Following yesterday's events, Kakashi forced Naruto and Sakura to accompany Tazuna. Even after getting drunk all evening, the old carpenter was still the first one up. It seemed that nothing could hinder his stubborn determination to create a better future for his country.
During the journey toward the bridge under construction, Naruto and the others had to pass through one of the only villages in the land. The blond boy observed this village curiously for the first time, but he was disappointed to see it deserted.
The sun had barely risen, and the inhabitants were still in their beds. However, Naruto's expression grew increasingly somber as he walked down one of the main alleys of the village, catching glimpses of the shabby and poor-quality houses. The alleys were dirty, and he could occasionally see inside the poorly constructed homes. Not to mention the beggars and homeless people.
"I sincerely hope that Tazuna's bridge can actually improve the state of this country," Naruto thought. He couldn't help but feel empathy for these poor villagers. Sakura noticed the change in her partner's expression.
She hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking Naruto's hand, squeezing it.
"I am also saddened to see this; I hope the bridge can alleviate their suffering," said Sakura, squeezing his hand even tighter in hers.
"I wish for that too. But I feel so pathetic; even with my power, I am unable to help them." Naruto was clearly referring to his system. Tazuna, who was walking ahead of them, naturally overheard their conversation.
The old man casually scratched his gray hair before adjusting his glasses. He remained silent and simply let out a sigh.
Naruto and Sakura then accompanied Tazuna to the bridge under construction that was supposed to connect to the rest of the continent. They were the first to arrive, before Tazuna's colleagues showed up.
The two shinobis thus spent the rest of their day on the bridge, helping from time to time while ensuring the safety of Tazuna and the other workers. The only notable event was an argument between Tazuna and one of his colleagues who brought up the idea of abandoning their project. This worker was clearly afraid of death.
"Fool! This bridge is our only glimmer of hope for this country! You are an incompetent coward...!" Tazuna subsequently started to feel lightheaded. The old man clearly hadn't recovered from his hangover the previous night.
And in barely a few hours, Tazuna's condition had worsened so much that he could barely stand. The carpenters eventually forced him to go home, dragging him there by force. Tazuna's departure marked the end of the two shinobis' mission for the day.
But as they passed through the streets of the village, now more crowded, Naruto noticed several beggars. Even the passersby were not particularly well-dressed. His expression turned even darker when he saw a beggar child in ragged clothes.
"..." His eyes grew hazy, he stopped for a moment, before taking out his frog-shaped purse. And as he passed near the child, he slipped all his money, his 1000 Ryo, into his pocket.
"The more time I spend with him, the more I realize my own dishonesty... Naruto really is a remarkable boy." Sakura noticed her partner's action. And she felt her heart beat faster upon seeing this, especially knowing that Naruto had no more money than that.
Sakura copied the blond boy's act and gave her money to a beggar woman with her baby. The child noticed the sum in his pocket and started crying with joy while clutching the coins, looking around for where the money had come from while quickly hiding it.
The young beggar did not notice Naruto's action at first; it was only at the end of the day that he finally found the money in his pocket. He nearly had a heart attack and quickly hid it. It was clearly the best day of his life, and his eyes quickly became teary.
Tsunami and the others in the house were very surprised to see Tazuna being carried like that by his fellow carpenters. At first, they believed the old man had been injured in an attack, but the worst was confirmed when Tsunami learned that her father was in this state because of the alcohol he had consumed last night.
Whether it was the shinobis or the carpenters, they were completely shocked by the punishment administered to Tazuna.
"We're leaving, take care of yourselves." The carpenters fled the danger without looking back for a single moment. They said a prayer for the poor old man.
"...I got away with it." Kakashi thought to himself, maintaining his usual calm expression. He vowed not to be left alone with this dangerous person.
Taking advantage of the commotion and the attention focused on Tazuna and his daughter, Naruto and Sakura slipped away quietly. They headed toward the forest to then discreetly enter their inner dimension.
