499 Naruto the Flame-Flame Fruit

"Much more convenient than before."

Kiyosuke sat on the cruise ship as he spoke.

"Definitely. Back then we always had to travel on foot. After the war ended, all this rapid technological progress has really been a blessing."

Mei sighed. For years, whenever she visited her family, it was always Kiyosuke relying on Obito to teleport her. Even though Obito never complained, constantly troubling someone wasn't ideal. Now things were much better.

She hadn't returned for several years. She wondered what Kirigakure looked like now—she was actually a little excited.

"Kiyosuke-sama, you didn't have cruise ships in the past?" a student raised his hand and asked.

"Of course not. We always ran everywhere. We even crossed the entire continent on foot. You kids have it much easier than we did." Kiyosuke shook his head, a bit envious of this peaceful generation. If only he'd had this kind of life as a kid—too bad he was born decades too early.

Whether it was lightning railcars, cruise ships, or even televisions—these were all inventions developed only in recent years. Even computers were coming along. Kiyosuke had bought one for his home, but it could only do simple calculations and play little games. It wasn't even as good as the gaming console Shinichi had bought.

The researchers in Konoha still hadn't realized how important the internet would become. Looked like he would need to talk to them when he got back.

"Crossing the entire continent?! You can really do something that crazy?!"

"You kids… as long as a ninja was determined enough, that kind of thing was nothing back then. What exactly are they teaching you at the Academy? Are you all just slacking off? Is this generation of Konoha doomed?" Kiyosuke complained, clearly pessimistic about the current era of Konoha shinobi. How were they supposed to grow like this?

Shino said, "Kiyosuke-sensei, you should give these kids time to grow."

"You can't let peace erase the resolve a ninja should have." Kiyosuke shook his head. "Shino, the moment they enter the Academy, they should already be saying goodbye to a comfortable life—not spending their days messing around and playing games. Don't say, 'they're just kids.' When I was their age, I had already prepared myself to kill. Even if I threw up the first time I did it… do these kids even have that kind of resolve?"

He swept his gaze across the carefree children and shook his head.

"Ninja nowadays are just like those from your era—maybe even worse. At least you all understood ambition. And this time, we won't have a second Konoha Collapse."

Kiyosuke didn't have much hope for this generation. Compared to Naruto's generation, they were worlds apart. Compared to his own era, they were even more hopeless.

His words made the group fall silent. Shinichi protested,

"Dad, don't make it sound like we're just messing around! We train seriously too!"

Kiyosuke glanced at him.

"You? Training? You slack off whenever you can. Your talent is higher than mine, yet you refuse to push yourself. Son, your old man is very disappointed."

"I…" Shinichi's face turned red. Wasn't the one who taught him to slack off you?!

"If you slack off now, no one will stop you. But later, you'll be shinobi—going on missions, killing people, being killed. It's normal. Sweat more now and bleed less later. I don't want to see your names carved on the Memorial Stone."

That was all he had to say. Whether these brats listened or not was another matter. As long as his son stayed safe, he didn't care about the rest.

...

As they neared the Land of Water, the surrounding mist grew thicker. Mei looked at the dense fog and said with emotion,

"It's been so long since I've seen mist like this. It feels nostalgic. We'll be reaching the Land of Water soon, though it'll still take some time to get to Kirigakure."

The area around Kirigakure was always shrouded in mist. With the heavy sea fog and obscured visibility, anyone without a good sense of direction would easily get lost. Luckily, the captain of the cruise ship had been making this trip between the two nations for years—he wasn't going to get lost. Everyone could relax and leave safety in his hands.

By afternoon, they finally saw Kirigakure.

Unlike the old village, a port had been added around the perimeter for trade with other nations. Besides tourism, Kirigakure had recently expanded into the seafood trade. On top of that, it served as a major transit point for maritime routes, drawing in many merchants.

Now, it could be called the richest shinobi village after Konoha.

"Fifth Mizukage-sama, Kiyosuke-sama, long time no see!" The aged Ao had come personally to greet them. He smiled. "And Shinichi too."

"Ao-san, long time no see!" Shinichi waved warmly, clearly very close to him.

"Long time no see, Ao." Mei smiled and nodded. Kiyosuke said, "Ao, thanks for making the trip."

"No trouble at all. Kagura!" Ao called.

"Here!"

A sword-wielding boy stepped forward—short chestnut hair, a distinctive hairstyle, a baby face that would definitely attract girls, pink eyes, and markings under his left eye.

"This kid is…"

"Karatachi Kagura," Ao said.

"Karatachi… I see." Mei nodded. "He's already grown this much? Hello, Kagura."

Karatachi Kagura—the grandson of Karatachi Yagura, inheriting his grandfather's baby face. They looked very alike.

"Hello, Fifth Mizukage-sama, Kiyosuke-sama." Kagura bowed politely with a smile. "I'll be your guide for this school trip."

"Then I'll trouble you. These kids are a handful." Kiyosuke patted Kagura's shoulder. "You've got potential—much better than my useless son."

"Dad!!" Shinichi protested loudly.

Kiyosuke only laughed. "Alright, we'll come eat at your grandparents' place later. For now, let's get going."

Pulling their luggage, they began moving.

They arrived at a waterfall. Ao formed hand seals, and the waterfall lifted like a curtain, revealing the hidden entrance of Kirigakure.

Kiyosuke sighed. "You guys really like to play around. The old gate is gone—were you afraid I'd blow it up again?"

Cold sweat ran down Ao's face.

"No, Kiyosuke-sama, please don't say such terrifying things."

Everyone in the older generation of Kirigakure remembered the insane things this man had done. Even children nowadays knew there was once a guy from Konoha who slaughtered Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, chased them back into the village, and blew up their front gate on the way out.

It was a humiliation for Kirigakure—but also proof of how terrifying Asakawa Kiyosuke truly was.

And the most infuriating part… was that he had run off with their Fifth Mizukage!!!