Chapter 051

However, once the words of the elder's insistence finally managed to sink in, the blonde looked back towards the townspeople and the old man contemplatively. He meditated on their words for a moment, allowing some time to consider both his current status as well as Tayuya, whom he could see was still dressed in ragged clothing and looking incredibly worn from a life filled with hardship. With their current conditions taken into consideration, the jinchuriki eventually settled on a request he'd hoped would settle all accounts and glanced back at the village elder and his company with a smile.

"When you put it that way, there are a couple of things I would like," Naruto exclaimed while petting the swallow perched on his shoulder on the head. "If it's not too much trouble for you guys…"

Hiro beamed down at him. "You may ask for anything you desire. My people and I will do everything in our power to see that your wishes are fulfilled."

Grinning, Naruto then raised a hand and tapped his finger against the sword he was still holding. "Then… would it be possible to get a hold of someone I can cash this in to?"

XXX

Five days later…

The bounty on Crow's head was known all around for being ridiculously high for an ordinary mercenary. It was surprising to a lot of people because he wasn't the leader of any gang, wasn't of pure or noble blood, didn't possess any special abilities or was insanely strong either. Oh no. Crow was just your typical wanderer, freelance assassin and vagrant for hire. He wasn't actually a samurai; he just knew how to fight like them and use their moves, so calling him your everyday common thug was cutting it a little short. Of course, upon further inquiry into his history Naruto eventually found out the main reason why the guy's bounty was so absurdly large in the first place, and that was because he had been incredibly hard to catch up until now.

The guy had always stuck to the shadows, hiding in the inner-most circles of criminal organizations, performing odd jobs for them and carrying out missions to their fullest without fail. He killed swiftly and silently like a shinobi, earned his cut, and then moved on. Additionally, unlike other typical killers, because he lacked certain personality qualities like an ANBU and was so committed to his jobs, he was never hesitant with any of his targets, which Naruto found out the hard way when he fought him. He had definitely been a highly successful run-of-the-mill claw hopper, and it was in a single afternoon Naruto managed to bag him fair and square.

The sole reason the boy had so much trouble against him throughout their battle was that he fought the guy head to head. Unlike with the three kunoichi he fought weeks earlier and with Jako, he didn't have trees, brush or buildings to hide behind in collaboration with any of his tricky moves, so in a way he was only fighting at fifty percent effectiveness.

A win was a win either way, so in the end Naruto walked off with not only the guy's sword in hand but also a valuable lesson about future contests.

Sure enough, just as the jinchuriki told the villagers, Crow's body washed up on shore a few kilometers downstream of the massive river. The corpse was brought back to the village, thoroughly examined and verified to be the assassin that Naruto had slain. When taken to the local hospital to have the autopsy performed though, the coroner received quite a shock at the amount of damage the guy had to his internal organs and outer body, and most of these weren't even from his fight with Naruto the day before or the results of the fall.

By his estimate, the guy should have died ages ago. The wounds Crow had sustained to his person should have left him dead on the side of a road in a country nowhere near here, but against all odds and defying every medical law in the book, the assassin had managed to keep himself alive through a steady diet of chakra and self-mutilation. His now mangled form devoid of all life showed everyone in the building that he had been incredibly hard-wearing above his superb swordsmanship skills.

By end of the day though, Crow was confirmed dead and cremated. As a reward for his successful kill, Naruto was paid the full bounty by the village leaders, who were able to reclaim all of the town's stolen valuables and treasures from the mansion Gato had built alongside the dam. The vaults were emptied, money was swiftly returned to the people, and order was slowly restored to the country. With most of Gato's men locked up and the 'general' himself absent, it was safe for the previously disbanded local guard under the daimyo to return and begin rounding up any crooks still adrift. Security points were set up all over the place to ensure that law and order was properly re-established and traffic was able to run smoothly once more.

Naruto had to give the people credit for a speedy recovery.

A lot of the companies previously under Gato's heel were taken back by the original owners, particularly the water and electrical plants. Since the man had fled and taken nothing of importance with him in his rush to escape the wrath of the orange wearing devil Naruto, it left a lot of properties needing to be reclaimed. It was a sure welcome relief for the starving populace.

Naruto on the other hand was able to settle with Hiro and the villagers, who celebrated his victory the entire night following the beginning of the country's climb to recovery. In the morning after, all the jinchuriki requested for his actions was for Crow's bounty and nothing more. With it, he did something completely unexpected and gave almost all of it to Tayuya. This decision had everybody present at the time stunned and flabbergasted, especially the young musician herself.

He also bought her new clothes, sandals, a backpack, and food, plenty enough to spoil the befuddled girl. Even after all that, there was still enough left over for Tayuya to buy a property and live a comfortable life for the next few years without need for work. Naruto took most of the funds out of his own pocket to treat her.

All of these events led to where the pair was presently standing on the edge of the village.

Hiro and the people gathered to see the hero and his companion off. The crowd formed en masse along the road and gazed fondly towards the youngster with the swallow perched comfortably on his shoulder and the redhead carrying a full pack of goods for the journey ahead of them. It almost looked as though they were two travelers who had arrived here together and were setting off in the same manner, but everyone there knew that that was indeed not the case.

One thing was certain however; both of their paths had crossed here, which had them all wondering what was in store for them next.

Naruto was no longer wrapped in the bandages from his scuffle five days ago and was still clothed in the stuff he arrived in. Additionally, he also had Crow's sword strapped to his back, an item he was not going to part with anytime soon. It was his trophy damn it and he was keeping it. Tayuya on the other hand was carrying everything the blonde had bought for her on her person, and was genuinely quite pleased with her new attire and gear. It was clear she hadn't had this much stuff before in her life, so she was obviously more than grateful for it.

The two of them looked back at the crowd with smiles on their faces and warm glows emanating from their forms.

"We will never forget you or all the things you've done for us," Hiro exclaimed with a bow, while the rest of the people around him mimicked his actions. "We wish you all the best and pray for your safe return to Konohagakure, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto waved back to them. "Thanks a bunch. Try not to let some short guy in a shitty suit and glasses take over your country again. I'd really like to pay you guys a visit when you're all back on your feet and have some good attractions waiting for me."

The crowd laughed along with their elder. "Will do," Hiro stated before turning his gaze towards Tayuya, who was also smiling cheerfully beside the shinobi in training. "Take care of yourselves… both of you."

"Thank you," Tayuya nodded back.

With one last parting farewell, the two youngsters then took their leave once the mood permitted them. They turned to face the road ahead and began the long march away from Riverside Village, with a spring in their steps and all their thoughts set on the journey that lay in wait. The entire population of the small town saw them off, young and old alike, with Hiro at the front wearing the biggest smile anyone had ever seen on him.

Just before Naruto and Tayuya could reach the very edge of their sights, Hiro then took a moment to turn his gaze towards the ruined dam sitting on the horizon to their left.

Instead of seeing the terrible stone wall that had previously been the main cause of the land's suffering for the past years, the elder saw a glowing white bridge bathed in an ethereal light with archways stretching from one end of the causeway to the other. It was a completely different spectacle from the one that had plagued them before, something that tied the two pieces of land together. It now stood as a road stretching across to a new world as opposed to the soulless barrier it once represented preventing people from moving forward.

The elder contemplated the remains of the dam while stroking his beard. After a moment of careful thought, he then turned to the young man standing beside him.

"Marco, please let the daimyo know that we are reclaiming the estates up on the north ridge, and that he should send workers up there to help repair the dam's foundations as soon as possible," Hiro exclaimed.

The man acting as the elder's assistance looked towards him in surprise. "Hiro-sama?"...