"What did you do to Tsunami and the others?!"
Konome Taketori was still thinking about where Ice Release might have gone, when Tazuna heard the words "funeral" and instantly lost control. He burst out of the group, forgetting his fear, and clung to the earthen coffin as he demanded answers.
"Locked in coffins. Funeral in three days."
The man answered with the same wooden blankness.
A funeral.
Tazuna's vision swam.
In this world, the ones who got funerals were the dead. If that was true, then his family was likely already… gone.
The moment that thought formed, his whole body went numb. His legs turned to cotton, his hands went cold, and grief he could not hide flooded across his wrinkled face.
"Tazuna, don't panic," Konome said quickly. "He said they were locked in coffins. That means your family should still be alive."
She could already see his blood pressure climbing.
Please do not have this old man drop dead on the spot. Healing external injuries with medical ninjutsu was miraculous, but she had never treated a cerebral hemorrhage or a heart attack.
"Right," Kakashi added calmly. "If they were already dead, it wouldn't be 'locked' in a coffin. It would be 'put' in one. Your family is alive."
"And we're at the Land of Fire's border," Sasuke said, voice steady. "Less than a day from the Land of Waves. Three days until the funeral means we have time. Plenty of time."
With everyone speaking at once, Tazuna finally managed to breathe again. Still wearing his misery on his face, he retreated behind Konome as if returning to the only place he could stand without collapsing.
Once the trembling client was soothed, Konome turned to Sōya and asked the question that mattered most to her.
"Among the ninja Gatō hired, is there anyone named Zabuza or Haku? Zabuza is a vicious-looking man who carries a huge sword on his back."
"And the other one is a girl. Gentle-looking. Pretty."
Zabuza?
Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza?
Kakashi's eyes sharpened. He did not recognize the name Haku, but Zabuza was famous. Kakashi had spent a long time in ANBU, and Konoha kept files on every village's elite. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were absolutely included.
Kurosuki Raiga was the first wielder of the Thunder Swords. Momochi Zabuza was the second wielder of the Executioner's Blade.
Same group, both missing-nin from Kirigakure. If the Land of Waves had to face both of them at once, that was trouble.
Sōya's gaze drifted upward, unfocused, as if he were forcing his sluggish mind to dig through memories. After a moment, he shook his head.
"No. Not those two. I think I heard the boss mention Zabuza once… I don't remember."
So Zabuza and Haku really were not in the Land of Waves.
Konome clicked her tongue, disappointed. She had been craving Ice Release for far too long.
Over the last few days, her original body and the Yin Release clone had been studying Wood Release and chakra seeds in Root. They discovered that Wood Release was profoundly mysterious.
It had been mentioned before: a shinobi's soul and body could influence chakra's nature, which was why chakra "waveforms" and "profiles" existed. But the same chakra could also push back in the opposite direction, reshaping the soul and body in return.
Take the Yotsuki clan.
They specialized in Lightning Release. Their descendants had a high chance of inheriting Lightning affinity, and that affinity shaped them too. Their bodies and even spirits became more resistant to lightning, and their temperaments often ran hotter, more explosive.
Konome herself had spent years bathing in a lightning pool to refine her Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Her cells had been "filtered" by lightning over and over, and her resistance to it had risen greatly.
But after awakening Wood Release these last few days, her cells changed again in a strange way.
The muscle cells around her heart, closest to the chakra seed, changed most clearly. Along the membrane, something like a plant cell wall began to form.
In a handful of cells, she even found the same tiny tentacle-like sprouts that belonged to Hashirama's cells.
They looked like the dense white root threads that grow when you soak garlic in water.
One glance was enough to make your skin crawl.
She had read the research report on "Kinoe." Despite its age, it had been preserved impeccably by Chihaya Tōru, because Kinoe was the only successful Wood Release experiment subject.
The report clearly stated that Kinoe's body cells did not fundamentally change. He was simply more vigorous and stronger than normal.
Completely different from Konome's current condition.
She suspected this plant-like mutation was the key to Hashirama cells' infinite division and their ability to break the normal human limit. It was likely a special mutation that only appeared when you combined a high-grade Sage Body with Wood Release.
