? Because Gato was killed by a savage rogue ninja, anyone wanting to swoop in for a piece of the pie will first consider the risks. Furthermore, supplies aren't cash or jewels; once they are distributed, it's nearly impossible to snatch them back. Remember, if you want to do a good deed, you must consider every angle. Otherwise, acting purely on good intentions might not only fail to help those in need but could plunge them into a terrible disaster. Besides, I don't help them to gain anything, nor do I need anyone's gratitude."
Allen explained his reasoning for every step. Helping the people of the Land of Waves wasn't as simple as killing Gato and throwing money at them. Doing so would only make an already lawless country more chaotic. This was why being a villain is always easier than being a hero. He didn't want the Land of Waves to end up worse off after his intervention.
"I see!" Haku's eyes filled with admiration, and his previous view of them shifted completely. He felt these two weren't so terrifying after all.
Allen, noticing this, curled his lips into a meaningful smile. "I advise you to get the idea that I'm a 'good person' out of your head. I may be merciful toward civilians, but toward ninjas, I take a completely different stance. In my eyes, none of you are innocent, and I won't feel any psychological burden when it comes to killing you..."