I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Konan gently shook her head and said softly, "After these years of development, the village is now self-sufficient and will no longer be a burden to the Akatsuki."

That's good... Pain showed a relieved expression.

He and Konan were both orphans raised in the Land of Rain. Although they relied on theft to fill their stomachs, they received some care from the villagers of the Land of Rain. After becoming the leader of Amegakure, he should repay these kind people.

At that moment, Pain seemed to remember something and looked at Konan.

Konan continued, "Nagato, according to Zetsu's investigation, the Uchiha clan was not wiped out by Itachi. A large number of Uchiha clan members escaped from Konoha and are currently active in the Land of Fire."

"I wonder if this is a scheme by Konoha, deliberately sending Itachi to infiltrate Akatsuki."

Pain's expression was solemn. After pondering for a moment, he said, "It's unlikely that Itachi is a spy. Everyone in Konoha knows about the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha. They wouldn't stage such a big show just to send a spy to infiltrate Akatsuki."

"Recently, Onoki from Iwagakure contacted Akatsuki, hoping the organization would lead an attack on the Konoha border..."

"Akatsuki has not yet carried out any action to collect the tailed beasts. They are just a mercenary organization. It is not worth Konoha making such a big fuss about. I would rather believe that this is Madara's conspiracy."

"It's quite normal for Madara to have cultivated Itachi Uchiha as a pawn after attacking Konoha back then."

Konan frowned and walked to Pain's side, saying, "Should we tell Itachi the truth? Turn him into one of ours, make him a spy for Madara."

Pain shook his head slightly and said confidently, "There's no need for that. Whether it's Madara or the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they are all pale in comparison to the power of the Rinnegan. We just need to wait for the plan to begin."

Looking at the brimming confidence of Pain, Konan couldn't help but feel worried.

Since Yahiko's death, Nagato has become Yahiko who pursues peace in the ninja world, and a machine that carries out the Ten-Tails plan, but he is no longer the Nagato he once was.

……

In the dead of night, Naruto took out the Book of Seals again and began to break the seal.

Breaking the seal was still extremely difficult, but Naruto had long since developed a habit of patience and treated breaking the seal as a way to relieve boredom.

After several hours of effort, Naruto finally broke through part of the seal and saw one of the forbidden techniques.

After seeing the introduction to forbidden techniques, Naruto's expression turned somewhat grim, and he lamented his bad luck.

This forbidden technique is called "Reanimation Jutsu," one of the many forbidden techniques created by the Second Hokage. However, the ninja who truly popularized it was Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.

The forbidden technique has a very simple and brutal effect: it can divide the soul proportionally and transfer it to a pre-prepared container, thus achieving a preliminary state of immortality and eternal life.

Orochimaru's life force is extremely strong precisely because of this ninjutsu; he is practically indestructible.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious. After the soul is separated, the resistance to genjutsu will be greatly reduced. Orochimaru can be threatened by ordinary Sharingan genjutsu without even needing eye techniques like Tsukuyomi or Izanami.

Furthermore, Naruto suspects that Orochimaru's inability to master Sage Mode might also be related to the Reanimation Jutsu.

Therefore, the Reanimation Jutsu is of little use to Naruto, and he has no need to and no intention of trying to learn this forbidden technique.

Feeling somewhat weary, Naruto put down the Scroll of Seals, resealed it, and then entered the sealed space, asking Minato Namikaze:

"Fourth Hokage, you should know how to break the spells on the Book of Seals, right?"

Minato Namikaze said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, "When I was Hokage, I naturally knew how to break the seal, but so many years have passed, the Third Hokage should have modified the sealing technique."

After a pause, Minato Namikaze, seemingly eager to impress Naruto, continued, "Actually, I also know many ninjutsu from the Scroll of Sealing Techniques. If you want to learn, I can try to teach you."

"What specific ninjutsu are involved?" Naruto asked Minato Namikaze curiously.

Minato Namikaze scratched his head, seemingly having thought of something, and said awkwardly, "Flying Thunder God Technique or Reaper Death Seal Technique, which one do you want to learn?"

Naruto's expression changed instantly. Both the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Reaper Death Seal are extremely dangerous ninjutsu.

The forbidden techniques mastered by the Fourth Hokage were all very useful, but the cost of using them was quite high, which was not very friendly to someone who only had one life.