But as they ventured slightly into the forest behind Tsunami's house, the couple stumbled upon a person carrying a basket. In this basket were several plants that appeared to be medicinal herbs.
The person in front of them had a face and long, silky black hair. Their fair, smooth skin gave them an immediate charm, while their large, brown-tinted eyes added to their appeal. Their lips shone slightly.
This person was wearing a pink kimono and a dark-colored cloth around their neck. "Hello, what are you doing here?" the unknown person asked.
"Hello, my name is Sakura, and this is my partner, Naruto. We are simply looking for a place to train," Sakura replied.
The person continued to wear a gentle smile on their face, even though, internally, alarm bells were ringing. "I am truly unlucky to run into the young ninjas accompanying Zabuza-san's opponent."
"And what are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"I'm just gathering medicinal plants. Sorry to bother you with my questions, but I heard that some shinobis have appeared in our land... Is that you? This is the first time I've met you."
"Yes, we are indeed shinobis." Sakura confirmed, while briefly examining the person's basket. She quickly recognized a few medicinal plants.
"Ah! Forgive my impoliteness, I haven't introduced myself to you yet. I am Haku, a simple person living in the Land of Waves." Haku offered a warm smile before bowing. And while Sakura and Haku chatted briefly, Naruto remained unnaturally silent. The blonde boy was currently reading a notification from his system.
He frowned as he read the words from his system.
[DING][A-Rank Mission]
Ensure Haku and Zabuza survive; they must survive your mission in the Land of Waves. Duration: None (until the death of one of the characters)
Failure: Loss of your right arm Reward: Kirigakure Chest. Haku, who was talking quietly with Sakura, kept an eye on Naruto's actions at the same time and had no trouble noticing the brief change in the blonde boy's mood.
"I remember that when we first met, this boy was clearly the most talkative of them. What is the reason for this silence..." Haku suddenly decided to leave, not wanting to hurt them. "Forgive me again, I did not realize my mistake. Enjoy your date."
"No, that's not it..." Sakura was naturally shy, but she stopped when she finally noticed her partner's strange behavior.
The moment Sakura turned her head, Haku had already disappeared into the depths of the forest.
And following his hasty departure, Sakura moved closer to the blond boy who was still lost in thought.
"What's the matter, Naruto?"
"I received a mission related to this Haku." Naruto replied directly.
"Oooh! I see, you've fallen for his charms. Don't worry, I can make an exception and understand this time. Haku is really very pretty and his white skin looks so soft."
"No, that's not the kind of mission I meant. And I'm not interested in men!"
Naruto then showed her his newly received quest, before drawing a link between this Haku and Zabuza, the ninja who was supposed to have been killed following his fight against Kakashi.
After their battle, a masked shinobi from the Hidden Mist Village had come to carry away Zabuza's body.
Naruto directly thought that this masked shinobi was likely Haku. "Your deduction seems plausible to me. We now know that Zabuza is still alive, but what do you mean, Haku is a man?" she asked.
"... It is possible that, without meaning to, I accidentally released my skill on Haku. And the fact that he didn't react proves that he is not a woman." Naruto whistled while avoiding looking at his partner.
"Nothing surprising coming from you..." Sakura sighed. "Let's forget about this little affair... We must now worry about Zabuza, who gave Kakashi a hard time. I don't understand why the system is asking us to protect him."
Naruto scratched his head furiously in confusion. "And given the difficulty of this mission, we're clearly going to have a hard time completing it. Especially since our opponents this time will be Sasuke and Kakashi. There is no scenario where they will spare Zabuza if they run into him."
"Not to mention that Zabuza remains our enemy... Argh! Why did we get such a mission!" Naruto scratched his chin. "At least we know our reward; I wonder what this chest contains."
"Aaaah! But we must avoid being labeled as traitors by trying to help this Zabuza," Sakura sighed.
