Chapter 041

What the jinchuriki had in his head was something similar to a plug at the end of a hose. The water was still flowing through the tap and being stopped by the plug. The output would back up as more and more water came and with nowhere to go, well… it's safe to say that some piece would have to give. The dam shouldn't be able to stop thousands of tons of water on its own. If that was the dam's main purpose then the river would have gone over its limit a long time ago. So how the hell did Gato stop it from overflowing?

After some thinking an idea suddenly popped into Tayuya's head, "He must be redirecting the water through underground pipes." It was this conclusion that clicked with all those who were well within earshot.

"Even though there's no water coming through the main line the dam is still producing a lot of energy," a nearby villager spoke up, catching the pair's attention. "In order to control the entire country's supply of water Gato built a secondary, emergency line in case of flooding, and is using it to redirect the entire river through thousands of miles of pipes to a whole other country."

"Then I'll use that to my advantage," Naruto smiled, looking back towards Tayuya. When the girl felt his eyes on her she looked at him in surprise. "Do you want to help?"

"M-Me?" the redhead blinked. Comprehending the situation, the flute player freaked out and began waving her hands in front of her frantically, "Wait! I-I'm not a shinobi. I'm not even a shinobi in training. I can't help you. All I can use is weak genjutsu and that's it. I'm not a carefree idiot who can do impossible things like you. I can't do anything."

"Of course you can," Naruto smiled, taking her by the hands and holding them up. The girl blushed brightly under his intense gaze, yet the boy paid her reaction little mind. "Don't ever doubt yourself. Always think that you can do more than what other people, including you, think you can do, dattebayo!"

The girl stammered. For some strange reason the blonde ball of energy standing before her was incredibly persuasive with his words, even if they were few. The way he spoke to her with such conviction and confidence in his voice made it impossible for any person to doubt him or say no to him. These thoughts were what plagued her mind as she fell under his charismatic spell, her cheeks heating up for the longest of moments before she gave the boy a stiff nod.

Before Tayuya even knew what had come over her, she had already agreed to accompany him on his mission, "O-Okay…"

"Sweet!" Naruto cheered, looking around at the anxious villagers with an eager smile, "We'll be back before you know it. This won't take long."

"Be careful, young warrior," Hiro spoke from the center, looking across at the two worryingly, "As with every road, Jako is not the only obstacle Gato has lying in wait for you. There is another, much more powerful foe guarding the wall ahead…"

"Hmm?" Raising an eyebrow, the jinchuriki looked towards the defeated gang tied up against the building. "There's a person much stronger than goat-boy?"

"Yes," Hiro murmured, his limbs trembling as the face of the individual appeared in his head, "They call him Crow; a vicious assassin with a five-million bounty on his head and the blood of thousands staining his hands. He may not be a ninja, but he has slain many with his sword. Be careful…"

Acknowledging this piece of info, Naruto waved, "Thanks, oji-san." He then gestured for Tayuya to follow and ran off, the bird on his shoulder taking flight to glide alongside them. The redhead did as she was bid and pursued, not wanting to be left behind to worry.

The villagers saw the boy off; with the elder murmuring uneasily at the future he saw waiting over the horizon.

"Good luck young Naruto. Dangerous beings hunt along the path you walk…"

XXX

Two hours later…

"THAT BASTARD, JAKO! I knew that arrogant, thick-headed son of a bitch would screw up one of these days! I just knew it!" Gato roared as he stormed down one of the main halls inside of the dam, followed closely by Zori, Waraji, and a man dressed in black samurai robes, a katana sheathed in a black scabbard at his side, and a black tengai that completely covered his face. He also had a raven perched on his shoulder with red, glaring eyes, which blinked as its head snapped here and there to every sight and sound.

It was only a few minutes ago that Gato received word from one of his contacts down in the village that Jako and his entire gang had been taken down, and dragged by the villagers to the town's jail for processing. Though Gato had every right and authority to bust them out, he just didn't feel like it at the moment for a couple of good reasons.

Number one; he had hired them to be his muscle and had ordered them to complete a simple task, which the boss and his crew failed miserably. Number two; he also didn't want them back in his ranks because he was pissed.

Gato was pissed because he knew that with the failure of Jako and his followers, the blonde haired brat targeting his goons would be coming up here next. The brat, who had taken out a whole battalion's worth of hired gangsters and hoodlums, and was now gunning for the dam.

Judging from the amount of time that had passed since Gato had sent word out for Jako to get the job done, chances are the little shit was already here. Damn, he could already be sneaking through the vents and pipelines as they spoke.

Though Gato was probably just being paranoid in front of his crew, he didn't want to take any chances. This was why everyone was acting so edgy around the workplace now, because the chief had just sent word out to every employee, guard and soldier on duty to be on the lookout for a boy capable of taking out even the best mercenaries they had out here. This whole situation was so messed up the man wished he had hired some rogue ninja for extra protection.

Why he didn't do so in the first place he had no idea? Perhaps he never expected to have a ten-year-old demon of natural disaster to suddenly come trouncing onto his territory one day and mess everything up.

All four of the heavy hitters of the institute moved at a hurried pace, the latter three standing at the flanks of their boss.

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