"Current swept him away?" Naruto blinked, looking over the broken railing at the swirling dark waters below. "But... he was heavy! And Haku too? They just... vanished?"
"Ocean currents are strong, Naruto," I lied with a straight face, leaning against the railing and picking a splinter off my glove. "Physics. Buoyancy. The circle of life. Besides, do you want to fish a corpse out of the water? It's messy. They bloat. It's gross."
Naruto shuddered, his face turning green. "Ew. No. Okay, I believe you."
Kakashi approached, limping slightly. He stopped beside me, his single visible eye scanning the spot where the bodies had been. He looked at the lack of blood. He looked at the faint traces of a struggle that didn't match a "current."
Then he looked at me.
His eye narrowed.
He knows something is off, I thought, keeping my expression neutral. He suspects Zabuza is alive. But he also knows I'm the one who "finished" it. And since I'm holding a giant sword that shouldn't fit in my pocket, he has questions.
"Well," Kakashi sighed, pulling his headband down to cover his Sharingan. "If they're gone, they're gone. Our priority is the client."
He patted my shoulder as he walked past. His grip lingered for a second.
"Good work, Kenji," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the wind. "We'll talk about your... inventory... later. And where exactly that sword went."
I grinned innocently. "I have no idea what you mean, Sensei. It must have fallen in the water too. Gravity is a harsh mistress."
Kakashi rolled his eye and walked away.
****
[That Night - The Woods]
While the team slept, I slipped out to the edge of the forest. I bit my thumb and pressed it against the slave seal tattoo that had appeared on my forearm.
[Skill: Master's Call]
Connection Established.
A shadow flickered in the trees. Zabuza Momochi dropped down, bandaged and grumpy, but alive. Haku stood silently beside him.
"You called... Master?" Zabuza spat the last word like it was vinegar.
"Relax, Zabuza. I have a job for you. A lucrative one."
I looked toward the town where Gatou's headquarters was located.
"Gatou is dead. He was the richest man in the shipping world. His vaults are full, his trade routes are established, and right now, his organization is headless."
Zabuza's eyes lit up. He understood immediately.
"You want me to loot it?"
"I want you to take it," I corrected. "Take over his business. Rebrand it. Use Haku's face as the mascot if you have to; people trust pretty faces. Manage the shipping lanes from the shadows. I want 80% of the profits funneled into a sealed account for me. The other 20% is yours to rebuild your forces for your little coup in the Mist."
Zabuza grinned, a genuine, predatory smile. "A ghost running a shipping empire... I like it."
"Good. Now go. Make me rich."
*****
One Week Later]
The bridge was finished.
It was a magnificent structure, a grey ribbon of stone connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland. It symbolized hope, commerce, and freedom from Gatou's tyranny.
But for me, it symbolized Payday.
We stood at the end of the bridge, packed and ready to leave. The salt air was fresh, no longer tainted by blood.
Tazuna stood there, tearing up. The entire village had gathered to see us off.
"I can't believe it's over," Tazuna sniffled, wiping his nose. "You brats... you really saved us. I'll miss you."
"Heh!" Naruto rubbed his nose, grinning from ear to ear. "Don't worry about it, old man! We're heroes! Heroes don't say goodbye, they just... go to the next adventure!"
Inari stepped forward. The gloomy emo kid was gone. He stood tall, his eyes clear.
"Naruto-niichan," Inari said, his voice shaking but firm. "I... I'm going to be strong. Like you. I'm going to protect this town! I won't cry anymore!"
Naruto grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah! And if you cry, I'll come back and kick your butt! Believe it!"
I tuned out the Shonen bonding moment and looked toward the back of the crowd.
Tsunami stood there. She looked radiant. Her skin was glowing, her posture relaxed, and the dark circles under her eyes were gone. She caught my eye and bit her lip, a flush rising to her cheeks.
I winked.
She touched the pocket of her apron. Inside, I knew, was a small parting gift I had left her—a thick stack of Ryo (Gatou's money, courtesy of Zabuza) to help her restart her life.
And, of course, the Vibrating Kunai.
She'll be fine, I thought. She has memories to keep her warm. And batteries.
Tsunami offered a small, grateful bow. She had no lingering delusions. She knew I was a ninja, a traveler, a storm that passed through. She was grateful she got to feel like a woman again, even for a week.
Tazuna approached me, looking solemn.