That was why she had wanted to bring Ice Release back.
She needed to see whether Wood Release was uniquely special, or whether other kekkei genkai could also alter the very nature of the body.
More importantly, her original body and the clones had pieced together a complete route to "collect" and fuse bloodlines.
Water plus Earth became Wood Release.
Earth plus Fire became Lava Release.
Fire plus Lightning was still unclear, possibly Explosion Release.
Lightning plus Wind should be Magnet Release.
And Wind plus Water was Ice Release.
If they could complete those five in a cycle, then use Yin Yang Release to harmonize the middle, they might be able to fuse a kekkei tōta with seven natures.
Now Wood Release was secured.
Lava Release was not hard with Rōshi and the Four-Tails.
Explosion Release meant Deidara and Gari.
Magnet Release meant the "little tanuki" who would eventually deliver himself to her doorstep.
But Ice Release was the key link that completed the loop.
The Yuki clan might be down to a single seedling, Haku.
If Haku was not here, then her only option might be the Three-Tails. She remembered brushing against Ice Release chakra when she devoured its flesh before, but for some reason she had not inherited it.
Konome was deep in those thoughts and did not notice the subtle, strange expression that flickered across Tazuna's face when she asked about Zabuza and Haku.
"Anyway," Naruto declared, thrusting his fist into the air, blue eyes blazing. "All we have to do is get to the Land of Waves and beat that Kurosuki Raiga, right? Then we save your home!"
Naruto's logic was simple, the kind a single-celled organism would approve of.
Tazuna and the Land of Waves, good.
Gatō and Kurosuki Raiga, bad.
"Yeah. I'm with Naruto," Sasuke said, surprisingly siding with him.
Ever since he started training in swordsmanship, he paid special attention to anyone known for blades. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were famous even in Konoha.
He did not know exactly how strong they were, but he had heard each of the seven swords carried a unique power. Kurosuki Raiga specialized in Lightning Release, which meant his blade was likely tied to lightning.
Maybe Sasuke could use it too.
Naruto did not use swords. Kakashi had his Hatake clan short blade. Konome barely used ninja tools at all.
Sasuke intended to trade the mission reward for that sword.
"Tazuna, can you still move?" Kakashi asked, lowering his forehead protector to cover his right eye again. His chakra was already down by a tenth.
"Miss Konome's hands are divine. I'm fine!" Tazuna waved his right arm quickly, eager to prove he was functional and terrified of being sent back to Konoha. He even slipped in flattery on instinct.
After seeing Konome kill without blinking, his earlier arrogant stubbornness never returned.
Kakashi nodded. As the nominal captain, he gave the order immediately.
"Then we move. We'll push hard and reach the Land of Waves by tomorrow morning."
"Yes!" *3
Sasuke, Konome, and Naruto answered in unison, faces serious. Kakashi was decent enough. With outsiders around, they were willing to give him that respect.
Rumble.
The earthen coffin sank back into the ground. Konome clasped her hands, and the road smoothed itself flat again. No one would ever know a man was buried here.
Of course, out of basic humanity, they did not choose to bury him alive.
The five continued on. Their silhouettes grew smaller, smaller, until even Konome, walking at the rear, vanished into the trees.
Branches swayed in the wind.
The shredded blood threads tangled around boughs. From a distance, they looked like scarlet venomous snakes hiding in the canopy.
At some point, fog began to rise.
The "snakes" and the branches were swallowed by that loose mist. The fog's range was not wide, but it was unusually thick. In no time at all, the trees disappeared completely.
The next morning.
Team 7 and Tazuna finally reached the outskirts of the Land of Waves.
Fog locked the sea. Morning light seeped through like diluted ink.
Massive bridge pylons broke the surface of the water, only half visible above the tide. Dark shapes shifted beneath the waves.
Standing at the shoreline and looking forward, Konome and the others saw a bridge stretching endlessly over the sea, one side swallowed by the fog as if it led straight into a heavenly realm.
Breathing in the familiar salty stench of rolling waves, Konome took a deep breath.
For a moment, it felt like she had returned to those years of clawing for survival inside the Blood Mist.
"It's huge!" Naruto hopped up onto the railing and craned his neck, staring along the bridge as if he could see the island itself.
