A week after Gato was killed, the bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland was finally completed.
From that point on, the Land of Waves no longer faced any obstacles in trading with cities and towns across the mainland.
"Goodbye, Big Brother Carl! If you have time, you have to come to Konoha and visit! I'll treat you to some ramen—it's amazing!"
On the bridge, Naruto waved at Carl and shouted as he departed.
Now that the bridge was complete, Kakashi's team had finished their mission and was ready to return to Konoha.
"If you're ever heading to the capital, let the little monk know ahead of time. I'll make sure you're well taken care of," Carl said with a smile, Zen staff in hand.
He had no plans to leave the Land of Waves just yet. Matsukawa alone couldn't fully take over Gato's shipping company, so Carl needed to work behind the scenes to remove a few lingering obstacles.
Publicly, he told Kakashi and the others that Matsukawa was planning to establish an orphanage in the Land of Waves to care for displaced children, and that he was staying to help out.
That wasn't entirely a lie. After all, someone still had to pass on the basics of chakra control and ninja training to those orphans.
"Alright, back to the village! And to celebrate a job well done, I'm gonna get Iruka-sensei to buy me ramen!" Naruto grinned on the way home.
Sakura seemed just as cheerful.
"Hey Sasuke, wanna go on a date when we get back to the village?"
"No. I'm not interested."
Sasuke answered without hesitation, arms behind his head.
His mind was already focused on training harder. After encountering skilled shinobi like Kakashi, Zabuza, and Carl, he realized how far he still had to go to achieve his goal of revenge.
Kakashi, walking alongside his students, watched them with pride, but his thoughts drifted to the mysterious monk named Carl.
Years of experience told him Carl wasn't just a wandering monk from the Fire Temple. He clearly wasn't as naïve as Sakura believed.
From his observations, Kakashi could tell Matsukawa wasn't Carl's peer or friend. The respect Matsukawa showed came from deep-rooted deference—more like a servant toward a master.
Still, Carl didn't seem like a bad person. Everything he did suggested he was kind-hearted, even if he was hiding something.
Meanwhile, after Team 7 left, Carl began coordinating directly with Zabuza and Haku. With his hands no longer tied, he and Matsukawa initiated their long-prepared plan.
Within three days, Gato's entire organization collapsed. Carl's caravan absorbed it entirely—down to every last employee and asset. Using Gato's vast fortune, they began rebuilding towns across the Land of Waves.
Shuttered shops were bought at premium prices and reopened under the Chuanji brand.
Tons of supplies flowed in from the mainland through Carl's caravan, transforming the once desolate region.
Even jobless locals hanging around with "Help Wanted" signs were quickly hired into the caravan, shops, and on construction crews across the region.
Poor families now had stable incomes, and they could buy all kinds of food and daily necessities from Carl's stores without worrying about going hungry. And the money they spent flowed right back into Carl's pockets.
Thanks to Chuanji's presence, towns and cities across the Land of Waves were transforming rapidly. Almost everyone's daily life had become intertwined with the caravan's growing influence.
Children who had once been pale and malnourished, abandoned by their families, now lived in well-maintained orphanages. They were well-fed, clothed, and taught by instructors Carl had brought in from the mainland, learning everything from basic literacy to foundational knowledge.
More than a month passed, with only about ten days left before Carl planned to return to the main world.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Carl formed hand seals, and a massive stream of water burst forth, crashing toward Zabuza.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Unable to dodge such a wide-area jutsu, Zabuza had no choice but to counter with the same technique.
But Carl had already planned ahead. He slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Lightning Style: Earth Current!"
Lightning surged from his hands and flowed down both water torrents, following the current straight toward Zabuza.
"Tch, ninja with all five chakra natures are such a pain to fight."
Paralyzed by the current, Zabuza had to leap onto a nearby tree to avoid further shocks.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Air Flurry!"
With the wind-enhanced D-rank technique boosting his C-rank Fireball, its power reached B-rank intensity. Zabuza had to quickly launch a Water Dragon Bullet to extinguish the flames.
By the time he regained his footing, Carl was already behind him, spear in hand.
Still slowed from the lightning earlier, Zabuza couldn't react fast enough. Carl's spear struck hard, knocking him off the tree.
As the numbness finally faded and Zabuza tried to retaliate with a sword swing, Carl's spear morphed mid-swing into a giant hammer, nearly disarming him with the sudden weight and impact.
On and on they clashed, but no matter how many times Zabuza tried, Carl always had the upper hand, constantly shifting between techniques and weapons.
"Alright, I'm done! This is just humiliating now!"
Zabuza sheathed his sword and stepped back, calling it quits for the day.
After Gato's death, Carl had hired him and Haku for a hefty price—200,000 ryo a day. Zabuza was in charge of handling dangerous tasks and sparring with Carl to help improve his real combat abilities. Haku, meanwhile, was tasked with teaching the orphans chakra control and the basic ninjutsu Carl had developed.
For Zabuza, it was a good deal—money, a place to stay, and staying under Kirigakure's radar.
Back when they started, Carl could barely land a hit on him. But his growth in battle had been terrifyingly fast. His mastery over all five chakra natures gave him a serious edge, and his weapon skills kept getting better—especially that strange ability to switch weapons mid-fight without anyone understanding how it worked.
Now, Zabuza found himself on the back foot more often than not—and Carl hadn't even used the special taijutsu technique he once used to defeat Haku.
"Thanks for sparring. I'm planning to head back to the Land of Fire tomorrow," Carl said, tossing his staff over his shoulder. "Interested in visiting the capital?"
Carl stored his weapon back into the mission space, a satisfied grin on his face.
Back at the Temple of Fire, he had always trained alone. The best he could do was spar with Chiriku now and then, but even then, he'd always had to hold back. As a result, many of the techniques and strategies he came up with remained untested in real combat.
But over the past fifty days, things had changed. With Zabuza—an elite jōnin with real battlefield experience—as his sparring partner, Carl had been able to fully test and refine everything he'd learned.
Now, his overall strength was on par with most elite jōnin. The only real gap that remained was in chakra reserves.