Chapter 83 Arrival in the Land of Whirlpools

The Flying Thunder God Technique is a space-time ninjutsu, and if one cannot accurately grasp the space-time coordinates, one is prone to getting stuck in rocks.

The Corpse Demon Seal is a forbidden technique that sacrifices the soul to the Grim Reaper, resulting in mutual destruction with the enemy.

Minato Namikaze was well aware of the dangers of these ninjutsu; he just wanted to play a joke on Naruto, but he didn't seem to have the talent for it.

Seeing that Naruto was too lazy to pay attention to him, Minato Namikaze gave a helpless, bitter smile.

He certainly knew how to break the spell on the Book of Seals, and with his mastery of sealing techniques, he could forcibly break the Book of Seals in no time, at most half an hour.

However, he was unwilling to help Naruto break the Book of Seals.

Having served as Hokage, he was well aware of the power of the forbidden technique and the dangers of its careless use, and knew that Naruto obtaining it would lead to dire consequences.

After all, no matter how mature Naruto looks or how powerful he is, he is still just a child.

Naruto has a long, long way to go to become a true ninja. When the time is right, he will take the initiative to teach Naruto the ninjutsu he has mastered. Now is not the time.

Naruto had some idea of ​​Minato's thoughts, but he didn't care.

The forbidden techniques in the Book of Seals are a great help, but only a help. With his current Dark Nine-Rat Mode, he is capable of facing enemies at the level of the Five Kage. The only thing he needs to worry about is being surrounded by several Kage-level powerhouses.

However, the number of forces in the ninja world that can produce so many Kage-level powerhouses is very small.

The next morning, as a ray of sunlight shone into the carriage, Naruto opened his eyes.

Stretching, Naruto lifted the curtain, revealing the vast ocean in the distance. The salty sea breeze made him touch his nose, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the seaside climate.

Soon, the convoy arrived at its destination, a port city in the Land of Fire.

Stepping off the carriage, Naruto declined the caravan owner's invitation and disappeared into the crowd under the watchful eyes of the samurai guards and passengers.

A few hours later, Naruto purchased half a month's worth of supplies, put them into a storage scroll, and headed towards the port to see if there were any ferries going to the Land of Whirlpools.

In terms of speed, a ferry is definitely not as fast as a ninja's footsteps.

However, the island where the Land of Whirlpools is located is more than a hundred kilometers away from here, and simply wading across would be asking for trouble.

Even if his physical strength allowed him to do so, the money he had wouldn't.

After inquiring with the person in charge, they learned that there were no merchant ships going directly to the Land of Whirlpools from this place. Those merchant ships preferred to take a long detour rather than get close to the Land of Whirlpools.

The reason is very simple: since the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the island has become a gathering place for criminals who rob passing ships, and over time no merchant ships have been willing to go there.

Nowadays, apart from criminals, only fishermen dare to risk going there to fish.

After continuing to question nearby boatmen, Naruto finally found a fishing boat willing to take passengers. After paying in advance, he successfully boarded a dilapidated boat.

The boatman checked the weather, started the boat's engine, and set sail out to sea.

The environment where the sky meets the water and the water meets the sky can be quite monotonous. After pondering for a moment, Naruto began to inquire about the Land of Whirlpools from the boatman.

The boatman hesitated for a moment, but under the pressure of money, he slowly said, "The Land of Whirlpools was destroyed more than 30 years ago. Now, those who stay on it are all outlaws, including many wandering ninjas."

"If the guest is not a ninja, it's best not to go to the Land of Whirlpools; it's not a good place."

Upon hearing this, Naruto looked at the boatman and said with a smile, "Since it's so dangerous, why take the risk of this job? And judging from your tone, you seem to be very familiar with the waters near the Land of Whirlpools."

The boatman sighed helplessly: "You must be from a wealthy family, you don't understand the hardships of ordinary people like us."

Oh... Naruto glanced at the boatman and awakened Minato Namikaze within the sealed space. He wouldn't give up any opportunity to strike the Fourth Hokage.

After a moment's thought, the boatman continued, "It's because the taxes levied by the various magistrates are too harsh. In the past, during the war, everyone would avoid the ninjas, but now they all avoid the magistrates' thugs."