"Kenji," he bowed his head. "I... I want to apologize again. For lying about the mission rank. And... about the money. I promise, once the tolls start coming in, I will pay the A-Rank fee. And the interest."
"Don't worry about it, old man," I said, cutting him off with a wave of my hand. "I've already collected the interest."
"Huh?" Tazuna blinked. "You did? When?"
I glanced over his shoulder at Tsunami, who quickly looked away, turning bright red.
"Let's just say the hospitality was... sufficient," I smirked. "Consider the debt settled."
"Oh! Well, that's good!" Tazuna laughed, completely missing the point. "You're a generous kid!"
I walked away before I burst out laughing. Ignorance is bliss.
"Alright, time to go," Kakashi announced. "Say your goodbyes."
"Wait!" Tazuna shouted. "We haven't named the bridge yet! It needs a name worthy of the heroes who saved it!"
"The Great Tazuna Bridge?" Tazuna suggested hopefully.
"No," Sakura said immediately.
"The Bridge of Culture?" I offered, raising a hand.
"NO," Sakura and Kakashi said in unison. "Absolutely not."
Tazuna looked at Naruto.
"This bridge... it exists because one boy refused to give up. He changed Inari's heart. He changed the village's heart. He brought the spring back to the Land of Waves."
Tazuna smiled.
"We shall call it... The Great Naruto Bridge."
Naruto froze. His jaw dropped. His eyes welled up with big, fat anime tears. "The... The Great Naruto Bridge? For real?"
"It's perfect," Kakashi smiled eye-closed.
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Great. Now his ego is going to be bigger than his chakra reserves. We're never going to hear the end of this."
As we walked away, leaving the Land of Waves behind, I checked my System.
[DING!]
[Mission Complete: The Bridge Builder's Lie] [Rating: S] [Rewards:]
2,000 Shameless Points.Reputation: Hero of the Waves.Hidden Reward: Zabuza & Haku (Acquired - Shadow Empire Established).Combat Skill: [Elastic Chakra: Bungee Gum]
[Skill Details:]
Origin: Hunter x Hunter (Hisoka Morrow).
Effect: Gives your chakra the properties of both Rubber and Gum.
Capabilities:Elasticity: Can stretch and contract with incredible force.Adhesion: Can stick to anything (physical objects, chakra, people) and cannot be removed unless the user wills it.
Texture Surprise: Can alter the appearance of the gum to look like skin, cloth, or other textures.Note: Perfect for a trickster. You can pull weapons, bounce back attacks, trap enemies, or... bind targets in very creative positions.
I halted in my steps, my eyes widening.
Bungee Gum? Hisoka's ability?
I looked at my hand. I focused a tiny bit of chakra into my index finger. A pink, viscous aura formed. I touched the hilt of my kunai pouch.
Stick.
I pulled my hand away. The pouch stretched, attached to my finger by a thin, invisible thread of pink energy. I twitched my finger.
Snap.
The pouch flew back into my palm with a satisfying smack.
Oh, this is dangerous, I thought, a wicked grin spreading across my face. I can steal weapons from people's hands. I can stick myself to walls without climbing. I can create shields.
And... I can use it for 'binding' experiments. Tsunami-san would have loved this.
"Hey, Kenji," Sasuke walked up beside me, breaking my reverie. "You're smiling."
"I am?"
"Yeah. It's creepy," Sasuke muttered, eyeing me suspiciously. "You usually only smile like that when you're looking at a skirt or stealing something."
"I'm just thinking about the properties of rubber and gum, Sasuke," I said enigmatically, dismissing the pink aura before he could see it with his Sharingan. "Did you know that combining them creates the ultimate versatile substance?"
"Hn. You're speaking nonsense again," Sasuke scoffed, walking ahead. "Just don't slow me down."
I chuckled, watching his back. I pointed a finger at the Uchiha symbol on the back of his shirt.
Bungee Gum.
I attached a tiny, invisible thread to his shirt.
Contract.
I gave a microscopic tug.
Yank.
Sasuke stumbled, tripping over his own feet. He flailed, nearly face-planting into the dirt.
"What the—?!" Sasuke spun around, looking for a rock or a root. There was nothing. "Did I just trip over air?"
"Careful, Sasuke," I walked past him, patting his shoulder. "Training made you strong, but you shouldn't neglect your balance. The path to power is slippery."
Sasuke glared at the ground, confused.
I laughed.
Oh yeah. This is going to be fun.
"Let's go home."
Author's Note:
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