He has even mastered Haki, and you say this is Naruto?

If even Zabuza is this difficult to deal with, then how strong must the Mizukage of Kirigakure be?

They might all end up dead.

"Let's wait until Chōjūrō wakes up,""Besides, not all of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are this strong."

An old ninja in the crowd spoke up.

Just because Zabuza is strong doesn't necessarily mean the Mizukage is.

Take Chōjūrō for example—also one of the Seven—but his strength is pretty average, nothing outrageous.

Thinking of that brought a bit of relief to the people.

In the corner, Kakuzu reopened his bounty ledger and found Zabuza's page.

He drew a big X over it.

Zabuza's strength didn't match his listed bounty. For Kakuzu, such targets weren't worth the effort — no one wanted to risk their life for a low reward.

A few days later:

Mei Terumī was furious when she saw the heavily wounded Chōjūrō return.

So many people involved, and yet Zabuza still pulled it off?

Was Kirigakure's entire annual budget just taken like that?

But even more shocking was Zabuza's sudden increase in strength over just a few months.

"Forget it. Our plan is already in motion. Tell everyone to prepare.""Chōjūrō, you've done well. Get some rest for now."

"Yes, ma'am."

Chōjūrō felt unwilling—he had nearly ruined the plan. Fortunately, Zabuza didn't go any further.

Mei picked up a scroll on the table — a secure one containing silver. Chōjūrō hadn't touched it during his mission.

But...

"Release!"

When she unlocked the seal, unsurprisingly, the silver was gone.

But along with the opened scroll appeared a note.

"Hmm?"

Mei looked surprised — was this left by Zabuza?

Reading the contents, her expression turned complicated.

"The Revolutionary Army? Even Kisame is in it?"

Zabuza hadn't just disappeared.

Though now a pirate, with no ties left to Kirigakure, out of personal sentiment, he still sent all the intel he had.

If Mei could overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's regime, it would be ideal.

But the involvement of the Revolutionary Army might not be a good thing.

Even Shanks had said that the Revolutionary Army aimed to build a more peaceful world — they were dissatisfied with the current order and had already overthrown several nations.

Zabuza's message was a warning: when using others, don't end up just being a tool.

It was his way of repaying a personal debt to Mei.

On the ship...

"Captain, we got a total of 300 million ryō this time. What should we do with it?"

Kado had finished tallying their haul.

Everyone on the ship was ecstatic at the amount—each would get a nice cut.

"This was Kirigakure's fiscal budget. Distribute 10 million among the crew. The rest goes into our own operations," Zabuza said."You'll manage it, Kado."

Only Kado knew how to spend money wisely.

"I'll be resting and recovering. Unless it's urgent, don't bother me."

Though Zabuza's injuries weren't serious, the fight had exposed Haku's shortcomings. He needed to start intensive training with him.

"Yes, Captain!"

Kado was grinning. Spending Zabuza's stolen money felt even better than spending his own.

Being a pirate was far better than his old days as a shady businessman.

Smuggling? Why smuggle when robbing is so much faster?

Kado had no trouble figuring out how to use the money. Spending someone else's wealth didn't require a second thought.

A few days later...

News spread of pirates attacking the Land of Water.

But slowly — the story was too outrageous for many to believe.

Kirigakure's tribute funds had been stolen by a pirate crew?

But it was true — the No-Blade Pirates had sailed directly from the City of Water, witnessed by merchant ships.

Kado began organizing and branding: all crew members now wore headbands with the No-Blade Pirates insignia.

He also began recruiting in Zabuza's name.

He even reached out to black-market contacts, albeit in a new disguise.

Weapons, materials — all needed to be sourced from the underworld.

At first, some black-market dealers considered targeting Kado. But the more they learned, the quicker those thoughts vanished.

To go head-to-head with Kirigakure? That was not something any of them dared to do.

But Kado's transformation from merchant to pirate sparked ideas in others.

If he could do it, why not them?

Why smuggle when robbery was faster?

Soon, pirate ships started appearing across the waters of the Land of Water — many claiming to be from the No-Blade Pirates.

While none dared challenge a nation directly, they could ride the wave and try their luck.

"Kado, this past month, quite a few new pirate crews have popped up — some even eyeing the Land of Waves."

Zabuza and Haku had gone to train. The rest were resting in the Land of Waves — Kado's old territory.

"Let them look. They won't dare set foot on land.""Go check our shipbuilding progress. The captain and first mate's training will soon be over. As long as the Land of Waves stays calm, we're fine."

The current chaos was just testing the waters — they were all black-hearted merchants; none would go too far unless they had a death wish.

"Aside from that, some of the locals seem to be acting in secret.""Is it about the bridge construction?"

Kado frowned.

The bridge could not be allowed to be completed.

Before joining Zabuza, Kado had controlled the Land of Waves through monopoly over sea trade.

Now, with bigger ambitions, he understood the threat: the bridge would connect to the Land of Fire, and Konoha's ninja could arrive at any time.

The No-Blade Pirates weren't strong enough to fight off Konoha.

"Just stop them. That's enough."

Kado wasn't a saint, but he wasn't a monster either.

The Tazuna family was still alive — he had never targeted innocent civilians, and wouldn't start now.

Pirates were meant to rule the seas — ordinary people weren't even in the same world.

"Alright, I'll station people at the harbor."

But Tazuna had no intention of using the harbor.

No ship? He'd just build one himself.

He wasn't a shipwright, but escaping wasn't hard.

Two nights later, a small boat slipped away from the Land of Waves, under cover of darkness.

Tazuna carried the last of the villagers' pooled money — sailing toward Konoha.

Their final hope.

If the bridge couldn't be built, everything they'd suffered would be for nothing.

"Where's the money?!"

Tazuna came to his senses and panicked.

They had spent nearly all of it — only 30,000 ryō remained. Not nearly enough to hire a ninja.

"Forget it. We never had much hope anyway."

He sighed. No point regretting now.

Especially with the pirate captain behind Kado — no, the captain of the No-Blade Pirates.

Tazuna didn't know much, but as a longtime resident of the Land of Waves, he'd heard a lot in the taverns.

In short, that pirate captain was incredibly strong — maybe even stronger than most ninja.

Some even claimed he was an old friend of the legendary Yonko, Shanks.