"If we weren't forced to do it, who would want to fish near the Land of Whirlpools?"

"Let's not talk about these things, it's better than the old Ninja World War..." As he spoke, the boatman seemed to remember something, and after showing an apologetic expression, he continued to steer the boat forward amidst the wind and waves.

Minato Namikaze was already used to Naruto's tricks, but he still couldn't help but frown.

On one hand, it was because of the boatman's predicament of having to go to sea; on the other hand, it was because he, who should have been educating Naruto, was being dragged out by Naruto to educate him every day, which was a loss of dignity for a father.

After drifting for half a day, Naruto saw an island that was as big as land.

If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the Land of Whirlpools where the village was built. It's bigger than he imagined, but for him, who plans to establish a base here in the future, it's actually a good thing.

When they were about a few kilometers from the island, Naruto called out to the boatman, telling him not to come any closer to the shore.

The boatman looked at Naruto with some surprise and said, "Sir, the sea is very rough. It may take several hours to swim a distance of a few kilometers. If you are discovered by people on the shore, it will be dangerous."

Naruto thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true, you should just take me to see your boss."

The boatman's expression changed slightly: "What are you talking about? I don't understand. I am the captain. If you don't want to go ashore, we can return the way we came."

“I once read in a book that there is no difference between adventurers and pirates, so I think it’s normal for fishermen to play the role of pirates. Fishing is fishing, and kidnapping is also part of the catch.”

After saying that, Naruto stepped out of the small boat, his feet touching the sea, standing tall amidst the waves.

Upon seeing this, the boatman gave up resisting and said with a helpless smile, "So it's you, Ninja Master. If you had said so earlier, I wouldn't have charged you at all. There's no need to bully an ordinary person like me."

“It’s unnecessary, but I want to know more about the situation on the island, including information about the wandering ninjas gathered there.”

The boatman paused, his figure slightly disheveled in the sea breeze, and said in a sorrowful tone, "We've only had a few years of peace, and now the ninja villages are already testing each other again, preparing for the next battlefield?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto narrowed his eyes and activated his chakra perception.

It turned out he had misjudged the boatman. He was no ordinary person and had mastered the power of chakra, but his chakra was not as strong as that of ordinary students at the Ninja Academy, and he had not mastered the skills of walking on water and climbing trees.

It seems that once we land on the island, it will be an unprecedentedly fierce battle.

Chapter 84 The Ruins of the Whirlpool

The fierce battle lasted for ten minutes, nine of which were spent traveling, and the rest of the time the enemy was surrendering.

Looking at the trembling, kneeling rogue ninjas, Naruto couldn't help but sigh that the enemy was too weak. These rogue ninjas, whose highest strength was only Chunin, would only be wiped out if they encountered Sasuke.

However, Naruto learned a lot about the island from them and understood why the trade routes were cut off.

The biggest source of income for these wandering ninjas and fishermen is actually smuggling. They use the Land of Whirlpools as a transit point to smuggle contraband from various countries, making it a no-man's-land between the five great nations.

Naruto also had some recollection of the person in charge of the smuggling operation.

He is Gato, the shipping tycoon who controls the Land of Waves behind the scenes, and one of the richest people in the ninja world.

After knocking the wandering ninja unconscious, Naruto summoned ninja crows. After the crows flew away, Naruto waited quietly in the same spot.

Not long after, Shisui emerged from the dense forest, bowing his head and saying, "Lord Menma, you've finally arrived. We've been waiting for several days."

Compared to more than half a month ago, Zhishui looks much older.

It wasn't so much the change of environment upon arriving in the Land of Whirlpools that caused Shisui's distress; rather, it was the exhaustion of his mind. As the new clan leader, Shisui had to personally handle all matters, big and small, within the clan, and the procurement of supplies was exceptionally difficult due to the sensitive nature of his position.

Currently, the Uchiha clan relies heavily on the Cat Village for supplies, but this is not a long-term solution.

Therefore, Shisui was extremely excited after meeting Naruto, hoping that the other party could lead the Uchiha clan out of their current predicament, at least so that they would no longer have to worry about food and clothing.

Naruto glanced at Shisui a few times, then smiled and said, "Got into trouble? This place is full of wandering ninjas. It shouldn't be a big deal for a dignified Uchiha."