At a pier in the Land of Waves—
Dawn hadn't been up for long, but dozens were already hard at work.
Building this bridge was the one way to lift the whole country out of poverty—everyone's hope.
"Master Tazuna is here!" someone called with respect.
Heads turned toward Tazuna's approach.
"Master Tazuna!"
"Morning, Tazuna!"
"Early start today, Tazuna."
Voices brimmed with respect and warmth from villagers lining the street.
"Tazuna, that geezer, sure is popular," Naruto muttered, watching their smiles and the way they looked at Tazuna.
Wham!
A fist bonked Naruto on the head. Sakura raised her fist, annoyed. "What geezer! Tazuna-san is the only bridge engineer in the Land of Waves—he's our hope."
While Naruto and Sasuke poured almost every spare minute into training, Sakura had actually gathered intel on the country. Unlike Konoha's prosperity, Wave's poverty made it crystal clear what the bridge meant.
If she'd been irritated at first with the stubborn drunk who hired them, now there was a core of respect.
Naruto rubbed his head and shrank a little under Sakura's glare.
Sasuke, a little apart, scanned the fog-shrouded area warily. With the mist still clinging, this would be the perfect time for Zabuza to strike.
Behind the trio and Tazuna walked Kakashi and Kinoshita Jiro.
"Jiro-san, why come along?" Kakashi asked mildly, glancing at him.
"Your body should be just about recovered, Kakashi-dono—so I'm guessing Zabuza's is too. We've troubled Tazuna's family long enough. If he really comes, I might be able to help."
Jiro smiled brightly.
"That so." Hands in his pockets, Kakashi gave him a look.
With Tazuna there, the whole project kicked into high gear.
Kakashi's team split to different vantage points to guard against Zabuza.
"Funny—Gato hasn't sent goons to mess with us lately," one worker murmured.
"You're right. He hasn't shown up in days," another whispered back.
As the sun climbed, the mist thinned.
By noon, there'd been no sign of Zabuza. The workers drifted home for lunch, leaving Tazuna taking measurements in a corner.
Kakashi frowned. With Zabuza's level, he should have recovered by now. Why still no show? With his personality, he'd be gunning for payback the moment he could—Kakashi's ploy against him hadn't exactly been subtle.
"Looks like Zabuza won't be coming for a while," Kakashi murmured, scanning the area.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two rushing sounds cut the air.
Kakashi snapped toward them, readying to fight. Naruto and the others straightened, boredom gone.
But Kakashi froze a second later—the newcomers wore Konoha Root gear. One was the same masked operative he'd encountered last night.
They passed Kakashi without a glance and strode on as if no one else existed.
Kakashi's brow creased, but he didn't speak. Best to avoid contact with Root when possible.
"Who are those arrogant jerks?" Naruto muttered, scowling at their swagger.
Sakura didn't smack him this time—she was frowning too, and Sasuke's expression had gone cool.
Kakashi flashed to the trio's side, as if worried they might do something rash. "They're Konoha's assassination operatives. Don't do anything extra when you see them."
He cut a look at Naruto, clearly most concerned about him.
"But, Kakashi-sensei… they're heading toward Jiro-san," Naruto said, watching their path.
Kakashi blinked and looked up. Sure enough, the Root operatives were walking straight for Kinoshita Jiro.
"What is going on? How does Jiro have business with Root?" Surprise flickered across Kakashi's eyes.
Just then, voices drifted over from Jiro's direction.
"You're late. I've been waiting," Jiro said coolly to the two in front of him, eyes flashing with a look of dawning understanding—as if he'd just put something together.
"Did you bring the item?" one Root operative asked, tone stiff and emotionless.
Jiro didn't hesitate. He pulled a scroll from his robe but kept a tight hold on it and eased back a few steps, tension in his voice. "I have it. But you're telling me where my wife and son are first. Otherwise, no deal."
Listening from not far away, Kakashi and the others could roughly piece together what was happening.
"So that's why Jiro-san kept hanging around—he was meeting someone from the village," Sakura said, realization dawning.
"But when he mentioned his wife and son… does that mean they were—" Sasuke began, then fell silent as Kakashi cut in.
"Village affairs aren't for casual gossip. And it could just be related intel," Kakashi said. Even so, his face darkened. If it was Root, they were perfectly capable of this kind of leverage to reach their goals.
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