But their discussion was once again interrupted by the arrival of another person. Except this time, the person was one of their acquaintances, their teammate Sasuke Uchiha.
The black-haired boy looked at them with his usual cold expression.
"I know you're hiding things from me," Sasuke said. "What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a forced smile. "I hate being taken for a fool. Kakashi refuses to tell me the reason for our punishment, and I clearly sense that you have been acting strangely for a few days. Especially you, Sakura."
"So? Are you jealous that she doesn't follow you around anymore?" Naruto tried to protect his partner, moving slightly in front of her.
"We're just training together; there's nothing else to know."
"I have no desire to waste time with pests around my legs." Sasuke stopped for a moment and said a few words before leaving.
"I don't care about your secrets and childish games, but just try not to die like idiots. I don't want to be stuck with people who are even more useless."
"What's gotten into him?" Sakura muttered.
"I think he's trying to warn us to be careful, but I find it hard to take him seriously. He should learn to communicate better, that idiot."
"I feel a bit bad hiding this from him; he must feel left out."
"My darling wife is already cheating on me with her former lover... What a sad life..." Naruto said jokingly.
"Idiot! You know full well that I can't turn back now, I've already chosen you. I'm just worried about our lonely teammate." Sakura pinched Naruto's waist with an amused smile.
"You know very well that I'm not the type of person to exclude anyone else... He remains our teammate, as unpleasant as he may be." Naruto had a serious look, staring at Sasuke's solitary back.
The couple subsequently teleported into their pocket dimension. They naturally sought to train in their dungeon, before seeing with astonishment that the dungeon was unavailable.
"We'll have to wait a month before we can go back in."
"I was so excited about getting my fix of blue pearls..." Naruto sighed, completely disappointed.
Their training thus took place inside their inner dimension, with the two shinobis facing off against each other.
Tsunami stopped by briefly, simply placing the live fish she had just bought. She only stayed for a brief moment before returning to the real world; she had to take care of her exhausted old father. Meanwhile, Haku finally arrived at his base.
He prepared the medicinal herbs before heading to Zabuza's bed. Haku carefully removed Zabuza's old bandages, gave him his medicinal mixture, and then applied new, clean bandages.
Zabuza Momochi was a rogue ninja from the village of Kiri, having become a mercenary after leaving his home. He was also a trusted person whom Haku cherished greatly.
Zabuza was a tall, remarkably muscular man with light grayish skin. He had short, spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He always wore his Kiri forehead protector around his brow.
Apart from the bandages made by Haku to treat his wounds, Zabuza wore bandages on the lower part of his face almost constantly in everyday life. These bandages served as a mask.
"Zabuza-san, I met the ninjas from Konoha on the way," said Haku while applying the healing ointment to Zabuza.
"Grrr! I hope you killed them! But I suppose not; I hope at least they didn't follow you. Was Kakashi among them?" Zabuza questioned, frowning. The man was clearly a fierce and gruff person, the complete opposite of Haku's calm and gentle nature.
"No, there were only two Genin, but... one of the Genin... The blond kid didn't act the same way; that change in attitude struck me." Haku was used to Zabuza's personality, accepting it completely.
"Hmph! Are you afraid of a Genin? Have some self-respect, Haku!" Zabuza growled, wanting Haku to become a strong man capable of surviving the harshness of life.
"Forgive me, Zabuza-san, but his behavior seemed very strange to me."
"He is a shinobi; it is normal to encounter certain peculiar cases in this line of work. You have to be either crazy or dead to want to remain in our world," Zabuza said while closing his eyes.
The two ninjas were interrupted by the appearance of their employer Gato's bodyguards, Zori and Waraji, who were mercenary samurai. They announced that the final assault would take place tomorrow and instructed them to attack their target on the bridge.
Haku was initially against this order but had to accept it when he saw Zabuza agree.
"Prepare yourself well, Kakashi! Tomorrow we will finish our fight!" Zabuza grumbled.