"Can you step aside to talk, Tazuna?"
"What's the matter, Keech?"
"Actually, I've been thinking a lot lately... Can I quit working on the bridge?"
On the bridge in the Land of Waves, Carl watched as a worker handed in his resignation to Tazuna, and a faint, nearly imperceptible smile curved the corner of his lips.
After a day of rest yesterday, Tazuna had gathered the workers again today to resume construction. Kakashi, still recovering, remained at Tazuna's house to rest.
Naruto and Sasuke were currently training in chakra control by practicing tree climbing.
Sakura, with her excellent chakra control, and Carl, who was free at the moment, were tasked with protecting Tazuna.
But shortly after the work began, the workers started resigning one by one. It turned out they had all been threatened by Gato while Tazuna was away.
Gato warned them that if they continued helping Tazuna build the bridge, their families would be punished—or even killed.
Though Tazuna was angry and helpless, he didn't force them to stay. In the end, he was left alone to continue the bridge construction.
"How could they be like this? If they stop building, Gato will keep ruling over them forever!"
Seeing the workers abandon the site one by one, Sakura couldn't help expressing her anger on Tazuna's behalf.
Carl smiled lightly:
"Actually, it's understandable. From their point of view, finishing the bridge would indeed help free the Land of Waves from Gato's grip, and give them a better life.
But if they or their families die before that, then no matter how good the future might be, it won't mean anything to them.
The fact that they had the courage to help build the bridge before, even without pay, already says a lot."
"Yeah, but even if I'm the only one left, I'm going to finish this bridge. I won't let Gato get his way!"
Tazuna said with determined eyes after hearing Carl's words.
He understood why the workers left. After all, none of them were being paid; they were helping out of goodwill. So he let them go without complaint.
"Mr. Tazuna, if you don't mind, I can offer you a hand."
Carl stepped forward, speaking calmly.
Tazuna quickly waved him off:
"No, no, I'm already grateful you're protecting me. If you start doing labor on top of that, it'd be too much!"
He thought Carl meant to physically help build the bridge and instantly refused. He already felt guilty enough letting someone like Carl protect him for free; making him do labor would weigh even more on his conscience.
"No, Mr. Tazuna, you've misunderstood. This monk meant he has a friend who employs many bridge repair workers. If needed, I can ask him to send people over to help."
Carl explained with a gentle smile.
Tazuna's eyes lit up in surprise for a moment, but then he let out a sigh:
"Forget it. I can't pay anyone to help rebuild the bridge."
He had spent all his savings to commission a protection mission from Konoha. Even if Carl's friend wasn't afraid of Gato and dared to help, Tazuna couldn't afford to pay them a single coin.
Carl thought for a moment and then said:
"That shouldn't be a problem. My friend is in the business world. Once the bridge is repaired, he could be the first to send his caravan to do trade in the Land of Waves. With that, he'd likely agree."
If Tazuna succeeded in building the bridge and freeing the Land of Waves from Gato's grip, he'd become a national hero and someone with the highest prestige in the hearts of its people.
With Tazuna's endorsement, Carl's friend's caravan could quickly establish a solid foothold throughout the country.
Even though the Land of Waves seemed poor now—its streets filled with umemployed laborers holding up signs for work—things would change drastically without Gato's suppression of trade and fishing. As an island nation with access to the sea and decent natural resources, the Land of Waves wouldn't remain impoverished for long.
With a workforce of eager and affordable laborers, Carl's caravan was bound to earn massive profits.
Later on, after swallowing Gato's shipping business and infrastructure, Carl could become the true hidden power behind the country, turning it into his stronghold in this world.
Geographically, the Land of Waves was ideal: close to the Land of Fire, yet distant and separate from the Lightning, Wind, and Earth nations. Even the Land of Water was separated by the sea.
It made the Land of Waves a perfect base of operations. Any foreign ninja force trying to attack would have to go through the Land of Fire first.
As for the Land of Fire itself, Carl was its prince, with high noble status. As long as he didn't betray the country or attack Konoha, they wouldn't raise a hand against him.
"If that's the case, then that would be incredible!"
Tazuna stepped forward and gripped Carl's hand, eyes brimming with emotion and gratitude.
He was worried that even if the bridge was truly completed, no caravan would be willing to offend Gato by coming to their impoverished country. Without merchants or trade, it would take a very long time for their land to recover.
Unexpectedly, Carl's friend wouldn't just send bridge workers—but was also open to trading and stimulating the economy. Truly, they were good people.
"Since you think it's okay, Mr. Tazuna, I'll write to him now."
As he spoke, Carl took a pen and paper out of a sealed scroll, swiftly wrote a letter, then bit his finger to summon a bird with a summoning jutsu and handed the letter to it.
"Go deliver this to Matsukawa."
The summoning beasts from the Temple of Fire were Monokinori birds. Though they had no offensive abilities, their speed was unmatched, making them perfect for message delivery.
Before his journey, Chiriku had Carl sign a contract with these birds, stating that if anything urgent came up, they could be contacted through birds. However, Carl mostly used them to communicate with Jinai and Matsukawa.
Matsukawa was the business-savvy retainer Carl had asked Jinai to select from among his subordinates early on. He was also the leader of Chuanji, the surface-level company acting as a front for Carl's operations.
By noon, Carl and Sakura escorted Tazuna to the nearby shore town to buy groceries.
Seven or eight out of every ten stores in the town were shuttered. Only a few sparse shops offering basic necessities remained open—and even those had extremely limited stock.
The streets were filled with adults holding placards begging for work, and children with sunken cheeks and ragged clothes—thin and pale from starvation.
"Maybe we should start an orphanage," Carl muttered quietly.
During Gato's control over the Land of Waves, many people had either starved to death or been killed for resisting, leaving behind a huge number of orphans. If he adopted and raised these children properly, they could grow up to become loyal subordinates.
Carl had no intention of using these kids the way Orochimaru did—no twisted experiments or unrealistic power goals. They didn't need to become powerful shinobi.
As long as they grew strong enough to guard local shops and caravans in the major towns, that would be enough. And later on, they could serve to transmit intelligence from major trade hubs.