But the morning fog was too dense. No matter how hard he tried, there was only white.
Sasuke and Kakashi stepped onto the bridge too, gazing at the endless ocean on both sides.
Kakashi had seen plenty of the world through missions, so his curiosity was muted. Sasuke had never seen the sea, and even though he kept his usual cool expression, his eyes stuck to the ripples on the water like they were a new kind of jutsu.
"Heh! This is the great bridge I built," Tazuna announced, walking backward with the bridge behind him like a proud backdrop. He threw his arms wide. "It's called the Bridge of Heroes!"
His pride practically spilled out of his pores.
"Tazuna really isn't shy," Naruto whispered into Konome's ear. "Naming the bridge the Bridge of Heroes. That's basically calling himself a hero."
Even though Naruto had been moved by Tazuna's resolve, the two of them bickered nonstop along the way. The march was boring, and their arguments never turned truly vicious. Konome, Sasuke, and Kakashi let it happen because, frankly, it was entertaining.
"Brat, the hero in Bridge of Heroes isn't me!" Tazuna snapped, moustache bristling as he glared.
Then, as they walked, he began to explain where the name came from.
"The Land of Waves is an island nation. Transportation depends entirely on sea routes, and it's a nightmare. Supplies are scarce. People are scarce."
"Calling it a country is generous. It's closer to a town."
"Any young person with even a little ability leaves to try their luck elsewhere. I was one of them too."
"Ten years ago, after years struggling outside, I missed home and came back to retire, only to find a so-called shipping company had appeared."
"The president was Gatō."
The moment he said the name, Tazuna's expression hardened into something cold.
Team 7 already knew Gatō was the root of everything, but they did not know the details. Their ears all perked up, and even Konome, who knew the original plot, looked curious.
In the Land of Waves story, Gatō had always been more of a shadowy backdrop. The focus was on shinobi battles. She did not actually know the history behind the oppression.
Tazuna cleared his throat and continued, not keeping them waiting.
"At first, he shipped in huge amounts of goods from outside and sold them cheap."
"He's a wealthy international merchant. He could undercut anyone. Our local shipping couldn't compete."
"Company after company went bankrupt. Sea transport fell completely into his hands."
"And then the fox finally showed its tail."
He smiled without humor.
"He jacked up prices and squeezed the people dry."
"He used the Land of Waves as a transfer point for drugs moving between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. He blocked sea routes and even doubled as a pirate."
"Our country was already weak. He made it poorer."
"Disgusting," Naruto spat, fist clenched.
Kakashi and Sasuke both felt anger stirring too. If Konoha ever faced something like this, they would cut Gatō in half and then cut the halves again.
"This is why," Tazuna said, pointing at the bridge. "To break Gatō's blockade and solve the root of our poverty, I contacted what little leadership our country had left, gathered craftsmen from across the nation, and designed this bridge together."
"Then how did you build it?" Konome asked, cutting straight to the point. "If they could blockade massive sea routes, how could they not blockade a bridge?"
"At first, they did," Tazuna admitted. "We only built one-third before Gatō stopped us."
"But about five years ago, things changed."
He patted the railing, a rare smile appearing.
"My son-in-law, Kaiza, tried to form a self-defense force to resist Gatō. That's when he met a shinobi who had fallen on hard times."
"The Water Release shinobi you mentioned?" Konome asked immediately.
"That's him," Tazuna said, gazing into the drifting fog ahead.
"We treated his injuries. After that, he said he could repay us by completing a mission."
"Kaiza asked him to protect the bridge construction crew until the bridge was finished."
Then Tazuna suddenly remembered something, excitement surging through him. He hurried a few steps forward and pointed down at the bridge deck beneath their feet.
"Right here."
"Gatō hired ninja to stop us. Those ninja were killed right here, in just a few moves. Gatō's people were so terrified they pulled out of the Land of Waves and never dared come back."
"With his help, we finished the bridge."
"We broke Gatō's plot and our poverty in one stroke."
Tazuna lifted his chin, voice thick with reverence.
"To honor that hero shinobi's contribution to the Land of Waves, we named this bridge the Bridge of Heroes."
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