Early morning, Naruto and Hikari walked side by side on the uneven streets of the Grass Ninja Village.
The air was filled with the mixed scent of damp earth and cooking smoke; the low houses on both sides had their doors and windows tightly shut, with occasional timid glances peeking through the cracks before quickly vanishing back into the shadows.
Their purpose for this trip was originally to conduct a field inspection of the Village's defense and livelihood, but the scene they saw was far more dilapidated than expected.
Hikari stopped and looked at the lonely remains of several outposts on the distant ridge.
"This defense system is practically non-existent."
Naruto followed her gaze.
Those outposts, which should have been manned by sentries on rotation, now had crooked wooden beams, broken tiles, and the ropes for the warning bells had long since snapped, swaying silently in the wind.
Those outposts had looked like that even before they arrived.
Not to ntion the complete lack of a sensory barrier; it was as if this Village had never been fortified.
"The ones who can be considered combat-ready are probably only Mui and those few Elders."
Naruto's tone was flat.
"And the Elders have lived in leisure for too long, their Taijutsu has grown rusty; their actual combat power is likely inferior to so diligent Chunin.
As for the others... most are at the level of Chunin and Genin. Back when they wanted to open the box of ultimate bliss, the Elders nearly sacrificed all of the Village's defense forces."
Not every Ninja can have a long Peak period like Ōnoki and the Third Hokage.
"But even if there were guards, the result wouldn't be any different against our offensive."
The gap in absolute military power is not so easily bridged; even when the Ninja Allied Forces sward Six Paths Madara, everyone except for a few individuals was just throwing their lives away.
"Gaining control with the minimum cost is indeed the optimal solution."
Hikari looked at the villagers who were bowing and dared not raise their heads by the roadside; their eyes were no different from usual.
Respectful, fearful, keeping their distance.
Would anyone actually dare to spit and curse at a Ninja?
Having lived in the Sengoku period, Hikari had never seen a civilian who dared to do such a thing.
Life for civilians was already difficult enough; no one would turn their 'hard mode' into 'Hell mode'.
Naruto walked in silence.
He could feel countless gazes stuck to his back: panicked, suspicious, desperate.
There were mothers holding their children tightly in their arms as they retreated indoors, old people trembling by the windows, and young n clenching their fists but not daring to step forward.
This was a primal fear, like facing a natural disaster or a fierce beast.
Just like the Konoha villagers in Naruto's childhood mories.
He could have gathered the villagers, stood on high ground to deliver a speech, promised peace and prosperity, and used impassioned words to ignite hope.
But at this mont, he felt no urge to speak.
Empty words were aningless.
Language is as pale as paper in the face of hungry bellies and leaking roofs.
Reducing taxes, providing jobs, increasing the money in their hands, and making the food in their bowls thicker.
These are more practical than any incitent.
Doing one practical thing is better than saying a thousand empty words.
The story of 'standing a pole at the city gate' has long been recorded; only by letting them see that you are true to your word can you win their trust.
He had already outlined a preliminary plan in his mind: the young and strong must work to have food, that is a principle; children must all enter school to receive education; the elderly will be given a fixed amount of rice, grain, oil, and salt every month to ensure no one starves to death in the cold winter.
Make their lives tangibly better day by day, and gratitude will naturally grow from their hearts.
As for those who might not be appreciative...
Naruto turned his gaze toward the Village prison, where several Elders under house arrest were currently staying.
Naruto didn't kill them, nor did he even impose any punishnt.
If anyone truly missed the old days, let those Elders return to take charge.
At that ti, they would see whether the old exploitation was more ruthless, or the vitality and warmth given by Hidden Leaf Village.
When the benefits they received disappear and the past oppression returns, people will naturally understand which side they should stand on.
The afternoon sun shone obliquely into a jewelry shop on the street.
On the wooden shelves were so hair accessories that weren't exactly exquisite but had unique styles, mostly local handicrafts from the Grass Ninja Village.
"So," Hikari's voice broke the sowhat stale silence in the shop as she leaned against the door, staring at Naruto inside.
"When do you plan to teach the Flying Thunder God?"
Naruto was leaning over looking at a row of hair ties in the glass cabinet; he didn't even look up when he heard her: "I'll teach you as soon as we get back."
The shop owner was a sowhat thin middle-aged man who had been listlessly wiping a wooden hairpin; when he looked up and saw the forehead protector on Naruto's brow and his conspicuous Jonin attire, the sleepiness on his face was instantly replaced by panic and flattery.
In the entire Grass Ninja Village, only one person dressed like this.
He hurriedly went around the counter, his waist habitually bending low: "Ho... Hokage-sama, your presence is truly an honor for this small shop..."
Naruto didn't let him finish those polite and fearful words, instead he
raised his hand to stop him: "We're just looking around."
He paused and added in a steady voice, "If we see sothing we like, we won't short-change you."
The owner stood aside awkwardly, his hands rubbing together uneasily, his gaze following the great figure closely, for fear of the slightest negligence.
Naruto's gaze lingered on the shelves and finally landed on a hair tie.
It was a very simple style with a silver base, adorned with several small but delicately crafted plum blossoms, with tiny dark red specks embedded in the hearts of the blossoms.
"Hikari."
He picked up the hair tie and turned to hold it before Hikari's eyes.
"What do you think of giving this to Karin?"
Hikari's gaze fell on the hair tie, her face expressionless and her voice devoid of any emotion: "Then you should ask Karin if she likes it."
Naruto seed completely unaware of her displeasure, still holding up the hair tie, and said naturally: "Do a favor and try it on so I can see how it looks. Your hair length is about the sa as Karin's."
Hikari glanced at him, then at the hair tie, and was silent for two seconds.
Ultimately, she took a step forward, walked to a stool in the shop, and sat down with her back to Naruto.
"Hurry up."
she urged, her tone stiff.
Naruto walked behind her and reached out to gently gather her long, loose hair.
The young girl's hair was even softer and smoother than he had imagined, with a faint, fresh scent like grass dried in the sun, flowing through his fingertips.
His movents weren't particularly skilled, but they were careful enough.
Soon, the hair tie with the silver plum blossoms bound part of her long hair, forming a loose and natural half-up hairstyle, with a few strands of hair falling softly by her neck, the silver plum blossoms perfectly accenting her hair.
Naruto took two steps back and examined it.
"It looks very good on you."
He paused, then casually looked at other jewelry.
"It seems I'll have to choose another gift for Karin."
By this point, how could she not understand?
What 'picking a gift for Karin', what 'helping to try it on'...
From the very beginning, the person this guy wanted to give it to was her.
She raised her hand, her fingertips touching the cold silver ornant and the slightly raised outline of the plum blossoms, and that inexplicable awkwardness in her heart suddenly dissolved.
She stood up and turned to face Naruto, looking a bit impatient, but the tips of her ears were noticeably warm.
"Tsk," she turned her head away, her gaze drifting elsewhere, "didn't you pick it for Karin?"
Naruto looked at her with a slight smile on his face.
His tone was frank, even a bit innocent: "I thought it suited you quite well."
The owner on the side finally found an opportunity to chi in, his face full of smiles as he hurriedly agreed: "Yes, yes, milady, it really looks exceptionally beautiful on you. Standing together with Hokage-sama, you two really..."
He wanted to say "are a good match," but the remaining words were choked in his throat by the sudden sweep of Hikari's gaze.
That gaze wasn't fierce, but it carried a cold, sharp edge that brooked no transgression, making the owner's spine go cold instantly. Realizing he might have said the wrong thing, he quickly shut up and lowered his head, pretending to organize shelves that didn't need organizing at all.
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